Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Traumatic elbow dislocation in 14 dogs and 11 cats
By Mitchell, K E·Published in Australian veterinary journal·2011·Queensland Veterinary Specialists, Australia·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Traumatic elbow luxation in 14 dogs and 11 cats.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 4-year-old Labrador was brought in after being hit by a car and was found to have a dislocated elbow. The veterinarian first tried a non-surgical method called closed reduction, which worked successfully for most cases, including all the cats and 11 of the 14 dogs. Unfortunately, three dogs needed a surgical procedure called open reduction. After treatment, most owners reported their pets had excellent limb function, especially the cats, while the dogs had a mix of excellent and fair outcomes. Overall, the treatment was successful, and all owners were happy with the results.
People also search for: dog elbow dislocation treatment · cat elbow luxation recovery · Labrador car accident injury
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To report the presentation and treatment of traumatic elbow luxation and to evaluate success following closed or open reduction. DESIGN: Retrospective case series conducted between April 1999 and April 2009. METHODS: Records of 14 dogs and 11 cats were reviewed for signalment, history, radiographic findings and treatment; 14 owners were contacted via phone questionnaire to assess for limb function following treatment. Fisher's two-tailed P test was used to evaluate potential risk factors for lameness. RESULTS: The majority of luxations were caused by car accident and 96% of the cases luxated in a lateral direction. Closed reduction was successful in all cats and 11 dogs; 3 dogs required open reduction. Owners rated the animals' limb function as excellent (71%), good (7%), fair (22%) or poor (0%). All cats were rated excellent. An excellent result following closed reduction was achieved in 67% of canine cases. All cases of open reduction achieved fair results. All owners were satisfied with the outcome. No risk factors were significantly associated with post-reduction lameness. CONCLUSIONS: Elbow joints with good stability following closed reduction have a favourable outcome. Poor stability following closed reduction is an indication for surgery. Results suggest that cats tolerate elbow luxation better than dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21595641/