Hypothesis 2 Right tibial fracture with left hind proximal joint damage Some crepitation was found during the orthopedic exam. This could be due to a dislocated hip or stifle joint. When the trauma occurred, one of the joint ligaments such as the ligament of the head of the femur, or one of the ligaments of the stifle may have ruptured, causing laxity in either of these joints. Rupture of the joint capsule may have also occurred causing joint effusion, and therefore the swelling present in the left hind leg. Inflammatory mediators were also attracted to the site, causing diffuse inflammation and swelling. Furthermore, fracture could have occurred on one of the joint surfaces, such as the acetabulum of the hip joint, or the trochlear surfaces of the stifle, or the menisci of the stifle could have been damaged. This could also induce inflammatory mediators, crepitation, and lack of weight bearing due to pain.