Multiple fractures in a Pronghorn calf

Abstract

An eight-week-old female intact pronghorn being hand-raised in captivity at a zoo presented for a highly comminuted closed diaphyseal fracture of the right tibia. In hand-raised animals, especially in non-domesticated species, nutritional deficiencies are one of the most common diseases, and deficiencies of vitamin D, calcium, and/or phosphorus can lead to metabolic bone disease and predispose animals to fractures. The tibial fracture was manually reduced and casted, but the pronghorn was unable to bear weight on the leg. Over the following six weeks modifications to the diet were made to rule out nutritional deficiencies, but the bone density of the fractured leg decreased significantly compared to the healthy leg. Two further pathologic fractures, one in the right distal metatarsus and one in the right talus, were found on radiographs. The pronghorn was euthanized due to a poor prognosis for return to function of the fractured leg.