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Broken leg Hello everyone, this is my first post so excuse me if I step on any toes. I have a 11mo yorkie named Moses, he is a sweety. He broke his leg 3/30 and has been in a cast since then. Little dummy took a flying leap off the bed and it just snapped! He broke it at the radia/ulna, which I guess is a bad place to break it. He is showing some healing but the vet told me today I have a decision to make in 2 weeks if drastic healing doesn't take place, surgery or amputation. I have been reading everything I can find and one thing struck me, a vet post said small dogs have a lower blood flow to their extremities than large dogs, so healing in bones will take longer. So, I need opinions. Keep the cast on longer and hope for more healing or follow vets advice. I am not opposed to amputation, if necessary, but of course I would like to avoid it. Vet did say, even if bone heals, because of area of break, would more than likely break again. |
Sorry to hear about your lil one! :( you're in a tuff situation.. hope for the best...god speed |
Aww..I hope your little boy gets better... |
I would definitely get a second opinion before doing anything that drastic. A regular just recently went through a similar break recently. Hopefully she'll jump on and offer some advice. |
I would get a second opinion before even considering amputation. My friends pomeranian had a similar break and after six weeks of casting the bones were not mending well. She opted for surgery to have a plate and screws put in. He is fine now and has not had anymore problems in the last 2 years. The only thing the vet said is that when he gets older his leg may turn out a little bit, but not enough to cause any problems. |
My old 9 yr old girl had a fractured radius at 7 mos,had an ORIF and then plate removal a few months later and no problems with the leg since.You need to take the pup to a Specialist. |
Hello and welcome to YT! This is a great place for information and support so do not think you are stepping on anyone's toes by posting. :) Have you seen an orthopedic surgeon for the break if not that should be your next step. I wouldn't wait and get in ASAP. If you need a referral in KY maybe you can ask Administration to move your post to the Sick and Injured forum. There are a lot of great people with a huge amount of knowledge that post. I am sure that someone will have the name of a good ortho in your area or if you are willing to travel I know for sure there are other states with excellent surgeons. Do not give up hope on that leg just yet. :) |
I agree, get a second opinion. |
Sorry to hear your news. Hope had a bad break, and the vet could not get it healed. She referred us to an orthopedic vet, and he fixed it right up. She does great. I hope you can find an orthopedic vet. If you pm me , i can give you his name and number. Best luck to you! |
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To further explain this, there are 2 ways to fix a broken bone with hardware. You either place the hardware (pins) by pushing/drilling through the skin without any cutting of the skin knows as a Closed Reduction Internal Fixation. This is done with a Florascan (moving XRay) where the surgeon watches as he moves the bones together and then drills the pins into place to repair the fracture of the bone. ORIF would be when the surgeon makes a cut into the skin and uses plates and screws to make the repair. Obviously it is way more complicated than what I just described but that is a very basic explanation. |
broken leg My vet did recommend surgery, but I just can't afford it. I had a 7 yr old yorkie, Harley, that was attacked by a husky and died 2 days later. His vet bills came to over $2000; this was in Dec. The ortho doctor gave me an estimate of $2500 to $3500 and I just can't do this. Saddest part is, I only had Moses 2 days when he did this, so for as long as I've had him, he has been in a cast. We kept him as quiet as we could for the first 3 -4 weeks, but he plays like everything now with Isabel, our other yorkie. The cast does not slow him down, so I know if he loses his leg, he will be fine. I guess I'm just trying to decide whether to take the chance he has healed enough to remove the cast and watch him carefully or go ahead and have the amputation done. The vet did say if he breaks it again, it won't complicate anything as far as amputation; he will just have to go thru the pain of a broken leg again. Well, I have 2 weeks to ponder on this. Maybe he'll heal up real quick in the next 2 weeks! hope is always there. |
I definitely agree with the others.. get a second opinion before amputating anything. I will pray for a fast and proper healing for this little guy. |
I have a greyhound off the track that her mom layed on her and broke her leg at the tender age of 4 weeks. She had her first surgery at the age of 5 weeks. I picked her up to foster her that next morning. After many months of vet appts and even water (hydro) therapy (swimming) her growth plate was to damaged to heal right. My DH was so upset. Thought it was cruel to amputate. Well, I told him we had to try...Jax couldn't just have this unbendable stick in her way. Jax had the surgery, we brought her home...(6 hour drive) as soon as she was **awake**. (about 1 hour after surgery) She was up and chasing her first bunny 9 hours later. What a sight to see. It was WONDERFUL! They do really well as tri-pods and the younger they are they won't even miss it. Good luck to you. {hugs} to you and your baby. |
I would turn him over to a rescue before amputation |
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Lady from Massachusetts |
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OMG I am so sorry to hear that. I think that is one of our biggest concerns owning yorkies. Keep us posted on his recovery.:getwell: |
broken leg Took Moses to another vet today to get a 2nd opinion. His was same as the first. Since I didn't opt for surgery, pins and plates, when it first happened, he is afraid there is not enough good bone left to do this now. He said it could be done, then remove all the pins and then find out it didn't take and amputation would be necessary. Why put him thru all that, he's been thru enough. He also said God gave dogs 4 legs for a reason, he will function fine with 3 legs. Heck, he's been 3 legged since I got him. I only had him a day before he broke this leg. As far as turning him over to rescue, I could not even imagine. He is still my baby, and he will still be my baby on 3 legs. He is a our pet, not a show dog or a breeder. So, I am scheduling the amputation for next week. He has to get out of this cast, it is really starting to bother him, plus he is developing an infection. So, I will keep everyone posted and when I figure out how to post pictures, I'll be sure and do so. |
I am so sorry to hear about your furbaby. I have a 14 month old little boy, Max, he only weighs 2 lb 9 oz. Max broke both of his front legs back in December. We went three months with casts and wraps and his legs still did not heal. I finally to him to another vet who specializes in orthopedics for small dogs. He told me that he would be able to put pins and plates into Max's legs and he he should have a full recovery. Yea it's costly $2500 for both legs but he is going to work with me on payments. Max is scheduled for his surgery on Monday, so I'll iknow then how it goes. Check around to see who the best doctor/surgeon for small dogs. My original vet did suggest amputation or euthanaza after she couldn't heal his legs. Call around please. |
Is it possible for you to find a vet who will let you make a payment plan? I'm sorry, but I really, really hate to see a dog lose a leg because of a money issue. Have you tried any of the organizations that can help with vet bills? |
We would all love to fix a broken leg surgically, but sometimes surgery may not be the best option. I have seen a lot of dogs live a happy life with three legs, so I think Moses will be O.K. I wish you and Moses the best of luck. I would love to hear the outcome after his amputation. :) |
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CareCredit® Healthcare Finance - Payment Plans and Financing for Cosmetic Surgery, Dental, Vision, Hearing, Veterinary & Other Medical Procedures |
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I personally think it would be worth it to at least try the pins and plate, which is what you should have done the first time around. I know that it's expensive, but your furbaby will be better off in the long run. I paid 3,500 to have a pin and screw placed in Missy's leg after she broke it. Her leg has now healed 100%. It was hard to spend so much money. We had to borrow it because we are a family of 5 living on one wage, but I don't regret it one bit when I see her running and playing like her leg was never broken. That is worth every penny to me. |
update on broken leg Moses had his leg amputated Friday and I brought him home Saturday morning. He went right outside, took a pee and then layed down for a while. He has been up and following my every step ever since. The vet called me after surgery and said I made the right decision - the break had not healed at all. So, he is doing fine. He had the collar on to stop him from licking, but I found a piece of soft flannel sleeve from an old pair of pajama's, cut a hole for his good leg and put that on him. He looks more comfortable, still can't get to the wound to lick and as there is no bandage on the wound, it makes me feel more comfortable having that open wound covered from dirt and such. |
It's sad to hear that your little guy lost his leg, but you did what was best for Moses. Glad he's doing well. |
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IMO, since he had infection from all of this, which could of been far more serious, something had to be done emediately. If it had gotten to the point of losing the yorkie's life, or losing a leg, then cetainly you had made the right decsion. I hope Moses feels better soon so he can run and play, and be happy. I feel badly that there was not anther alternative then to amputate. |
For any interested, it's been a month since the amputation. Moses is fine. He runs like crazy, plays, eats well and is a normal little puppy. If I hadn't just spent $2000 in January trying to save the life of my other yorkie, it would have been much easier for me to spend what ever was needed to save his leg. But, there is only so much money to spend, even with CareCredit. I hope no one else has to make the decision between going further in debt or not when it comes to the health of their pet. I feel we made the right decision and expect this guy to live a good, long life. |
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And I am not sure if I will ever get over the bad taste in my mouth from some. Our prayers are still with you and the boy!! :thumbup: |
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