Bone

Question: What bone would be used in a bone graft to replace the shaft of the radius? My mother was just diagnosed with bone cancer and she was told she would need a bone graft in the shaft of her radius. Which bone whould be likely to be used?

Answer: It depends on a number of factors such as how much bone needs to be replaced. Another factor would be the training her surgeon has had. Most commonly, bone grafts are taken from a persons hip. If the graft that is needed is very large, or there is concern that the bone cancer may have traveled to other bones, they may choose to use either an artificial bone grafting material or a bone that has come from a deceased person that has generously donated their bones. Unfortunately, this is an answer that can only come from her doctor. The best of luck to you and your family. May your mother have a speedy recovery.

Question: What is the average bone density for cats? My 5 mo. old kitten is healing after his second broken bone. Each time the break was a result of a fall. The first was a broken leg from a fall out of his cage at the humane society, and this new one is a broken back that happened from what appears to be a fall from the kitchen counter. My vet is worried about bone density. Is it commone for cats to break bones? What is the average bone density in cats? Can it be improved?

Answer: There are no real numbers for bone density in animals that I am aware of. I once treated a kitten like this, seemed just accident prone. But once when we took xrays, we had another kitten of similar age and we took xrays of a similar part. The broken kitty had bones only about half as dense as the normal kitten. When I had an orthopedic specialist in my area look at the films, he surmised that with the number of healed fractures, and the decreased bone density, the kitten had osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bone disease). Hopefully your kitten is just accident prone, and will grow out of it!

Question: What is the maximum strength a bone can withstand? My question gives me that the femur is a bone in the leg whose minimum cross-sectional area is about 4.7 x 10–4 m2. A compressional force in excess of 6.2 x 104 N will fracture this bone. Bone has a compressional Young's modulus of 9.4 x 109 N/m2. (a) Find the maximum stress that this bone can withstand. (b) What is the strain that exists under a maximum-stress condition?

Answer: 300 lbs per square inch of bone mass in a trauma like situation. Don't try it at home, only professionals such as myself should deal with compound fractures and shattering of the femur bone. Be careful, be good and best wishes. Dr. bjeknows

Question: What is the difference between bone spurs and osteoarthritis? I have been having pain in my hip for a while so i went to the doctor and he said i have bone spurs in my hip. I researched bone spurs and everything keeps talking about osteoarthritis. I am just wondering if that is the same thing or is it caused by osteoarthritis? I also would like to know how to heal bone spurs without surgery if that is even possible. Any information would be great thanks! :)

Answer: Osteoarthritis can cause bone spurs to form. Bone spurs a bony growth formed on normal bone and usually forms when the body tries to repair itself by building extra bone. Hence, sometimes, as we age and the slippery tissue in between our joint breaks down and wears away, bone spurs may form in along the edges of the joints. You may wish to find out more information on the common treatment methods in page 2 of the link given here: http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/bone-spur-topic-overview

Question: What kind of bone is good for my pomeranian? My dog is a Pomeranian. She is about 5 years old. She can chew up a semi soft bone in less than a couple of hours and I'm wondering if anyone has any idea what kind of bone I could give her that will last longer. I don't want to give her something too hard that would possibly hurt her teeth though.

Answer: Raw beef bones are good (not cooked). You can get them from a butcher, just tell them that you want to buy one (or two) for your dog. It usually isn't much. It won't hurt her teeth. I have seen little toy dogs eat raw beef bones before. I'm sure that she'd be very busy with a big bone for quite a while.

Question: What is the bone called that is located above your heel and behing your akilies? I fractured this bone in my foot that the dr. says not everyone has. I checked the internet and i can not find the bone that was shown in my x ray!

Answer: I know all the bones and you have me stumped... you might be confused... The lower leg has the tibia and fibula; the foot has the calcaneus, cuboid, navicular, cuneiforms (3), talus, and the metatarsals. Maybe it was part of one of these bones? The little bumps and things on the bones have names too - maybe it was a tubercle?

Question: What kind of bone can I give to my black lab? My black lab LOVES to eat, and she's got really strong jaws. Whenever we give her bones, she goes crazy and chews on them and breaks pieces off and gets sick from it. I've given her big strong brown colored bones from Pet Depot, they're hard as a rock but she manages to break pieces off from the end. Does anyone know of a specific type of bone that would be safe for her? She loves bones so much and I want to give her one for her birthday next week. I'd like to give her a big bone, not those hard little hollow ones. Only thing I can give her now is one of those edible ones. I know not to give her small bones like from a chicken or something...those are bad. The one I gave her from pet depot was a large coated bone, brown colored, called a "Dinosaur Bone" I think because it was so big...it was about 2-3 feet long and very thick, looked like a huge femur. But she just gnawed on the ends and managed to break pieces off. She's determined. I've given her nylabones before but she pays no attention to them. What draws her to bones is the smell, and that's why she wants to eat them.

Answer: First of all, never give your dog anything to chew on without supervision. Second, never give your dog animal bones to chew as they can splinter and as you've already experienced, can make them sick. Not really sure what kind of bone you got for her, but you can try different ones. Ultimately it may come down to she's just too strong and it's too dangerous to try to give her things to chew on. Try buster cubes and other buster toys, kongs, etc. Try Virbac Enzadent Chews. Rawhides can be dangerous because the material is dehydrated and if they break off a big piece and swallow it, it make swell or increase in size in the GI tract and cause an obstruction. Greenies have been implicated in causing obstructions as well as some large dogs can swallow them whole and don't don't readily break down.

Question: From what type of whale did the jaw bone that sat on top of North Berwick Law come? The last whale bone to be placed on top of this extinct volcano was erected in 1933 and was removed in 2005 after rotting away. A Fibreglass replica of this bone has just been put in place, modelled on the original bone. But from what type of whale did this bone come?

Answer: I haven't seen it in person, but from the pictures I think it was a Southern Right whale. Or could be from a Blue whale -- hard to tell.

Question: What is the most common way to break a bone? I'm writing a story and I'm trying to write a scene where the character gets in a fight and breaks a bone. Having never actually broken a bone, I turn to you guys for help. If someone got into a fight, how hard would they have to be hit to break a bone? What bone would be broken? (I'm thinking more of arm or collar bone or something, rather than just nose.) If they put it up and someone hit their arm, could it break it? Or would it have to be hit against something harder?

Answer: Usually it's a 'slip & fall' that breaks a bone. It would have to be a mighty punch to break someones bone (and not your own as well). If they were pushed and fell awkardly, that's another story.

Question: What bone is attached to the styloid process of the temporal by a ligament? What bone is attached to the styloid process of the temporal by a ligament? I can't find this in my notes, book or online. Maybe I'm just over looking it.

Answer: its the mandible

Question: What happens to the bone site where bone is taken for bone augmentation? I have read here that if bone augmentation is required for dental implant it is better to get from the patient's own bone - chin or lower jaw as there is no rejection. What happens then to the site where it was taken? does it grow again to gain the original that was taken (even for older patients)? Also how big usually is taken for sinus lift/bone augmentation on the upper jaw both sides-and is it safe if this is done in the dental surgery and using local anaesthesia as general will have more complications? Thank you.

Answer: I got an implant and they used cow bone, and it was fine. So I'm not quite sure about the answers to your questions. It's best to ask your surgeon.

Question: Is a toy or bone good for dogs if they are home alone? I leave my dog at home in the kennel while I'm at work. I feel bad because I don't give him toys or raw hide bones to play with. He sometimes chokes on rawhides when they get too long and soggy, and he chews the toys and don't want him to choke on that also. What would you suggest a good bone or toy to leave with him?

Answer: The absolute best toy (and safest) to leave with a dog, is a Kong type. Those funny looking toys that look like red stacked circles with a hole at one end. Put peanut butter in the Kong and your dog will have fun for a very long time attempting to maneuver the toy and get the peanut butter out. If your dog hates peanut butter (never known one to not, but who knows), then you can fill it with maybe some wet kind of dog food. A further suggestion..call your local humane society and ask their opinion. They may have lots of great ideas. Call up the company as well, that makes Kong toys and find out what kinds of "fillings" are safe for dogs when left alone. Here is the link for the Kong company.. http://www.kongcompany.com/ I applaud you for taking the time to ask and you are right about not giving bones (real ones are not at all good for animals), or rawhides. Best of luck.

Question: If you hit a bone hard, is it normal to form a lump on the bone? How long does it last? Long story, but a few weeks ago my dog's head hit me on the bone beneath my eye REAL hard. I put ice on it almost directly after it happened, so luckily I didn't get a black eye, but it did swell up. Once the swelling went down, I noticed that the bone seemed to form a bump. It is still sore if pressure is applied and I'm hoping that it didn't do anything to my sinus' (although I have been having weird allergy like symptoms since). Is the bump on the bone normal? I heard that if you hit a bone hard, it forms calcium deposits to help it heal.

Answer: I would definitely see your regular medical doctor, but I hit my knee very hard once while skiing and it had a knot on it that never really bruised and it was there for quite a while and then disappeared. You probably have deep tissue bruising but something that will probably heal over time. Best to go to the doctor though to alleviate your fears. Good luck

Question: What is the longest lasting bone I can give safely to my golden retriever? I have a 5 month old golden and she is chewing everything in my home. I have tried nylabone, chewlotta, etc and they are gone in 1/2 day. I have a smoked ham bone I bought at the pet store and am wondering if it is safe? I need a bone that will last...any suggestions? Thanks!

Answer: Hi - I have an 11 month old Golden Retreiver puppy. It was at about 5 months when she REALLy started to go though her toys. The best CHEW toys are either marrow bones or beef rib bones. You can get them fromt eh butcher, or anyplace that selsl the BRAVO raw diet. If your pup will not eat the raw bones you can boil them for about a minute or so. (MAKE SURE THEY COOL COMPELTLEY BEFORE GIVING TO YOUR PUP!!) You can also buy the sterlized white marrow bones at petco/petsmart. You can buy the hollow ones and stuff them yourself with peanut butter, squeeze cheese, or yogurt and stick in the freezer to make it more challenging for your pup. the pre-filled ones are more expensive, and often have a lot of SUGAR in teh filling. Don't worry if your dog eats the bone - the minerals are good for him - just wathc that if large size chunks break off that he does not swallow the large chunks! Whne the rib bine gets down to about 3 inches, then throw it out and repalce with another. Bully sticks and beef tendons are other good choices for a treat- but do not last as long as the bones, and can get expensive. With the nylabone - make sure you get the WHITE DURABLE / GALILEO bones. These do not break off into chunks (as do the plaque attacker and the gummy ones. These can be dangerous if your dog is a stong chewer. ) The durables will have small peivces shredding off and easily pass through the dog's system. STAY AWAY from raw hide, beefhide, pigs ears, pig hoofs, (or any hoofs/.ears, etc) Large chuncks can break off and get caught in your dog's system. Not a pretty sight.

Question: How does a long chicken bone differ from the leg bone of a human? I need this for my a&p class. I need to know differences in the bone, legaments (if any) and general apperance.

Answer: Well, because chickens are fliers (avian), their bones are adapted for flight. To allow for this, many of the bones of birds are fused, hollowed, thinned, flattened, or perhaps even lost. And some bones many contain air spaces. I don't know if this will help, but I studied the pigeon in a chordates course i took last year, and, if you are looking at the leg bones in particular, the orientation of their leg bones will different from tetrapods because of their bipedal stance. In the pigeon, the thigh bone lies almost horizontally and articulates with the acetabulum with an enlarged head. The tibiotarsus is an example of fusion, as it results from a combination of the tibia and some of the tarsal bones. Another example of fusion is in the tarsometatarsus, which forms from the fusion of the tarsal and metatarsal bones. Also, because of their bipedality, the tibiotarsus and tarsometatarsus are about the same length. I hope all that info can help you in some way!

Question: What is the likelihood that i could donate bone marrow while serving in the military? My father developed cancer several years ago and while it was managed (removed) it would/will inevitably progress to his bones. At the moment there are 3-4 'suspicious site' only on this recent bone scan but they are growing and more are appearing. I ship out to Navy boot camp in just under a month. During any time during my training in class A school would i be able to donate bone marrow to my father and how much information does the Navy need to know about it.

Answer: Honestly that might be a tough one because your bone marrow wont be 'your' bone marrow once you go active duty. Depends on a few things. 1) Is there a recovery time for donating marrow and will it affect any plans the Navy has for you (i.e. training, deployment). I think your best bet would to ask your recruiter and have him look into it for ya or he could then contact your future Chain of Command to give them a heads-up...that would increase your chances of being able to by a lot.