You should seek the advice of your veterinarian if your pet is ill as only he or she can correctly advise on the diagnosis and recommend the treatment that is most appropriate for your pet.

Conventional advice on the management of caudal acetabular fractures has been that they can be treated conservatively - however evidence suggests that this advice should be changed

Standard references on veterinary orthopaedics ( Textbook of Small Animal Orthopaedics by Newton & Nunamaker ; early editions of Textbook of Small Animal Surgery by Slatter) advise that caudal acetabular fractures with minor displacement can be treated conservatively. However, according to Larry Lippincott writing in Southern California VMA Pulse -  studies have shown that about 50% of such cases treated conservatively develop one or more of the following :

• Lameness
• Reduced range of movement in the joint
• Degenerative joint disease 

As a result the author recommends surgical repair for these fractures.

Updated January 2016