Management of devastating facial gunshot injuries in an English cocker spaniel

Authors: Di Virgilio F, Camilletti P, Deneuche A
Publication: Australian Veterinary Practitioner, Volume 50, Issue 3, pp 185-193, Sep 2020
Publisher: Australian Veterinary Association

Animal type: Dog
Subject Terms: Clinical examination, Emergency medicine/critical care, Surgery, Trauma/injuries
Article class: Clinical Report

---

Abstract:

A 5-year-old, 13-kg, intact female, English cocker spaniel was admitted for a severe facial gunshot injury. After stabilisation of the patient, a CT scan of the head showed no signs of an intracranial lesion, however, shotgun pellets were present in the right suborbital area and there were multiple fractures of the rostral aspect of the nasomaxilla. The left maxillary canine (204) and the left incisor teeth (202-203) were unharmed. The right mandibular canine tooth (104) was fractured. Conventional bone reconstruction was not considered possible. Two silicone plastic Redon drains CH18, connected by a 1-mm stainless steel cerclage wire bridge, were used as nasal stents to support the nose shape and the nostril patency. During the first phase of bone healing, each stent was partially filled with 3-mm diameter stainless steel pins (10 cm in length). Necrotic tissue was surgically debrided and tissues apposed with simple interrupted sutures. Some further debridement of necrotic tissue was required on Days 4 and 7 after the initial surgery. On Day 7, the pins were removed from the stents, allowing the dog to breathe through the stents. On Day 19 the dog inadvertently removed the stents, which were not replaced. A few days later, the nasal aperture had fused into one single nasal opening. The dog continued to be able to breathe through its nose and recovered a normal life. Functional and aesthetic results were accepted as satisfactory by the owner

---