Lily broke her leg!

[Lily]

My poor little girl broke her leg last night jumping at the baby gate. She must have fallen on it strangely or something because one minute it was paws over the gate, barking with excitement and the next she was on the ground and yelping. We took her to the emergency clinic right away and they took some X-Rays and 8 hours later we have her home in a pink fiberglass cast with purple hearts glued on by the technician.

Tomorrow she has to go in for surgery and a recasting at our home vet. My girl is zonked out in her crate right now with pain medication and all cuddled up in her blankets.

I don't even know how to begin to handle this! I know we will get more information tomorrow at the vet but I'm worrying about how we're going to help her go to the bathroom, eat, manage her pain... everything! She's only 13 weeks old and I feel just terrible that she has to go through this. I'm worn out from the vet visit and I just want her to be okay. I know she will be fine eventually but I feel awful for her.

Does anyone have any experience with broken bones in pets? And advice, support... anything... would be greatly appreciated!!!

[Cami Jacobs]

Hi, I’m very sorry to hear this. My doodle also broke her growth plate. She was around the same age. She had just jumped up on a tile landing chasing a ball and whipped out. It was such a normal crash for a puppy but she hit it just right. It was her front leg. If you look at some of her pictures you can tell there is a little curve at the bottom of her right leg. It can be hard to see since she is so fluffy but when she gets wet it is very evident. Thankfully you caught it so early that you probably won’t have the same problems we had. Finley only yelped once and then went back to playing. She would limp every now and then so I took her to the vet the next day and he didn’t see anything. Unfortunately, we had just moved to Houston (from Kansas City) and had a new vet. After a week I was convinced it looked crooked so we took her to a different vet and they diagnosed it. Then we got hit by hurricane Ike so that pushed the surgery back a couple more days. The whole thing was a big mess. I feel like a terrible mom for not getting a second opinion right away. I’m not a medical expert but this is what I think I was told. The break caused her ulna to stop growing while her radius kept growing. Since she was growing so fast this caused her leg to start to curve out. They had to go in and cut the ulna in half. They put a pin in and left a gap hoping it would help straighten her leg out and catch up with the radius. They didn’t cast it after the surgery; just wrapped it in a bandage. They gave us pain pills and we had to restrict all activities. The pain pills will keep her pretty zonked for the first week. I think it ended up being between 1-2 months that we had to restrict her. This was the hardest part. She was such an active puppy. She really wanted to play with her brothers. We bought her a bunch of toys and treats during this time to keep her busy. She also became an expert on all tricks that didn’t include moving. To this day she is the best hand shaker I know! Luckily, everything turned out great. She runs around like a crazy person again and never limps. I’m sure it is probably going to rear its ugly head again when she gets older but for now she is fine. Sorry this is so long. I hope everything works out great for Lily.

I don't have any of her recovery pictures with me at work. But this is her being restricted watching her brothers play. By the way. It took FOREVER for the hair on her leg to grow back.

[Michele Barton]

Oh, poor Lily, I am so sorry this has happened to her. Never had a dog with a broken bone, but my old beloved lab was born with hip displaysia and had to have a total hip replacement at 1 year old. He was laid up for 10 weeks, absolutely no exercise allowed. I spent many many hours sitting with him on the floor and holding his chew bone while he gnawed away. We formed a bond stronger than any I'd ever had with a dog. Something good from something bad. I'm sure Lily won't be laid up nearly that long, but I just wanted to tell you this to let you know that caring for an injured pup can be a positive experience for you both. Get well soon, Lily!

[Lily]

Thank you SO SO much for all the support, everyone! It is so nice to read. :) Thanks to every single one of you!!

Lily did wonderfully through her surgery. There were no complications at all! She does have pins, plates and wires in her leg (OUCH) but the vet said that as of this morning is is already fully weight bearing on it which is amazing! Her words were that she was "bouncing around in her crate like a yo-yo"... so it's wonderful to hear she still has her doodle spunk! They're going to keep her a couple more days to keep an eye on her and make sure everything is healing well but I am so thrilled with how it's gone.

Can't wait to have my girl home again! :D

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

She's going to be okay! I am glad the surgery went well. I bet you are excited to have her home. It is very weird around the house when our dogs are away, so I know how that feels!

[Debbie and Toby]

How is Lily doing since her surgery for her brokern leg?