Orthopedic surgery is entirely focused on treating medical conditions encompassing the musculoskeletal system. It includes surgery of bones, joints, ligaments, muscles surrounding bones, and tendons. Small animals have quite a different skeleton structure than humans. Their skeleton is rather complex and unique. Hence vets need special veterinary orthopedic surgical instruments accordingly. There is a wide range of such instruments available in the market and they can be used to perform even tricky medical surgeries. The extensive and latest range of instruments allows vets to undergo surgeries that prove successful most of the time. The health of your beloved pet is very important, if you see your cat or dog limping then there might be a problem in their joints or muscles. Whatever the reason is, you need to take them to a certified physician as soon as possible. If these symptoms are left untreated then your beloved pet can lose a leg or any other part of its body. Nobody wants to see their pets in torment. That’s why we strongly suggest consulting a professional in this matter.
Common Medical Conditions Requiring Orthopedic Surgery
Many complexities can affect the knees and other joints of an animal but the most common is tearing of the cranial cruciate ligament (CrCL). This disorder is treated by surgically stabilizing the knee joint. Another common cause of veterinary orthopedic surgeries is fractured. Sometimes dogs and cats are hit by cars and that results in broken bones. Before a fracture is treated, vets perform X-rays to see the scope of the problem. Open fractures are usually treated by a fixator or a metal rod that stabilizes the bone. Closed fractures are treated with screws and plates placed internally to stabilize the fractured bones. Apart from these accidental surgeries, some animals also have genetic disorders. Dogs have a common genetic condition called Hip dysplasia. In this condition, there is a malformation of the hip where the socket and ball of the joint cannot fit properly. This condition can further lead to arthritis if not treated in time. Most cases of Hip dysplasia are treated medically but chronic cases might require surgery. Suitable surgical treatment depends entirely on the age and health of the animal. Like Hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia is also a genetic disorder that is common in large breeds of dogs. There are many disorders in the elbow area of animals but all include the abnormal growth of cartilage. This condition is diagnosed with the help of x-rays, examinations, and CT scans. Some of the causes of elbow dysplasia can be treated with arthroscopic surgery but others may require complex surgeries to shorten or lengthen a bone.
Important Surgical Instruments and Their Uses
Many surgical instruments and tools are used in veterinary orthopedic surgeries. All of these instruments serve their unique purposes.
Bone Holding Forceps
Any surgery that includes bones requires bone-holding forceps. They are made of high-grade stainless steel. These forceps are used to hold the bone during surgery to maintain the bone alignment.
Bone Cutting Forceps
These forceps are made from hardened steel with blades. They are used to cut and extract the bones during surgery.
Gelpi Retractor
This special instrument is used to retract deep and superficial tissues. Its shape is specially designed to retract bulking tissues and to reach incision sites.
Bone Files
These tools are used to carve out bones and to remove small particles of bone. Their shape is designed in a way that offers easy movement between the soft tissues and narrow bone areas.
Bone Rasps
Bone rasps are specifically designed to trim and shape a bone surface or cartilage. These are the primary tools that are used in animal orthopedic surgery.
Bone Tamps
These instruments are used to reduce the pain after fractures and manage bone grafts. There are all sorts of bone tamps available in the market, either flexible or rigid.
IVD Rongeur
Rongeur is ideally used in the manipulation of intervertebral disks. It is also used in discectomies to extract a herniated disk.
Cartilage Scissors
These operating scissors are used to cut through thick cartilage, tendons, and fascia too. It has a specifically designed stainless steel triangular blade to easily cut through thick tissues.
Ligament Meniscus Clamps
Clamps are generally used to get towels and other dressing material during surgery. A ligament meniscus clamp is specifically designed to remove torn parts of the meniscus.
Curettes
Curettes are used to scrape debris in an excision, surgery, or biopsy. Their shape and size are rather small and there is a tip at the end of a curette. The tip can be a hook, a small scoop, or just a gouge.
Hohmann Retractors
Like general retractors, their job is to retract tissues and several ligaments. These types of retractors are more commonly used in hip and knee surgery.
Where to get High-Quality Orthopaedic Surgical Instruments?
For a long time, vets had access to fine surgical instruments but it is changed now. Over the last three years, we have seen a sharp spike in the prices of quality veterinary orthopedic surgical instruments. The prices are almost unaffordable now. If you go for the cheaper products, you would see them wear out just after a couple of weeks of surgery use. GerVetUSA has stepped up and continues to provide the best export quality surgical instruments at feasible rates. They offer premium quality products at a very sensible price range. You can also get personalized surgical tools at very affordable rates.
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