Snowy was referred by his local vet to Fitzpatrick Referrals orthopaedic service, where he underwent an examination and x-ray images, confirming a left tibial fracture.
Surgical Resident Nuria Comas performed a surgical stabilisation of the fracture using an external fixation and was discharged home the same afternoon.
External fixation was chosen as the method of fixation instead of internal fixation, to shorten the anaesthetic time as this is a short procedure, avoids disruption of the fracture haematoma since it is a minimally invasive method, and allows for easy removal of the implants once the bone is healed.
Recovery
Following three weeks of crate rest, Snowy returned for his recheck appointment, where x-ray images showed good progress on callus and bone healing, and his frame was removed.
We’re pleased to report that Snowy has recovered well from his ordeal and we wish him a happy, curtain-climbing-free future.
Services used in this story
Fitzpatrick Referrals is dedicated to the prevention and treatment of orthopaedic and neurological diseases in small animals.
