Volume: 57 Issue: 1
Year: 2026, Page: 157-162, Doi: https://doi.org/10.51966/jvas.2026.57.1.157-162
Received: Oct. 22, 2025 Accepted: Dec. 21, 2025 Published: March 31, 2026
The study was conducted on six dogs presented to the Teaching Veterinary Clinical Complex and University Veterinary Hospital, Mannuthy, and University Veterinary Hospital, Kokkalai, with fractures of the radius and ulna. Preoperatively, fractures were diagnosed based on orthopaedic and radiographic examinations. Fracture stabilisation with open reduction and internal fixation was performed in all the six dogs following standard AO principles, using 2.7 mm and 3.5 mm Advanced Locking Plate System (ALPS) plates with locking screws. Radiographic evaluation revealed periosteal callus formation from the second postoperative week onwards, which progressed to endosteal response and cortical bridging by the sixth to eighth postoperative weeks. Obliteration of the fracture line and radiographic union were evident by the eighth postoperative week in five cases with stable fixation. One case showed implant failure due to plate breakage at the sixth postoperative week, resulting in instability and delayed healing. The ALPS construct provided rigid stabilisation, maintained anatomical alignment, and promoted fracture healing, facilitating early functional limb use in dogs with fractures of the radius and ulna.
Keywords: Advanced locking plate system, dogs, radius and ulna fracture
Antabak, A., Papes, D., Haluzan, D., Seiwerth, S., Fuchs, N., Romic, I., Davila, S., & Luetic, T. (2015). Reducing damage to the periosteal capillary network caused by internal fixation plating: An experimental study. Injury, 43(6), 746–751.
Barnhart, M. D., & Maritato, K. C. (Eds.). (2019). Locking plates in veterinary orthopedics. John Wiley & Sons.
Beierer, L. H., & Glyde, M. (2013). Locking plates in veterinary orthopaedics. Australian Veterinary Practitioner, 43(3), 483–487.
Bidari, K., Jahangirbasha, D., Dilipkumar, D., & Bhagavantappa, B. (2023). Incidence of long bone fractures in dogs: A retrospective study (2016–2021). Pharma Innovation Journal, 12(6), 531–534.
Dinesh, P. T., Venugopal, S. K., Martin, J. K. D., Devanand, C. B., Pillai, U. N., & Nair, D. (2018). Radiographic evaluation of healing of critical size defects of femur treated with tri-phasic composite bio-ceramic implants in rat models. Indian Journal of Natural Sciences, 9, 15504–15507.
Fox, S. M., Bray, J. C., Guerin, S. R., & Burbridge, H. M. (1995). Antebrachial deformities in the dog: Treatment with external fixation. Journal of Small Animal Practice, 36(7), 315–320.
Ganesh, T. N., Sivashankar, R., Gokulakrishnan, M., Kumaresan, A., Syam, K. V., Ramani, C., & Ameerjan, K. (2004). Surgical management of femoral fracture and luxation of ipsilateral elbow in a dog. Indian Journal of Veterinary Surgery, 25(1), 46–47.
Gopinathan, A., Siddaraju, S. D., Singh, K., Sarangom, S. B., & Chelladurai, S. (2021). Application of locking compression plate as hybrid locked plate for transverse and short oblique diaphyseal fractures of tibia and radius–ulna in dogs. Indian Journal of Animal Sciences, 94(3), 233–239.
Guerrero, T. (2018). The advanced locking plate system (ALPS). In M. D. Barnhart & K. C. Maritato (Eds.), Locking plates in veterinary orthopedics (pp. 69–75). John Wiley & Sons.
Guerrero, T. G., Kalchofner, K., Scherrer, N., & Kircher, P. (2014). The advanced locking plate system (ALPS): A retrospective evaluation in 71 small animal patients. Veterinary Surgery, 43, 127–135.
Inauen, R., Koch, D., & Bass, M. (2009). Arthrodesis of the tarsometatarsal joint in a cat with a two-hole advanced locking plate system. Veterinary and Comparative Orthopaedics and Traumatology, 22(2), 166–169.
Joshi, S., Syam, K. V., Nair, S. S., Sunilkumar, N. S., & Martin, J. K. D. (2021). Management of fracture of long bones using string-of-pearls (SOP) plating technique in dogs. International Journal of Scientific Research, 10, 1086–1091.
Joshi, S., Syam, K. V., Nair, S. S., Sunilkumar, N. S., & Martin, J. K. D. (2022). Evaluation of serum calcium, phosphorus and alkaline phosphatase levels during long bone fracture repair in dogs stabilized with string of pearls plating technique. Journal of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, 53(1), 27–31.
Langley-Hobbs, S. (2003). Biology and radiological assessment of fracture healing. In Practice, 25(1), 26–35.
Mathai, V. S. (2015). Comparative evaluation of closed and open static intramedullary interlocking nail fixation in dogs (Doctoral dissertation, Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University).
Mathai, V. S., Venugopal, S. K., Devanand, C. B., Narayan, M. K., Ashok, N., & Nair, N. D. (2016). Minimally invasive interlocking nail fixation in a Labrador dog with oblique tibial fracture. Indian Journal of Canine Practice, 8, 51–54.
Nojiri, A., Nishido, T., Horinaka, O., Akiyoshi, H., Ohashi, F., & Yamaguchi, T. (2015). Initial clinical application and results of the advanced locking plate system (ALPS) in small animal orthopedics: Two hundred eighty-two procedures. Journal of Applied Research in Veterinary Medicine, 13(1), 64–79.
Padmanabhan, L., Venugopal, S. K., John Martin, K. D., Philip, L. M., Ramankutty, S., Anoop, S., & Radhika, R. (2025). Clinical and radiographic evaluation of closed and open methods of fracture management in dogs. Journal of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, 56(3), 539–543.
Pooja, H. S., Desai, D., & Patil, M. (2025). Evaluation of modified advanced locking plate system by MIPO and ORIF techniques for tibial fracture repair in dogs. Indian Journal of Veterinary Sciences and Biotechnology, 21(1), 61–66.
Prabhukumar, M. D., Dileepkumar, K. M., Devanand, C. B., Syam, K. V., Raj, I. V., Anoop, S., Nair, S. S., & Philip, L. M. (2019). Haemato-biochemical observations on treatment of long bone fracture using elastic stable intramedullary nailing in dogs. Journal of the Indian Veterinary Association (Kerala), 17, 45–49.
Prabhukumar, M. D., Dileepkumar, K. M., Devanand, C. B., Venugopal, S. K., Raj, I. V., Anoop, S., Nair, S. S., & Philip, L. M. (2020). Elastic stable intramedullary nailing for fixation of distal diaphyseal fracture of radius in two dogs. Indian Journal of Veterinary Surgery, 41, 134–136.
Shales, C. (2008). Fracture management in small animal practice: 1. Triage and stabilisation. In Practice, 30, 314–320.
Sriharsha, G. V., Kumaresan, A., Kokila, S., Arulmozhi, A., Kathirvel, S., & Dharmaceelan, S. (2024). A retrospective study on the incidence of long bone fractures in dogs. International Journal of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, 9(5), 851–854.
Suresh, D., Syam, K. V., Chandy, G., Sooryadas, S., & Deepa, P. M. (2017). Radiographical evaluation of Sr-HASi bioceramic substitute for critical size bone defect in a goat – Clinical study. Journal of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, 48, 40–42.
Sumner-Smith, G. (1993). Gait analysis and orthopedic condition. In D. Slatter (Ed.), Textbook of small animal surgery (2nd ed., pp. 1577–1586). Saunders.
Syam, K. V., Jalaluddin, A. M., Nayar, K. N. M., George, P. O., & Gopakumar, N. (1997). Clinical and radiographic findings in healing of fracture of metacarpus in calves treated with fresh autogenous rib grafts. Journal of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, 28, 25–27.
Syam, K. V., Venkateswaralu, B., Sarada Amma, T., Raji, T. A., & Ranjith, M. (2012). External skeletal fixation in combination with intramedullary pinning and cerclage wiring for the management of comminuted fracture of humerus in a dog. Indian Journal of Canine Practice, 4, 54–55.
Vasseur, P. B., Johnson, A. L., Budsberg, S. C., Lincoln, J. D., Toombs, J. P., Whitchair, J. G., & Lentz, E. L. (1995). Randomized, controlled trials of the efficacy of carprofen, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug in the treatment of osteoarthritis in dogs. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 206(6), 807–811.
Venkateswaralu, B. (2006). External skeletal fixation in combination with intramedullary pinning for management of long bone fractures in dogs (Master’s thesis, Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University).
© 2026 Gopinath et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in
any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Gopinath, A., Anoop, S., Syam, K.V., Reji, V., Nijin Jos, B. M. & Chandrasekhar, L. (2026). Advanced locking plate system (ALPS) for the management of fracture of radius and ulna in dogs – Clinical and radiographic study. Journal of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, 57(1), 157-162 https://doi.org/10.51966/jvas.2026.57.1.157-162