NC State Veterinary Medicine pioneers uncemented hip implants for small pets, offering new hope for severe joint disease

North Carolina State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine expands its orthopaedic offerings to tiny pets with the introduction of uncemented hip implants, promising improved mobility and pain relief for small animals suffering from hip disease.

North Carolina State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine is extending a long-running orthopaedic speciality into smaller patients, after Biomedtrix made uncemented hip implants available for cats and toy-breed dogs.

Dr David Knazovicky, a small-animal orthopaedic surgeon at NC State, is due to train on the new systems, broadening a service the hospital has used for medium and large dogs for decades. The development matters because tiny pets with severe hip disease have often been left with limited surgical options, including femoral head and neck excision, which can reduce pain but does not restore a normal gait.

The move builds on a body of veterinary research showing that uncemented total hip replacement can be highly effective in dogs, while newer micro-implant systems have also delivered strong outcomes in small animals. Biomedtrix says its hip systems for dogs and cats have been in development since 1990 and have been used in thousands of cases worldwide.

NC State’s orthopaedic team traces its expertise back to the early 1990s, when clinicians helped pioneer porous-coated, press-fit implants that allow bone to grow into the prosthesis. The hospital says the latest step could eventually support replacement of other joints as well.

For owners, the attraction is straightforward: for the right patient, the surgery can restore mobility, relieve pain and return an animal to something much closer to normal life.