Services

Veterinary surgeons only

Orthopaedic Surgery

Our hospital has advanced diagnostic imaging facilities such as CT and MRI scanners, digital X-rays, arthroscopy (placing a camera in the joint through keyhole incisions) and fluoroscopy (video X-rays) but often the most important factor in diagnosing conditions is the consultation and examination by our experienced surgeons.

They will then be able to discuss which investigations are most appropriate and treatment options available for the conditions.

Orthopaedic surgery primarily involves treating lame and painful animals, animals with deformities of their limbs and trauma patients with fractures and other injuries.

Here is a selection of some of the common conditions which we treat:

Forelimbs

Elbow dysplasia
Coronoid disease (fragmented coronoid process)
OCD (Osteochondrosis dissecans)
Ununited anconeal process
Humeral intracondylar fissure (HIF)/ Incomplete Ossification of the Humeral Condyle (IOHC)
Shoulder instability
Shoulder OCD
Carpal hyperextension or instability
Limb deformities.

Hindlimbs

Cruciate ligament disease
Patellar luxation (dislocating kneecap)
Hip dysplasia
Hip dislocation.

General

Fractures
Dislocations
Arthritis
Bone tumours.

Why choose Northwest Veterinary Specialists

Our team is led by specialists who have many years of experience in referral practice, refining our diagnostic and surgical skills, this often means we will have seen the rare and unusual cases before, but also means we can provide unrivalled care of the more routine cases.

We have full time orthopaedic surgeons meaning there is continuity of care of your pet, including checking them the day after surgery, but also means we can discuss the more challenging cases amongst ourselves giving you a second, third and fourth opinion.

The care of your pet is our number one priority. Our nursing team are all fully qualified veterinary nurses with many having advanced veterinary nursing diplomas. Our hospital has 24 hour patient care with both nurses and an intern (qualified vet at the very start of their specialist training) present overnight to provide constant care.

If your pet needs to be anaesthetised, we have one of the largest and most experienced specialist anaesthesia teams in the country and they continue to take care of your pets pain relief in the immediate postoperative period but also in the longer term through our allied pain management clinics.

We are a multidisciplinary referral centre with specialists in many different fields, meaning if we find your pet has another problem as well as its orthopaedic disease, we can get immediate input and assistance from other specialists. It is not uncommon for us to request a neurology specialist to check our orthopaedic patients but we sometimes need help from our soft tissue surgeons to treat airway problems, or abdominal or thoracic injuries after car accidents; our medicine team if your pet has kidney problems as well and our cardiologist if we find an unexpected heart murmur.

Our veterinary hospital has state of the art facilities and industry leading equipment. Our theatres are designed to minimise the chances of acquiring surgical infections meaning animals don’t need to be discharged with unnecessary antibiotics which can increase resistance. We closely monitor our results to identify any increases in the rate or severity of infections.

Testimonials

What our clients say:

    
 
 
        
   Vincent Ward 
 2024-04-02
 
 
  An exemplary practice in all respects. The veterinary surgeons, nurses and support staff continue to take such wonderful care of my Labrador, Albie. He could not be in safer hands. I have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending this practice to all those seeking specialist medical treatment for their beloved pets.
  
 
       
   John Taylor 
 2024-03-27
 
 
  Caring staff, saved my dog's life
  
 
       
   Lisa Braithwaite 
 2024-03-25
 
 
  Absolutely incredible team, everyone was extremely friendly and the vets were amazing. So knowledgable and communicated everything to us about our dog. The treatment our dog received was amazing and when we picked him up we had a full care plan going forward. I would 100% recommend if your pet needs specialist treatment!
  
 
       
   Vicki Lester 
 2024-03-23
 
 
  Absolutely fantastic service. From the receptionist to the vets and nurses, they were all brilliant. Made a very stressful time easier for us. Very grateful for their compassion and support in making the right decisions for our little Bella
  
 
       
   Pam Adshead 
 2024-03-17
 
 
  Cannot praise them highly enough. They saved Harry’s life, everybody from reception through to  Serena were incredibly kind and compassionate. Thank you doesn’t cover it
  
 
       
   Rosie J 
 2024-03-08
 
 
  Bruno was treated amazingly,  like he was one of your family, thanks!
  
 
       
   Ciara 
 2024-03-04
 
 
  Wow what an amazing practice! Such a welcoming environment with very friendly receptionists. We saw Francesca today whose knowledge is phenomenal, and she really took the time to talk in depth about our concerns and to get a very in depth history. She even went out of her way to get a neurologist to look at our dog to give us peace of mind. Blood tests done same day no issues. Highly recommend. Thank you Northwest!
  
 
       
   Bob Neale 
 2024-02-18
 
 
  From arrival at the hospital under very traumatic circumstances we were supported and reassured that we were in the best place possible for our pet dog to
recover from her injury.
Everyone we met was understanding, empathetic, very reassuring and this was a great help.
"Thank you" is not enough to express our level of appreciation.
  
 
  
  
 
 
   Google rating score: 4.8 of 5, based on 444 reviews

See all testimonials

Arranging a Referral or Case Advice

If you are a veterinary professional and would like to make a referral, or require pre-referral advice about a patient, please use the online forms.

Refer a Case

Request Advice