In February, James Roush and David Anderson, both professors of clinical sciences at K-State, performed the world's first successful hip replacement on an alpaca.
Alpacas, native to South America, are members of the camel family and are becoming more widely used in the United States, Roush said.
"[Alpacas] are of growing popularity in the United States and are quite expensive individual animals," he said.
The surgery was similar to performing a total hip replacement on a large dog, Roush said. But it also was ground-breaking.
"On the other, it was anything but routine, because it hasn't been done on this species, and we knew that it had been attempted unsuccessfully elsewhere," he said. "There are enough differences in anatomy and surgical approach between dogs and alpacas to require us to make a number of decisions about changes to make during the procedure to have it end successfully."
Pet owners and people from various parts the Midwest bring their animals to K-State, Roush said.
"There are a number of specialists at K-State in both large and small animals, and in everything from surgery to radiology to oncology to internal medicine, etc.," he said. "People come here specifically to gain care for their animals beyond what a local, general, practicing veterinarian can provide."
In some cases, especially with the alpaca named Shiloh, people bring animals because of the reputation of a certain specialist, Roush said.
"Dr. Anderson is one such specialist, and he is known all over the United States as one of the most knowledgeable veterinarians in the alpaca world," he said.
The variety and complexity of animals students in the College of Veterinary Medicine see helps improve their knowledge of medical and surgical therapy possibilities, Roush said.
Lindsay Franz, fourth-year student in veterinary medicine, was one of three students who helped with Shiloh's case.
"It was a privilege to work on the alpaca case," she said. "It's very rewarding, both personally and professionally, to be involved with surgeries that improve the quality of an animal's life."
Franz was part of a team responsible for caring for Shiloh.
"We did physical exams on Shiloh twice a day and were responsible for giving her medications as well as monitoring her condition throughout her two-week stay," Franz said.
The team also helped obtain radiographs of Shiloh's hip, prepare her for surgery and wait with her after surgery until she was able to stand on her own, Franz said.
"A major part of our role was keeping the owner informed and up to date on the condition on their animal," Franz said.
Performing surgeries on animals is a regular occurrence, Roush said.
"When its a case like Shiloh, it's a unique opportunity to assist in some small way in the betterment of veterinary medicine as a whole," Franz said.
Be the first to comment on this story