Baldivis Vet Advanced Surgery Centre

05/09/2023

Our wonderful rehabilitation nurses ensuring that Arlo has a great time during his physio therapy sessions so that he can rehabilitate from his orthopaedic procedure while also having fun!

Luckily Arlo loves teddies, cuddles and treats so he doesn’t realise he’s also performing physio and improving his mobility.

Our advanced surgery team offer physio therapy and rehabilitation programs for post operative patients as well as patients with injuries and arthritis.

27/01/2022

All creatures great and.... SMALL!

As veterinarians we are very privileged to work on a wide variety of species. This makes our day-to-day job very interesting.

Even within a species, we deal with so many variations which poses it’s own set of challenges.

This was the case with Buttons, the most adorable 4 month old Yorkshire terrier.

IMAGE 1: Buttons with Baldivis Veterinary Advanced Surgery Centre nurse Meg.

Buttons (all 2.7 kg of him!) was outside playing with the other family dog and was later found to be non-weight bearing his back leg.

X-rays taken by Baldivis Vet Hospital revealed that the poor little guy had fractured his tibia, clearly an accident however it can happen easily with little bones such as his.

Image 2. The tibia fracture can be seen clearly on this view.

Luckily, although it's still not nice to go through, this was not a bad fracture as far as fractures go. The bone had broken into 2 neat fragments and the pieces would fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. The fragments had also not displaced too badly making it easier to put back together.

So what might be so challenging? This little bone only measures 5 mm in diameter, and is only 68 mm in length (see the post-operative x-rays to appreciate the small size)!

The challenge is trying to find implants (plates, screws, pins etc.) that are small enough to fit on this bone without further damaging it. Yet the implants need to be strong enough to last the healing period.

Following some careful planning it was decided to repair this little bone with a rod down the central bone shaft and some orthopedic wire. The biggest pin we could fit down the shaft of this bone only measures 0.8 mm!

Images 3 and 4. Here the fracture has been repaired with an intra-medullary rod and orthopedic wire. Note the size of the bone compared to my reading glasses!

Buttons has now gone home and is currently making great recovery!

24/11/2021

Ziggy the bouncy Staffordshire puppy ✨

Ziggy is a 3-month old Staffordshire puppy. One afternoon she was happily playing out in the back yard when all of a sudden Ziggy came back in and was non-weight bearing lame in her right forelimb. There was no evidence of severe trauma, such as a motor vehicle accident or similar.

Image 1: Ziggy seen here with Baldivis Advanced Surgery Centre veterinary nurse Jen Griffiths

Ziggy was seen by Baldivis Emergency Vets and x-rays revealed that she had fractured her right elbow, right through an active area of bone growth. The type of injury that Ziggy had sustained is seen quite commonly in young puppies. Young animals have active growth plates that allow for bone growth and these growth plates are biomechanically weak areas that can break with a minor amount of force. Quite often these types of injuries are due to a minor source of trauma, such as jumping off a couch or similar.

Image 2: X-RAY IMAGES TAKEN OF ZIGGYS ELBOW PRIOR TO SURGERY
Yellow Arrow indicates the fracture within the elbow
Blue arrow indicates some of the active growth plates of the long bones

Ziggy was admitted to Baldivis Advanced Surgery Centre for surgical repair of her elbow. The repair seen below is typical for a fracture of this type. A screw is placed across the fracture, to compress and hold the two fragments together. The pin extending up from the elbow prevents rotation of these fragments.
The technical difficulty in this type of fracture arises from the fact that you are working in the region of the radial, median and ulnar nerves. These nerves surround the elbow and are major nerves to the forelimb, damage of which would result in paralysis of the limb. Furthermore there is only a very narrow column of bone through which the screw can be placed. Should one miss this column of bone the screw may enter the joint and this would result in arthritis of the joint.

Image 3 and 4: X-RAY IMAGES IMMEDIATLEY AFTER ZIGGY’S SURGERY

The arrows indicating the screws and pins placed in the elbow.
The day after surgery Ziggy was discharged to the loving care of her family. Within a week she is already walking on the leg. Ziggy should make an uneventful recovery. Ziggy's only issue now is she tends to get very carsick when travelling!!

08/11/2021

SOPHIE, THE SPARKLY BORDER COLLIE PUP ✨

Sophie is a beautiful, 9 month old Border collie puppy. Unfortunately she was involved in a motor vehicle accident last week. A car ran over her and she sustained severe injuries. She was rushed to Baldivis Veterinary Hospital where she was promptly stabilised and treated for her pain and injuries.

Image 1. Beautiful Sophie three days after her surgery at Baldivis Advanced Surgery Centre.

Sophie was unable to walk and was in severe pain. Fortunately her chest sounded clear, which meant that injuries to her heart and lungs were less likely. Once she was treated for shock and pain she was rushed to x-rays.
The horrific nature of her injuries could be appreciated on x-rays. The car had shattered her pelvis, and the pelvis had been separated from her spine! The bone in her p***s had suffered multiple fractures.

Image 2. Pelvic x-ray showing the horrific nature of Sophie’s injuries.
Yellow (➡) – Pelvis broken free from the spine
Green (➡) - Multiple fractures to the p***c region of the pelvis

The following day Sophie was admitted to Baldivis Advanced Surgery Centre for emergency pelvic surgery. The surgery involved carefully re-aligning Sophie’s pelvis and placing screws into the spine to re-attach the pelvis to the spine. The risk involved in this surgery includes injuring the spinal cord and paralysing the patient should the screws not be placed accurately!

Image 3 and 4 . Here we can see the screws that were placed into Sophie’s pelvis and spine to re-attach the pelvis to the spine.

Following surgery Sophie was handed to the care of Baldivis Emergency Vet. The following day Sophie was able to walk and was discharged to the care of her loving family. She is currently making an uneventful recovery at home!

20/11/2020

Meet LOKI the 4 year old Staffy.

Unfortunately, Loki had ruptured his right hind & left hind cruciate ligament & and was referred to Dr Stephen in Baldivis Vet Advanced Surgery Centre all the way from the tropical paradise of Broome.

Loki came in for Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy (TPLO) Surgery and had to have this procedure performed on both legs (3 months apart).

Injury to the cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) is the most common cause of hind limb lameness in dogs. It can be due to either a partial or complete rupture of the ligament. Rupture of the ligament may result in damage to other structures in the knee such as the meniscus (cushions). The rupture causes marked instability in the knee and accelerates the progression of osteoarthritis (OA). Left untreated it may result in permanent severe pain and lameness.

Various surgical methods exist to stabilize the knee following cruciate ligament rupture. The decision as to which procedure is best suited for your pet will depend on various factors including the size of your dog, age, joint biomechanics and expected athletic outcome.

It is quite common for both knees to be affected, or to have the other knee rupture a cruciate ligament shortly after the first knee.

TPLO is considered one of the best surgeries available for cruciate disease.

TPLO surgery involves cutting the shin bone (tibia) and rotating the weight bearing surface of the knee and then applying a surgical steel plate to fix it in this position. This allows us to alter the angles in the knee joint in such a way so as to reduce the adverse effects of the ruptured ligament.

Once the bone has healed the implants become redundant, and all of the stresses are carried through normal bone, tendons and muscle. Therefore once healed, the implants are not prone to future fatigue and breakage as can occur with some other cruciate ligament repair techniques.

Loki has been such a trooper during both procedures and is recovering well.

We captured this photo of him during his stay with us. He was the goodest boy!

26/08/2020

Thank you for a lovely recommendation from the Sanders family.

Zeus was the bravest boy after his TPLO (Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy) surgery with Baldivis Vets Advanced Surgery team.

04/08/2020

“We'd like to thank everyone at Baldivis Vet for going out of there way with our girl Rebel (Rottweiler). She has undergone her first surgery with the TPLO procedure on her left knee with Dr Stephen. We couldn't of asked for a better place to send her too at short notice. Highly recommend the clinic to everyone with a fur baby. I've sent all of my 25 dogs/puppies there and will not go anywhere else. Thank you all again”
Ricketts Family.

Thank you for your kind words 🙏 Rebel was the bravest girl!

❤️❤️❤️

28/01/2020

We love when we receive wonderful messages from our lovely clients!

Meet MISHCA the 1 and a half year old Mastiff X -

"I've now had 2 orthopaedic surgeries carried out here and both times you've made it as much of a pleasant experience as surgery can be. I've never really felt that a vet has gone above & beyond but I did this week.

Thank you again to Dr Stephen and his team for taking such good care of Mishca. We did have an unsettled night but this morning she is rolling around playing on her back seeming to be very comfortable and happy 😊" Norton family ❤️

Dr Stephen is available Monday through to Friday to see your fur babies for anything orthopaedic.

The Advanced Surgery Centre have the ability to perform TPLO - Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy (cruciate ligament repair), fracture repairs, arthroscopy (helps us diagnose, and treat problems inside a joint) + more.

Just give us a call on 9524 1466 and see the team today!

01/11/2019

BIG NEWS!

We have a calendar boy here today having radiographs with Dr Stephen in the Advanced Surgery Centre.

Meet JACKSON the 3 year old Cane Corso who happens to be "MR DECEMBER" in the 2020 K9 Rescue Group.

He was rescued by a lovely family who love him to bits!

MR December is super handsome don't you agree? ❤️

21/05/2019

Thank You to the Sound Telegraph for a wonderful article on a NEW procedure we're able to offer your Pets!

"With an entire surgical suite dedicated to Advanced Surgery Baldivis Vet offers everything from cruciate ligament surgery to fracture repairs and recently, veterinary arthroscopy.

Arthroscopic surgery is a procedure that is used to examine and repair the joints of a dog via a surgical camera as little as 1.9 mm!

Joints that are routinely inspected and treated by arthroscopy are the shoulder and elbow, allowing the Veterinarian to have a detailed assessment of the joint in a minimally invasive fashion. It also helps avoid some of the risks and discomfort that can be associated with traditional, more extensive ‘open’ surgery.

Recently introducing veterinary arthroscopy to the clinic, Baldivis Vet is now one of a very few centre’s in Perth that can offer the procedure.
Arthroscopy can be used for diagnostic purposes, especially if radiology has not revealed the cause of joint issues.

An arthroscopic camera is inserted into the dog through a small portal incision for visualization.

The advantages of Arthroscopic surgery include reduced postoperative pain, accelerated recovery and a high success rate"

Book in to meet Dr Stephen and the Advanced Surgery Centre team today for an initial $74.50 consult.

📞 bookings are available by calling 9524 1466.

16/05/2019

ZIP-YAY 🌟

We are now offering Zip & Zip Money.

Get the treatment your animal needs now and pay for it in your own time ... INTEREST FREE!

Enquire now on (08) 9524 1466 for more information OR just simply apply now at:

https://zip.co
OR download the app on your mobile phone 📲

30/04/2019

23/12/2018

THANK YOU to all our patients and clients for a wonderful year! We hope you have a SAFE & MERRY CHRISTMAS with your fur babies.

Remember Baldivis Emergency Vet are OPEN Christmas Day & Boxing Day for any emergencies 24 hours a day.

Dr Stephen and his team in the Advanced Surgery Centre THANK YOU for an amazing year. His team have helped many animals with successful orthopaedic procedures, treatment and care.

Please have a MERRY CHRISTMAS and keep your pets SAFE and call or come down if you need us 9524 1466 💖

09/10/2018

Dr Stephen and his Advanced Surgery team received such a lovely message today regarding their patient Heidi who had TPLO surgery (Tibial-plateau-leveling osteotomy) recently and is recovering so, so well.
She is able to run around with her doggy friends like a puppy again.

"I just wanted to say a huge thank you to the Veterinarians and nurses and staff who cared for my dog Heidi, during and after her TPLO surgery and the removal of what we thought was a cancerous lump. Heidi is using her leg as normal and is her happy, energetic self again. My other dog Bullet is also super pleased to have his adventure buddy back"

To book in with Dr Stephen with the Advanced Surgery Centre is only a consultation fee of $69.00!

Give us a call on 9524 1466 📞📞📞

22/08/2018

MEET Rubert the 9 month old Australian Cattle Dog.

Rubert came in to see us as he was unable to weight-bear on his left front leg. The concerned owners were unsure as to how he exactly he had hurt the leg. The leg was quite obviously swollen in the region of the “wrist” and we were
concerned that this was a serious injury.
Rubert was given pain relief, anaesthetised and taken for X-rays. We could see on X-rays that he had broken both his radius and his ulna. These were broken quite close to the wrist. This was a serious injury which could fortunately be repaired by Baldivis Advanced Surgery Centre.

Rubert was taken into theatre, and a plate and screws were applied to the broken radius. This provides sufficient strength and stability to allow both the radius and ulna to heal.
Rubert is currently recovering well, and should have a complete return to normal activity once the bone has healed.

Look at those puppy dog eyes 😍

Rubert was surrendered to Baldivis Vet Hospital and the team at Don't Go Astray - Help Those Animals In Need will be finding him a forever home once he is recovered.

Please contact Kylie at Baldivis Vets if you would like to help Rubert on: 9524 1466.

02/07/2018

Do you remember Willow the joey who came into the Advanced Surgery Centre with a badly broken leg.

Willow is now 10 months old and has recovered so well after her surgery with Dr Stephen. It’s been 4 months post surgery.

Look at her now. Amazing! ❤️

29/06/2018

We had Duke come into the animal hospital to see Dr Stephen in the Advanced Surgery Centre. Duke is a healthy male of 35kg. A Bull Terrier with a big personality. He broke his leg jumping off a UTE whilst he and the family were out camping. Duke could not bear any weight on his broken leg when he was seen by Baldivis Advanced Surgery Centre.

Duke’s fracture presented the perfect opportunity to perform a new method of fracture repair called MIPO (Minimally invasive plating osteosynthesis). This technique enables the application of bone plates to broken bones through “key-hole” surgery. By repairing the fracture in this way we get more rapid bone healing because the muscles and blood vessels are not injured as much during the surgery.
In Duke’s case we were able to apply the plate to the broken bone by making one 25 mm incision at the top and one 25 mm incision at the bottom of the leg.

Duke was walking on the leg the day after surgery and went home on that same day. He is doing very well since.

*Photo 1- Below are x-rays taken of Dukes broken tibia (shin bone).
*Photo 2 - Below are the x-rays with the plate applied.
*Photo 3 - I didn't capture a photo of Duke however, this one is to cute not to share.