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Dog fracture: types, symptoms, treatment

Given the mobility and activity of friends of our four-legged, it is not surprising that they often get injured. In addition, often this contributes to the carelessness of the owners and inadequate care leading to a number of diseases. In any case, a dog’s fracture is a rather complicated pathology, and in some cases critical, requiring a special approach and medical care.

Content

What fractures do dogs have?

First of all, such injuries are divided into two types, based on their origin:

  • Traumatic fractures - the causes of their occurrence are associated with external factors.
  • Pathological fractures - they arise due to the pathologies existing in the animal, and external factors do not affect much - for example, a dog with osteoporosis can get a fracture, jumping unsuccessfully even from the couch.

Dog fractures

There are also several types of fractures that differ in severity and other factors:

  • A crack in the bone is the easiest form of fracture that cannot be detected without special diagnosis. The behavior of the animal does not change, only the dog begins to move more carefully if the bone of the paw is damaged. If there is a crack on the rib or spine, then the pet tries to avoid contact, while trying to stroke it shirks to the side. Despite the ease of this pathology, there is always a risk of complications. For example, if a limping pet starts to be trained, then with an awkward movement the bone in the crack area may not bear the load and then the pet will face a more serious fracture. As soon as the dog began to limp, it is necessary to take her to the veterinary clinic and take an x-ray. This is the only way to find out whether the animal has a normal bruise or if a crack has formed in the bone.
  • An implanted fracture is a more serious pathological condition than the previous type, requiring mandatory attention and therapy. Quite often, with this damage, surgical intervention is required. In this case, we are not talking about severe damage to internal tissues, an independent fixation of the bone occurs, but the animal needs timely help, since the dog can become worse in the first hours after receiving an injury. The most common cause of a fractured fracture is the dog’s jump from a height when, when landing, the entire body weight is transferred to the front legs. More often occur in representatives of large and giant breeds, as well as puppies whose bones have not yet fully formed and strengthened.
  • Closed fracture, not burdened by bone displacement - in this case, the damaged bone remains in place, not moving. This type of injury is considered severe, as it often causes high body temperature, swelling and hyperemia at the site of injury. With this damage, there are obvious symptoms that allow you to seek medical help in a timely manner, without waiting for possible complications.
  • Closed type, accompanied by displacement - the symptoms are similar to the previous case, however, in this case, the bone leaves its normal location. A similar phenomenon is easy to detect, since the bone rests on the skin. This type of injury is dangerous in that it can lead to internal bleeding and other complications.
  • Open - a complex pathology, resulting in significant damage to both internal and external tissues. Finding an injury is easy, as fragments of bone break through the skin and stick out.

In addition to the above types of fractures in dogs, there are other injuries. One of the most difficult is a fracture of the spine, accompanied by serious pathological conditions. Most often, the lesion concerns the thoracic or lumbar. Also, dogs are often diagnosed with a femoral neck fracture, the symptomatology of which is similar to a closed fracture and the animal feels severe pain.

Interesting: how to cut the claws of a dog .

Dog fracture symptoms

Dog fracture symptoms

Naturally, the signs of fractures in dogs depend on the type of injury, but the paws most often suffer. In this case, the following symptoms are possible:

  • the pet moves without leaning on one of the paws;
  • since the dog feels pain in the damaged limb, when trying to examine or feel the paw, the dog can pull it back, squeal, grin its teeth and even bite its hand;
  • often in the place of damage severe swelling forms and a hematoma appears;
  • a leg with a fracture loses symmetry with respect to the second, healthy limb;
  • a piece of bone is visible through the skin (with a closed fracture with displacement).

A fracture of the spine has its own, severe signs - the dog ceases to feel the hind limbs, cannot stand on them (except for damage to the sacral region, here the dog can stand up and move), physiological processes are disturbed - the dog does not have the ability to empty properly, urination can be difficult or involuntary and etc.

If the dog broke his jaw, then the pet cannot eat food, pain is felt with any movement of the jaw, possibly asymmetry of the muzzle.

See also: how to painlessly euthanize a dog .

First aid

Dog fracture treatment

As you know, sometimes a lot depends on the provision of first aid, including the life of the animal, therefore it is extremely important to conduct the event correctly:

  • Jaw fixation . This can be done using the muzzle or wrapping the dog’s face with an ordinary bandage. This should be done even in a situation where the pet does not show aggression and behaves quietly. After all, with any touch, which is inevitable in the future, the dog can inadvertently, under the influence of pain shock, bite people who help him.
  • Fixation of the injured area . This event is held as needed. If there are signs of a fracture, then you should not feel the damaged area. In case of rib injury, with the help of a wide bandage or strips of tissue, the chest of the animal is rewound. The dressing should be tight, but compressive bones and not making breathing difficult. If an injury to a limb occurs, then a tire from improvised materials is superimposed on it. A fracture of the jaw is dangerous because there is a chance of a tongue sagging or difficulty breathing due to the fact that blood collects in the throat. In this case, it is necessary to clean the airways, but this must be done very carefully to avoid displacement of the broken bone. Fixation of the jaw with the help of the frame is recommended - a wire and an ordinary bandage can be used. But if you can reach a medical institution in 5-10 minutes, then you should not waste precious time on the construction of special fixing devices. Veterinarians warn that you should not try to correct the situation yourself, trying to put the bone in place!
  • Neat transportation . It is necessary to transport a pet using a gentle position, which is selected based on the nature of the damage. The dog should be planted or laid in such a way as to minimize the load from the broken portion of the bone. A puppy or a small dog (for more comfortable transportation) can be placed in a tough carry . With symptoms indicating a fracture of the spinal column, you should be as careful as possible. If possible, the veterinarian should be called home or the ambulance team, which exists at many veterinary clinics. Their cars have all the necessary equipment for transporting a seriously injured animal. Prior to the arrival of doctors, it is worth trying to keep the dog from moving and maintaining its original position. If this fails, then you can place the pet on a hard surface, for example, a sheet of plywood and fix it with bandages. The same device is suitable for transporting a wounded animal to the clinic, if there are no other options.

If the injury led to bleeding, it is stopped by applying a tourniquet or tight bandage slightly above the damage.

Specialist fracture treatment in dogs

Therapy of cracks and closed fractures without displacement is carried out using conservative methods. This is if the paw, tail or ribs are damaged. In this case, the dog is provided with peace, tires or supporting bandages are applied.

If the connection of fragments or parts of the bone is required, an operation called osteosynthesis is performed. For its implementation, various devices (Elizarova, Kirchner), polymers, knitting needles and other things can be used, depending on damage, pet size and other factors. With the help of this surgical intervention, reliable fixation is carried out, and bone tissue quickly and correctly fuses.

The situation looks more complicated if a fracture of the spinal column, pelvic bones, or skull is diagnosed. In this case, the severity of the pathology and the diagnostic results decide everything. Specialists are doing their best to connect and fix the damaged bone, and the dog’s owners have an equally important mission - to provide all the conditions for the speediest fusion of bone tissue. The pet should not receive stress and most of the time be at rest.

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