Domestic Short Hair

10 years

Male

Multiple skull fractures

Problem

Milburn’s owners returned home one evening to find him outside with facial injuries. It was suspected he had been in a road traffic accident (RTA) and this was confirmed by footage on a neighbour’s ring doorbell. He was rushed into the hospital during emergency hours and an initial clinical examination showed both his eyelids were swollen, he was bleeding from his mouth and his jaw was not in a normal position. His hard palate was split and separated by 3-4mm. Milburn was stressed so this limited the exam, the emergency team gave him some pain relief, put him on a drip and closely monitored him whilst his condition stabilised.

Treatment

Once Milburn was more stable he had a CT scan which showed the extent of the damage. He had multiple facial fractures including his eye socket and jaw; thankfully there was no damage to his brain. A feeding tube was placed into his oesophagus so he could receive sufficient nutrition.

His eyes were examined by one of the ophthalmologists and the left eye was OK but his right eye was damaged, he was given eye drops and anti-inflammatories to help with this.

The following day he was seen by our oral-maxillofacial surgeon who performed dental x-rays and repaired his hard palate; he also fixed Milburn’s jaw using inter-canine bonding. He went home after a couple of days and Milburn’s owner fed him at home using the feeding tube, after a few days he was able to lap food himself. He had regular check-ups to ensure he was recovering well, in which time the feeding tube was removed as it was no longer needed.

Outcome

Milburn continued to improve over the coming weeks as his skull injuries healed. Although his right eye is non-visual it is not causing any problems at the moment. He may need further surgery in the future to remove it. The oral surgeon removed the inter-canine bonding and Milburn was allowed home to resume normal life. His owner reports he is doing so well, he is back where he belongs with his little family. We were able to span Milburn’s care over three of our multi-disciplines to ensure he received the best care possible.