What is the difference between a broken bone and a fracture?

Our question this week was:

What is the difference between a broken bone and a fracture in a dog? My vet said by dog had 3 fractured ribs but I thought they were broken.

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Annies Mom.

Answer

Hi – thanks for your email. You wrote asking “What is the difference between a broken bone and a fracture?” There is no difference – a fracture is the same thing as a broken bone. So if your vet said you dog had three fractured ribs – then what he meant is that there are three broken ribs.

An article that might be helpful to you is General Fracture Information in Dogs.

Best of luck!

Dr. Debra

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