How long does it take for a dog to recover from a fracture? How to care for a dog after fracture surgery

Nov 13,2023
9Min

It takes 28 days for a dog leg bone to grow.

This process is divided into several stages:

The first stage is 0-8 days after the injury, which is the hematoma formation period. The leg is broken and the bleeding gathers around the fracture end. At this stage, the leg feels a little painful. But the bones haven’t started to grow yet, so it’s best to protect them with splints (cardboard will also work);

The second stage is the callus formation stage, which lasts from the 9th to the 16th day. The water in the hematoma begins to absorb, the blood cells begin to transform into bone cells, and the fracture end is surrounded by hard tissue. At this stage, the dog begins to Walk with a limp, but don't fall. It's easy to fracture again. You need to give more nutrition, and don't run too much if you stay at home;

The third stage, starting from the 17th day, is the callus reconstruction period, that is, the useful callus continues to grow, and the useless callus begins to soften and absorb. This stage allows the dog to take a walk, which is beneficial to the bone. After some reconstruction, it turned out that the slightly crooked part can grow back to normal.

Exercise for dogs with broken bones

Long-term lack of exercise during the fracture period will lead to muscle atrophy, joint stiffness, poor fracture healing and other sequelae. Therefore, postoperative functional exercise is also an important part that cannot be ignored in the treatment of fractures.

Functional exercise for fractures can improve local blood circulation, enhance bone metabolism, accelerate fracture repair and functional recovery of the diseased limb, and is an important way to prevent the occurrence of widespread pathological callus, muscle atrophy, joint stiffness, joint capsule contracture and other sequelae and It is an important guarantee to promote the restoration of function, and it is also an important part of the treatment of fractures.

Exercises for fractures include early massage, traction exercises, extension and flexion of the unfixed joints above and below the fracture, etc. Exercise for fractures can be divided into three stages: early, middle and late according to the healing process of the fracture.

Early stage (organizing stage of hematoma inflammation): In the early stage, within 1-2 weeks after the fracture, the affected limb is locally swollen and painful, and the soft tissue is in the repair stage and is prone to re-displacement. The purpose of functional exercise is to promote blood circulation in the affected limb, eliminate swelling, and prevent muscle atrophy. You can massage the underside of the bandage and do some gentle flexion and stretching of the joints.

Middle stage (original callus formation stage): The middle stage is 2 weeks after the fracture. Generally, for normal fractures, local swelling subsides, pain disappears, soft tissue repairs, and the fracture end has been connected by fibers and is forming a callus. . At this stage, joint activities above and below the fracture should begin.

10-15 minutes each time, 1-2 times a day, gradually extend as the condition improves. Generally, there will be a systemic reaction and the lameness will worsen in the first few days, but it will gradually improve later.

Later stage (callus reconstruction and shaping stage): In this stage, we continue to strengthen the activities of joints around the fracture and the whole body, focusing on strengthening the active activities of the affected limb, and promoting the recovery of joint range of motion and muscle strength.

You can give your dog instant calcium supplement to supplement calcium and some trace elements, which is beneficial to the recovery and healthy growth of the dog's bones.

The treatment of pet fractures is not simply reduction, fixation and waiting for recovery. Post-fracture functional exercise also plays an indispensable role in the treatment of fractures. The saying "three points of treatment, seven points of exercise" vividly illustrates Got this. Exercise has many benefits. Not only can it help with recovery, but it can also help your pet recover faster.

Benefits of exercise after fracture

First, it promotes swelling and prevents joint adhesion and stiffness.

Second, promote fracture healing. Functional exercises can also correct minor fracture dislocations and facilitate fracture healing.

To sum up, exercise after a fracture should follow the principle of gradual progress and be divided into three periods. Reasonable exercise in different periods can promote fracture healing, prevent joint stiffness and muscle atrophy, and play a vital role in the recovery of your pet. Extremely important

A dog’s recovery is divided into three phases

Secondly, as for the dog’s legs, as long as the film was taken at the time and the doctor correctly bound the splint, it doesn’t matter much. It will take a hundred days for us to break our muscles and bones. The healing of bones requires three stages:

1. Organizing and evolving stage of hematoma: The hematoma formed at the fracture site is gradually cleared and organized as fibrin leaks out, capillaries proliferate, and fibroblasts and phagocytes invade, forming granulation tissue, which then evolves into fibrous connective tissue. Tissues connect the two broken ends of the fracture. This is the fibrous connection, which is completed about two weeks after the fracture.

2. Primitive callus formation stage: the endosteum and episteum of the fractured ends form internal callus and outer callus through internalized bone, and the fibrous tissue between the fractured ends and in the medullary cavity passes through the cartilage. The bone forms annular callus and intramedullary callus. These original callus are continuously calcified and strengthened. This process takes about 4 to 8 weeks. On X-ray, there is a fusiform callus shadow around the fracture site, and the fracture line is still visible at this time. (The speed of intramembranous bone is fast, and bony callus is mainly formed through the intramembranous bone of the episteum.) The episteum plays an important role in the formation of callus.

3. Callus remodeling and shaping period: The new bone trabeculae in the original callus gradually increase, the arrangement becomes regular and dense, necrotic bone tissue is removed and replaced, and bony connections are formed at the fracture site, usually around 8 to 12 weeks. Eventually the traces of fracture may completely disappear from tissue blood and radiologically.
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