Long-bone fractures in llamas: six cases (1993-1998)

Objective--To determine clinical and radiographic findings, treatment, and outcome for llamas with long-bone fractures. Design--Retrospective study. Animals--6 llamas. Procedure--Medical records of llamas admitted between 1993 and 1998 because of long-bone fractures were reviewed. Data collected included age, sex, ty pe of fracture, method of fracture repair, and postoperative complications. The Fisher exact test was used to compare age and sex of the llamas with l ong-bone fractures with those of the hospital population of llamas, Ail own ers were contacted by telephone to determine perceived postoperative proble ms and whether the llamas were able to perform as expected. Results--Mean age was 160.8 days (range, 23 to 365 days). There was 1 male and 5 females. Fractures were more likely to occur in young llamas (less th an or equal to 1 year old) than in adults. Five of the fractures were attri buted to traumatic episodes. Long bones affected included the tibia (n = 2) , radius (2), femur (1), and humerus (1). Internal fixation with lag screws , plating, or both was performed on fractures of all llamas except 1,that l lama was treated by use of confinement to a stall. None of the llamas had i ntraoperative complications, but postoperative complications were reported in 2 llamas. Aii fractures healed eventually and clients were pleased with outcomes. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance--Long-bone fractures in llamas are uncom mon. Several types of long bone fractures can be successfully repaired by u se of internal fixation, resulting in few complications and minimal convale scent time.