The CT protocol, as described, was repeatable and reproducible for assessing the femoral and tibial alignment of dogs.

Objective: Describe the clinical findings and management of tibial fractures in cats in which plate osteosynthesis failed due to plate bending.Study Design: Multicentre, retrospective clinical study. Methods:Clinical histories and radiographs of 10 cats that suffered plate bending following plate or plate-rod fixation of tibial fractures were reviewed for signalment, fracture configuration and repair, post-operative and post-failure tibial alignment, ultimate treatment and outcome. Tibial alignment post-operatively and post-failure was compared using a paired T-test.Results: Mean age was 5.3 years and mean body weight was 5.0kg. All ten cats sustained complete fracture of the tibia with an accompanying fracture to the fibula. Tibial fractures were generally oblique (4/10) or spiral (4/10) with mild comminution (8/10) and located in the middle (3/10) or distal (6/10) third of the tibia. Initial fracture stabilisation was with a plate (6/10) or plate-rod combination (4/10) with the plate applied to the medial tibial surface. Non-reduced, lateral tibial wedge fragments were present in 5 fractures. Mean time to implant failure was 24 days. Mean tibial valgus angle increased from 12.9° to 30.9°

Medial-to-lateral drilling for transcondylar screw placement carries a higher risk of inadvertently penetrating the joint compared with lateral-to-medial drilling.

A classification scheme for sacral fractures was based on a review of sacral fractures in 34 dogs and 17 cats. They were classified into five categories based on their radiographic appearance on standard lateral and ventrodorsal radiographs of the pelvis. Concomitant pelvic injuries were commonly observed: 32 per cent of dogs had a fracture of an ilium and 65 per cent of cats had union bilateral sacroiliac subluxation. Neurological deficits were common where the fractures traversed the spinal canal or sacral foraminae. Comparison is made between sacral fractures in dogs and cats, and humans.

SSI rates in this population of dogs were similar where antimicrobial prophylaxis was administered perioperatively over 3 hours or as a course continued for 6 days.