How can I tell if my dog has a broken leg?

Question

I have an 8 month old MINIATURE PINSCHER and he recently jumped off of a high up table and landed wrong and has since held his back left paw in the air when walking. He still walks and acts like nothing is wrong. He still tries to jump on to the bed, etc. but can't quite get up because of his leg.

I rushed him to the vet (a very good one) thinking that maybe he broke it, but the vet said that she didn't think it was broke. She rubbed and excercised both legs evenly and he did not react negatively to either one. She also mentioned that he wasn't acting like a dog who just broke his leg.

She didn't even think x-rays were necessary and she prescribed him with 2 days worth of. Carboprofen (or something that sounds like that - but it is a pain killer for dogs) and said that he should be okay and maybe je just strained it. The bottom line is that she didn't think it was broke.

Aby thoughts? Thank you so much! I greatly appreciate your input.

Answer 1

Our Min-pin was about the same age when she broke her leg, Jumping out of arms.

If the leg broke, he whould have let up a whale of a shout, and you whould have know imidiatly that something was badly wrong.

He more than likely sprained a musle and walking on it hurts a little..

Min-Pin leg bones are very thin and fragile, and seldom only get hairline cracks.

The vet is looking at the reaction of the dog when touching the leg, if the leg was broken he'd turn and try to bite as soon at you touch it.

Give him lots of love and attention, and rather pick him up than ask him to jump. Give him some time to let the leg heal.

If after a week he still refuses to use the leg, take him back past the vet for a checkup..

When running/walking around, you may notice that the leg will slowly start touching the ground on each step. This is a sign that the leg is healing and he's starting to use it again..

6 years after our Min-Pin broke her leg she'd still run on three's, Favouring the 'broken' back leg. This is normal.. It took her a year to use it properly after the cast came off..

Just keep a eye on it for the next few days...

Answer 2

Well I can speak from first hand experience as my dog had a broken leg. When it happened he screamed (you would know what I mean if your dog did it).
Anyway from your description it sounds like he is holding his leg like it is broken but it might just be sprained.
If you manipulate the leg in any way the dog would have extreme pain and cry, if you can manipulate it then the dog has no broken leg maybe just some other injury.
If it is broken the dog probably wouldn't be able to move the end of it at all.....it would pretty much just hang.

If you suspect it is broken make sure to bring him in for the x-ray, or even if it would give you a piece of mind!

(swelling around the break would also occur!)

Answer 3

Broken Leg Symptoms

Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
How can I tell if my dog has a broken leg?
I have an 8 month old MINIATURE PINSCHER and he recently jumped off of a high up table and landed wrong and has since held his back left paw in the air when walking. He still walks and acts like nothing is wrong. He still tries to jump on to the bed, etc. but can't quite get up because of his...

Answer 5

Hi,

In reply to your question, How can I tell if my dog has a broken leg?, I say you that you might get some help from ASPCA Complete Dog Training Manual

As you described; "I have an 8 month old MINIATURE PINSCHER and he recently jumped off of a
high up table and landed wrong and has since held his back left paw in the
air when walking. He still walks" I hope it might help you.

All the Best :)

Answer 6

The owner of the dog needs to know how to "operate" the dog, same way you can get into a car that's in perfect running order but if you don't know how to drive you won't have much luck making the car go anywhere. If the owner doesn't know how to maintain the training, the dog will soon become untrained again. Read more here https://tinyurl.im/rkdhY

People seem to think that once a dog is trained, that's it. Not true. You must reinforce the dog's training every single day in some way. It's best if the owner and the dog go together to get trained. As a professional trainer once said to me "We can train any dog in 2 days. It takes longer to train the owners

Answer 7

It's pretty obvious when a dog has a broken leg. They won't let anyone touch it and it's extremely painful to touch it let alone move it around as you said the vet did. She is probably right that it is just a strain and it will be better in a few days. Keep him on the painkillers though, they will also help reduce the swelling. Poor pup:( Good Luck

Answer 8

Get the symptoms that you are witnessing upon your pet confirmed and possibly substantiated by a veterinarian, who can conduct X-ray testing and to prevent internal bleeding, swelling if left untreated permanently cause your dog to limp.

O.K. you're a little tight for money but hey, it's your responsibility as a dog owner to be vigilant in regards to the dog's safety and whereabouts. And I'm sure you knew that owning a dog also means that you are going to spend a lifetime reimbursing money for those hefty veterinarian bills. Animal Planet is one of my favorite shows to watch and according to one of those pet veterinarian starring shows (I forgot teh name), many dogs tend to hide the emotions that result from being in pain due to injury, like Chihuahuas I've heard. It's embedded in the dog's mind as a result from the breed being in the wild. Especially since you don't have a clue how that limp occurred, you should take it to the vet..BUT NOT RIGHT AWAY. Feel around the area very thoroughly in order to determine whether or not something is embedded under its skin or fur and i'm not talking about swelling or a bump. Shave the fur off region where the limp is and you can determine that by twisting the dog's leg, applying pressure on certain areas, putting a rope around the region and watching while the dog walks or runs and when fastening the rope on another region. Hit various regions on the dog's leg and listen how the dog cries. If she cries the loudest at a certain region, it's highly probable that x marks the spot. See if you find swelling. Swelling sometimes doesn't develop right away. Do this on several and various occassions. If you find nothing after doing all these on a daily basis, ah give it time to heal. I wouldn't take it to the vet. But if your intuition tells you that something is in fact embedded, get a veterinarian to confirm it immediately. You might be astonished when learning about the x-ray results and may, if you're religious, thank the lord that someone convinced you to take the dog to the veterinarian who sustained her life! This might be a matter of life and death here, who knows? Personally, that's what I would do. To heal the problem (if nothing seems to be embedded), fasten ropes tightly but not too tight around the leg, massage it, concentrate on the area during bath time with warm hot baths, warmer than the temperature of the water that wets the rest of her body, get her to do some exercise with an emphasis on the sprained leg, give it plenty of extra food and rest as well. During this time, I would lock the dog in a room that has lots of soft cushions and furniture without any rough bumpy textured surfaces while I'm not at home. These methods will take time for the injury to finally be gone. Hope this was of some help! Reinforce your fencing and watch your dog more vigilantly to prevent more accidents. One more thing: wash the area thoroughly and check to see if there's any scraps, cuts, bruises, bleeding which can substantiate a theory that it probably just bumped into something. And it cleans those scraps that you can't see with the naked eye.

Answer 9

My thoughts are that you should trust you vet.

The drug will have been carprofen which usually comes in the form of Rimadyl. This is an anti-inflammatory commonly used for dogs with orthopaedic problems - anything from ligament damage to fractures to arthritis.

Vets can usually tell if limbs are broken by palpating them correctly. You say your vet is good, so trust her. I would expect she told you when you should expect to see improvement in your dog (within 48 hours I would think) and to come back if there was no improvement? This is the usual procedure.

If you want your dog to have xrays, then xrays you can have, but it isn't always necessary.

Chalice

Answer 10

if she manipulated the paw/leg then it probably isn't broken and cartrophen will help, if it is a muscle injury they can be very painful. Do as she says rest him give him his treatment and if he isn't better or in 24hrs take him back as a broken leg wont get better and he will remain in pain and lame, if he is putting weight on the leg ever so slightly and then increasing the amount of time he does that then it probably is muscle damage.