broken leg

[jockette]

my poor jack russell got stood on by a horse she has broken a front leg in 2 places,the vet has splinted the leg and she is in a crate on antibiotics, the leg is also stitched, and pain killers.POOR LITTLE DOG IS SO MISERABLE,she hates the crate and I think is still in a lot of pain,Does anyone have any experience /advice,she is 8 years old and vet was considering amputating the leg,but we agreed to try thiswondering now if I have made the right choice

 

[twiggy2]

did not think any vets splinted legs anymore, can they not operate and put a pin or plate in? if not amputation is possibly the best way forward

 

[JillA]

My JRT had a really nasty compound fracture of a hind leg (yep, horse related) at the age of 15. She had very expensive surgery with an external fixator which she kept on for about 8 weeks. I can't remember what medication she had, it was three years ago, but I assume it was antibiotics with a touch of sedation. She didn't have to be confined to a crate, she managed fine around the house with her mega purple bandage and slept a lot. Might have been due to her age, but she is now 18 and still going strong, it hasn't affected her long term. They manage so long as the fracture is well stabilised and yours is younger so will heal faster. Get her some comfrey if you can in a form she will eat.

 

[Aru]

is there a reason that orthopaedic surgery cannot be done? ie pin plate or external fixator?You may need to be referred to another practice but it give you the best chance of return to full function of the limb.

If costs are an issue then we do occasionally splint legs in young pups and cats as they often have incredible healing powers but in an older dog splints and casts are less successful and often end up going on to full amputation or healing crookedly leading to bad arthritis in later life.I would chose amputation over a poorly knitted leg tbh.

 

[keeperscottage]

Bryn, my Large Munsterlander broke his leg four years ago when playing ball with my daughter's fiancé. Basically, George threw the ball really high, Bryn leapt up to catch it, but landed awkwardly and his leg was literally blowing in the breeze - ugh! It was a complicated fracture beyond our vet's capabilities so she referred him to Cambridge Vet School Hospital. Below are the before and after X-rays (sorry the "before" one is slightly out of focus!) and the third photo is Bryn when I picked him up after he was discharged, looking very sorry for himself! Within three months, he was back to normal and now, aged seven, he has never (touch wood!) had any problems. He had a bone graft taken from his shoulder, plate, twelve screws plus lots of wire! Cost me £3,500 but they did a brilliant job!

Before surgery:

After surgery:

Discharged!

Hope your little dog recovers well - keep us posted! I always worry about dogs around horses! Good luck!

 

[cremedemonthe]

As above this was my Lurchers femur before and then after Fitzpatrick (supervet on tv) in Godalming kindly sorted it for her.It has healed beautifully and she can hit around 40 mph and it gives her no probs at all. She had to be confined to quarters for 8 weeks,something no self respecting lurcher likes and she "sang" for England as she watched me take my other 2 dogs out for a walk. The plate, rod (down the femur) and screws certainly worked for her.


BEFORE TREATMENT

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AFTER TREATMENT

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[keeperscottage]

Cremedemonthe, your lurcher's "metalwork" is not dissimilar to Bryn's! Bryn had an expensive month when he broke his leg......not only did I have to pay the bill for his leg, but a week before his accident, he ran head first into one of my Springer girls, breaking off her left upper canine at gum-level......cost £500 to remove the remaining root which was difficult to extract because it was a healthy tooth in a healthy young dog - took three vets an hour and a half to remove!!!

 

[cremedemonthe]

Cremedemonthe, your lurcher's "metalwork" is not dissimilar to Bryn's! Bryn had an expensive month when he broke his leg......not only did I have to pay the bill for his leg, but a week before his accident, he ran head first into one of my Springer girls, breaking off her left upper canine at gum-level......cost £500 to remove the remaining root which was difficult to extract because it was a healthy tooth in a healthy young dog - took three vets an hour and a half to remove!!!

OUCH! Not only for the dog's concerned but your purse!
Daisy's leg cost about £3,200 in the end but Fitzpatrick did an excellent job, well worth the expense.