Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Goose leg fracture fixed with locking plate surgery
By Slunsky, Pavel et al.·Published in Journal of avian medicine and surgery·2018·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Repair of a Tibiotarsal Fracture in a Pomeranian Goose ( Anser anser) With a Locking Plate.
- Species:
- bird
Plain-English summary
A 2-year-old Pomeranian goose was brought in because it couldn't put weight on its right leg. X-rays showed a fracture in the bone of the leg, so the vet performed surgery to fix it using a special plate and screws. Just two days after the surgery, the goose was able to walk normally again. Follow-up X-rays showed that the bone was healing well. However, 16 weeks later, the goose had some lameness again, which went away after the surgical plate was removed, likely due to the cold temperatures affecting it.
People also search for: goose leg injury treatment · Pomeranian goose fracture recovery · bird surgery for broken leg
Abstract
A 2-year-old Pomeranian goose ( Anser anser) weighing 8.1 kg was examined because of non-weight-bearing lameness of the right limb. A closed, transverse, diaphyseal fracture of the distal third of the right tibiotarsus with a craniolateral displacement of the distal fragment was diagnosed radiographically. Surgery under general anesthesia was performed to repair the fracture with a 14-hole, 2.7-mm locking plate fixed with 6 screws in a bicortical manner. Two days later, the bird was fully weight-bearing on the leg. Radiographs performed 4 and 8 weeks after surgery showed good healing of the affected bone with an appropriate callus formation bridging the fracture line. Sixteen weeks after surgery, the patient was readmitted because of lameness exhibited while staying outside exposed to subzero (°C) temperatures. On the basis of this finding, heat conduction was postulated as the possible cause of lameness because it disappeared after implant removal. To the best our knowledge, this case represents the first report of a surgical repair of a tibiotarsal fracture with a locking plate in waterfowl.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29698075/