Much-loved labrador's life transformed by double hip replacement at Wakefield animal hospital

Bailey was just eight months old when he began to be incapacitated by lameness in both his hind legs.

When his condition continued to deteriorate, he was referred to Paragon Veterinary Referrals, in Wakefield, for an expert assessment.

Orthopaedic surgeon Nick Blackburn led the case and carried out Bailey’s surgery.

The RCVS advanced practitioner in small animal surgery said: “Bailey came to Paragon as an eight- month-old with hind limb lameness affecting both legs.

“He’d been suffering from six months of age and the condition was progressive, with his exercise tolerance steadily declining.

“He was uncomfortable when walking and was not improving with anti-inflammatory analgesic medication.

“The diagnosis was severe hip dysplasia. He was losing muscle on the hind limbs and manipulating his hips was painful.”

Nick said the extent of Bailey’s problems meant that replacing both hips was the best remedy for a long-term solution.

He added: “The decision to perform surgery was made to improve Bailey’s quality of life and give him a good long-term prognosis.

“He’s a young dog and the implants were aimed at longevity, hopefully allowing him to return to full exercise for the long-term.

“There were no issues and Bailey recovered well. He is now doing very well, is pain free and is even back to jumping.”

Bailey’s delighted owner Tina Kelley said: “I first noticed something wrong just after he was six months old.

“He became very upset and was clearly in pain and at first I thought he’d hurt himself playing with another dog and he’d be ok.

“But the problem persisted so I took him to the vets who revealed his hip joints were not forming naturally and he needed replacements.

“Paragon were brilliant in organising the whole thing. Bailey had one hip replaced last May and the other in September and there’s been a long period of rehabilitation since.

“He had to be kept in his crate a lot to stop him running and jumping around too soon and he was only allowed short walks and all the time on his lead.

“Bailey’s making up for lost time now, though. He’s running around and jumping like never before – it’s a real novelty for him, it’s like even he can’t believe what he’s able to do now.

“That’s why I’m so grateful to Nick and all the staff at Paragon who treated him so well and kept me fully informed and involved all the way through. They were all really good to me and Bailey.”