A FORMER working dog from Pontypool has had advanced surgery in the hope of curing his arthritis.

Monty, a retired 10-year-old black Labrador, has been suffering from osteoarthritis in his front left elbow for nearly three years.

He had the latter of a two-part operation at Folly Veterinary Centre on Commercial Street after they consulted a specialist visiting orthopaedic vet from Bristol.

He now has to rest for the next four weeks before it will be known if whether the operation was successful.

Owner Tracey Price has had Monty for eight years and said: “I am so thankful to (vet owner) Dinika Procter for looking at other options such as stem cell therapy.

“The operation will hopefully give him a better quality of life where he will want to go for long walks and chase a ball again. He is such a friendly, caring but disciplined dog and hopefully will be able to enjoy the rest of his life.”

Osteoarthritis is one of the two most common forms of arthritis, causing joint disease, pain and stiffness.

The condition started as a reaction to Monty’s work as a civil service sniffer dog in prisons and being exposed to uncomfortable as well as stressful situations where he would circle or lean on his left side as a defence mechanism.

Over that time he has been on strong pain relief and anti-inflammatories to relieve the pain. He has gradually got worse to the point where Monty no longer enjoys walks or playing with a ball.

Monty had the first part of his operation two weeks ago, where a small incision was made by his left shoulder to remove some fat tissue.

It was then sent to a special lab where stem cells were extracted and made into an injection, which was inserted into Monty’s left elbow last Tuesday.

Folly veterinary nurse Angharad Allen said: “This is relatively new in the veterinary field. Most owners can see an improvement in mobility and a reduction in pain after four weeks.

“It can reduce the pain relief a dog needs or stop the need for medication completely.”