Case report: Calcaneal fractures in a cat

A one year four month old male neutered domestic shorthair cat was presented for sudden onset, left pelvic limb lameness. Upon clinical examination, pain was localised to the hock region and the cat was found to have persistent deciduous teeth. No evidence of trauma was apparent. Radiographs revealed a transverse fracture at the base of the calcaneus. The fracture was stabilised with a Steinmann pin and tension band wire. Eleven weeks after fixation of the fracture, the cat presented with lameness of the contralateral limb and again no evidence of trauma was identified. Radiographs revealed a transverse fracture at the base of the right calcaneus. Fracture repair was performed as for the left. 14 months following the initial surgery, the cat was ambulating normally with no signs of pain or lameness in either pelvic limb. This case supports the association between persistent deciduous teeth and spontaneous fractures in cats.