Dog Leg Injuries

Orthopedic Fixes for Dog Leg Injuries

Dr. Abi O’Connor BVM&S, MRCVS

Dog Leg Injuries

Driving through the streets of San Jose on my way to the Refugio is a daily adventure, and by “adventure” I mean a fear-filled journey through death trap streets full of dangerous drivers and equally dangerous potholes!  Drivers run red lights only to aggressively push their way forward turning two-lane roads into three-and-a-half-lane streets.  Car horns are used as warnings, signals, greetings, thanks or simply to fill the temporary silence.  It is in this hectic cacophony of noise and Latin tempers that street dogs and cats go unseen. 

Limping dogs and cats in the calle (street) bear testimony to the recklessness of San Jose drivers.  Costa Rica holds the grim title of the world’s highest auto fatality rate (18 deaths per 100,000 km, compared to 2.7 deaths per 100,000 km in the USA) – and this just accounts for human fatalities!  Countless more animals are killed in the streets of San Jose, unnoticed or quickly forgotten hit-and-runs leaving dogs and cats bleeding by the roadside.

The survivors of road accidents are left in the streets, either to be taken to a clinic for treatment or to pick themselves up and recover as best they can.  We often see the grizzly remains of road traffic accidents at the Refugio – shattered bones, destroyed limbs, ruptured diaphragms, head trauma, avulsed tongues, internal and external bleeding…the list is endless.

We do our best to treat the treatable and ease the passing for those beyond repair.  For those that pull through the critical stages and stabilize we are left to pick up the pieces and repair their broken parts.

Broken Canine Femur

This is where orthopedic surgery comes into play.  “Orthopedics” (literally translated from Greek to “straighten the child”) was first described in 18^th century France by Nicholas Andry and used to prevent or repair bone deformities in children.  Orthopedic surgery has since come on leaps and bounds but the concept remains the same: straighten the bones.

Last Friday – Black Friday – 5 dogs that had been hit by cars were brought to the shelter.  One had a broken forelimb, another a shattered pelvis, the others fractured femurs.  I was once told that to break the average dog’s femur, the vehicle must travel faster than 30 mph just before impact.  Given my experience with drivers in Costa Rica and seeing the extent of the fractures assured me whatever hit these dogs was travelling well over the speed limit.

We work to set and stabilize the broken bones as best we can.  Using materials best used only for carpentry (surgical grade orthopedic materials being beyond a shelter’s budget) we perform lengthy, painful procedures to ensure the broken limbs will one day be functional again.

Remarkably, the bones straighten and heal.  The legs bear weight though often give way to a slight limp.  However, there are some wounds you can’t treat, some pains run too deep.

Firu

A good friend of mine adopted a dog several months ago from the Refugio. Firu, a small brown Costa Rican street dog, had been hit by a car that had broken and dislocated his femur. Although the shelter repaired his bodily injuries, little can be done to remove the memory of his trauma. I watch Firu halt and visibly tremble when he hears trucks approaching. Despite numerous occasions in cars, Firu spends his car rides cowering in the same type of vehicle that left his leg atrophied and infirm. Despite months passing and limitless love showered on him by his wonderful adoptive family, Firu remains afraid. 

Often in my profession we are nothing more than carpenters.  We can only realign the bones – it is up to the animals to heal.

The cost to treat dog leg injuries does not come cheaply; A.H.P.P.A. animal shelter in Costa Rica needs help with the expense of surgery materials, medications and food.  Your monthly or single donation can make a difference. Visit our donations page to give what ever amount you can afford. And thank you, on behalf of the animals in Costa Rica.