Umm, Sorry Did You Say BOTH Legs Are Broken? Little Oreo here apparently decided his owner wasnt letting him out of the car fast enough 2 nights ago and vaulted OVER her to get out... aaaaand broke both his front legs. Gymnastics career over. Radio-ulnar fractures in toy-breed dogs are a special type of fracture we see frequently, that must undergo rigid stable fixation. Admittedly, most dogs usually stick to breaking just one; weve never had a dog break both at once before. These dogs are prone to these fractures, often after apparently minimal trauma, such as jumping off a 12-inch step. If these fractures are not repaired surgically and an attempt is made to cast or splint them they will develop a non-union and usually end up amputated. They are also the highest complication-rate fracture that we seen in veterinary orthopedics, so great care must be taken to ensure they are treated properly post-op as well. The plates need to be removed after the fracture is healed to prevent a phenomena called stress-shielding that causes the bone to reabsorb. After a 2 1/2 hour surgery, both of Oreos radius were repaired with cuttable, stacked 1.5 and 2.0mm plates in each leg. He was discharged yesterday afternoon full weight-bearing and walking on all 4 legs with a very happy little girl in tow. Thank-you Dr. Courtney Andrews of Lockerby Animal Hospital for referring this case to us.
Posted on: Fri, 16 Jan 2015 19:15:26 +0000