Gem - Fractured Jaw
Gem was presented to us after a day out in the field. She appeared distressed and was unable to eat.
After examination it became obvious that Gem had fractured her jaw. It is believed that her head collar had become caught on a trough in the field and as she pulled away her jaw was shattered. The jaw bone itself had penetrated through the gum line, and it was possible to feel the end of the bones protruding into the mouth. The bone already appeared to be infected, but it was decided to attempt to repair the fracture.
Gem was anaesthetised and an incision made to locate the fractured ends of bone.
The overlying soft tissue had to be resected so that a special orthopaedic plate could be placed over the fracture. The plate was placed against the bone and screws inserted into the bone on either side of the fracture line. The plate holds the bone together and allows the bone to heal naturally.
Once the bone plate was in place the skin was stapled together and Gem was allowed to recover from the anaesthetic. After a short period of time Gem started to eat for the first time since the accident.
After a number of weeks it was decided to remove the bone plate because there appeared to be a chronic discharge from the site of the wound. Xrays confirmed that there was infection around the bone plate. This is an unfortunate consequence when a fracture has broken through the skin. The implant was removed under sedation. The wound healed quickly and despite the fact the bone plate had been removed Gem made an uneventful recovery. Since the surgery Gem has gone from strength to strength and had no further problems.
