# Injured puppy



## nymeria (Jan 18, 2016)

Poor Mia broke a bone in her toe Wednesday night. I have no idea how it happened. She was out walking with my spouse and came in limping. She was apparently just walking along calmly then yelped and started limping after that. My theory is that she stepped on a rock at just the wrong angle. What do you all think? I'm concerned. I'm feeding her a raw diet and maybe she is not getting something she needs? Do you think there could have been some weakness in the area already? She plays a bit roughly with other dogs but seems to really love it and is always happy. The vet says it happens and she'll heal quickly, but I feel so bad for my poor girl. 

Also, any ideas for keeping a vizsla puppy happy while restricting her activity? i've got some puzzle games and am doing training with her, but have to keep her from running around and jumping for a couple of weeks.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Poor girl, it's tough keeping a puppy on rest because they love to play. Sometimes accidents just happen, so I wouldn't think your to blame. I can't help you with raw (I don't feed it ) but maybe some of our members that do will chime in.


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## Vizsla Baby (Nov 4, 2011)

Hope you have a speedy recovery! Keeping a puppy still will be tough, I do feel for you. I'd have lots of nylabones and chew toys around. Take her for long car rides - have her sit in the back seat on someones lap (no airbag!), drive slowly and open the window so she can stick her nose out and smell everything. Take her to stores that allow dogs - have her ride in the cart or carry her. Take her to the bank drive in window so she can be given a treat. Just incorporate her into as many daily activities as you can. Buy a bird feeder and put it right outside a window she can see out. She can watch the birds eat. Mental stimulation is as important as physical.


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## Rbka (Apr 21, 2014)

Do you have access to swimming? That could be good non-weight bearing exercise! I definitely suggest the muffin tin with treats and tennis balls game.
It has been -35 deg Celsius where we live the past 3 days and Nico absolutely hates boots. Yesterday he came in with 3 of his paws bleeding from stepping through big ice chunks in the yard 
Hope Mia heals up quick!


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## jld640 (Sep 29, 2010)

Lots of games of 'Find it!'. Sometimes toys, sometimes treats. Hide everything on floor level or up to puppy eye level so she doesn't want to jump up.

Hope the recovery time goes smoothly and quickly!


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## nymeria (Jan 18, 2016)

Thanks, everyone, these are great ideas! Some of them I've already implemented and some of them I'll have to add. She's got lots of chew toys and loves her Kong toys (although I'm a bit worried she's eating too much with the lack of activity, but it keeps her quiet - I'm using carrots and blueberries to fill a lot of the space). 

And she's been going on lots of car rides. But I usually don't open the window - I bet she will love that! She does love the car. And I'll have to bring her to some dog-friendly stores, as well. The B&N near me allows dogs and there are a bunch of other dog friendly stores around. 

I love the idea of a bird-feeder! She just recently got interested in birds and I think that will be a great way to keep her attention. Plus, I like watching them too. 

Swimming is a great idea! I will have to see what I can find near me as I don't have a pool. Maybe the beach would be OK? I do take her on 2-3, 10-15 min walks every day and she does fine. The vet said that was OK, as long as she was leashed and not running around. If I'd let her, she'd definitely stay out longer. 

I bought a couple of puzzle toys and she seems to really like them, but they are too easy for her. I'm waiting for some harder ones to arrive. I will have to try and play "Find It" just by hiding stuff around the living room (where we spend most of our time, and where her crate and pen are). 

My poor girl. I feel so bad for her, and she doesn't understand I'm restricting her activities for her own good. On top of everything, she ate some of the duct tape covering the ripped part of her bandages. We're going to the vet today to get it rewrapped and have them teach us how to do it so we can care for her splint/bandage at home. 

Do you think there's any potential for long-term damage? I'm so worried about my girl.


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## jld640 (Sep 29, 2010)

As you introduce the game of find-it, start by hiding the toys in plain sight. Lots of praise when she 'finds' it. You can make the game as big or as small as you want. After she gets good at finding things on the carpet or under pillows or at the bottom of her toy basket, you can use a few cups/bowls to create a dog-appropriate version of the shell game. Someone else on the forum recommended using tennis balls to cover a few spaces in a muffin tin with a prize hidden under one of them.

I don't know about long term damage. I totally understand worrying about your ginger-nut whenever something it not right. Hope the vet is able to put your mind at ease.


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## nymeria (Jan 18, 2016)

Thanks again, everyone. I'm still so worried about her. How could a healthy pup who was just walking along break a bone? I made an appointment with an orthopedic vet to get another opinion. I'd like to have a bone scan done, but I need a referral. I'll update Thursday after I see the ortho vet.


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## nymeria (Jan 18, 2016)

So we took Mia to the orthopedic vet, and he said he can tell from the X-ray that her bone density is good and she is developing well. Apparently, because the bones are still soft, if they get caught the wrong way this can happen.

I still want to at least have some blood work done, and we're going to her regular vet this week to have her foot re-wrapped so I'll ask then, but I feel a bit better. I think she must have gotten caught in one of the holes (most of which she dug!) in the backyard in just the wrong way. 

It's a good thing we went to the ortho vet. Apparently the bone was misaligned, which you couldn't see at the angle at which the original x-ray was done. He took additional x-rays to check for that, then he he set it properly. 

We've got 3 weeks of splinting, then hopefully she can return to normal activities. So far, she is doing really well. They did give us some sedatives to help, which I hate giving her but I think she would be super unhappy otherwise. We play lots of puzzle games, go on lots of car rides, and are starting to play some Find It games (I can see these take some training!) My poor girl, I can't wait till she can be active again, she is dying to run.


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