Bone Grafting in a great metacarpus on Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)

Abstract

Bone grafting is a surgical technique used in both human and veterinary medicine and is increasingly being used in clinical cases with groundbreaking new approaches. Several studies have demonstrated its usefulness and how, with other complementary techniques and materials that promote bone remodelling, it is an optimal technique for fracture healing. This study describes a heterologous bone graft obtained from Yellow-legged Kittiwake (Larus michaelis) bone to a Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea), performed in 2022 at the Recovery Centre of Tahonilla, Tenerife. The operation was successful, and the patient was able to recover from his metacarpal fracture. The process involved is reflected in this thesis. We are faced with what may be the first successful heterologous graft performed in birds.