Spudlet! Ball launchers - a cautionary tale!

[keeperscottage]

Ball launchers - after twenty or so minutes of using a ball launcher in the nearby cricket field, you'd think my dogs had been on a two hour walk - great for when you haven't got time to exercise them for a "normal" exercise period! HOWEVER......on the 2nd April this year, my daughter's boyfriend was playing with three of our dogs in said cricket field, using a ball launcher, when one of our dogs, Large Munsterlander, Bryn, who's VERY leggy and athletic, jumped high to catch a falling ball and this is the result..........

The break was so bad that our vet could not deal with it and referred him to Cambridge Vet School Hospital (who were absolutely fantastic) but I'm now £3,500 poorer! Plate, twelve screws, wires and a bone graft from his shoulder! However, Bryn's worth every penny!

We still use a ball launcher but tend to launch the tennis balls "long and low". It may well have been a freak accident, but we've learnt our lesson the hard way!

 

[Slinkyunicorn]

Ouchies!

Poor boy - glad he is mended now

I wish Max had the attention span to play chase for 20 mins he chaes the ball a couple of times then gets bored of it and goes off looking for bunnies

 

[keeperscottage]

Yes, thankfully after three months Bryn was sufficiently mended to come on honeymoon with us! Now, seven months later, he's leaping ditches and galloiping across fields......his long, delicate legs DO worry me though!

 

[echodomino]

Poor boy, hope he has a speedy recovery. And I can sympathise with him, I've just had my leg plated but about half the amount of screws!

 

[keeperscottage]

Echodomino - yes, he's now back firing on all four cylinders! Cambridge Vet School Hospital did an amazing (pricey!) job! He's now leaping HUGE ditches and galloping around as thouigh he'd never had an injury!

 

[keeperscottage]

Oh, and hope you have a speedy recovery, too!

 

[Spudlet]

Poor lad! Fortunately henry is never in position for a leap, it's always a case of him scrabbling off after it then nosing round in the undergrowth to find it. I'm glad your boy is better now, the poor lamb!

 

[echodomino]

That's great to hear

Oh, and hope you have a speedy recovery, too!

Thank you, not doing quite as well as him lol, can put weight on it but still hobbling on crutches as my ankle's too stiff to flex properly Don't use milk crates as mounting blocks - not worth the hassle

 

[MrVelvet]

aww the first picture is adorable!! Poor Bryn, Glad he's on the mend!! No more silly jumping though! x

 

[keeperscottage]

MrVelvet - Bryn's so active now that it's difficult to take a photo of him (by the time the photo's taken, he's miles out of shot!). I just love watching him run and run, savouring every moment......not only was his leg broken across the bone but lengthways up and down the shaft. Anyway, here's a couple of pics of him on holiday wit us......

Very big "thank you" to Cambridge Vet School Hospital!

 

[keeperscottage]

Echodomino - milk crates are dodgy things....hate seeing people use these to balance jump poles on - a friend lost her horse when he put a front leg through a milk crate!

 

[CorvusCorax]

Ouch! In fairness to ball-chuckers, I have seen dogs jump and twist themselves going for a ball held in the hand (which is why I had a huge row with my mother for holding a ball very high for my pup a few weeks ago )
And my friend's pup fractured fibia and tibia, just jumping up into the air in excitement and coming down wrong, at nine months. There is only so much we can do to protect them x

 

[echodomino]

Echodomino - milk crates are dodgy things....hate seeing people use these to balance jump poles on - a friend lost her horse when he put a front leg through a milk crate!

Aw that's awful
Have used them as fillers once but am avoiding them full stop now, learnt the hard way by standing on it myself.

 

[keeperscottage]

Yes, I know CaveCanem - freak accidents! Like the freak accident just a week or so before "Bryn's Big Break" at the beginning of April........he was playing in the garden (again with daughter's boyfriend!) with our other dogs and Ruby Springer and Bryn ran head first into one another breaking Ruby's left upper canine tooth off at gum level. It took THREE vets an hour and a half to remove what they described as a healthy tooth from a healthy young dog.....£500 later......

As you can see from the photo, the root was larger than the actual tooth!

 

[NOISYGIRL]

Thats awful !

My dog chases it once and then says get it yourself you know where it is lol

 

[keeperscottage]

Nah! My dogs chase and chase and chase! They just love playing with a ball launcher! What sort of dog do you have?