Treatment of radial-ulnar and tibial fractures in cattle, using a modified Thomas splint-cast combination.

In a retrospective study involving 15 cattle, radial-ulnar or tibial fractures were repaired with a modified Thomas splint combined with plaster cast. The cattle ranged in age from 1 day to 5 years and weighed from 46 to 775 kg. Eight cattle had radial-ulnar fractures and 7 had tibial fractures. The fractures healed in 14 cattle. The most frequent long-term complication was deviation of the involved long bones after healing. The degree of deviation decreased over several months' time in most cases. Thirteen of the 14 cattle with healed fractures were used for breeding or milking and their capacity for those functions was not diminished.