When a dog runs into trouble, his face often takes the hit first. Some facial fractures may eventually heal with bandaging or simple wiring. But over the intervening weeks, dogs can be in pain and unable to eat regular food. But there just may be a less painful – and more effective – approach.

Bone fragments caused by fracture cause pain when they’re unstable and grind against each other. In some cases, wiring bone fragments together may stabilize fractures. But wiring is impossible if bones are shattered into tiny pieces.

Another technique involves surgically attaching metal plates to the thickest parts of the facial skeleton, forming a sturdy framework. From there, narrow plates can be bent to link, span and conform to each fracture fragment. The resulting bone stability may reduce pain and get a dog up and eating within hours.