Twenty mongrel dogs were used in this experiment with 6 kg in average, with age among 4 and 12 years old, from Universidade Federal de Santa Maria Central Biotery. They were divided in two groups of 10 animals, and each group subdivided in two subgroups (1A, 1B, 2A and 2B). In group 1 the animals received treatment along 90 days and the group 2 along 60 days after surgery. The subgroup A corresponded a treatment with growth ration with 27% of gross protein and the subgroup B with 21% of gross protein. All dogs suffered experimental fracture in the left femur in its distal portion. The fractures were reduced with two internal pins, inserted trough the troclear joint surface. The dogs were confined in individual cages until the suture removal and in colletive cages each 5 animals until the end of the experiment. The evolution of bone healing was clinical, radiological and histologiacally evalueted, and was demonstred that the treatment with growth ration proporcioned better healing conditions and that the osteosynthesis tecnic that was used cold to maintain the fracture line in stability.
Bone healing; orthopedic surgery; nutrition