https://www.facebook.com/623485104189473/

Peripatetic Vet West Midlands

Home
United States
Bristol, VA
Peripatetic Vet West Midlands

🔹 Veterinary Surgeon
🔹 Cert.

holder in Small Animal Surgery
🔹 Providing peripatetic surgical services across UK
🔹 Passionate about orthopaedics & soft tissue surgery

$🦴 Femoral Capital Physeal Fractures in Toy Breed Puppies: Don’t Underestimate Minor TraumaFemoral capital physeal fractu...$

10/24/2026

🦴 Femoral Capital Physeal Fractures in Toy Breed Puppies: Don’t Underestimate Minor Trauma

Femoral capital physeal fractures can occur in Toy breed puppies following low-energy trauma, including jumping off a table or awkward landings during play.

⚠️ Persistent lameness warrants investigation. If clinical signs do not improve within 24 hours, radiographs are indicated. However, non-weight-bearing lameness or significant pain warrants immediate assessment.

Delayed diagnosis may result in persistent pain, impaired hip function, and muscle atrophy.

Treatment options depend on fracture configuration, chronicity, and patient factors, and may include surgical fixation, femoral head and neck excision (FHO/FHNE), or total hip replacement (THR).

💪 Rehabilitation is crucial. Following FHO, early, controlled weight-bearing and progressive rehabilitation are particularly important to encourage muscle development and optimise functional outcomes.

Early recognition and appropriate intervention are key to a successful outcome.

$Before & After 🐱🐱Two cats, two healing journeys. We don’t celebrate a fracture until it’s healed! 🦴❤️$

10/12/2026

Before & After 🐱🐱

Two cats, two healing journeys. We don’t celebrate a fracture until it’s healed! 🦴❤️

09/29/2026

Patellar luxation isn’t just about a kneecap that “pops out.”

This intraoperative photograph is from a 1-year-old dog with Grade 3 patellar luxation — and it already shows significant cartilage erosion.

When the patella repeatedly sits outside its normal groove, abnormal contact and friction can occur within the joint. Over time, this can contribute to cartilage wear, inflammation, pain and progressive osteoarthritis.

What is particularly striking in this case is the patient’s age. At just one year old, there is already visible damage to the joint surface.

Grade 3 luxation means the patella is usually luxated but can be manually reduced. Even in young dogs, persistent abnormal tracking can have consequences for the long-term health of the knee.

🐾 Early assessment matters.

$🐱 When Should We Advise Surgery for a Cat With a Broken Pelvis?A pelvic fracture doesn’t automatically require surgery. ...$

08/25/2026

🐱 When Should We Advise Surgery for a Cat With a Broken Pelvis?

A pelvic fracture doesn’t automatically require surgery. The key indication is disruption of the weight-bearing axis.

🦴 Consider surgery when there is:

- Disruption of the weight-bearing axis — especially fractures involving the ilium, acetabulum or sacroiliac joint luxation
- Significant displacement or instability
- Marked narrowing of the pelvic canal
- Neurological deficits associated with the fracture
- Open fractures or severe soft-tissue injury
- Persistent pain or poor function despite conservative treatment

🐾 Conservative management may be suitable for:

- Stable, minimally displaced fractures
- No disruption of the weight-bearing axis
- No significant pelvic canal narrowing or neurological compromise
- Good improvement with analgesia and restricted activity

The decision depends on fracture location, displacement, stability and its effect on weight bearing and pelvic function.

07/31/2026

"It's only a limp..." ...or is it? 🐾

These are X-rays from two different toy breed puppies we treated this week. Both suffered fractures that required surgical repair using plates and screws.
The surprising part? Neither experienced major trauma.

In toy breeds, a simple jump from the sofa, an awkward landing, or even catching a leg in furniture can be enough to break a bone. Their tiny, delicate limbs are much more fragile than many owners realise.

If your puppy is non-weight bearing on a leg, it should always be treated as a serious problem until proven otherwise. While not every limp is a fracture, refusing to put any weight on a limb is not something to "wait and see" for several days.
Early diagnosis with a veterinary examination and X-rays allows appropriate treatment to be started as soon as possible, giving the best chance of a full recovery.

These two little patients are now on the road to healing thanks to orthopaedic surgery, but many fractures can be prevented by taking extra care with toy breeds around furniture, stairs, and slippery floors.

If your small dog suddenly won't use a leg, don't assume it's just a sprain—have them examined promptly. Early intervention can make all the difference. ❤️🐶

07/10/2026

Every course is another step towards excellence in patient care

06/13/2026

Patellar Luxation in Dogs: 3 Myths to Leave Behind

Myth 1: Patellar luxation is diagnosed under sedation.
No. Patellar luxation is a clinical diagnosis that should be made in the conscious patient. Sedation relaxes the muscles and can significantly alter patellar stability.

Myth 2: X-rays diagnose patellar luxation.
No. The diagnosis is made during the orthopaedic examination. Radiographs are used to assess bone morphology and limb alignment, helping guide surgical planning.

Myth 3: Physiotherapy alone will fix the problem. Physiotherapy can improve strength and function, but patellar luxation is fundamentally a mechanical disorder. Rehabilitation cannot correct the underlying anatomical abnormalities causing the luxation.

What does this image show? Cartilage erosion in a 1-year-old dog with Grade II patellar luxation. Even at a young age, recurrent patellar instability can cause significant cartilage damage. Left untreated, these lesions can progress over time and contribute to the development of osteoarthritis.

Patellar luxation is more than an occasional skipping gait—it is a condition that can lead to progressive joint degeneration.

05/18/2026

Benji, a 9-year-old Shih Tzu, was initially presented to his primary care vets for what seemed to be a routine dental procedure due to dental disease. However, preoperative blood work revealed significantly elevated liver enzymes, prompting further investigation.

Abdominal imaging identified a liver mass affecting a single liver lobe, giving Benji a potential surgical option. His owners were incredibly dedicated and elected to proceed with surgery to give him the best possible chance.

Benji subsequently underwent a liver lobectomy with us. As many surgeons know, successful surgical management of hepatic masses depends heavily on careful case selection. Ideally, the lesion should be confined to one — or at most two — liver lobes to allow for safe resection while preserving adequate functional hepatic tissue.

Preoperative planning is critical in these cases. Coagulation testing is essential before hepatic resection to ensure the patient retains adequate clotting function postoperatively. Equally important is access to the appropriate surgical equipment, including diathermy, abdominal retractors, and ideally surgical stapling devices to help achieve efficient vascular control and minimise haemorrhage risk.

Intraoperative bleeding remains one of the greatest challenges in hepatic surgery, with the literature reporting mortality rates of up to 5% associated with haemorrhage during these procedures. A strong understanding of hepatic anatomy and meticulous surgical technique are therefore absolutely essential.

Thankfully, Benji recovered beautifully following surgery. Within just a few days, his owners reported he was back to his normal cheeky self — brighter, more active, and eating even better than before surgery.

Cases like Benji’s are a great reminder of the importance of thorough pre-anaesthetic investigations and collaborative decision-making with committed owners.

We are delighted with his progress and wish Benji a long, happy, and uneventful future with his family. 🐾

05/16/2026

New service now available at Peripatetic Vet West Midlands: PRP + Hyaluronic Acid joint therapy for canine osteoarthritis

05/03/2026

Chronic ear disease in dogs can be incredibly frustrating—for both clinicians and owners—especially when medical management just isn’t enough.

In cases of end-stage ear disease, where infections are persistent and painful despite appropriate treatment, Total Ear Canal Ablation with Bulla Osteotomy (TECA-BO) can be a life-changing option.

Yes, it’s an invasive procedure, and it’s natural for owners to feel apprehensive—particularly about appearance and recovery. However, in the right cases, TECA-BO can dramatically improve a dog’s comfort and overall quality of life.

✨ What to expect:• Most dogs recover well within around 10 days• Once healed, they are typically pain-free and able to return to a normal, happy life• Cosmetic outcomes are often much better than owners anticipate once healing is complete• Importantly, many of these patients already have significantly reduced hearing pre-operatively due to chronic disease

Attached is a before-and-after example demonstrating both the clinical improvement and cosmetic outcome.

This procedure isn’t the first step—but when indicated, it can be one of the most rewarding decisions for long-term welfare.

Address

3135 Linden Drive
Bristol, VA
24202

Website

facebook.com

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Peripatetic Vet West Midlands posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Peripatetic Vet West Midlands:

Want your business to be the top-listed pet store/pet service in Bristol?