Brave Rusty came to us after he had been attacked by another dog. He was in shock from the trauma and had sustained a broken jaw.
*A warning for graphic imagery*
After spending a night on fluids and pain relief we were able to take x-rays of Rusty’s head. These revealed not only one, but two fractures to Rusty’s lower jaw. His jaw had been broken through the symphysis connecting the left and right sides of his jaw, as well as the corner of his jaw.
To repair these fractures we had to take a step-by-step approach. Rusty had several rotten teeth that needed to be removed and a severe infection of the bone that needed to be resolved before the fractures could be repaired. We then called in the big guns - Dr Mark.
Dr Mark attempted to place a screw in the symphysis fracture to reconnect the left and right sides. A bone plate was placed along the length of the mandible to stabilise this fracture. Unfortunately, the bone plate fell out not only once, but twice!
Repeat x-rays were performed that showed Rusty’s jaw was still broken down the middle, with a small section of normal bone containing his canine tooth. The remainder of his jaw had dissolved and been replaced by rubbery scar tissue. Upon consultation with a specialist orthopedic vet, we decided to remove Rusty’s entire jaw. Dr Kiri removed the remainder of the bone plate and screws. She then removed Rusty’s jaw from his lip and tongue musculature and sutured the deficit closed.
Rusty has recovered incredibly well from his procedures and is now at home, eating up all the attention!