Outcome of rest with or without bandaging for treatment of carpal flexural contracture deformities in puppies: 47 puppies and 75 joints (2000-2018)

OBJECTIVE To review outcome of dogs with carpal flexural contracture deformities treated with rest alone or with rest and bandaging. ANIMALS 47 dogs (75 joints). PROCEDURES Medical records of dogs with unilateral or bilateral carpal flexural contracture deformities were reviewed, and dogs were grouped according to deformity severity grade (graded on a scale from 1 to 3) at the time of diagnosis. Two treatment groups were compared: rest only and rest with a modified Robert-Jones bandage. All dogs were reevaluated weekly until recovery (ie, resolution of the deformity and lameness). RESULTS All dogs responded to conservative management, with all dogs regaining full extension of the antebrachiocarpal joint and ambulating normally at the time of the final visit. Mean +/- SD time from initial diagnosis to recovery (ie, resolution of the deformity and lameness) was 2.9 +/- 2.2 weeks (median, 2 weeks; range, 1 to 9 weeks). For dogs with grade 1 or 2 severity, mean time to recovery did not differ significantly between treatment groups. For dogs with grade 3 severity, however, mean time to recovery was significantly shorter for dogs treated with rest and bandaging than for dogs treated with rest alone.