I think my dog broke his leg, how can I be sure?

Question

I woke up from a nap today and saw that my 1 and a half year old Cocker Spaniel was limping on his left upper paw. now I dont know what he did, but he is having a lot of trouble moving around. I tryed to feel for a break and to see if he would cry when i touched. I couldnt tell nor did he cry. I am having him lay down and keep off it , also it doesnt seem bigger then his other paws. he doesnt seem to want to walk in it at all. now he is licking his paw alot...i am not sure if he just spranged it or really broke it...i did call my vet and that was no help......money is tight so if i can avoid going to the vet just for them to tell me they cant do anything that would be great.

if it is spranged what can I do to help it and what can i do to make him feel better?.....ice? ibpro? help!!

thanks alot

Answer 1

You can be sure by taking him to the vets and getting an xray. If it is broke, it may not heal correctly on its own.

Answer 2

I understand where you are coming from. It is such a tough call when to go to a vet and when not to. It would be nice if will all had enough money to take our pets the vet whenever there was a little problem.

Can you think of any way that she could have sprained it? What she rough housing? My dog sprained his once by running around the house slipping on an area rug and taking out a chair.

Also check the paw that she didn't step on something and it is stuck into her paw. Often times they lick their paw if there is something stuck in it. It could be very small like a little thorn or splinter.

If it is a sprain, which it could very will be you could give dog asprin. Many pet stores carry it. Note: it is often flavored and I ended up with a big problem because my dog ate almost a whole bottle once, and that WAS a big vet bill, SO keep it out of your dog's reach. Follow the directions on the bottle. Watch you dog and if in a day or so it is not looking any better, or you see swelling or more pain take him in. Good thing is that today is Wednesday, so if he was not better by say tomorrow afternoon, you could call your vet for a Friday apt. When trying to save money, make sure you don't have to go in over the weekend.

Try to keep her off of it as much as possible. Does she have a crate? You could crate her for a the rest of the day. See how she is tomorrow, if there is no improvement, take her in by Friday.

I hope the best for you.

Answer 3

Broken bones benefit directly from Western veterinary medicine; not fixing them properly soon after the trauma can have a bad outcome. One of my dogs, a Borzoi, broke her back pastern/hock area (a nasty break involving a twist of her foot in the sand into underlying rocks). The local vet X-ray and stabilised the leg, then the next day she had to go to a specialist vet 100 miles away who pinned the broken end of the bone and put a cast on the the bottom of the leg. Her pads poked out of the bottom; and I made her a little leather boot so that she could hop along and keep it clean on a restricted exercise regime. Six weeks later the cast was off and replaced by a support bandage, soon she was using the leg to walk on again. So go to a Western vet to have the best treatment and as with any cast, keep an eye on the limb to make sure circulation is not impaired or infections are setting in. Good luck. Add: A link here for those who are unaware that dogs also sweat thru their paws.

Answer 4

My dog just broke her leg and there was no question that it was broke. You will probably spend about $200 for an x-ray and office visit.

My dog had to have surgery to have a plate and screws put in her leg. It cost me nearly 4k!
I just hope that your dogs leg isn't broken if money is tight.

They do have something called Care Credit that allows you to pay monthly. It's at 11% interest which isn't great, but you can still get your dog proper treatment.

Answer 5

Just because you can't feel a break doesn't mean that there isn't a hairline fracture, torn ligaments or torn tendons. My dog was doing much the same thing, but wouldn't yelp when I felt her leg, nor was there any swelling, and it turned out she had torn her ACL in her knee, which required surgery to repair. There is no harm in waiting a day or two because dogs get slight injuries all the time, but if she is still limping in a day or two, get her to the vet. Most of the time they can tell what is wrong with a simple office visit, so you won't be out a lot of money.

Answer 6

You should go to the veterinarian. You shouldn't worry about your money. You CANNOT avoid giving your dog treatment, because waiting until you earn more money or trying to fix it yourself will make everything difficult. The only person who can help your dog's broken leg is the VET. There's no other choice. If you want, talk to your local veterinarian. Tell them that you can't afford your dog's treatment, and they'll probably give you a deal. Don't avoid it. Doesn't matter if you can't afford it, your dog could be in serious pain from that.

Hope everything works out! :)

Answer 7

look to see if he may have a splinter or something in one of his paw pads?
he may have cut IT or hurt it on something !
If you do see a cut or splinter then soak it in some salt water well help the splinter come out and the salt water might hurt at first but just ease his foot in it slowly ..... after you soak it then dry it gently with a towel and then put some neosproin on it!

If you don't see anything then and he is still having trouble walking then PLEASE call your local shelter to see if the can help you any?

Also if it is broken and without the proper care he not ONLY is Suffering he could have permanent damage if left untreated!

I'm sorry i realize being a VOL animal rescuer how tight things can get dear but he really does need to be seen by a VET NOW!

ask them if you can make monthly payments toward the bill!

Call NOW! the dog is suffering!!!

Hope he gets well soon and God bless!

animal rescuer /welfare./advocate/owner/educator for over 25 +yrs

Answer 8

Calling your vet first is a very good idea, but from the sounds of it, it sounds more like a sprain. If an animal breaks a bone, the foot/leg area will swell. Just let the dog limp on it for a bit. If it starts swelling, and puffing up, then get him in asap because that is a break and there can be the complications of gangreen setting in. They will lick their wounds to make it feel better. But as long as there is no swelling, it sound more like a nasty sprain. Your dog should be fine. And by no means, don't give your dog any medications without your vet's approval. Asprin and Ibuprophin can kill a dog. If your vet is a good vet, he/she may be able to give you advice over the phone what to do to make your dog comfortable.

Answer 9

Was it bleeding at all. Maybe he stepped on a piece of broken glass? You're vet is an idiot! First of all if he didn't tell you to bring the dog in to see him he's a vet I'd never bring my animals to. I would call your local animal emergency number. I know they're a bit pricey, but unfortunately that's all you can do at this point. You might want to tell them prior to bringing the dog in that you are low on funds. Perhaps he'll either give you a break or have you pay in smaller amounts over time. But don't let your dog suffer in pain and DON'T give your dog ANYTHING IT MAY KILL YOUR DOG!!. Ice would be okay if he's bleeding. Good luck and change vets!

Answer 10

Check your dogs pads. Pads are the black (sometimes other colors) parts on the bottom side of the foot. Dogs will sometimes injure this part of the foot. It can be very painfull for the dog. Look for cuts and for things that might be sticking into the foot like broken glass, toothpick, needle, etc. Also, if your haven't trimmed your dogs nails they can catch on carpet and be ripped off. This would also be very painfull. If your dog is still hurting after a couple of days you really should take it to the vet.

Answer 11

I don't know what he did to it, can't tell from the description what might be wrong, could be a number of things.. Don't give him pain medication tho.. You could serious hurt him by giving him something he shouldn't have.. Ibuprofen is one that he shouldn't have right off.. Acetaminophen for another.

Put ice on it, and try to keep him comfortable.. Don't stop him from moving around entirely, he needs to circulate the blood and keep things flowing properly in order to heal.. Just don't let him run and play hard on it and risk doing further damage. Don't wrap it, cause if it starts to swell you'll cut off the blood circulation. Keep an eye on him and if he does seem to feel pain, find the money and take him to the vet.