Crushed Limb Injuries and its Management - A Report of 4 canines

The present communication describes conservative management of crushed limb injuries in four dogs following automobile accident. In three dogs, one hind limb was badly crushed involving complete paw and extending up to the mid tibia-fibula while in the fourth animal right forelimb involving whole paw and up to distal radius-ulna was injured. All the affected limbs also had multiple phalangeal and metacarpal/metatarsal fractures. Unstable tarsal joints due to distal tibia-fibula fracture and tarso-metatarsal laxity was observed in two dogs. All the wounds were managed conservatively with regular washing using antimicrobial solutions, debridement, applying non-adherent bandages along with internal and external immobilization. Wounds healed completely with non-haired skin within 3 to 4 months. Partial weight bearing on the affected limbs was observed.