Summary:

  • VCA Northwest Veterinary Specialists to unveil a new 3D printing lab, expanding access to care and improving surgical outcomes for pets
  • VCA’s 3D models will allow its surgeons to deliver personalized care plans unique to each pet via science and data precision
  • As part of the Mars Veterinary Health family of brands, VCA is committed to its Purpose: A Better World for Pets®

LOS ANGELES – Joint issues like osteoarthritis affect 20% of dogs older than one year and 80% of dogs older than eight years—and may need orthopedic surgery at some point in their lives. While the surgery can improve quality of life, the procedure is intensive, often requiring recovery that can span weeks to months. To provide better outcomes for pets’ recovery, VCA Animal Hospitals, the leader in personalized care solutions for pets, today announced the opening of its cutting-edge 3D Printing Lab dedicated to orthopedic surgeries for pets at VCA Northwest Veterinary Specialists in Clackamas, Ore. This innovative facility is set to revolutionize the way orthopedic conditions are treated in pets, offering customized solutions that enhance recovery and improve quality of life.


Innovative Veterinary Technology for Better Pet Outcomes

Developmental diseases like canine hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, and angular limb deformities are common orthopedic conditions that often result in pain and arthritis. Symptoms can include limping, stiffness and immobility – creating everyday challenges for pets and their owners. Large breeds and younger animals that are still growing face an increased susceptibility to these diseases. 

While regular primary care visits to the veterinarian can help with early identification, which is key to minimizing disease progression, minor traumas like slips and falls can result in complex secondary orthopedic problems that may require corrective surgery, especially in large or giant breed dogs. Through 3D printing technology, VCA surgeons can gain a better understanding of an individual dog’s anatomy and streamline the planning of these complex surgeries.

The new 3D Printing Lab at VCA Northwest Veterinary Specialists utilizes the latest in 3D printing technology to create precise, custom-fit implants and surgical guides tailored to each pet’s unique anatomy. This technology allows for:

  • Personalized Treatment Plans: Custom implants designed specifically for each pet, ensuring a perfect fit and optimal functionality
  • Enhanced Precision: Surgical guides that improve the accuracy of procedures, reducing the risk of complications and speeding up recovery times
  • Faster Recovery: Tailored solutions that promote quicker healing and better long-term outcomes for pets

Expert Pet Care from a Dedicated Team

VCA’s care teams will be able to conduct simulation surgeries before the procedure and produce customized tools and instruments on-site that are personalized to each pet’s specific needs. 

“We are using cutting-edge technologies that have proven effectiveness in human and veterinary medicine to enhance our surgical practice. With 3D printing, we can prepare more thoroughly for surgeries, increase our surgical precision, and improve outcomes while minimizing unnecessary risks,” said Jose Carvajal DVM, MS, DACVS-SA, Surgery Specialist, VCA Northwest Veterinary Specialists. “This enables us to stay on the leading edge in our field, while creating the new standard of care for our pets and their owners.”

While VCA’s new 3D printing lab is novel in its application to pet health needs, 3D printing technology has been recognized by human medicine for years, building tangible anatomical models that help surgeons conduct preoperative planning to reduce time in surgery, improve results, and save money (1, 2). 

Many of the surgical cases that benefit from these techniques were previously too complicated to perform or had sub-optimal outcomes when done without 3D printing, Dr. Carvajal said: “There are complex cases in which you need to understand the 3D anatomy of a bone, which you cannot get with x-rays. To achieve this, we perform a CT scan, create 3D virtual models, and then print those models that are a perfect copy of the pet's anatomy. Once printed, we not only use these models during actual surgery, but also to educate our students, interns, members of the care team, and of course the pet owner. However, being able to give the model to the pet owner to take home post-surgery brings an unexpected joy to the experience.”


A Commitment to Pet Health and Well-being

This new offering is another example of VCA’s commitment to creating a better world for pets powered by world-class medicine across its care network.

“Dogs and cats come in all shapes and sizes, and their bones do as well—a Golden Retriever’s femur is very different, for example, than that of a French Bulldog. So, to be able to provide this level of individualization to the pet care experience is truly innovative," said VCA’s Chief Medical Officer Marie Kerl DVM, MPH, MBA, Diplomate, ACVIM (SAIM), ACVECC. “Our new 3D Printing Lab will provide our surgeons with an exact model which will aid in surgical planning and improve outcomes, delivering on our purpose to provide pet owners with personalized care solutions to enhance the lives of their pets.

To learn more about VCA's story and the personalized care they provide, visit https://vcahospitals.com/.