11. Veterinary Orthopedic Fracture Fixation

In the late 80's Dr. Dueland and team adapted the human interlocking-nail technology for pets—the system quickly proved its worth as a faster, stronger way to mend long bone fractures in dogs, cats and adolescent large animals. Fast-forward to last June, when I acquired Innovative Animal Products along with Medical Innovations International and became the proud new steward of The Original Interlocking Nail System!

Here are basics of how it works:

Think of the Interlocking Nail System as a sturdy “inside splint” for broken animal bones. Before surgery, the vet snaps an X-ray of the opposite limb and picks a nail that fills most of the hollow canal yet stays shy of the bone’s curve—no fancy imaging or power reamer needed. Screws (or our faster Solid Cross-Locking Bolts) will land at least 2 mm from the break, so the fracture can heal undisturbed. Five nail diameters (4 – 10mm) and two models cover everything from cats to large-breed dogs.

In the operating room the fracture is opened, the bone's canal is reamed, and the nail is slid into place. A depth-ringed extension lets us drive manually or with a drill, then doubles as a docking port for the drill jig. The jig’s etched map shows which holes are “live.” We drop in a guide sleeve, drill through the cortex, confirm we hit the target, measure depth, tap (or skip tapping for Bolts), and seat the screw for each hole. Jig and extension then comes off, the surgical site is closed, and radiographs confirm alignment.

Post-op, patients stay on-leash until a two-month check. Instruments simply disassemble, rinse clean, and autoclave—ready for the next tail-wagging success.

There are a number of other in depth (and graphic) surgical videos on the Innovative Animal Products YouTube channel and the current Innovative Animal website if you are interested in learning more: http://innovativeanimal.com/the-original-interlocking-nail-system.php

A couple articles on the system focusing on Clinical Applications and Biomechanics and Instrumentation are also downloadable below:

After the purchase of the business on June 1st, much of my time was invested in comprehensively understanding the business, kicking off a rebrand and new website with online ordering and integrated ERP functions and spending time with the team to work on manufacturing and documentation projects. I also happened to get sick for a couple weeks in the mix. Hence, I skipped the July 1st update and am rejoining you now with this post.

There is still much to do, but I've been impressed by the Medical Innovations and Innovative Animal team and look forward to digging in further and bringing the engineering and business experience I have to these businesses!