Animal Specialty Group of Scottsdale

02/28/2016

Zoe Freelove TPLO Recovery

Why would a pet owner travel from Southern California to Scottsdale, Arizona for arthroscopic knee surgery and TPLO? See the incredible and rapid postoperative progress of labrador Zoe Freelove chronicled in this beautiful video diary. And culminating in a 40 mile backpacking trip through the Weminuche Wilderness in Colorado with "not one hitch in her giddy up!!!" Worth the watch!

Not all TPLOs are the same! Come. Stay. Heal.™ at Arizona Canine Orthopedics & Sports Medicine (formerly Animal Specialty Group of Scottsdale).

After a year of our pup Zoe walking on 3 legs, we decided she would benefit from TPLO procedure performed by Dr. Ross Lirtzman at Animal Specialty Group in S...

01/31/2016

A true first in Arizona, this 12 lb Brussels Griffon named "Mr" got a brand new right hip almost two weeks ago at Arizona Canine Orthopedics & Sports Medicine.

The total hip replacement prosthesis is the Biomedtrix CFX® Nano and literally would fit in the palm of your hand! The femoral stem is 26 mm in length - or about an inch. The femoral head is 6 mm in diameter and about 25% smaller than your average green pea!

01/24/2016

We think it’s a no-brainer! Arizona Canine Orthopedics & Sports Medicine (ACOSM) is proud to provide the most versatile and innovative solutions for hip joint replacement in dogs. From cement fixation systems to press-fit, bone ingrowth implants, we have the solutions and expertise.

The right-sided image is an example of our commitment to leading edge technology. The hip prosthesis is a Biomedtrix BFX® - a titanium, bone ingrowth implant system - with a lateral femoral stem bolt to reduce risk of subsidence. Operated last week by ACOSM surgeons, this groundbreaking implant and technique was a first in Arizona!

Total hip replacement may be suitable for dogs as young as 10 months of age and should be considered for treatment of hip dysplasia, severe osteoarthritis, hip fractures, chronic dislocations and revision of prior femoral head ostectomy.

And don’t forget the little guys! ACOSM recommends the Biomedtrix CFX® Micro and Nano hip systems for excellent outcomes in small and toy breed dogs.

Arizona Canine Orthopedics & Sports Medicine… Come. Stay. Heal.™

12/07/2015

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12/06/2015

We are blessed and privileged this holiday season to be able to give back to our community by providing pro bono services to the Arizona Humane Society for special needs cases.

This week we donated our time, expertise, technologies and collective energy to help a young Australian Shepherd dog named Dotty through a very big effort of our team - some 6+ hours of anesthesia and two orthopedic procedures to repair her badly broken front and back legs.

The tibia-fibula fracture was particularly complex. And for this reason, we chose to use the newest member of the Biomedtrix I-Loc™ family - a 5 x 150 mm interlocking nail. This is a very special implant system and we're extremely fortunate to be one of a select group of clinical sites in the USA offering this interlocking nail device for small dogs and cats.

Only at Arizona Canine Orthopedics & Sports Medicine. Come. Stay. Heal.™

07/30/2015

To an amazing dog from which we've learned so much, R.I.P. Sky. It was my privilege to care for you. RL

07/17/2015

This is an amazing 3-D CT reconstruction of a dysplastic canine elbow with a condition known as an ununited anconeal process (UAP). See red arrows.

There are several ways this condition may be treated including fluoroscopic bone screw placement with ulna osteotomy (cutting of the ulna) or by removal of the large and unstable fragment of bone and cartilage. We opted for the latter in this Black Russian Terrier and here our patient is receiving GameReady dry cold compression therapy (DCCT) following surgery.

07/15/2015

07/13/2015

This short video first shows Charity in April of this year - before her revision surgery and DynaSplint rehab. Charity's left back leg was poorly functional, the thigh was atrophied, her quadriceps were hard and tight, the knee and hip were unable to be flexed and she skips/drags her foot when trying to walk. The video then shows Charity in slow motion - as of last week. Her overall posture, symmetry, stride length, knee flexion and improved quadriceps muscle mass is amazing after only three short months! And her femur bone is now healed!! We expect she's only going to get better!

07/13/2015

For those who have been waiting for an update on Charity - the badly bruised and broken little dog left on a Tucson freeway - well her left leg is awesome now three months since her revision surgery!

We're thrilled to announce that not only has Charity's left femur bone healed (see images) but her "frozen" knee now has more than 110 degrees flexion range of motion, her thigh muscle has returned to normal and she walks without perceptible lameness!

We want to thank everyone involved in this tremendous effort including the generous donors, Biomedtrix who supplied the I-Loc™ interlocking nail implants and DynaSplint Systems for providing a special, stifle flexion system to apply low-load, prolonged duration stretch of the shortened connective tissues of the thigh.

Pre-surgery, immediate postop and last week's X-rays can be seen below.

06/11/2015

Look at what's new and on the horizon for Arizona Canine Orthopedics & Sports Medicine... the Biomedtrix Canine Total Knee Replacement (TKR).

We see many dogs every year with severe knee osteoarthritis and pain - most a result of chronic ACL/meniscus tears without, and even sometimes with, previous surgery.

Very similar in design and surgical technique to a human knee replacement, we hope to be able to offer this exciting technology to the southwestern US within the next 3-4 months.

Formerly Animal Specialty Group of Scottsdale... now Arizona Canine Orthopedics & Sports Medicine. Our mission and our mantra remain the same - Come. Stay. Heal™.

06/01/2015

AZ Canine Orthopedics & Sports Medicine is both proud and excited to be Arizona's exclusive provider of the Biomedtrix Micro/Nano Hip Replacement for dogs weighing less than 40 lbs. and cats.

The Micro/Nano hip technology is a direct extension of the proven and well established Biomedtrix CFX (cement fixation) platform.

Small dogs and cats with a variety of problems - including hip dislocations, avascular necrosis of the femoral head, chronic osteoarthritis and fracture related complications - were previously recommended a Femoral Head Ostectomy (FHO) as a salvage procedure. Also known as an excision arthroplasty, FHO removes the femoral head (the ball of the ball-and-socket hip joint) and creates a pseudarthrosis ("false joint").

Today, our strong recommendation - for both big dogs and now small alike - is restoration of hip mechanics, improved range of motion, elimination of joint related pain and return of athletic function by total hip replacement. Come. Stay. Heal.™

04/04/2015

As part of our ongoing commitment to provide the most comprehensive and technically advanced orthopedic and rehabilitation services for dogs and cats in Arizona, we have recently acquired new surgical planning software - OrthoView VET - that allows us to precisely "plan" our operations on computer workstations.

OrthoView VET is robust software that allows our surgeons to virtually measure, cut, move, rotate and otherwise adjust/align bones for the most precise management of fractures, TPLO, hip and knee replacements, correction of angular limb deformities and other procedures with implants templating. The images below are examples of how we can use scaled x-ray images to plan, template (size) and report complex orthopedic procedures prior to surgery.

04/02/2015

These are Charity's pre-operative planning x-rays. Our goal is to use the I-Loc intramedullary nail system to lengthen, straighten and heal the femur fractures in both hind limbs as soon as next week.

03/29/2015

Why do we like the Depuy Synthes Vet Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy (TPLO) procedure for ALL size dogs so much? Because despite the relative invasiveness of the bone cutting TPLO procedure, most dogs walk better - and better faster - in our experience than with other techniques.

The Depuy Synthes Vet locking TPLO bone plate and screws system can be used effectively in small breed dogs weighing only 10 lbs as well as for large and giant breed dogs.

This video is of Bebe - a small Australian Shepherd - who had knee arthroscopy and TPLO performed ONLY FOUR DAYS prior to treat pain and lameness due to a complete cranial cruciate ligament rupture.

03/27/2015

Why do we believe so strongly in arthroscopic surgery for dogs when they have ACL tears? Because we see problems in the joint much better than we can with our unaided eyes due to magnification and high-definition imaging. And our treatments can then be much more refined and specific with improved visualization, less surgical trauma, less swelling and less pain.

According to a recent publication in the journal of Veterinary Surgery, 83% of dogs with ACL tears were found to have secondary medial meniscus tears by arthroscopy whereas only 44% of knees examined by an arthrotomy (open joint approach) were found to have meniscus tears. In short, the diagnostic rate of meniscus tearing by arthroscopy was nearly TWICE that by an open knee approach.

So why is this important? Because if a surgeon fails to identify a meniscus cartilage problem at the time of the first ACL operation, subsequent meniscus tears may occur in more than 20% of these dogs.

This video is an example of a large, "bucket handle" tear of the medial meniscus of a dog secondary to a complete ACL tear.

03/21/2015

Arizona Canine Orthopedics & Sports Medicine is proud to announce the addition of new (and very cool!) equipment to our leading edge technologies for intra-operative orthopedic and spine imaging - the GE Healthcare/OEC Brivo Plus C-arm.

The only one of it’s kind in a veterinary practice in Arizona, the Brivo C-arm will bring improved surgical imaging quality for the most precise placement of orthopedic implants (pins, screws, intramedullary nails, total knee and hip prostheses), orientation of osteotomies, reduction of fractures (long bones, pelvis, spine) and positioning of total joint replacements.

In addition to superior imaging, the extremely versatile Brivo also brings improved safety to the OR staff and patient, will reduce anesthesia times and improve overall efficiencies.

And only at Animal Specialty Group of Scottsdale…. Come. Stay. Heal.™

03/19/2015

Dr. Lirtzman used innovative surgical technologies this week - intra-operative fluoroscopy and the Biomedtrix I-Loc® angle-stable interlocking nail - to treat a complicated fracture of the femur bone in a 9 month old Siberian Husky from Flagstaff, AZ.

10/22/2014

Dr. Ross Lirtzman recently returned from San Diego and the annual symposium of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons (ACVS). While at the conference, Lirtzman served as course faculty for a day long session on Advanced Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy (TPLO) sponsored by Depuy Synthes Vet. Course subjects included management of excessive tibial slope, concurrent patella laxations, femoral and tibial deformities and TPLO in small breed dogs.

10/16/2014

News from The Associated Press

Dr. Lirtzman and Arizona Canine Orthopedics & Sports Medicine recently received national exposure as featured in a story by the Associated Press on cranial cruciate ligament injuries in dogs. To read the AP story, please click on the following link http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_PETS_KNEE_SURGERY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

10/01/2014

Take a look at Marley from just one day ago... taking some of his first unaided steps in weeks!

Marley had been twice previously operated to manage a femur fracture over a 6 week period. With most recent, catastrophic, bone plate fixation failure, Dr. Lirtzman removed the loose and broken metal implants and inserted a semi-custom Biomedtrix I-Loc™ angle-stable interlocking nail to revise Marley's femur bone. And only at AZ Canine Orthopedics & Sports Medicine.

Thatta boy Marley!! We hope no more wagon rides for you my friend!

09/21/2014

Home

AZ Canine Orthopedics & Sports Medicine (AZCOSM) is proud to announce our newest capability - point of care preparation of platelet rich plasma (PRP) and bone marrow-derived stem cells concentrate (BMC) for treatment of tendon/ligament injuries, partial cranial cruciate ligament tears and degenerative joint disease.

A growing list of unique offerings at AZCOSM includes the most sophisticated digital x-ray technologies, computer-based orthopedic planning, musculoskeletal diagnostic ultrasound, high-definition arthroscopy, intra-operative fluoroscopy, novel bone fixation techniques such as the Biomedtrix I-Loc™ and the Synthes Vet 1.5mm locking plate system, underwater treadmill therapy and temporo-spatial gait analysis.

And to this already impressive list of technologies, we're very excited to now add the Canine Regenerative Therapies/EmCyte (www.k9rt.com) system for preparation of Pure PRP® and BMC.

AZ Canine Orthopedics & Sports Medicine... Come. Stay. Heal.™

Canine Regenerative Therapies (CRT) is a leading biotechnology company and manufacturer of biological products and devices for platelet rich plasma, bone marrow concentrate, and adipose-derived stromal vascular fraction preparation at the point of care.

09/20/2014

We met a 6 year-old, male Sheltie named Marley this week. Marley's story began nearly 7 weeks ago when he was struck by an SUV causing numerous pelvis and femur fractures.

Marley was first operated in Gilbert, AZ to repair the broken femur and bilateral sacro-iliac separations. Within weeks of the first surgery, Marley's fracture repairs had failed and he was re-operated. Again within several weeks of the now second surgery, catastrophic fixation failure of the femur occurred. Below are Marley's initial x-rays and from Wednesday of this week.

Due to Marley's bone size and condition, the team at Biomedtrix offered immediate and incredible help to engineer, manufacture and deliver to us a semi-custom I-Loc™ intramedullary nail (www.biomedtrix.com/i-loc.php) for surgery on Friday - in only two days time! Many thanks to Chris Sidebotham, Charles Achonye and Dave Helms for making this happen for us.

We operated Marley on Friday morning during what became a nearly 4 hour procedure. With removal of all of the previous loose and broken orthopedic implants, the custom I-Loc™ nail was inserted with the assistance of intra-operative fluoroscopy (fifth image below) for both accuracy and precision during the now third surgery to repair the femur. Massive quantities of demineralized bone matrix were used to graft defects within the bone.

We look forward to seeing Marley back on his feet soon with what we expect will be a successful revision!

09/16/2014

We're now at Part 4 in Coco's incredible story.... as of Monday, Coco is just two months postop and continues to show rapidly improving and remarkable strength, pace and posture!!

Following nearly 8 months of complications of multiple, previous orthopedic surgeries with difficulty standing and walking, Dr. Lirtzman used innovative technologies - intra-operative fluoroscopy and the Biomedtrix I-Loc® angle-stable interlocking nail - in early July to treat Coco's malalignment and chronic, non-healing fractures.

09/12/2014

For the most ideal outcomes, AZ Canine Orthopedics & Sports Medicine uses sophisticated, intra-op imaging methods for precise placement of instruments and bone implants during surgery. In this series, we use fluoroscopy to determine the size, angle and depth of a femur broach to prepare for insertion of a Biomedtrix BFX femoral stem.

09/12/2014

Arizona DockDogs

Animal Specialty Group of Scottsdale and AZ Canine Orthopedics & Sports Medicine is proud to be a new sponsor of Arizona DockDogs. Check them out at www.arizonadockdogs.com

Docktoberfest!!! 11 July The DockDogs Sanctioned facility, Partners Aquatic Training for Dogs is having its Second National Dock Diving Event. It will be even ... Continue Reading →

08/06/2014

This is Part 3 in Coco's amazing story.... as of Monday, we were 2 days shy of one month postop and Coco is not only walking unassisted now but shows rapidly improving strength, pace and posture!!

Following nearly 8 months of complications of multiple, previous orthopedic surgeries with difficulty standing and walking, Dr. Lirtzman used innovative technologies - intra-operative fluoroscopy and the Biomedtrix I-Loc® angle-stable interlocking nail - in early July to treat Coco's malalignment and chronic, non-healing fractures.

08/02/2014

Instead of the usual posts of canine gait evaluations, orthopedic x-rays, arthroscopy pictures and video from the week, this post is simply one to make you smile.

To our surprise, one of our knee scope patients this week vomited up two pairs of women's underwear shortly after receiving her pre-anesthesia medications. About all you can do is laugh and consider ourselves fortunate that this all came up! Crazy the things some dogs will eat.

If you have funny stories of the things your animals have chewed/swallowed, we'd love to see your pictures too!

08/02/2014

Dr. Ross Lirtzman leaves today to participate in the 8th International Symposium on Veterinary Rehabilitation/Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine at Oregon State University in Corvallis, OR.

07/25/2014

This is Bella's near completely torn ACL as seen during arthroscopic surgery.

07/25/2014

This is Bella - a 5 year old Golden Retriever - along with an interesting set of storybook images from this week detailing her knee arthroscopy for treatment of a primary ACL tear and secondary medial meniscus tear. Many types of arthroscopic surgical instruments are used here including small (2.0 or 3.0 mm diameter), motorized, oscillating shavers, knife-like cutting hand instruments as well as intra-articular radiofrequency ablation similar to cautery. A video of Bella's ACL tear follows.

07/20/2014

Timeline photos

07/20/2014

This is the second stanza in our amazing story that is Coco.

Following nearly 8 months of complications of multiple, previous orthopedic surgeries and currently offered limb amputation as the only treatment option, Dr. Lirtzman used innovative technologies - intra-operative fluoroscopy and the Biomedtrix I-Loc® angle-stable interlocking nail - to treat a complicated malalignment and chronic, non-healing of the tibia bone.

Now less than two weeks since surgery, these are some of Coco's first unsupported steps as she is walking without sling support for the first time in over half a year!

07/18/2014

This is a nice example - as evidenced by gentle probing - of a very early, partial, competent, cranial cruciate ligament tear from yesterday's caseload. As the ligament degenerates and begins to tear in the dog, intermittent lameness and extension knee pain may be seen.