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 Congratulations to Harley, our November pet of the month! Harley is a 6 year old female kitty cat. She is a pretty seal point, long haired girl. We saw her as an emergency case at the end of the morning on a Saturday in July. She had come home limping the morning before her visit to the clinic, but had not improved at all since coming home. Her dad and auntie were very concerned about her discomfort.
Dr. Forbes and her veterinary assistant, Jill, immediately performed a comprehensive physical exam. They found that she had an elevated heart rate, called tachycardia, due to the pain and swelling around her right elbow. Harley was in a lot of pain, but she was very sweet during her exam. We performed radiographs (x-rays) on her arm to ascertain the cause of the swelling and found that she had luxated her elbow joint, also known as dislocating a joint. You can see in the pictures below that the lower two bones (known as the radius and ulna bones) were separated completely from the upper arm bone (the humerus).
We processed a blood sample in our laboratory to assess her risk for anesthesia prior to treatment. She was then anesthetized and the luxation was reduced (the bones were placed back together). We placed a splint on her leg to hold the elbow in extension (or stretched out) to keep the joint in place while the surrounding tissue healed. Her dad and auntie monitored her closely at home to make sure her toes did not display any indications of swelling or loss of circulation while bandaged. We sent her home with additional pain medication to keep her comfortable while she healed.
 
Harley came back weekly to have her bandage checked and changed until it was time to have it removed. At two weeks post-treatment we removed the bandage. She had regained full function of her elbow with a good range of motion. She was looking very, very well. Dr. Forbes noted a slight thickening in her elbow joint from the trauma and we stared her on Cosequin, a glucosamine supplement, to help slow the development of arthritis that is expected. Harley was such a sweet girl! We are so pleased to see her back on her feet- literally! | 
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