Corrective osteotomy

A deformed dachshund puppy is now back on her feet after corrective surgery at a leading veterinary referral centre in the Midlands with West Midlands Referrals.

There are two long bones in the lower forelimb below the elbow, the radius and the ulna. The radius and ulna's distal (lower) ends makeup part of the carpus (wrist) joint. At their proximal (top) ends, they meet the humerus forming the elbow joint.

Poppy, a 6-month-old Labrador puppy, sustained a fractured radius and ulna, bones in the forelimb. These were already healing by the time we saw her. As well as healing to themselves, they also unfortunately healed to each other as well. So the two bones were now linked in a “synostosis”.

An 8-month-old Shi Tzu pup presented at West Midlands Referrals with right forelimb lameness and elbow incongruity with short ulna syndrome. This occurs because the ulna stops growing earlier than the radius, so that the ulna acts like the taught straight string of a bow and arrow, while the radius keeps growing and becomes the curved “bow”.