Question:
: Hi,
: I posted a question on patellar luxation and agility the other day. Heather answered my question, and she was so helpful. On the basis of her answer, I decided to get a second opinion for my dog. We had taken her to her regular vet--a "general practitioner" so to speak--and he told us she had stage 1 patellar luxation that would probably never require surgery. But Heather suggested that most cases eventually do, and I would like to see a vet orthopedist. I do not feel comfortable asking my vet for a recommendation, because he is a friend of our family and he would probably be offended--he was very firm in his diagnosis. I am just wondering if at you have any suggestions for finding a vet orthopedist. There are no listings in our phone book, and we have no teaching hospitals within 4-5 hours of our home. I have done numerous internet searches and looked through the JRTCA website and cannot find a directory of vet orthopedists. I don't even know the abbreviation (like DVM) that signifies a vet who specializes in orthopedic surgery. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
: Thank you so much,
: Jamie Irwin
------------------ Response Area -------------------
Hi Jamie.
Please check out : http://www.acvs.org/
A Board Certified Oprthopedist will have "ACVA" after his name.
Teaching veterinary hospitals will have them. The Animal Medical Center in NYC has several and so the the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and so does Tufts Univerisity and Cornell.
That is here in the Northeast. Not knowning where you are, I suggest the web page above. They have a seach engine to find an orthopod near you.
Good luck,
Claudia A. Costa
ccosta@stryker.com
