Stormy – Dislocated Elbow And Fractured Radius And Ulna

The Catastrophe

Nobody really knows what happened but we’re pretty sure Stormy used up one of his nine lives. Stormy’s loving owners came home to find him unable to put any weight on his left foreleg.

We thought we should X-ray the leg. The radius and ulna were broken just below the elbow joint. Dr Rob thinks that perhaps he had fallen off something or got his leg stuck in something. It was a very nasty and very painful injury.

The Fracture

This was a terrible fracture. Stormy had also dislocated his elbow but it was impossible to tell because the leg was so badly broken.

This terrible injury with very small and short fracture segments to work on is a very challenging fracture to repair and would often end in amputation.

Stormy’s owners really wanted to save his leg. Dr Rob believed he could do it despite the difficulties and the risk of complications. Stormy’s mum and dad really wanted us to try and save his leg.

Stormy went to surgery and it was a long and challenging operation.

The Repair

After many hours, Stormy’s leg had been saved. We took post operative X-rays and we realised the elbow was also dislocated. Dr Rob’s heart sunk.

The radius and ulna had been plated and the alignment was good. This fracture was going to heal and Stormy’s leg would be saved……….BUT………… now the full horror was realised. Dr Rob was feeling a bit sad because dislocated elbows can be very problematic.

Dr Rob began to palpate Stormy’s elbow and he was able to replace the dislocated humerus back into the joint. We placed a supportive bandage over the elbow to prevent it dislocating again. It’s impossible to repair a dislocated elbow until the fractures of the radius and ulna are repaired. It is quite a challenging surgery on these tiny bones so close to the elbow.

Dr Rob plated the fractures and then fixed the elbow. Stormy can now walk on his leg and is doing great. We are all just so happy.