Getting Storm back on his feet

By John Morgan | Dated September 13, 2022

Storm is a beautiful ragdoll but also a bit of a trouble maker. Unfortunately, he got more than he bargained for after sneaking out of the house one night. Much to his owner’s dismay, he later returned crying and unable to walk on one of his back legs. After a trip to the emergency clinic, Storm arrived at Gordon Vet Hospital the following morning. He had x-rays which confirmed our suspicion – he had broken his leg!

Exactly how Storm broke his leg will remain a mystery. We suspect he was hit by a car on his adventure. His nails were scuffed on all his feet, which is a common finding with cats injured on the road.

Storm has broken his leg at the hip joint. Notice part of the femur remains in the hip socket. This was completely removed and Storm no longer has a hip joint on that side.

The fracture was completely through the thigh bone at the level of the hip joint. This is an almost impossible place to fix. There is simply not enough bone left over to stabilize both sides of the fracture. The solution? A surgery called a femoral head osteotomy. This involves removing the small part of the thigh bone that is left in the hip socket. This relieves pain caused by fractured ends of bone rubbing together. The big muscles around the back legs take over the role of stabilizing the hip. This works particularly well for small, agile animals like cats.

Storm is recovering well after his big operation. Slowly he is building muscle around his hips and getting up to his old mischief. I am told extra security will be implemented though to stop any more night-time escapes!

‘Hip-hip’ hooray! Storm is getting back to jumping and playing after his surgery