Mouse

Mouse

Age 4 months old |Breed Miniature Pinscher

Mouse the Miniature Pincher comes to see surgical resident Padraig in this episode’s tale of ‘little and large’. With plenty of attitude and bat-like ears, this family puppy has fractured his foot after jumping off a bed. Padraig faces a tricky operation on such a small patient, and has to use a specially-developed ‘spider’ technique to pin the tiny bones in his paws back together.

Their Story

Mouse is one of a pack of small dogs who live with Rosemarie. She devouts on them.

The Problem

Mouse fractured his foot jumping off a bed at home. The fracture is an advance one, as he broke all the tarsal bones in his foot meaning that specialist surgery would be required. Surgical Resident Padraig Egan explained to Rosemarie that because all the bones were fractured, there was nothing for the bones to naturally splint against to heal and therefore a metal structure would be required to hold the fixed bones in place while they healed.

Treatment

Padraig needed to repair the fractured toes by drilling pins into the broken bones to hold them all together while they healed. He secured the pins in place externally using a special putty. Mouse being so young meant that the fracture should heal in just a few weeks.

Outcome

Six weeks since the surgery and Mouse was doing exceptionally well, and getting back to his full former self. Padraig was very happy to sign Mouse off with a gradual increase of exercise.