Pathological fracture of the femur secondary to haematogenous osteomyelitis in a weimaraner

A seven-year-old male weimaraner developed an acute-onset non-weightbearing pelvic limb lameness without a history of significant trauma. Radiographs demonstrated an oblique fracture of the femur associated with a lytic bone lesion, while cytology and histopathology of the lesion were consistent with osteomyelitis. A pure growth of Streptococcus intermedius was obtained from culture of affected tissue samples. The fracture healed without complication after rigid internal fixation and antibiotic therapy.