Plates, pins, and interlocking nails

Evidence-based criteria that promise the best treatment outcome for bovine fracture patients have not been established. Internal fixation with plates and screws allows successful management of many long bone fractures in calves as well as in heavier cattle. Intramedullary pins may be better or equally suited for repair of humerus or femoral fractures in calves, respectively. In richly comminuted fractures in heavy cattle, methods of external fixation are still indicated. With newly introduced locking plates, treatment options for repair of long bone fractures in cattle have further improved, but high costs and a guarded prognosis limit their application.