My dog broke his leg... - Page 1

My male broke his leg just above the rear knee Sunday. Both bones, one a full break the other a spiral fracture. Due to my work I was unable to talk at leangth with the vet about the outcome for my dog. Generaly I run my dogs 5 days a week, 2-5 miles every weekday morning. Obviously he will be nix from that routine for the next 2 months with his splint on. My question is, how slow should I take his activity once he is out of his splint? He is a very active dog but adjusting well to his pradicament, since he gets to reside inside with me all day and night except for potty breaks. I have never had a dog break it's leg while in my care. I did take a rescue dog that had a pin in her leg at 9 months old and I just built up her jog times as he foot could handle it. She would drag her broken leg and her foot would bleed, so I had to only do as much as the foot could take. She made a full recovery and these dogs run together and play rather rough for the past 5 yrs. Of all the crazy things my dogs get into and do, my male had to break one of the most difficult bones to break, right outside my front door. Just a freak accident. He is 7 yrs old, in prime health and I am just wondering if I should expect him to make a full recovery? We will see the vet again in 9 days to check the splint after swelling subsides. I will talk with my vet then but for now does anybody have anything to share?

Sorry to hear about your boy! My suggestion is to ask the vet what he/she recommends.Generally, after a severe break(which this sounds like)it's a slow process of handwalking(on a leash, just walking)for several weeks until the muscles tone back up, and then another period where they are allowed off leash but with restricted playtime. It may take a little longer with your boy since he's 7. My personal experience with a younger dog (3 1/2yrs) was the full recovery took about 6-8 months. The biggest thing is not to rush - he may LOOK better but really isn't completely healed.(Use your rescue's recovery as an example - no bleeding feet!!). Keep in mind that he may recover completely or might have to cut back on some activities in the future and be prepared for that...

Yes, I was thinking to not give him any formal excersize for the winter months, just yard time to walk and stretch out. Come spring we can take long walks when the weather is nice. He is 7 but nobody would ever guess that. This is a dog I see living a VERY long life. One reason I am concerned with the leg. I don't want a very long life of missery for him.

4 Pack I can not recomend Hydrotherapy enough in these situations. If you don't know where to look for info email me chris.jerome@hotmail.com Best Chris

I have a little pit bull female I rescued (I must have had "SUCKER" written across my forehead that day, however her temperament is superb and that's why she is here!) same place as your dog, just 1 bone though and she was about 6-7 months at the time. She was in a splint for 5 weeks after the surgery, was a little gimpy right after but with just walking and me letting her pull, it seemed to be strengthening and then I made the mistake of letting her off leash in the yard and she had one of those yahoo! whooppee! attacks I'm told they are famous for and came up lame the next day.... it is going on 2 weeks and she is finally using it more normally. We are back to onleash and I'm checking into a Canine Aquatherapy place for her - that would be the perfect execise for her and maybe your dog too.... Dogs usually handle their recuperation fine (it's us that think they will have a problem).. their bodies tell them it's time to be quiet while we recover....

As soon as your veterinarian clears your dog, all I can say is SWIM, SWIM, SWIM. Done carefully and progressively, this will be an excellent way for weakened muscles to regain their strength and pull the ligaments into their normal level of tension. I realize that winter is coming and this may not be an easy option for you, but if it is a possibility that will not break the bank I would certainly pursue it. In the end, I think your dog will be just fine once the breaks are healed and his body is reconditioned. Bob-O

Thanks Bob-O, I am looking into hydrotherapy. Waiting for some info, hopefully a contact or place to go close enough to home. Yes, it couldn't have happened before summer...bad timing, but it's never really a "good" time for an injury.

I agree swim, swim, swim as soon as its healed.

Swimming is good, but the dog also needs some moderate weight bearing exercise to encourage calcification of the bone and fractured area. I would recommend walks on leash in small intervals, stop when the leg is being favored. Lengthen time according to what the dog can handle. Add swimming if you can and nope the water does not have to be heated. The cool water will be good for the leg. If you cannot find a pool for the dog to swim in you could set up a kiddie pool that will hold enough water that the dog can walk in the water half way up to his chest, which will strengthen the muscles but will keep some of the weight off the leg. You hold the leash and walk around the outside of the pool while the dog is inside. A friend of mine recently had a dog with a ligament injury. When the dog was feeling better and the leg had started to heal well, they took the cast of bit by bit, which allowed the dog to put a bit more weight on the affected leg each week before the cast was off completely. It worked very well that way. Once the cast was off, only on-leash exercise and some physio exercises their vet also showed them. They also took the dog to a human physio therapist once a week. The dog progressed much faster then originally anticipated. They had no access to water to let him swim. But would have been nice. Once your dog is on his feet and moving well enough, let him search for his kibble so that he can also exercise his senses. Spread dry kibble on the lawn like you would spread chicken feed and let him search for it. He will move slowly while searching for each morsel which will be ok for the leg, the nose down will keep the weight off it too, and he will also use his senses, which will be very rewarding for a dog that is used to do something every day. Good luck.

Thank you all for your input. So far he is turning into a big spoiled brat in a hurry. No, not really. I'm just giving him treats here and there to give him something to do. Pig ears, big fat smoked hambone, he hasn't eaten much since Sunday when he broke it, so I'm trying to get some calories in there before he turns anorexic again. He was just filling out too. While he is inside I'm giving him the same flax and fish oil I give my old gal as well. Right about the time his splint comes off, my new puppy will be here. That sounds like a recipe for fun! :)