My cat broke his back leg about 5 weeks ago. The vet inserted a pin and I kept him in a confined space for the whole time. When they operated on him yesterday she informed me that the leg did not heal at all. She says that we have two options left, the one is to put a plate in his leg and the other is amputation. I would like to know if we put the plate in his leg, will it heal after all this time?My cat is now 5 years old and he is a male.thanksJana
Optional Information: Type of Animal: Cat Gender: Male Age: 5
Welcome to JustAnswer! I am a licensed veterinarian and would be glad to help!
Where is the fracture?
How did the fracture happen?
Is there evidence of infection on the x-rays?
The fracture is on the lower part of his back leg. A car ran over him and no, there is no infection.
What type of fracture?
Transverse? Oblique? Simple? Comminuted?
Which specific bone is fractured?
Femur? Tibia?
Just a moment, I will find out
ok
it's a distal tibia oblique fracture
Thank you.
The pin itself may unfortunately not have provided enough stability, more common with rotational forces rather thn compressive forces.
For this reason - yes - the plate would provide more stability to allow healing.
In a young cat, with good position of the bones, and good stability, there is really no reason why a plate should not allow appropriate healing if done correctly.
will the leg give him trouble later in life?
If done correctly - no - it should not. There is always a risk of mild arthritis, but that is more if a joint is affected, which does not seem to be the case here.
so you would say that the best thing to do for the cat is to put the plate in and not amputate?
I would certainly vote for a plate before amputation.
thank you
You are very welcome.
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