The tiger, Malena, suffered from arthritis, and veterinarians determined a hip replacement would be the best way to add years to her life.
Veterinarian Dr. James Cook, of Columbia-based University of Missouri, led the surgical team that implanted a custom-designed Arthrex implant during a six and a half-hour surgery.
Arthrex created the implant by using Malena’s CT scan to design an implant just for her. Other surgical teams have performed total hip replacements on tigers before, but didn’t use custom implants.
Dr. Cook said the operation was a success and he believes Malena will have a full range of motion in her hip when she recovers.
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