A critical aspect of orthopaedic treatment which practice has confirmed time and again, is that the success of bone repairing well is intrinsically linked to administering the right treatment as quickly as possible after the trauma.

Last week Manfred was hit by a car. Manfred is a beautiful eight-month-old tan boxer of prize American pedigree and, therefore, typical of the American style boxer with a slimmer bone frame than we are accustomed to seeing in those reared in Europe.

I first met Manfred on a Sunday morning in the lobby of a hotel where he had been staying with his owner during their two-week stay in Malta. He is somewhat of a celebrity globe trotter, accompanying his owner around the world wherever her involvement with the film industry takes her. Manfred was in Malta for the shooting of The Promise.

That morning, as it bounded towards me, it was easy to see that it was in peak condition… very agile and muscular with a lively and inquisitive expression and fine long legs that never stood still.

Manfred was suffering from a mild case of diarrhoea and we quickly established that this was due to its change in diet since arriving in Malta. Having treated it for that, I had not expected to hear from his owner again. So it was a complete surprise to get a phone call a few days later telling me that Manfred had been involved in a car accident.

It had happened on the film set while it was engrossed in the surrounding bustle and activity and it did not see or hear the car coming its way. The car was being driven at a very slow speed, but Manfred was left limping. I felt dismayed. This was a dog that travelled around the world. Not only was it a work dog, it was also its companion and they were inseparable.

An initial examination at the clinic indicated that Manfred might have been spared a full breakage. But its forearm was swollen and it clearly had a pressure point of pain just above the carpal or wrist joint. We needed to have a closer look.

The fact is that it is difficult to consistently predict what extent of damage might be sustained based on the type of accident or trauma. Many years ago I was called out to attend to a police dog that had been undergoing a training course on the rooftop of the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta.

The Labrador was working through an obstacle course. It mistook the boundary wall of the roof as the next obstacle, leapt over the wall and plummeted several storeys down into the street. It survived without a single broken bone and resumed her career as a police dog. Contrast that with the Chihuahua that slipped off its owner’s lap and broke a leg.

If your dog or cat has been involved in an accident of some kind, your veterinarian will examine your pet systematically by gently feeling all the suspected bones and joints. If your pet is not limping heavily, the vet will probably observe it as it walks about to establish the location and severity of the injury.

Owners of injured pets would need to dedicate time to their pet and have an understanding of the type of fracture

According to the clinical examination one would then decide what further examination is necessary. This may include a slight sedation to better investigate the joints and ligaments as well as X-rays to examine bone tissue for fractures and dislocations.

There are many different types of fractures. In Manfred’s case the worry was that he had suffered a hairline fracture. This is a fracture where there is no complete break in the bone. Depending on how deep the fissure is, the stability of a hairline fracture could be compromised if left to heal naturally or given insufficient support during the course of treatment.

A critical aspect of orthopaedic treatment, which practice has confirmed time and again, is that the success of bone repairing well is intrinsically linked to administering the right treatment as quickly as possible after the trauma. And just as the circumstances of bone injuries vary, so does the treatment.

One of the first decisions is whether surgery is necessary or not. An assessment is then taken with regard to the many techniques available depending on the type of injury and the age and size of dog. There are many different techniques when it comes to surgery. These may involve pins or screws and plates depending largely on the bone involved and the type of fracture. Sometimes a splint can suffice to give the bone enough stability to heal and, occasionally, the best treatment might simply be plenty of rest and avoidance of load-bearing.

Owners of injured pets would need to dedicate time to their pet and have an understanding of the type of fracture and expected recovery. An example of this last situation often occurs with fractures of the pelvis where, given enough time and care, there can often be almost full recovery.

Manfred was duly sedated, examined and X-rays taken of its swollen leg. Luckily for him these proved to be all clear.

All ligaments felt in order and the X-rays gave no sign of any fracture. Medical treatment was prescribed for the pain and swelling. For the rest of it, I was relieved to see that Manfred was well on his way to full recovery after his encounter on The Promise.

thisweekwiththevet@gmail.com

Dr Martin Debattista is a veterinary surgeon.