18 Oct 2022
A puma with a debilitating arthritic condition underwent life-saving surgery in his enclosure.
Allister Webb
Job Title
More than £5,000 was donated to fund the treatment for puma Nigel.
Vets who amputated a puma’s front leg to cure a deteriorating arthritic condition say he is enjoying life again after a procedure believed to be an industry first.
Nine-year-old Nigel’s enclosure at the Lincolnshire Wildlife Park, near Boston, was turned into an operating theatre for the procedure after visitors donated more than £5,000 to an appeal to fund his care.
The procedure, performed after other treatment options failed, involved the removal of the entire limb by a team led by staff from the Vets4Pets practice in Newmarket.
Practice owner Iain Cope, who led the surgery team, said the only other option would have been euthanasia, and Nigel is now on the road to recovery.
He added: “Nigel’s case was certainly unique and one we haven’t come across before. Working alongside Lincolnshire Wildlife Park and a team of local vets and veterinary nurses, we applied our knowledge of domestic cat amputations to a big one.
“The approach was extremely similar, and the operation ran as smoothly as possible. It’s so rewarding to have relieved Nigel of the pain he was suffering and given him a new lease of life.”
The Newmarket practice team has made monthly visits to the park since 2020, working alongside locally based vets.
The surgery team also included Vets4Pets VN Shannon Grimwood; James Cook and Sarah Pellett of Animates Vets, which has practices at Market Deeping and Thurlby; and Caroline Blake of Sampson Park, which has practices in Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire.
