Femoral head and neck ostectomy in an 8-week-old Wagyu steer calf
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An 8-week-old intact male Wagyu calf presented to Cornell Equine and Nemo Farm Animal Hospital’s (EFAH) in October 2018 with a history of toe-touching left hind lameness. On physical examination, the patient was bright and alert with normal mentation. Upon palpation, the left coxofemoral joint had severe crepitus and gluteal muscle atrophy with moderate localized swelling in comparison to the right coxofemoral joint. Pre-operative radiographs of the pelvis revealed a shallow, dysplastic left acetabulum with left coxofemoral luxation. Treatment options were discussed and a femoral head and neck ostectomy (FHNO) was offered as a salvage procedure in order to get the steer to market weight since primary repair was considered unlikely to be successful due to the dysplastic acetabulum. Surgical dissection demonstrated thinning and fibrillation of the cartilage of the femoral head, effusion in the pericapsular region and evidence of early osteoarthritis. An FHNO was performed and the calf was monitored for 2 days postoperatively before being discharged to the care of his owners.