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Small animals vets treat wallaby in Indiana
wallaby
Dr. Mark Rochat, clinical professor of small animal orthopedic surgery, with the female wallaby whose dislocated hip he repaired.

Zoo officials called on vets to help with dislocated hip
 
Small animal vets at Purdue University's College of Veterinary Medicine in Indiana were recently visited by an unusual patient, after a nearby zoo called for their help treating a wallaby with a dislocated hip.

Columbian Park Zoo asked the college's small animal surgery team to treat the female wallaby - a mid-sized marsupial that belongs to the kangaroo family.

Dr Mark Rochat, clinical professor of small animal orthopaedic surgery and chief of small animal surgery, said: "We basically treated it like a dog with a hip dislocation. The hip is a ball-and-socket joint and the round ligament is one of the major anatomic structures that holds the ball in the socket."

Noting the distinctions between wallabies and the hospital's more common patients, Dr Rochat added: "The anatomy of the wallaby hip is different from the dog, which makes sense given their very different way of locomotion. It was a very interesting surgery."

The wallaby is said to be doing well and a radiograph taken around a month after the surgery showed the Tightrope device used was still in place.

Zoo officials praised the college's efforts. Dana Rhodes, zoo director, said: "The Columbian Park Zoo's continued partnership with Purdue's veterinary college not only provides the zoo with the benefit of access to a variety of animal specialists close by, but also gives real-world experience to students."

Image © Purdue University/Rebecca Wilcox

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Practices urged to audit neutering data

News Story 1
 RCVS Knowledge has called on vet practices to audit their post-operative neutering outcomes.

It follows the release of the 2024 NASAN benchmarking report, which collates data from neutering procedures performed on dogs, cats and rabbits.

The benchmarking report enables practices in the UK and Ireland to compare their post-operative outcomes to the national average. This includes the rate of patients lost to follow-up, which in 2024 increased to 23 per cent.

Anyone from the practice can submit the data using a free template. The deadline for next report is February 2026.

Visit the RCVS Knowledge website to complete an audit. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
RCVS pays tribute to well-loved equine vet

The RCVS and the Riding Establishments Subcommittee has paid tribute to well-loved veterinary surgeon and riding establishment inspector, Rebecca Hamilton-Fletcher MRCVS.

Linda Belton MRCVS, RCVS President, said: "I, along with my colleagues on the RESC, RCVS Council, RCVS Standards Committee, as well as RCVS staff, was very saddened to hear of the sudden death of Rebecca, or Becca as we knew her, last week.

"She was a true advocate for equine welfare and in her many years on the RESC worked to continually improve the quality and consistency of riding establishment inspections, all in the interests of enhanced horse welfare and rider safety."