I had a message flash up on my phone a few weekends ago to say that one of my colleagues had just taken some x-rays of a young French Bulldog puppy that had fallen and was now very lame on its front leg.

Sometimes subtle fractures can be difficult to spot in young bones that have multiple lines of growth still visible (growth plates), and in short-legged breeds the bones can look decidedly unusual anyway. However, I was fairly sure what I would see given the age and breed of the puppy.

Sure enough, on examination of the x-rays a ‘lateral condylar’ fracture was evident. This type of fracture tends to occur almost exclusively in young French Bulldogs and Springer Spaniels. A sharp impact to the front leg (classically from jumping or falling from a slight height) puts a sudden pressure through the elbow and the outside half of the bottom of the humerus (upper leg bone) breaks off through the elbow joint.

It requires a highly accurate and careful repair

It’s a very serious fracture as it involves the joint requiring a highly accurate and careful repair to make sure the dog doesn’t end up with long-term arthritis or limb dysfunction. In the past, I have repaired these with a combination of screws and pins, but more recently a very clever plate has been designed for these dogs.

Because the condition is so common in these breeds and the shape of their bones and elbows is so unique but consistent, it is possible to design a plate perfectly contoured for the French Bulldog and another for the Spaniel. The plate curves, flows and twists around the side of the elbow and allows a perfect repair of the fracture with maximum stability while the bone heals.

The benefits of one of these plates is quite significant so I was quite excited to use one on this little puppy. We recently took some follow-up x-rays to see how well the fracture had healed and, happily, the elbow had healed perfectly. The little puppy should go on to have a full and happy life, pain- and limp-free!