Chester is a one year old male cat; his owners brought him to the vets in June as he had been missing for a few days. On clinical examination his left hind limb was obviously broken and Ellie found various wounds on both hind legs. Chester was admitted to the hospital for fluid therapy, analgesia and x-rays.
The x-rays revealed that Chester had fractures to all his metatarsals, including one open fracture. The wounds on Chester’s legs were clipped, cleaned and bandaged. A support dressing was placed on the fractured left leg.
Two days later Chester needed another anaesthetic to re-assess the fractures and wounds. The vet decided that it would be best to apply a splint dressing to allow the fracture to heal by itself.
Surgery was not possible due to the location of the fractures and also because the open fracture had become infected. When a wound is infected orthopedic surgery carries a high risk of infection spreading to the bone.
Chester is making a steady recovery at home. He still has a splint on his fractured leg, needs lots of rest and is having regular dressing changes!
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| The wounds are clipped and cleaned | A splint in applied to the fractured limb | A bandage is applied to the second limb to protect the wounds |
Metatarsal Bones
- The bones between the ankle (hock) and toes (phalanges).
- Cats have four metacarpal bones in each foot.
- Signs of fracture include pain, lameness, no weight bearing and swelling.
Fractures Types
- Open Fracture - the broken bone is exposed. Risk of complications and increased chances of infection.
- Closed Fracture - the bone is broken, but the skin is intact.
- Simple fracture – a fracture that splits the bone into two pieces.
- Comminuted – a fracture that splits the bone into multiple pieces.
