The use of fibreglass with plaster of paris in the fabrication of casts

Authors: Montgomery JF
Publication: New Zealand Veterinary Journal, Volume 20, Issue 9, pp 169-170, Sep 1972
Publisher: Taylor and Francis

Animal type: Livestock
Subject Terms: Skeletal/bone/cartilage, Fractures, Disease/defect, Locomotor, Surgery
Article class: Correspondence

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Abstract: This note might be helpful to practitioners applying casts to fractures of the lower limb bones of large animals. In the majority of fractures plaster of Paris is used for external immoblilization, either by itself or with a splint incorporated, but the result can be disappointing in that it may not be strong enough for long enough to be used as a walking cast. Fibreglass is very strong, waterproof, easily removed as it can be sliced with a knife, but it has the disadvantage of setting or curing slowly. A very light plaster cast may be applied to the broken limb to immobilize it and take the stresses long enough to allow the main fibreglass cast to harden. This procedure was used successfully to repair a fractured metatarsal bone in a 2-year-old Jersey cow…

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