My chihuahua's arm broke near joint: Cast or plate, what's best?

That looks like a pretty nasty fracture. My first recommendation would be orthopedic surgery. The surgeon may recommend plates or other devices to get the bone back in alignment so that it can heal. If that is not an option in your area, then amputation would be my next recommendation. Due to the location, a cast or splint will not provide enough stabilization to allow the edges of the bone to knit back together. If the bones can be re-aligned, a hobble can be attempted, but the failure rate is quite high.

I am having a little trouble determine what is going on in the elbows. It looks like they are both fractured if these are pictures of different legs. The pelvis is also fractured. Treatment options would depend on the current condition of the pet and the cause for the injuries. Pelvic fractures often heal with strict cage rest for 1-2 months. The fracture of the elbow appears to have affected the joint, and it likely needs surgery to fix or amputation of the leg. If it is in both legs, surgery to fix the fractures is the best option.

Hi, sorry to hear about Penny's injury. Unfortunately orthopedic surgeries are expensive. There is a credit option called Care Credit you can apply for where you get money to use at the vet and pay them back monthly. You can apply on their website. There are many vets in the US who accept this form of payment. Amputation is not a bad option. If you cannot afford the surgery to fix the fracture, the amputation is a lot less expensive. Dogs can do great on three legs! In a few weeks it will be like she doesn't even know there's a difference. She can still run, jump and play like she used to. Good luck, I hope this helps!

Much more information including the nature of the original injury/complaint, current physical exam findings (including mobility and pain assessment), response to treatment and recent x-rays would be required in order to assess such a case properly. I recommend you seek referral to an orthopedic specialist to assess all possible options if she is painful or her natural mobility has been affected by the injury

They can definitely heal on their own and they heal especially well with puppies. However, it may heal at an angle, which can cause a life-long limp and issues with arthritis. This particular fracture involves the growth plate, which can increase the possibility that it won't heal correctly. The advantage of surgery is that the fracture can be aligned appropriately, which will shorten healing time and reduce chances of future complications. This would not be an easy surgery though and would likely require an orthopedic specialist to do it; which can get quite expensive. If you want to pursue surgery, then it's best to ask your veterinarian for a referral to an orthopedic specialist. Otherwise it's possible for it to heal fine with casting/splinting and time. I hope that helps and Ice gets better soon.

With strict rest, this may callous further and improve stability but may not be completely aligned as the plate has moved! Regular monitoring with xrays will be required to investigate if healing is progressive or if additional surgery is indeed necessary

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Max! Sadly the X-ray pictures didn’t attach. Personally I would recommend surgical repair of a fracture of the humerus. Please feel free to repost with pictures. I wish Max the best!