Management of fractures in small animals

Fracture repair in small animals has arrived at a crossroads because of advances in fracture repair and client demands. Research into bone healing and repair techniques, collective professional experience,economics, and client demands are obligating veterinarians to greater expertise in the actual act of repairing fractures. The influx of surgery specialists into burgeoning private practices has improved access to specialty service beyond what the limited number of academic practices could previously provide and has raised the local standard of practice for orthopedic surgery at the same time. The necessity to deal with the preoperative and postoperative management of traumatized small animals by the general practitioner has not changed, however. Treatment of the small animal patient with a fractured bone does involve accurate definition of the fracture, selection of an appropriate method of fracture fixation from the variety of devices available, and correct application of the fixation. Far more than these, however, it involves assessment and treatment of the traumatized patient as a whole,including preanesthetic evaluation of critical body systems, preoperative preparation of the patient and client, and postoperative management of the repaired fracture and patient.