Intramedullary interlocking nail for repair of unstable femoral fractures in puppies

The study was conducted to evaluate the technique of intramedullary interlocking nail (IILN) in eight clinical cases of femur fracture in puppies aged 2 m to 1 yr. The types of fractures were oblique (3), spiral (2) or comminuted (3). All the cases were treated with IILN, either static or dynamic, with or without ancillary full cerclage stainless steel wire fixation or nylon mesh or polyamide sutures based on type of fracture. The technique of IILN was found effective with good functional recovery of almost all animals; however, the static IILN fixation resulted in early weight bearing and osteosynthesis with almost negligible callus when compared with dynamic IILN fixation.