Fractures and luxations resulting from traffic accidents contribute a large part of the clinical work on the forelimbs of dogs and cats.
Among younger dogs, a second sizable contingent presents with various disorders of skeletal development, mostly due to anomalous endochondral ossification within an epiphysis or directly affecting a growth plate, leading to premature or delayed fusion.
It is clear that a sound knowledge of the surface and radiologic anatomy of the region is necessary whether the abnormality has a traumatic or developmental origin. Knowledge of the courses of the major vessels and nerves is also important to preserve their functional and anatomic integrity during direct surgical access to a bone or joint.Details of the development of the forelimb skeleton of both dogs and cats are summarized in Table 16.1. There is considerable variation in the ages at which events occur and a tendency for development to be more precocious in smaller breeds. The figures used in the text generally refer to dogs of medium size, such as the Beagle.
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