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Vets Matthew Pead and Sandra Corr from the Queen Mother Hospital for Animals are called to a local wildlife park to examine a litter of 12 week old cheetah cubs. Some cubs born previously at the park developed bent front limbs, called carpal deviation, and keepers are concerned that the new litter of cubs are showing similar signs. Experience in managing this condition in cheetahs suggests that early intervention is important before the problem becomes too severe.
At 12 weeks of age it is still possible to physically restrain the cubs for examination. Measurements of the limbs are taken and it is decided that although the limbs are not perfectly straight, surgery is not yet necessary. While the cubs are restrained they also receive their vaccinations and are micro-chipped just like 12 week old domestic cats.
In the following weeks the keepers and the wildlife park vets monitor the cubs. They decide that the cubs’ legs are getting worse so an appointment is made for them to visit the QMHA for x-rays and surgery, if required.
As the cubs are now nearly 17 weeks old it is not safe or practical to handle and examine them while they are conscious. The park’s vet sedates them with a dart gun and they are transported under continuous supervision to the hospital. The anaesthesia and nursing teams are waiting to receive the cubs and after weighing them, the cubs are anaesthetised. The vets can then safely and thoroughly examine the cheetahs and take x-rays of their fore-limbs.
Two cubs need surgery to prevent the limbs from bending or twisting any further. The uneven growth of the two bones in the fore-limb, the ulna and the radius, slowly cause the limb to become increasingly bent (leg becomes curved like a banana) and twisted (so the paw points sideways). The surgery involves a section cutting out of the ulna which removes the tension and allows the bend to straighten.
To prevent the cut ends of the bone from re-joining too quickly and re-creating the same problem, a section of approximately 3cm (1 ¼ inches) is removed. 
The cheetah is able to walk without this section as the main bone in this part of the leg, the radius, is not affected by the surgery.
