Eastcott Veterinary Referrals Rebuilds Puppy's Jaw
4 years ago 
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A cocker spaniel puppy which suffered a double fracture to the jaw after being kicked by a horse has fully recovered following major reconstruction surgery at a leading Wiltshire animal hospital.
Specialist dental and maxillofacial surgeons at Linnaeus-owned Eastcott Veterinary Referrals, in Swindon, painstakingly
repaired the fractures and other significant damage suffered by 10-month-old Lenny in the traumatic
incident.
Thankfully, the young pup was back home with his owners again just 36 hours after the complex operation to repair what could have been life-changing injuries.
Andrew Perry, head of dentistry and oral and maxillofacial surgery at Eastcott and a European and RCVS Specialist in veterinary dentistry, said: “Lenny is a young working Cocker Spaniel who was sadly a little too inquisitive for his own good on this occasion.
“The puppy was out on a walk when he startled a horse and received a short shrift, in the form of a glancing blow to the jaw.
“Lenny was left in a distressed state and it was immediately clear that significant damage had been done.
“He was taken straight to his local vets who gave him pain relief and stabilised him overnight before he was referred to us the next day.
“Radiographs showed Lenny had sustained a significant fracture of his mandible, while a CT scan provided an exact appreciation of the dimensions of the fractures and their relationship to Lenny’s tooth roots.
“This is critical to preventing iatrogenic (accidental surgical) damage during any repair of mandibular fractures.
“The images clearly showed Lenny had two fractures, a rostral fracture and a caudal, lingually displaced fragment, with the displacement of the caudal fragment resulting in subluxation of the left temporomandibular joint.”
The injuries required complex surgery by the experts at Eastcott, which is part of Linnaeus, including the
insertion of titanium plates to stabilise and secure the jaw, to ensure Lenny did not suffer permanent
damage.
Andrew explained: “A transmylohyoid intubation was performed, allowing for Lenny’s mouth to be closed intraoperatively, and a temporary, elastic maxillomandibular fixation attached.
“These procedures allow us to control the occlusion during fracture manipulation and reduction.
“Like all fractures, accurate anatomical reconstruction for fractures of the jaw is desirable but it is imperative for a functional, stable occlusion to be the most basic goal of repair.
“Lenny’s fractures were stabilised using titanium mini-plates, achieving rigid internal fixation. The caudal fragment was less stable and so orthogonal plates were utilised to maximise stress neutralisation and to aid in initial reduction.
“Post-operative assessment indicated an excellent reduction of the fragments and resolution of the dislocation with Lenny recovering very well from the surgery.
“So well, he was eating within four hours of treatment and was discharged 36 hours after surgery, hopefully to avoid his horse friends for a little while!”
Eastcott Referrals offers one of Europe’s leading dentistry and maxillofacial services and is able to provide advanced maxillofacial repair techniques.
An emergency and critical care clinic, ophthalmology and neurology departments also enable Eastcott to treat patients with highly complex head injuries.
Eastcott offers expert care in cardiology, dentistry, internal medicine, neurology and neurosurgery, ophthalmology, oral and maxillofacial surgery, oncology orthopaedics, soft tissue surgery, laparoscopy, thoracoscopy, diagnostic imaging and CT, anaesthesia and analgesia and has its own Emergency Care Centre.
For more information about Eastcott Referrals and its specialist services, visit www.eastcottreferrals.co.uk.
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