Rocky was brought into the clinic by a good samaritan who happened to be LRAHC clients. He had been hit by a car and was so painful he forgot to show his appreciation of Janet’s work and bit her on the finger! He was in shock when he first arrived, and it was touch and go for a little while. Luckily Rocky had a microchip and we were able to contact his owners, who were extremely happy to see him. After some initial stabilisation including intravenous fluids, lots of pain relief and oxygen therapy his condition improved enough to take some xrays.

We knew there must be a problem within the pelvis/hips as Rocky was unable to bear weight on his left leg, but even with good opiod drugs on board he was so painful and swollen we couldn’t assess his injuries without general anaesthesia

Ventrodorsal view with Rocky lying on his back

The radiographs showed that Rocky had a pelvis fractured in 2 places, a sacroiliac luxation and a dislocated hip. No other injuries involving the bladder or diaphragm were found, which was a relief, as these complications are common in animals who have had a close encounter with a car. Approximately 40% of pelvic fracture cases have a concurrent bladder injury.

Hip subluxations are also common with road trauma, and as is shown on Rocky’s radiographs, most luxations are dorsal (upwards), as the powerful gluteal muscles are exerting all the force, pulling the head of the femur out of its ball and socket joint. Unfortunately the dislocated hip was unable to be replaced, so surgery was required.

In this case, surgery was performed to remove the head of the femur, which would then allow the muscles holding the femur to form a muscular sling. It would be impossible to assess neurological function until after the surgery.

Post surgery Rocky was much more comfortable and was able to stand the day after the surgery. He had full use of this leg and full neurological function. He stayed with us for a few days and then went home with his owners on strict rest while his pelvic fractures healed.

Multiple pelvic fractures are extremely common, as the pelvis is basically a ‘box’, so that if one side of the box is subject to trauma, the other side will give as well. In Rocky’s case the fractures did not involve the joint and were minimally displaced, so they would most likely respond to conservative therapy, composing of strict rest for 4-6 weeks. Rocky is at homeand his owners report he is comfortable and mobile. He will need to rest for 6-8 weeks until his pelvic fractures have healed, and so far he is not experiencing any of the complications associated with pelvic fracture repairs.