Poppy is a 5 year tabby cat and she was brought to Alfreton Park Veterinary Hospital during the out of hour’s service at the end of September. Poppy was a stray cat and had been hit by a car; she had a fractured lower jaw and a very sore and swollen tongue.
Poppy was admitted to the hospital and was given pain relief and antibiotics. The RSPCA authorised the funds for Poppy to undergo surgery to repair the fractured jaw. Once she had recovered from the ordeal the RSPCA would offer her a foster home for her rehabilitation
The following day Poppy was given an anaesthetic and the vet repaired the fracture. The operation was successful, despite some complications; small fragments of bone had broken away from the jaw, making it more difficult to tighten the wire sufficiently to fully stabilise it. Poppy also had multiple lacerations to her tongue and several wounds round the lower jaw, which made the positioning of the wire more complicated.
Poppy began making a good recovery. She was given supportive nursing care, including syringe feeding as she was not yet able to eat on her own, pain relief and antibiotics. Poppy had to be treated with two types of antibiotics as an infection had developed under her jaw, around the point of the wire. Poppy was having regular check ups with the vet to monitor the infection, as it could delay & hinder the fracture healing.
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| The jaw is palpated under anaesthetic to determine the extent of the damage. | A stainless steel wire is placed around the lower jaw. It will stay in place until the healing is complete. |
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| The two fractured pieces are aligned. The wire sits under the tongue over the lower jaw. | The ends of the wire pass out through the skin under the jaw. The wire is gently twisted. |
Four days after Poppy’s accident her owner called the practice to report her missing and enquire if any cat’s fitting Poppy’s description had come in to the vets. Poppy is prone to wandering and her owners were delighted to be reunited with her. After advice from the nurses Poppy was microchipped to prevent her going missing again in the future.
A week after surgery Poppy was sent home. She has made a good recovery and is getting back to her cheeky self. Unfortunately, as with all operations there can be complications and due to the infection the healing has taken longer than the usual 6 weeks. The fracture is now beginning to stabilise and the wire will be removed in 2 weeks, approximately 11 weeks post surgery.
Fractured Jaws
Fractured jaws are not uncommon in cats and are usually the result of a traumatic incident. The lower jaw (mandible) usually fractures in the middle of the chin (symphysis), this is very painful and often means the cat is unable to eat. Fortunately the jaw can usually be wired back together allowing it to heal.
The importance of Microchips
Each year more than 300,000 family pets get lost or go missing. It is difficult to reunite lost pets with their owners as collars and tags are often lost.
Microchips are permanent and last a lifetime. A microchip is easy to place – just like a normal injection. It is very small, similar to a grain of rice and is designed to sit comfortably under your pet’s skin. A unique 15 digit code is linked to your pet’s details.
