Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with bone infection after knee surgery treated with antibiotic
By Groff, Allison M et al.·Published in The Canadian veterinary journal = La revue veterinaire canadienne·2025·Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Sequestrum post-tibial plateau leveling osteotomy treated with debridement and vancomycin-impregnated calcium sulfate beads in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 9-year-old neutered male German shepherd was brought in for limping on his left back leg and had chronic draining wounds near his knee three months after having a plate removed from a previous surgery. Tests showed he had developed an infected area of dead bone at the surgical site due to a resistant infection. The vet surgically cleaned out the infected bone and packed the area with special beads that release antibiotics. After treatment, the dog's infection cleared up, and he healed well, with new bone forming in the area.
People also search for: dog limping after surgery · German shepherd knee infection treatment · chronic draining wounds in dogs
Abstract
A 9-year-old neutered male German shepherd dog was presented because of a left pelvic-limb lameness and chronic draining tracts along the distomedial left stifle at 3 mo post-tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO) plate explantation. Tibial plateau leveling osteotomy was completed 9 mo before presentation. Bone imaging, surgical, and histopathologic evidence supported the development of a bone sequestrum at the surgical site. Culture and sensitivity assessment of the draining tracts indicated that the dog had developed a methicillin-resistantinfection. The bone sequestrum was surgically debrided and vancomycin-impregnated calcium sulfate beads were packed into the resultant bony defect. At mid- and long-term follow-ups, the chronic infection and draining tracts had resolved. The dog recovered well with bony remodeling of the surgical site. Key clinical message: This case report describes the diagnosis and successful surgical management of aninfected bone sequestrum at a TPLO site. Bone sequestrum and comprehensive antimicrobial management should be considered in the TPLO patient with chronically draining tracts post-implant removal. Increased awareness and appropriate treatment of bone sequestra and complicated infections can improve patient outcomes.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40786742/