Tuesday, February 1, 2011

First hip replacement for a tiger

Helen Pidd, Berlin,
guardian.co.uk, 30 January 2011:


A tiger at an east German zoo has had a hip replacement in a world first operation by vets from the University of Leipzig.

The eight-year-old Malayan tiger, called Girl, had been suffering from arthritis in her right hip since spring. Now she has been given a prosthetic hip of the kind first developed for dogs.

The operation was not easy. During the three-hour procedure last week, Girl's heart almost stopped, the university said in a statement, before anaesthetist Michaele Alef saved her life.

Girl is recovering in a separate enclosure back in Halle Zoo in Saxony-Anhalt, away from visitors. She is being carefully monitored for the next six weeks, when the risk of dislocation is highest. Read more>>

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