Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog hit by car develops artery blood clot after arm fracture surgery
By DePaula, Kristina M et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2013·Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Arterial thrombosis after vehicular trauma and humeral fracture in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 3-year-old mixed-breed dog was hit by a car and suffered multiple injuries, including a broken arm. After surgery to fix the fracture, the dog developed sudden pain and was unable to use her right front leg. A vet found that she had a blood clot in the artery of that leg, which was confirmed by ultrasound. The dog was treated with a blood thinner called heparin and another medication, clopidogrel, which helped restore blood flow. After a few days in the hospital and continued outpatient treatment, the blood clot resolved, and she was able to use her leg normally again.
People also search for: dog leg pain after injury · dog blood clot treatment · mixed-breed dog fracture recovery
Abstract
CASE DESCRIPTION: A 3-year-old 19-kg (42-lb) spayed female mixed-breed dog was referred after being hit by a car. Injuries included pneumothorax, hemothorax, pulmonary contusions, a full-thickness axillary skin wound, and a grade I transverse fracture of the midshaft of the right humerus. Following patient stabilization, open reduction and internal fixation of the fracture were performed. The dog had weight-bearing lameness at the time of discharge. Eight days after fracture repair, the dog was reevaluated for acute onset of signs of pain and non-weight-bearing lameness in the right forelimb. CLINICAL FINDINGS: Physical examination findings in the right forelimb (knuckling and coolness, with absent digital pulses) were suggestive of a thrombus. Ultrasonography confirmed a right brachial artery thrombus with minimal blood flow to the affected limb. TREATMENT AND OUTCOME: Unfractionated heparin was administered via continuous IV infusion for the first 36 hours of hospitalization. Clopidogrel administration was also started at this time. During hospitalization, rapid clinical improvement occurred, and the dog was discharged 48 hours after admission. The transition to outpatient therapy was achieved by discontinuation of the unfractionated heparin infusion at 36 hours and beginning SC administration of dalteparin. Outpatient treatment with dalteparin and clopidogrel was continued. Repeated physical examination and ultrasonography 5 weeks later revealed resolution of the thrombus and normal blood flow to the limb. Anticoagulant administration was discontinued at that time. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Thrombosis should be suspected in any dog with signs of acute pain after severe trauma or fracture repair, with or without concurrent lameness, that do not resolve with appropriate treatment. Restoration of blood flow to the affected limb after initiation of unfractionated heparin and clopidogrel administration followed by outpatient treatment with dalteparin and clopidogrel was achieved in this case.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23865882/