# Broken or bruised leg?



## Adelle25 (Sep 4, 2011)

Well they say it comes in threes!!

Poor Copper seems to have one thing after another wrong! 

He was running about getting very excited on Thursday afternoon, and misjudge a gap and hit his left front leg into the wall!! 

I have never heard a cry like it and he went into shock just sat in the kitchen with his paw up still! after comforting him i got him up and he started limping about. 

I haven't taken him to the vets because he can out weight on it, go up the stairs, the only thing is when i went to walk him yesterday he started to limp and last night and this morning as he was playing if he stood on it wrong he done a little yelp!.

If it was broken would he be able to stand on it? if it was fractured would he be able to walk and put weight on it? Or could he of just strained it or bruised it? 

I always take him to the vets and they must think I'm crazy, I'm not going to walk him today and let him rest it (heaven help me, his ready for a walk!!) 

What would you do? 

He lets me bend it and firmly feel it without making a sound and i know he has a low pain thresh hold!, there is no swelling and he seems his normal self. 

Advice needed.


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## gunnr (Aug 14, 2009)

Yes he can put weight on a broken leg depending on the severity. I know this because one of my V' did fracture his leg. I remember the Vet saying "If we didn't know it was broken/fractured, you'd never know".
That you can manipulate his leg without him crying out is a big plus. 
You can only actually feel/manipulate about 2/3rds of his leg. What we would consider his shoulder, or thigh area, still has a lot of bone that is not so easily manipulated.
Watch him close, and look for any signs he is off. I'd give him a day or two off of his daily walk.

Don't worry about the Vet's. Gunnr has quite a history at the Vet's, and they still let us in the office. ;D


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## redbirddog (Apr 23, 2010)

> What would you do?


Relax and see how he does over the next few days. I'd do some on-leash walks in a couple days to let it "streach out."

Sounds like a rambunctious boy to me. I always keep a canine first aid kit in the Jeep when we go out and have used it quite a few times.

If it continues for a week then I'd make the vet visit.

My .02
RBD


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## Adelle25 (Sep 4, 2011)

Thank you

His a very energetic boy, i love it! i hate to think that he is in pain but his hopping about like a dear and every now and then limping, i don't think he would be doing that if it was a broken leg would he?

His not liking the "REST" he is getting lol bless him. 

He is in the stages of being left in his own room while i am at work, my neighbour lets him out am and pm, I'm now just worrying he will hurt himself even more!, there is a desk (attached to the wall and cant be removed) that he likes to jump on and look at the window, i have tried to stop him but nothing works he always gets up there, so i have put some vet bedding on it for him to make it a little safer. 

Only problem is however many toys and Kong's etc he has he goes crazy in there, he was crated so i think he likes to play and have the room, do you think he will be OK?


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## gunnr (Aug 14, 2009)

If he was truly in pain, real pain, he wouldn't get up. He'd lie down and not move unless he absolutely had too.
If he is in discomfort, you'll see his tail tuck and the fur on his back raise, along with some droopy ears. He'd let ya' know.
If he's hopping about like a kangaroo, he's probably okay, but try as best as you can to limit him until you're more sure. Emphasis on the word "Try". ;D


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## Ozkar (Jul 4, 2011)

Without being there, it's a tough call on what I would do. I have had exactly this occur to all three of my dogs over the last year and all three have been totally OK. Ozkar was the first, when my then mother in law ran over his paw with a fully loaded shopping trolley. It broke a bone his paw. But, he walked on it, all be it with a limp. After four days of the swelling not reducing we took him to the vet and it was broken. Vet's course of action..... chill out till it heals. They can't do much about a broken foot bone. 

Zsa Zsa was next and she smacked her front right shoulder on the corner of a slightly opened sliding door. It put a lump on her shoulder the size of a small lemon. She screamed like a banshee when she did it, I thought she had really injured herself as she is not a very vocal dog. But, when in pain she certainly let me know. I took her to the vet too and it turned out to be a big corked thigh and only time healed it. It did take three months to go completely though. I massaged it every night to break it up.

Astro was next. Same thing as Zsa Zsa, banged into a door. He yelped too, but he was less effected so we just let nature take it's course and it healed in four or five days. A little reduced exercise and stimulation, lead walks rather than the bush and he was OK and good to go again.

So, really it depends on what you think. Watch pups behaviour and determine what to do based on that. But always remember that they do not show pain as much as we do. So by the time they are letting you know, they usually are in trouble.


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