11/06/2025
Traumatic injury to the palmar carpal ligaments can occur when dogs fall from a height. This poor dog, Leo, mistakenly jumped over a wall on a bridge, only to find a 25' drop the other side. He landed with his front legs, and ruptured the palmar carpal ligaments on BOTH forelimbs.
Amazingly, within a couple of days, he was trying to take a few steps but his carpal joints were unstable and hyperextending.
Careful evaluation using stressed radiographs at Movement Referrals: Independent Veterinary Specialists, revealed that the ligament ruptures were at the level of the intercarpal joint (solid arrow). This provided the opportunity to preserve the antebrachiocarpal joint, where the vast majority of carpal movement occurs.
We performed bilateral partial carpal arthrodeses using plates designed for this surgery (Orthomed UK, Huddersfield, UK) in combination with Canine DBM nanopaste bone graft (Veterinary Tissue Bank, Chirk, UK).
It's early days, but Leo is recovering well and up on his feet. If all is well, Leo should be able to return to full function with a good range of motion in his carpal joints.
John Innes
Ben Walton
Brian Beale