Abstract
Malformations of the canine manus are infrequently cited in the literature but include polydactylia and syndactylia. Here, a case of brachymetacarpalia affecting the second and fifth metacarpal bones of both forelimbs of a mixed-breed dog is described. The initial impression of shortened digits was disproved by statistical comparison with normal skeletons, but the presence of shortened metacarpal bones was demonstrated. Other malformations of the manus and appropriate terminology are briefly discussed.
References
1.
Cohn
BT
Shall
L
:
Idiopathic bilaterally symmetrical brachymetacarpia of the fourth and fifth metacarpals .
J Hand Surg
11A :
735 –737 ,
1986 .
2.
Dallman
MJ
Brown
RE
:
Syndactyly in the dog .
Canine Pract
1 :
21 –24 ,
1980 .
3.
Evans
HE
:Miller's Anatomy of the Dog ,3rd ed. ,
pp. 192 –197 .
WB Saunders Co. ,
Philadelphia, PA ,
1993 .
4.
Morgan
JP
:Radiology in Veterinary Orthopedics ,
p. 61 .
Lea & Febiger ,
Philadelphia, PA ,
1972 .
5.
Nance
WE
Warburg
M
Bixler
D
Helveston
EM
:
Congenital X-linked cataract, dental anomalies and brachymetacarpalia .
Birth Defects Orig Artic Ser
10 :
285 –291 ,
1974 .
6.
Schebitz
H
Wilkens
H
:Atlas of Radiographic Anatomy of the Dog and Cat ,3rd ed. ,
pp. 61 –62 .
WB Saunders Co. ,
Philadelphia, PA ,
1978 .
7.
Szabo
KT
:Congenital Malformations in Laboratory and Farm Animals ,
pp. 144 –183 .
Academic Press ,
New York, NY ,
1989 .