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Peer-reviewed veterinary case report

Rabbit with hind leg lameness treated for kneecap dislocation

By Riggs, J. & Langley-Hobbs, S. J.·Published in Case Reports in Veterinary Medicine·2013·The Queen’s Veterinary School Hospital, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ES, UK, United Kingdom·View original on Crossref

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Original publication title: Surgical Correction of Patellar Luxation in a Rabbit

Species:
rabbit
Movement & jointsRabbits

Plain-English summary

A 2.5-year-old giant lop-eared rabbit was brought in for limping on the right hind leg, which had been happening for a month. The vet found that the rabbit had a condition called patellar luxation, where the kneecap slips out of place, causing joint swelling and pain. To fix this, the vet performed surgery to stabilize the kneecap. Initially, the rabbit's lameness improved, but unfortunately, the problem returned about a year later, leading to euthanasia due to ongoing pain and lameness.

People also search for: rabbit limping treatment · patellar luxation in rabbits · rabbit knee surgery recovery

Abstract

A two-and-a-half-year-old giant lop-eared rabbit, weighing 5.1 kg, presented with a one-month history of intermittent right hind limb lameness. The limb locked in extension during hopping. On examination, a grade-2 medial patellar luxation of the right hind was diagnosed, with associated stifle joint swelling. Radiographic findings of the right stifle comprised periarticular osteophyte formation consistent with mild degenerative joint disease and joint effusion. Surgical correction involving right trochlear wedge recession sulcoplasty and lateral imbrication was carried out to stabilise the patella in the trochlear groove. The right hind limb lameness resolved, and the patella was stable at a 6-month postoperative examination. One year postoperatively, the right patella was luxating again concurrent with bilateral stifle effusions. Euthanasia was performed twenty months after surgery due to recurrent lameness in the right hind limb.

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Original publication on Crossref: https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/254354