Management of a proximal pelvic limb skin laceration in a dog using a skin flap and an external fixator

A nine-year-old, spayed female crossbred dog sustained a traumatic skin lesion to the right proximal pelvic limb, extending to the extensor surface of the stifle. Surgical management of the wound included primary closure using a body skin flap fashioned from the right caudolateral abdominal wall. To achieve closure and prevent tension on the wound, the coxofemoral and stifle joints on the affected side needed to be immobilised in flexion. Flexion immobilisation of the stifle was achieved using the anatomical principle of muscle reciprocation. The ipsilateral tarsal joint was immobilised in flexion using a uniplanar-bilateral (type II) transarticular external skeletal fixator and this resulted in the automatic flexion of the stifle. The fixator was removed six weeks postoperatively when the wound had healed. There were no apparent complications associated with the fixator either during its use or in the longer term following its removal.