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MU
Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital Improves Leg Deformities in
Abused Tiger
Tiger Was Part of "Photo
for Money" Trade That Exploits Exotic Animals
03/22/07
COLUMBIA,
Mo. -- While people paid $25 to have their picture taken with
Sulley, a tiger cub, his malnourishment was causing his legs to
bow outward when he walked. Nearly two years later, three
University of Missouri-Columbia College of Veterinary Medicine
surgeons attempted to correct Sulley's right leg with an
innovative surgery performed for the first time on a tiger.
While
Sulley’s left forelimb was noticeably misshapen, his
right forelimb was bowed to a greater degree and was
twisted, making it the limb that gave the big cat the most
problems with mobility and pain. MU surgeons straightened
the right limb sufficiently to improve its function and to
reduce stress on the joints.
Photos
by Howard Wilson, College of Veterinary Medicine,
University
of Missouri-Columbia
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"This is a risky
procedure in any animal, but deemed to be feasible in Sulley
because of his excellent demeanor and his wonderful and attentive
caretakers," said Derek Fox, assistant professor of small
animal surgery. "Our hope is that by straightening the bones
in Sulley's forelimb to match what we believe is more normal for
a tiger, the corresponding joints will work more efficiently, and
he will not be in as much pain."
For the past few
years, Mizzou surgeons have been studying a technique used in
humans to correct similar limb deformities in dogs. Fox practiced
for Sulley's surgery using models and CT scans of the tiger's
right leg. During Sulley's surgery, Fox straightened the affected
bones, realigning the joints above and below the affected bones
to optimize functional use of the leg and increase Sulley's
comfort. Fox, who also is the associate director of the
Comparative Orthopaedic Laboratory (COL), was joined by Jimi
Cook, associate professor of small animal surgery and director of
the COL, and James Tomlinson, professor of small animal
orthopaedic surgery.
In the past year, Sulley's condition
had worsened, and with the normal weight gain of an adolescent
tiger, it was increasingly hard for his front legs to support his
body. Without surgery, Sulley's leg deformities were leading to
multiple permanent joint malformations, arthritis and pain.
Sulley's condition is similar to that seen frequently in
dogs, where the growth and development of the bones that
constitute the forelimb is affected by trauma, malnourishment or
other systemic juvenile diseases. In Sulley's case, this
condition can affect both forelimbs simultaneously.
"We
really appreciate the work that Pat Craig and The Wild Animal
Sanctuary does and for asking us to participate in trying to help
Sulley," Cook said. "I think it is important to help
Sulley and try to improve his quality of life, and even more
important to educate the public so that we can try to prevent
this from happening to any other animal."
Before
coming to live at the Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keensburg, Colo.,
Sulley and four other tiger cubs were bought by an exhibitor from
a breeder in Texas. The exhibitor would charge up to $25 at fairs
and carnivals for pictures with the tiger cubs. Although this
practice is legal if the exhibitor is licensed by the USDA, many
of these operations have poorly trained personal who do not give
the correct nourishment or care to the cubs. Tiger cubs are often
taken away from their mothers as early as 10 days old. Exhibitors
need small cubs to replace tigers that are too big.
When
Sulley was 12 weeks old, the maximum age allowed by the USDA for
these types of operations, he was returned to his base camp with
his siblings. A man not licensed by the USDA but willing to try
and make a profit anyway, took the five cubs. Living out of his
car with five tiger cubs, he drove down to New Orleans and
displayed the cubs in the parking lots. This practice did not
last long. After one of the cubs died from being left in the hot
car too long, and another died from unknown circumstances, the
man was arrested for animal cruelty.
When the local
Society of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals confiscated the
tigers, they notified The Wild Animal Sanctuary, where staff
members made arrangements to rescue them and take them back to
Colorado. All three of the remaining cubs were malnourished and
had varying stages of leg deformities. The sanctuary's
veterinarian returned the cubs to a carnivore milk formula diet.
Two cubs' legs began to improve and straighten with their next
growth spurt, but Sulley's legs did not. The Wild Animal
Sanctuary contacted Fox, knowing he was researching similar leg
deformities in dogs, and asked him if he could perform the
surgery.
"Sulley's abuse and rough start in life is
very typical for the hundreds and hundreds of exotic cubs born
into this terrible system each year," said Craig, executive
director of The Wild Animal Sanctuary. "When Sulley's legs
didn't straighten out like the other cubs' legs did, we began
researching how we might be able to help him. The work of Dr. Fox
and the veterinary team at MU is the culmination of an amazing
collaboration by a host of individuals, doctors, facilities and
medical equipment suppliers. We wanted Sulley to have the best,
and he's definitely got it here at MU."
Several
companies have made invaluable contributions to the surgical care
of Sulley. ProtoMED, located in Arvada, Colo. provided custom
anatomical models of the affected bones, and Synthes USA, located
in West Chester, Pa., provided bone plates and screws for the
surgery. A number of similar ongoing research projects at MU's
Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital are focused on re-examining
a variety of orthopedic conditions that specifically relate to
angular limb deformity corrections in animals.
Mizzou is
home to Mizzou Tigers for Tigers, the nation's first tiger mascot
conservation program. Faculty, staff, students and alumni from
the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources,
Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, College of Veterinary
Medicine, School of Journalism, Department of Biological
Sciences, Department of Environmental Studies, International
Center, University Affairs, Alumni Relations, Development and
Intercollegiate Athletics are working together to raise awareness
about the endangered status of the University's mascot, while
raising funds to aid in wild tiger research and conservation.
Source
/ Credit: University of Missouri, Columbia
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