Our dog Sweetie has a broken leg : ( UPDATE: Everythings okay!

[LindsayB]

We have a small dog named Sweetie that we got from the spca this summer. shes estimated to be a chihuahua/italian greyhound mix, is 1 year old and weighs 15 lbs. Last night she and our cat were chasing eachother like they always do and she jump off the back of our couch and fell on our hard wood floors. Its been raining here so I guess the floor was still slippery from went they went outside to potty... Its like the bone above her wrist just snapped. Since this happened at midnight and my 2 kids were sleeping I didn't want to take her to an emergency vet. I called our vet first thing this morning and I'm taking her in at 11:00 to have x rays done. Anyway, I need advice from anyone that has ever had a dog with a broken leg. Is it possible for the vet to set the leg and wrap it in a cast? What is the price range to fix this going to be? I really need any advice ya'll have for me. This couldn't of happened at a worse time either...Tomorrow our GSD is having surgery to fix his torn acl in his knee. Its already going to cost us $3600 for his surgery. Ugh, why does this stuff always happen at once!

 

[LindsayB]

Nobody?

 

[stoopid]

Sorry, too worried about chickens to answer you quickly.
The vet shouldn't have any trouble at all, as long as it is a clean break, that is relatively fresh.
Luckily, the vet may give you a package deal.
It doesn't sound too bad, everything should be fine.
Good luck!

 

[3goodeggs]

Yes, when I was a child we had two dogs with broken bones. My parents did not spend money on dogs. They set the hind legs of the big dog with strips of wood, screen and electrical tape. She came out of it just fine.
Another dog was injured mysteriously, and her entire paw was cut and broken up and beyond the wrist.
She just got wrapped and it was not a good finish. She could not bend the paw or run well anymore. I think the scar tissue was her biggest problem. I would rather have taken her to the vet, but... oh well, I was a kid.

We had another dog that we adopted as adults. He was kicked by a horse as a puppy. He had bolts running into his leg and a metal brace with wing nuts on it. He wasn't our dog at the time. He was growing and the owners did not seem to notice. Finally, with our insistence, they returned him to the vet... we were not hopeful for his outcome because the bone was prevented from growing, but he turned out just fine when he finally grew up.

So, If you are up to setting a bone and you think you can feel when it is in place, try it yourself.
People did it for years before vets.

I still would rather a vet do it. That is what charge cards and debt is for. IMO (Not speed boats and wide screen TVs.)

 

[danischi24]

The vet will probably take X-rays & then you guys can assess what needs to be done. It could be a simple break or there may pieces that need to be pinned. An X-ray is our standard procedure for animals coming in to my vet with broken bones. At simplest, she may just need a cast.

 

[LindsayB]

Thank you for the replies

I feel alittle better now...I'm praying the vet can just set the bone and put her leg in a cast. At this time we really can't afford to have surgery on another dog.

 

[LindsayB]

Leaving here in about 30 minutes...Pray that it just needs a cast!

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

I hope all turns out well!

Pet them both for me!

 

[CrazyCatNChickenLady]

A full break would probably need surgery, pins and a cast. [Expensive] surgery usually with a surgeon. A fracture or something smaller might just need to be splinted. A hard splint with bandage material around it topped with vet wrap. This allows the splint to be changed more frequently and allows them to take it off to re xray it. Expect lots of confinement and limited activity, some sort of splint, pain medications, and a few recheck appts with recheck radiographs with just a small fracture. Please don't give her anything for pain in the meantime as it could counteract some of the medications they might want to give. (If you did give her something for pain make sure you tell your vet what you gave.) Good luck!

 

[dainerra]

My rabbit's broken leg cost $600. That included initial x-rays, all future xrays until healed and all casts. They take the cast off and put a new one on when they re xray. We got a discount because the vet used it as a teaching experience - only cost $300.