Chubs, an adorable three-month-old Jack Russell Terrier puppy, visited us one morning unable to put any weight on his left hind leg.
He had jumped out of his owner’s arms and landed awkwardly.
His leg was very sore on examination and on discussion with his owners we decided to have him in for x-rays.
Chubs was then given an injection of sedative and pain relief into his muscle. This meant he was still and not in pain while we positioned his leg for x-rays.
The x-rays of his left stifle (the knee) showed a tibial tuberosity avulsion and growth plate fracture.
This means that the point of his bone where the patella (knee-cap) tendon attaches had been pulled off and his growth plate at the top of his bone had fractured. Growth plates are areas at the ends of long bones where new bone is laid down. The growth plate and tibial tuberosity are areas of weakness in young growing bones.
Chubs needed surgery and so we arranged for a lovely orthopaedic veterinary surgeon, Heidi, to come in and fix his leg. She reduced and stabilised the fracture of the growth plate with pins as well as pinning the tibial tuberosity back in place.
A tension band wire was also placed in order to counteract the pull of the patella tendon on the tibial tuberosity.
Chubs was sent home with pain relief as well as strict instructions for complete rest over the next four weeks.
This meant no running, jumping, going up or downstairs or playing with the other puppy in the house. He was only allowed out on the lead for five to 10 minutes for toileting.
This is not an easy thing for a small puppy.
However, his owners managed to keep him as calm as possible and he was doing very well four weeks later when he came back in to see Heidi for his pins to be removed.
Once his pins where out he was rested for another 10 days before slowly increasing his exercise again. This started at 10- to 15-minute lead walks three times a day and was increased by five minutes every week.
Once he was doing 40 minutes on the lead well he was finally able to go back to his normal crazy self.
Chubs in now doing extremely well and it is always a joy to see him and his brother for cuddles when they come in to check their weights and pick up their wormers.
Claire Turner is a Veterinary Surgeon at St Vincents Veterinary Surgery, a family-owned practice providing personal care for all your pets in and around Wokingham. Should you have any concerns about your pet please call the practice on 0118 979 3200 or visit www.stvincentsvets.co.uk to find out more about the practice.
