Need any advice, my Boston Terrier broke his front left leg yesterday...?

Question

He is a big time fetcher. Yesterday we were at a play date with other dogs and he was having a great time and normally takes tumbles chasing his tennis ball or frisbee, but something happened and he took a tumble and I could tell he broke his paw, the forearm of the paw if that makes sense. We took him to our vet and they put a splint on it and gave us some pain meds. We saw the x-ray and he has a clean break. The vet did not know much regarding dog orthopedics but kept mentioning that he would need surgery. I thought this was odd. I broke both my arms growing up and both were clean breaks and I did not need any type of surgery, just to get the bone set and the cast on. Dogs may be different, I dunno. I mean is surgery going to be the only option because not only is it expensive it means we need to put him on anthesia again and that makes me nervous. If anyone who owns Boston Terrier's or even if you dog has broken his/her leg, any advice would be gratefully received.

Answer 1

If it was his radius that was broken (the larger of the 2 long bones between his elbow and his foot), then it might indeed need surgery if the break was straight across rather than at an angle. (A break at an angle...called an oblique fracture...is always much easier to 'set' with only a splint.) It also depends on how 'crooked' your dog's leg normally is. Bostons often have naturally curved bones that don't heal as well in splints. It is not always possible to set such bones well enough without surgery for them to heal. If it was his ulna (the smaller of the 2 bones...it lies alongside the radius), it should heal with splinting alone. It's rare that only that bone would have broken, however. It's usually a break in the radius, or both the radius AND the ulna at the same time.

If it was his humerus (the bone between the shoulder and elbow), it will almost certainly need surgery, no matter what the breed. That's because that bone is always curved, and the muscles will pull it apart, even in a splint. It may eventually heal, but will be noticeably deformed and often a hindrance to the dog rather than a functional leg.

Your best bet....ask for a copy of his x-rays to be sent to another DVM for a second opinion. That's ALWAYS advisable anytime an expensive surgery is recommended. In this case, it should be done simply because your veterinarian self-admittedly doesn't know much about orthopedics. (Atlhough that strikes me as odd....since any licensed DVM who graduated from an accredited College of Veterinary Medicine in the U.S. should be plenty-well knowledgeable about such a common occurrence.)

Answer 2

I am so sorry for you and your pup!

Yes, he will probably need to have a pin put in to make the bone stable. I can't really comment without seeing the x-ray, but chances are the break is in a position in the bone that the dog will not keep still. Unfortunately, splints will not afford a stable fusing between the bones.

My advice is to see a veterinarian who can explain exactly what is in your pup's future. Many newer, progressive clinics have diagnostics that older paractices don't have, especially in rural areas.

As far as anesthesia is concerned, yes, it's scary. However, because he has been under before without complications, he will likely be fine again. Is he neutered? If yes, I assume there were no complications. If not, have the surgeon take care of that while he's pinning the leg, that way your combining the operations and reducing anesthesia risks.

Good luck with your pup!

Answer 3

If your vet does not know much regarding orthopaedics, then you need to have another vet do the surgery. Period.

My dog suffered a broken leg at the age of 10 months. After one doctor screwed up the surgery (he was the horrible vet of the person who was watching the dog), she had to have 2 more surgeries on the leg in the span of a few months. She had a pin placed in her leg to stabilize it. The first surgery was to reduce and pin the leg. The second was to fix the pin that the first "DR" screwed up. The third was to remove the pin.

I have a toy dog and I was very concerned about the risks of the anesthesia. Luckily, our local vet knows all about treating toy dogs and the special anesthetic and painkiller requirements. Ask the vet that you choose to do the surgery to be honest with you. Ask them how often they work on small dogs like yours. Ask them what they do differently. Ask them about the risks of the painkiller (some dogs die from rimadyl - a post-op painkiller).

And follow the vet's advice. This means that if you don't already crate your dog when you are gone, you should start. You may even have to take a few days off of work to monitor him after the surgery. If he's ever in pain, give him more meds (as allowed). Don't be afraid to call the vet for a refill if he seems to still be in pain.

Bostons are resiliant little dogs and this will probably only slow him down for a week. After that, alot of the pain will have passed and he'll be up and asking you to play with him. It will be sooo hard not to.

Good luck to you! : )

Answer 4

The leg will probably need pinned or palted in place.

" broke both my arms growing up and both were clean breaks and I did not need any type of surgery, just to get the bone set and the cast on. Dogs may be different"

Yes they are.

You weren't trying to walk on your arm after it was broken. The leg is weight breaing and you can't put him on crutches.

While anesthetic does carry a risk for any mamal ( humans included), it is very rare for any complicatons to ensue -I've only seen it once in 43 years; and my vet and I were talking aobut this the other day and how the perception of the risk has been blown way out of proportion by pet owners, and he said in 40 years of practice, he has only lost 3 under anesthsia from an adverse reaction to the drug.

Go get his leg fixed.

Answer 5

Often, plating or pinning a dogs leg is a much better option than just a splint just for the reason that they walk on them all the time, and you can't put a long term cast on a dogs leg very well. That means that you have to change the wrapping often to prevent sores from developing, and every time you unwrap it you take the chance of displacing the bone. Anesthesia is much safer today than even 10 years ago, and if your vet is not really comfortable with orthopedics, ask him to refer you to a board certified orthopedic surgeon.

Answer 6

I don't think you should hesitate - your dog needs this surgery. You didn't say how old he is, but anesthetics are so much improved nowadays over what they were even 5 years ago. Your vet will probably, depending on your dog's age, have taken a blood sample to determine if your dog has any problems they need to be aware of. Vets are very careful administering anesthetics in my experience (and I have sight hounds who are very susceptible to dying under anesthetic if the vets aren't careful), so try not to worry too much, your buddy will come through surgery just fine.

Answer 7

I would suggest you get another vet.....call beforehand and find out about the ortho experience. Yes, I have a dog who had rear leg smashed....in an auto mishap...I adopted him when no one stepped up to the plate to pay for his treatment..He has a multitude of pins and whatnot....long story short. He is now three, runs like the wind. No residual effects of surgery. Do what is needed, get the best vet, and your Boston should be good as new. Good luck.

Answer 8

I have 5 Border Collie's , 2 Arabian horses ,2 rabbits , a cat and a really good vet which I have had for years , and I suugest you do what ever your vet recommends ., if your not happy with that maybe get a second oppion .

Answer 9

If you are not happy with the answer you received from your vet, you might want to seek the opinion of a veterinarian that specializes in orthopedics. Many emergency hospitals have one or at least one on call and if not they can recommend one depending on the area in which you live. If you live in NY, there are several good ones. Good Luck to you and your pup

Answer 10

Ok, I've no dogs, but wouldn't it be better if you consulted another doctor who specializes in dog anatomy about your pooch's condition?