Gun shot injuries to the face

Facial injuries from gunshot are serious emergencies.  The degree of soft and hard tissue destruction is related to the caliber of the gun, the orientation of the bullet penetration, the type of bullet (hollow point) and the distance between gun and the point of penetration.

After the critical care issues are stabilized, jaw fracture repair is a very important management issue.  Jaw fracture stabilization allows the pet to return the mouth function and substantially reduces pain.  Feeding tubes are always useful in the early phase of patient management to allow easy feeding and medication administration.  Many patients, however; return to eating and drinking with adequate stabilization.  In our experience, these owners are very surprised and pleased to see how well their pets function immediately after surgery.