Black Watch Debatable Posted December 23, 2005 Report Share Posted December 23, 2005 Has anyone had (or known of) a dog with a metacarpal fracture? In your experience, does this sort of injury typically require surgery by an orthopedic specialist? I've Googled, but I'd love some first-hand reports. I'm going to be fostering a dog over the holidays (This'll teach me to stop by the local shelter.) She's a year or so old, lean 35 lb, slick coat, shy, gentle, affectionate, forbearing---not a snap in her. And purebred: she notices everything and looks you full in the face with that intense, searching expression characteristic of working border collies. Oh, and she has a broken leg She was hit by a car on or around the 17th. A vet examined her but took no x-rays, writing on his report that she was suitable for adoption ("Yes--nice dog!") and that x-rays were recommended: "Right metacarpal crepitus---fracture." No cuts or abrasions on that leg, but it looks very obviously broken. (She has a scrape on her head and a broken tooth---no other injuries.) She's on Metacam. The earliest my vets can x-ray her is Monday---the shelter will transport her for me. If the surgery isn't too tricky, my vet will operate (and spay her) on Tuesday, and then I'll bring her home. Thanks in advance for any comments you might have about this sort of injury. (The shelter folks phoned the local border collie rescue about this one, but never got a reply. According to the shelter, the local rescue is quite picky---no mixes---and this girl's slick coat may have been a factor. Who knows [shrug]) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted December 23, 2005 Report Share Posted December 23, 2005 Luisa, My dog had a spiral fracture of one of these bones on her back leg. She was not operated on--instead she was splinted and on restricted activity until it healed (she didn't need surgery because the bones were aligned properly--if your girl has been getting around and using the foot at all, it's possible the two bone ends have moved or started to heal in an incorrect position and then surgery probably would be needed). It's very likely you won't need an orthopedist. The nice thing about the plastic splint was that it could be changed easily (as opposed to a cast). She broke it while chasing a ball--planted the foot for a sharp turn, turned, and came up three-legged lame. FWIW, the first vet I took her to said it was a sprain and did not X-ray. I won't go into all the circumstances surrounding that visit, but I ended up finding another vet pronto, and they X-rayed and splinted her. Good luck! She's a lucky girl to have you looking after her. (Incidentally, Willow is also a 35-lb smooth coat.) J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendy V Posted December 23, 2005 Report Share Posted December 23, 2005 DO you know if this type of fracture is easily seen on an x-ray? I have a dog with a chronic front foot lamensss that has been x-rayed several times without seeing anything. Antiinflammatories and rest improve it but it always comes back.... Wendy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted December 23, 2005 Report Share Posted December 23, 2005 Wendy, I don't know the answer to your question. My dog's fracture was pretty obvious, but I suppose if it were a partial break or a fracture that was partly healed, it might be possible to miss it on an X-ray. If your vet hasn't checked your dog's toes closely, I would ask him to do so (or to refer you to an orthopedist who can). And perhaps an orthopedic specialist could catch something on an X-ray that a vet not used to seeing such injuries might miss. Sorry I can't be more help than that. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Watch Debatable Posted December 23, 2005 Author Report Share Posted December 23, 2005 Thanks, Julie! According to my Google info, it could be an easy fix. Or it could be a tricky one, with pins and stuff [sigh]. I'll try to get some photos---this girl's right front paw veers to the outside at a 45 degree angle starting at the wrist area or slightly above. The shelter folks say the swelling has gone way down from when she was brought in---she'll put that foot on the ground now, but won't put weight on it. Just about every site says that metacarpal fractures tend to heal just fine. I've got fingers and toes crossed that my vet will say, "We can fix this----she'll be fine." Have a great holiday season, Julie and everybody! (And be safe on the roads!) Luisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK dog doc Posted December 24, 2005 Report Share Posted December 24, 2005 It'll partly depend on the kind of break and which bone(s). The metacarpals are the bones BELOW the wrist (the same ones that would be in the palm of your hand). They're naturally splinted by the neighboring bones, if only one or two are broken. In a case like that, splints and rest are usually fine. If you have a lot of displacement or fragments, if it has begun to knit in malalignment, or if you have multipe bones involved, more intervention may be needed. Rarely, you may have the end of the bone broken in such a way as to involve the joint, which would be more serious and have greater potential long-term consequences to soundness. Your description makes me wonder if it IS a metacarpal fracture, because it sounds like the angular deformity begins ABOVE the wrist. That would mean the raduis and/or ulna, usually. You could also have something involving the carpal bones (in the wrist itself). Fractures involving the joints tend to have more long-term consequences than ones strictly related to the bones without any joint involvement. You might also have something which is soft-tissue rather than bone (like ligament damage), and it would be pretty unusual, but you can have bone deformities which make the leg angulate like that in the absence of a visible fracture (these usually come from damage to the growth plate during development). It's best to do 2 films (I'm sure your vet would do that regardless). FWIW, my boss's teenaged daugther broke her 4th metacarpal playing football. On the palm-down view no fracture was visible. On the lateral view it was very obvious. (Actually in humans they do a sort of lateral oblique). She just got a splint, no cast, no surgery. Will be curious to see how this turns out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Watch Debatable Posted December 24, 2005 Author Report Share Posted December 24, 2005 AK dog doc wrote: Your description makes me wonder if it IS a metacarpal fracture, because it sounds like the angular deformity begins ABOVE the wrist. That would mean the raduis and/or ulna, usually. You could also have something involving the carpal bones (in the wrist itself).See, that's what I'm thinking. I am so not a vet---but if you asked me, I'd say it was the radius and/or ulna. The bend (fracture area) looks to me to be just above the wrist joint. The on-call vet wrote "metacarpal crepitus" and "fracture," but I imagine that could mean more than "metacarpal fracture." Poor dog... The shelter folks said that there was a lot of swelling. That and her obvious discomfort make me want to rule out a bone deformity, but [slaps self] I am so not a vet. The on-call doc gave her Dexamethasone and Torbugesic, and as I said, she's taking Metacam. My biggest fear is that fixing her leg will be beyond the scope of my good local vets. Are pins and plates and such purely the work of orthopedic specialists? (Ages (35 years) ago, my cousin adopted a Lab mix. Pup was hit by a car, and the vets had to amputate a foreleg. [sigh] Yeah, I'm worried. [Stop it! It's Christmas, already! She's gonna be OK!]) dog doc, thanks for your comments. Luisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Watch Debatable Posted December 24, 2005 Author Report Share Posted December 24, 2005 Took a friend with me to the shelter today... She fell in love at first sight and is scheming to get this dog away from me. Gotta fence that backyard, Michelle And boy, oh boy, have I ever failed Shelter Dog Anatomy 101 [hits self over head with board]. "Radius/ulna" --- What was I thinking? Apologies for these dreadful photos. Here's my girl (that's a glimpse of Michelle in the background): And here are some shots of the right foreleg. Swelling has gone way, WAY down, but she's still not putting any real weight on that foot: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted December 24, 2005 Report Share Posted December 24, 2005 Wow Luisa, it almost looks like the problem could be in the wrist, doesn't it? I guess the only way to know is to get the X-rays done. I hope it's something that can be easily fixed. She looks like a sweetie. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trailrider Posted December 24, 2005 Report Share Posted December 24, 2005 I had a three month old Border Collie run out of the gate and break three metacarpals on a front leg. She was splinted with a spoon type splint and it is still fine now - 8 years later and she can catch up with any sheep anywhere. She also jumps into the barn over the lower door. Must have healed perfectly. No surgery was needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katelynn & Gang Posted December 25, 2005 Report Share Posted December 25, 2005 Ouch, looks painful. Poor girl. She looks a ton like my Cue boy! But he has a larger head. Good luck! Katelynn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Peg Posted December 25, 2005 Report Share Posted December 25, 2005 My border collie had a carpal fracture when she was 6 years old. My vet x-rayed and sent it to a orthopedic surgeon for recommendations. He suggested hard cast for 6 weeks and and a soft splint for 4 weeks. We did that and she was fine. The hard cast was difficult because the way it was positioned [ her toes positioned pointing to the floor , not her pads, that made getting around a challenge with one leg longer than the other, but she did great. She played with her squeaky toys and bossed the other dogs around. I did have to carry her up and down the steppes. She lived to 15 1/2 with no problems. Her one toe joint was big and her toe was about 1 inch longer than the others. She had no problems running or keeping up. I kept her on some natural arthritic remedies, my vet said arthritis might set in - I never noticed anything. Good luck & warm wishes to this wonderful gal! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Watch Debatable Posted December 26, 2005 Author Report Share Posted December 26, 2005 Monday morning (p)update: My local vet wouldn't even x-ray---said there was no point in taking my money, since he knows just by looking that the joint is going to need to be a) seen by a specialist and fused. Dayum. The specialists he recommends ( Veterinary Surgical Specialists in Tustin) are closed today, natch I'm looking at a hella expensive fix I'll call 'em again tomorrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Watch Debatable Posted December 27, 2005 Author Report Share Posted December 27, 2005 Aaaaaand it's a holiday miracle. The surgeon took one look and said, "Yeah, I'm afraid we'll have to fuse it," but when he saw the x-rays it was a whole nother ball game: one broken metacarpal, no surgery needed---just a splint. I told him that I'd hoped she'd be able to run around the pastures as well as any dog, and he said he thinks she'll be totally fine, yay us He was pleasantly surprised, and I was so surprised and happy I was kinda shaky So Luna is home now, sound asleep in a crate under the table behind me. Happy holidays indeed! I have to take her back for a new splint every week for 5 or 6 weeks. They gave me a CD/DVD thingy with all of her x-rays. (Yep, they took a bunch of views from different angles---thank God, since I forgot to ask about that until we got home ) The wrist was probably sprained, he said, but not broken (whew!). Here's the poor metacarpal before they realigned it: And here she is in her cool yellow splint (with flowers---very 60s). Sorry for the atrocious cell phone photo What a day! Thanks to all for the thoughtful comments. Happy, Happy New Year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laurie etc Posted December 27, 2005 Report Share Posted December 27, 2005 great news! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK dog doc Posted December 28, 2005 Report Share Posted December 28, 2005 Great news! Aaaaaand, that's why I like to wait for the Xray! (I know, I'm a big chicken.) Unfortuantely, when they were handing out the Xray vision I got in the "tendency to have a few too many pets" line. Twice, apparantly. Oh, well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan M. & Skipper, Annie and Ben Posted December 28, 2005 Report Share Posted December 28, 2005 What a wonderful Christmas gift! Hooray! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted December 28, 2005 Report Share Posted December 28, 2005 Wonderful news Luisa, for both you and Luna. I hope she heals quickly. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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