Secondary mandible fracture due to external trauma is not uncommon in horses, that being the most commonly fractured bone when the injure is on the animal´s head. In most cases, the injuries are open and damaging to surrounding soft tissues. As the bones of the head are not subjected to load forces, the support requirements for fracture fixation are less challenging. This paper describes the surgical treatment of four mandible fractures in horses, and, in one case, the animal had also suffered a fractured jaw. Four horses with a history of trauma to the head region have been examined, clinically and radiographically evaluated, and after being diagnosed, each of them was submitted to surgical treatment. In the first case, the horse showed rostral fracture of the jaw, thus being treated with cerclage. Moreover, the animal had multiple jaw fractures that were fixed with a cerclage next to the incisors, with a plate and two screws and cerclage in the region between the incisors and the premolars. The second animal had multiple fractures of the horizontal and vertical branches of the right jaw and was treated with the use of five reconstruction plates and screws. The third patient was diagnosed with a simple horizontal branch fracture of the left mandible that was stabilized with a plate and screws. The fourth patient had a fracture of the rostral mandible with avulsion of four incisors, and received the extraction of incisors and labial mucosa suture. All animals received fracture treatment in different post surgical periods, allowing improved quality of life.
horse; fracture; plate; cerclage; bone
