Broken Paw/wrist?

[VickieP]

For some strange reason my 12 wk pure lab woke on Sunday morning with a slight limp, and a bigger limp by late afternoon (left front). I am guessing he fell of a step?

I took him to the vet on Monday who has given him 4 days anti-inflamms and as he had no x-ray machine I decided to take him to another vet yesterday as he was no longer putting much pressure down on the paw. The vet said I am looking at $290 for xrays alone, and hopefully it is not his wrist as this would require surgery???? A possiblility could be a broken toe also. Of course I would do this immediately, however I am concerned about the escalating costs of 2 vet visits and more . . .

I am now waiting till Friday to see if he needs x-rays then. A couple of people have told me to be weary of overcharging and unnecessary procedures with some vets ? ? ? ? He is in no pain, tail is wagging and he still likes to jump up (with a limp)

[persephone]

Hi

Until you make your decision- please keep pup QUIET. ;) no walks/jumping/running/steps- to let his wrist settle. it won't be easy, but will be easier if he is crate trained

yes, if he does have severe injury, it could need surgery.

did the vet mention greenstick fracture? This happens in puppies , as their bones are softer.. it doesn't break all the way thru..

"he is in no pain"

Sorry to disillusion you if there is a LIMP, there is pain !

Hopefully , being young he will heal quickly

[Mas1981]

I would get x-rays done and keep him in a crate so that he is not moving around. If he is not using that leg at all I would get x-rays done ASAP.

[Tilly]

My youngest got his leg caught in a fence yesterday and bruised his toe and shoulder ... $500 + later he is now on painkillers and Metacam. With the carry on I was sure he had broken his toe ... but thankfully he hadn't.

Have you checked the paw, foot, leg for sore or warm spots? Look closely between the toes for any cuts, bites, redness.

I would also be looking at resting the pup for a couple of days in a crate with toileting on a leash only - just to give the ant-inflamms a chance to work.

[poodlefan]

VickieP:

I am now waiting till Friday to see if he needs x-rays then. A couple of people have told me to be weary of overcharging and unnecessary procedures with some vets ? ? ? ?

Did the people who warned you about overcharging vets also tell you that limps left untreated in pups can have life long consequences? My first advice to you is to find a vet you can trust and rely on them, rather than casual advisors, for all matters relating to the heatlh of your pup. If you ask here for a recommendation of a good vet in your area, you will no doubt receive one.

He is in no pain, tail is wagging and he still likes to jump up (with a limp)

Persephone is right. If you pup is limping then sadly, he is in pain.

Just out of interest, how much exercise and play has your puppy been getting?

Edited August 4, 2010 by poodlefan

[VickieP]

Thanks all! This is my first dog and he is a much loved member of my family. Max is walked for 15 minutes in the morning and again at night. He is played with immediately after school by the kids, supervised of course, and he enjoys chasing the kids running. He gets a lot more time playing in the weekends also. I feel really bad this has happened and of course I would pay anything to ensure he is receiving the best care possible.

: (

[poodlefan]

Thanks all! This is my first dog and he is a much loved member of my family. Max is walked for 15 minutes in the morning and again at night. He is played with immediately after school by the kids, supervised of course, and he enjoys chasing the kids running. He gets a lot more time playing in the weekends also. I feel really bad this has happened and of course I would pay anything to ensure he is receiving the best care possible.

: (

I would not be walking a 12 week old pup for half an hour a day Vickie. That's a lot of exercise on growing bones, particularly if you are walking him on concrete. He's a baby and can get all the exercise he needs with supervised off leash play. Frankly, I wouldn't be encouraging him to chase the kids either.

I don't exercise my dogs (I do train them) onlead until they are 6 months old.

Edited August 4, 2010 by poodlefan

[OSoSwift]

Young puppies can be a bit unco-ordinated and fall down ledges etc.

If your puppy is limping and it became worse after you initally saw it, then I would xray.

$290 isn't a particularly high price for xrays. Puppy's can damage growth plates and if not treated appropriately they can cause malformation of the bone and if in the leg, it can result in a twisted leg.

I would take puppy for a 5 minute walk out and about to see the world if you really want to - a "socialisation walk", but I wouldn't be walking him half an hour a day. Playing in the back yard and around the house are enough. 15 minutes of training (and a 12 week old probably won't concentrate that long) will tire them out far more than 15 minutes of walking.

Try to find a vet you trust and go from there.

With limps that may be attributed to potential bone/ligament damage I get xrayed straight away. If it is broken the sooner it is fixed/treated the better.

Good luck

[VickieP]

Ok thanks for that. Just increased it to 2 walks when he turned 12 weeks. Hmmm.... thanks again

[persephone]

Oh chasing kids is a bad plan, sorry .

When he weighs 35 kg and chases the kids and runs into them , it is not a good thing.

There are ways the kids can interact with him safely - like playing fetch--kicking a soccer ball he CAN chase ..learning how to walk him on leash - hiding food treats for him to sniff out lots of things which will not encourage him to chase/nip excited kids.

some links for you , which may help avoid future problems

LINK

LINK

LINK

[stormie]

I think $290 is pretty high for just xrays, they should really only need a couple of views and shouldn't need sedation/GA.

But at the end of the day, the pup really needs xrays. Fractures at such a young age can be relatively easy to fix as they heal so quickly, but left untreated can cause lifelong damage. We recently pinned the leg of a 16wk pup who fractured his growth plate after a larger dog rolled onto it. The dog was still happy and wagging his tail, but clearly in need of surgery!

Xrays will also show up any other abnormalities, such as OCD etc.

I would also suggest you consider taking out pet insurance as these types of accidents can and do happen and it would be a shame to see an animal unable to be treated due to financial restraints.

[Staff'n'Toller]

I think $290 is pretty high for just xrays, they should really only need a couple of views and shouldn't need sedation/GA.

I'm not sure it's that easy to get a 3 mth old bouncy Lab to hold it's leg out and then have it laying on it's side, perfectly still, with the paw in a good position.

If it were me and he is still the same tomorrow I would be taking xrays and if they find nothing in the toes or wrist, I would tell them to keep going and get views of the elbow and shoulder as well while he is sedated.

Edited August 4, 2010 by Staff'n'Toller

[cj-b]

I think $290 is pretty high for just xrays, they should really only need a couple of views and shouldn't need sedation/GA.

I'm not sure it's that easy to get a 3 mth old bouncy Lab to hold it's leg out and then have it laying on it's side, perfectly still, with the paw in a good position.

If it were me and he is still the same tomorrow I would be taking xrays and if they find nothing in the toes or wrist, I would tell them to keep going and get views of the elbow and shoulder as well while he is sedated.

This sounds like a good idea to me.

[Paulp]

My 3yo lab just had x-rays done last week and it cost $300. She was limping and had an injury on a toe so she was booked in for x-rays. A senior vet examined her before she was x-rayed and decided he was happy an x-ray on the foot was not needed but suggested doing her hips seeing as she was already sedated. Turns out she has the beginnings of hip dysplasia and it will be much easier to manage seeing as we found out so early so there was a definite benefit to us of getting her hips done while she was there.

The anti-inflammatories are quite strong and will greatly reduce limping alone so the vet will still want to go ahead with x-rays even if the limping has reduced..

[rubiton]

Our dog got gastro and $150 later she had food, antibiotics and instructions including the exam. So $300 for sedation/GA (some dogs may lay there but cannot see a 3 month old lab going OK Ill keep still!!) and xrays plus consultation fee is not too bad. As has been mentioned find a vet you trust and you are not just paying for the actual treatment but their expertise as well.

[Staff'n'Toller]

I know a great Vet in Kuraby, QLD who breeds Retrievers (Duck Tolling not Labs) so if you are anywhere near there I will pass on her details.

[Tilly]

Another excellent vet is at Animal Options at 8/29 Blanck St, Ormeau 5546 6756.

I took my youngest there when he had an allergic reaction - his regular vet told me it wasn't an allergic reaction but a hip/joint issue - so I took him to Animal Options for a second opinion and was extremely happy with the treatment he received.

Dr Rowan Kilmartin may not say much but he definately knows what he is doing.

Edit to add: I was thinking of taking my youngest back to him for his foot/leg injury ... but thankfully this morning he is a lot better. He just holds it up now when he wants sympathy but he keeps forgetting which foot he hurt and holds up the other one

Edited August 4, 2010 by Tilly

[persephone]

Just wondering this little fella's wrist/foot is today ? Hopefully the rest & drugs are having a good effect

[persephone]

As has been mentioned find a vet you trust

a bit ;) but how does a new dog owner do this?

VickieP is obviously a bit concerned in trying to do the right thing by her pup - how does someone unused to doing such things know if their vet is trustworthy/knowledgable /'good' ?

I was thinking about this yesterday ...and thinking how hard it would be... especially if you had an illness/injury putting you under pressure

[Tilly]

Glad your boy is doing much better today VickieP ;)