This month’s patient of the month is Zoe, a one year old female Tortishell cat. Zoe was brought to Reservoir Vet Clinic after her owner found she wasn’t using her leg properly. Zoe is a very active cat and the night before she had been jumping around chasing a light toy until she became lame.

Dr Raj Wicks examined Zoe and found she had a very swollen right hock. Zoe was unable to place any weight on her leg and kept it held up at all times. Dr Raj gave Zoe some pain relief medication and recommended to her owners that Zoe be admitted to have an X-ray taken of her leg. Dr Raj radiographed Zoe’s right hind leg and discovered Zoe had a fracture through her growth plate, just below her Gastrocnemius tendon. Dr Raj advised Zoe’s owners that Zoe would require surgical fixation to mend the fracture.

Surgery involved internal fixation of the fractured bone using two pins to join the parts togetherZoe was placed on intravenous fluids to support her blood pressure throughout the anaesthetic. Dr Wayne and Dr Raj performed the surgery which involved internal fixation of the fractured bone using two pins to join the parts together.

A cast was applied to Zoe's leg to add further support and aid the healing process. Zoe’s owners were advised that she would need to be kept confined. After two weeks the cast was removed so the leg could be examined and a light dressing applied. While her leg was healing Zoe required changes every 2-3 weeks and a free check up every week.

Less than 3 months after her surgery, Zoe was able to use her leg well without the support of a dressing. Zoe was very happy to have her leg back, but her owners were reminded to keep her from jumping to avoid causing further damage to her leg.