Doncaster labrador bounces back following double knee op after collapsing in woods

A walk in the woods ended in double trouble for young labrador Ebony when she collapsed after rupturing cruciate ligaments in both her hind legs.

Shocked owner Cynthia Black had to carry the three-year-old labrador back to her car and was dismayed when local vets revealed her precious pet needed a double operation.

Ebony was referred to Linnaeus-owned West Midlands Referrals (WMR) in Burton, Staffordshire, which performs multiple cruciate ligament surgeries, and has now made a full recovery after two surgeries in four months.

WMR clinical director Andy Whittingham explained: “Rupture of the cranial cruciate ligament is one of the common problems that is referred to us but Ebony was a little different as she was suffering from two.

“Her right leg was judged to be the worst clinically so we opted to deal with that first, using a technique called a tibial plateau levelling osteotomy (TPLO).

“In TPLO, one curved cut is made in the tibia which allows the tibial plateau to be rotated to reduce the angle of its slope relative to the long axis of the tibia.

“It is then fixed in the new position with a plate and screw and forms a very successful cure for the problem.”

Ebony, who is now four, had a TPLO on her left hind leg four months later and has subsequently made a full recovery and been signed off by WMR.

A delighted Cynthia said: “It was a very worrying situation, so it was a real relief when WMR told me there was something that could be done about it.

“They were absolutely brilliant; I couldn’t fault them and they kept me fully up to date throughout both of Ebony’s surgeries. I’d definitely recommend them, no shadow of a doubt.

“The WMR team did a terrific job and Ebony has recovered really well and is now back to normal.

“I’m very grateful.”

WMR provides a wide range of high standard veterinary services delivered by experienced clinicians and supported by state-of-the-art facilities to facilitate accurate diagnosis and treatment.

For more information about WMR, visit www.wm-referrals.com or search for West Midlands Veterinary Referrals on social media.