Different Modalities of Metacarpal Fracture Fixation in Mongrel Dogs: An Experimental Study

The present study was conducted on 15 mongrel dogs as an experimental study on induced fractured metacarpal bones, which were divided into 3 groups, (n=5 each) as the following; group (1) fixation of III and IV metacarpal fractures using fiberglass, group (2) internal fixation using intramedullary pins and externally with fiberglass, group (3) internal fixation using bone plates. These animals were evaluated by the clinical examination and radiographic assessment for five months to evaluate the fracture healing. In group (1), degree of lameness noticed in all dogs and nonunio‎n radiographically. In group (2) two dogs suffered from lameness due to nonunio‎n of the fractured bones and migration of the pin to metacarpophalangeal joint and two dogs had the ability to walk and jump normally after two months, while in group (3), a dog suffered from lameness due to loosed screws and the others showed excellent healing. This experimental study revealed that the functional and anatomical results of dogs treated with internal fixation of metacarpal bones using bone plates were significantly better than those dogs treated with external coaptation and with intramedullary pins.