Fixation of a proximal femoral physeal fracture in a dog using a ventral approach and two Kirschner wires.

A Salter-Harris type I proximal femoral physeal fracture was diagnosed in a six-month-old Norfolk Terrier. The fracture was reduced using a ventromedial approach to the hip joint and fixation with two small Kirschner wires applied from the joint surface and countersunk below the cartilage. The ventromedial approach minimizes soft-tissue and vascular damage and affords direct visualization of the fracture, facilitating reduction and fixation. The two-year postoperative outcome was considered satisfactory in this case.