Re: Little Bear [3 Attachments]

[Guest guest]

Hi Christie

That definitely looks like a Type one Salter fracture of long standing duration of the left distal femur. If surgery were possibly to give this leg a chance ( personally I would doubt that very much) you would need very dedicated owners who would need to realize that amputation may be the treatment of choice in this case. Unfortunately, the fracture is too proximal to successfully place a prosthetic if you go that route.

Good luck but I think saving this leg is a lost cause.

Little Bear [3 Attachments]

Please review these x-rays of an 8 week old Great Pyrenees that was adopted this week with a lameness. The breeder had noticed the lameness, but had not done any in depth investigation into its origin. The puppy presented BAR and able to walk, but the RR leg was stiff with the hock extended. I could not get the stifle to flex and only minimal flexion from the hock.

I diagnosed a non-union distal femoral fracture with quadriceps contracture. I am wondering if this is thru the growth plate and will cause shortening of the femur. I am also looking for surgical advice/opinions to treat this.

I found the following article:

J Small Anim Pract. 2009 May;50(5):251-4.

Management of quadriceps contracture in a dog using a static flexion apparatus and physiotherapy.

s AP, Sutton A.

Source

Sturgess Veterinary Specialists, Hampshire.

Abstract

A four-month-old golden retriever developed quadriceps contracture following management of a comminuted femoral fracture with an intramedullary pin and cerclage wire. Management involved surgical release of the quadriceps, rigid stabilisation of the fracture, use of a static stifle flexion apparatus and postoperative physiotherapy. The dog returned to full activity with normal stifle function.

PMID:

19413750

[PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE].

Thanks for any help.

-- Christie Carlo, DVM, CCRT