Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Surgery to fix a torn knee ligament in a ferret with long-term success
By Griffeuille, Emilien et al.·Published in Veterinary Record Case Reports·2022·Surgical Department CHV Languedocia Montpellier France, France·View original on Crossref →
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Original publication title: Extracapsular stabilization for the treatment of cranial cruciate ligament rupture in a ferret
- Species:
- rodent
Plain-English summary
A 1-year-old male ferret was brought in for limping on his left back leg that had lasted for two weeks. After examination and X-rays, the vet found he had a complete tear of the cranial cruciate ligament, which is similar to a knee injury in dogs. The ferret underwent a surgical procedure called extracapsular stabilization to fix the ligament. Over the next few weeks, he showed significant improvement, and by three weeks post-surgery, he was completely healed. More than 21 months later, he remained lameness-free, although some mild arthritis was noted on follow-up X-rays.
People also search for: ferret limping treatment · cranial cruciate ligament injury in ferrets · ferret surgery recovery time
Abstract
Abstract A 1‐year‐old, male, neutered ferret was presented with a history of 2 weeks of left hindlimb lameness. Orthopaedic exam and radiographs were consistent with a complete cranial cruciate ligament rupture. An extracapsular stabilization was performed. Progressive lameness improvement was observed during the first 15 days after surgery and a complete resolution was achieved 3 weeks after surgery. Twenty‐one months after surgery, no lameness or recurrence was reported and moderate osteoarthritis developed at radiographic follow‐up. This is the first case of surgical management of cranial cruciate ligament in a ferret with long‐term follow‐up. Even if this disease is rarely reported in this species, cranial cruciate ligament should be included in differential diagnosis of ferret's hindlimb lameness. Surgical management is feasible and could be considered as an alternative to conservative management.
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Search related cases →Original publication on Crossref: https://doi.org/10.1002/vrc2.479