Can vets use thread to fix a dog's broken femur bone in surgery?

Usually surgery is necessary in order to make sure the fracture heals properly in the correct position. It is also necessary to set the fracture under anesthesia as the muscles contract and it would be way too painful and difficult to put the bones back in the right place with the dog being awake. It is almost impossible to put a functioning cast on a humerus fracture, which is another reason for surgical fracture repair.

Thanks for using Boop by Petco! Yes, Dolla has a broken femur. The best treatment is a surgical repair. I recommend discussing the surgery with your vet. After surgery she will need 6-8 weeks to heal. Luckily she is young so she should do well with the procedure and recovery. Good luck and kisses to Dolla!

Hi and thanks for posting on Boop by Petco! A broken bone does not necessarily mean surgery is required. It depends on the type of fracture present. Some fractures can be casted and splinted, others require surgery or surgical placement of pins and plates if severe enough. The first step if you suspect Ace has a fracture is to have him seen by a veterinarian ASAP. Your veterinarian will need to take x-rays of the limb to determine whether or not it is broken, the type of fracture present, and how severe the break is. Your veterinarian will then put together a treatment plan for Ace based on what was found. I hope this helps!

That looks like a pretty nasty fracture. My first recommendation would be orthopedic surgery. The surgeon may recommend plates or other devices to get the bone back in alignment so that it can heal. If that is not an option in your area, then amputation would be my next recommendation. Due to the location, a cast or splint will not provide enough stabilization to allow the edges of the bone to knit back together. If the bones can be re-aligned, a hobble can be attempted, but the failure rate is quite high.

Hi, sorry to hear about Penny's injury. Unfortunately orthopedic surgeries are expensive. There is a credit option called Care Credit you can apply for where you get money to use at the vet and pay them back monthly. You can apply on their website. There are many vets in the US who accept this form of payment. Amputation is not a bad option. If you cannot afford the surgery to fix the fracture, the amputation is a lot less expensive. Dogs can do great on three legs! In a few weeks it will be like she doesn't even know there's a difference. She can still run, jump and play like she used to. Good luck, I hope this helps!

If it was his distal tibia that was fractured and the pins are near the growth plate, the pins can sometimes affect the way the bone grows in a young dog and lead to limb deformities with time. If there is concern for this on the x-ray it could be why your vet wants to remove the pins. Sometimes hardware can also break or become infected and require removal. Since your vet knows the details of the case you may want to bring up your concerns with them and they may be able to better explain the reasoning.

Joy needs to go back to the vet ASAP. Depending on the type of surgical fix, the pin may need to be removed if it is backing out of the bone. Or it may need to have another surgery to repair the skin.

The dog should be kept as quiet as possible for 6-12 weeks to ensure that the bone sets and heals properly. This means no running, jumping, or playing, and the dog should be taken out to toilet on a lead only. Once x-rays are done to confirm that the bone has fully healed, the dog will be allowed to exercise and activity levels must be built back up slowly. Physical therapy and hydrotherapy may be done to help the dog regain it's muscle mass and activity levels.

The wound should be surgically cleaned and the ends sutured to reduce the gap. The centre of the wound will likely be left to heal itself, your vet may wish to apply sterile medical grade honey and a wound dressing or may prefer to leave open to the air depending on if any bone/ligament is exposed and the risk of localised infection

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Boop by Petco! It is normal for pins to be placed so that they stick out the other cortex (side) of the bone, as this ensures they have a good hold on the fracture fragments to prevent any movement of the fragments. As long as Toby does not develop an infection in his bone around any of the pins, and he is not exhibiting any discomfort from them, he will likely be able to have the pins in for the rest of his life. If you notice that the pins seem to be protruding more than usual, or if Toby is lame/painful on the affected leg, it is possible the pin(s) could have migrated inappropriately and/or could have become infected. This would require a visit to your veterinarian for an exam and repeat x-rays, and potentially surgery to remove the pins. I hope this helps :)