My ALD, Aylah, fractured her foot! I would love some advice.

[Sandra Griffith]

The day after Christmas my 13 year old human child accidently dropped a heavy object on my 12 week old miniature ALD puppy's left hing leg!! She cried like crazy and although she walked on it afterwards, I decided to take her to the vet just to be safe. She was so good during her examination that the vet didn't think that it was broken but decided to x-ray just to be safe. She had two fractures on two of her toes, one diagonal fracture near a growth plate in one of the bones of her ankle and one tiny little chip. The vet wrapped her leg (it looks likes a cast but isn't), put her in an Elizabethan collar, and told us to keep her quiet while it was healing. She goes back in today for rebandaging and will need to be rebandaged weekly whilst healing. Within minutes she had figured out how to flipped the Elizabethan collar around, chewed off the tabs that hold it together, and had the whole thing off. Keeping her quiet is virtually impossible- she was definitely the most energetic and smartest in the litter (the breeder's words). We want her to be well socialized and to work as a therapy dog. My questions are these: how do I balance her socialization and training with her healing.? Any suggestions on balancing her healing with her energy level? Any suggestions with bandage chewing? Lastly does anyone have any advice on nutritional support with helping her heal? The vet feels optimistic that growing will not be hindered.

[Leslie J]

I hope that Aylah is feeling better! Maybe this product would work so you can avoid the Elizabethan collar http://www.crazypetshop.com/store/p/89-Indoor-Bitter-End-Spray-16-o... (I don't know about the web-store, I am only recommending the product). It really tastes bad!!!

I think that you should be able to socialize her without a problem. Invite people over to hold her, pet her, look at her paws and ears. Ian Dunbar recommends that 100 people interact with your puppy during weeks 8 - 16. We used to invite families over to have a meal, meet the puppy and visit with us! I think we came pretty close to 100 people including relatives and neighbors. We're so glad we introduced her to so many people as now she is comfortable around almost everyone- children, men, people with special needs, etc. Cocoa gets carsick, so most of her visiting was at home and on walks (which of course poor Aylah can't do!).

I have no idea what to do about the active part! Perhaps keep her tethered on a leash near you- then she won't be lonely but can't run around so much. My neighbor had the same thing happen to her Bishon Frishe when she was a puppy (her husband accidentally stepped on her paw) and her dog was fine and well socialized despite the injury. Aylah sure is adorable!

[shelly]

Oh! I'm so sorry to hear about Aylah's foot fracture!!! I like Leslie's idea of inviting people over. I wish I had known about the 100 people theory when we got Tori! I think that would have helped with her reactions to strangers when they come over now. If we could only turn back the hands of time!!! Wishing her a speedy recovery!!!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I would keep her in a dog pen (rather than a crate), that you move from room to room so that she can be near you but can't jump on things. The down side is that the muscles atrophy really, really fast from the inactivity and I haven't figured out what you can do other than wait until she is healed to build them back up again. When our dog had surgery and had the leg bandaged and we were supposed to keep it dry, I kept a child's sock on his foot covering that part of the bandage. I also used a doggy poop bag on his foot under the sock when we went out to pee or poop (then I could just peel off the wet sock and put a dry one on).

[Cheryl & Matey & Checkers]

Oh, I am so sorry for all of you. When Matey my now 2.5 year old ALD was 13 weeks old I closed the car door on his foot and broke his toe. He did the same thing as your pup, cried lots and then walked on it. They xrayed then casted his right rear leg. We also told to keep him quiet and his leg dry. He too found that he could position his head just right and pick away at the cast and did so after we all went to bed. Back to the vet the next morning, for another cast and a bigger Elizabethan collar. Because of the cast I was able to take him on short walks after 2 weeks. To keep it clean and dry I put my son's old short cotton sock over the cast (it usually had a hole in it after a few short walks). We went through lots of socks but we kept up with the socialization and dog classes. We also went on lots of car rides for added stimulation. He healed without any problems and can out run many a dog and has also passed his CGC training.

[Sandra Griffith]

Thank you everyone for your kind suggestions. We've put on a child's sock (held on loosely with some masking tape) which is helping to keep the bandage cleaner. She has been well socialized with people, but we had been working on her socializing with other dogs. She started screaming at her first puppy class (although she was fine with allof the dogs at the breeder's house) so we were aiming for 100 dogs by the time she was 16-18 weeks old. We had gotten up to 30 dogs and she was improving so beautifully. I'm not sure what we can do about this now with Aylah's injury- any suggestions are welcome. The vet had suggested a collar that looks like a sleeve (they sell them at Pet Edge). Has any one tried these? I'm going to order the Bitter End spray and see if that helps.

[DeeDee and Sheila]

Poor baby. (meaning you, too). You know, I didn't know all of these socialization rules by so and so a date when I raised my last lab from a pup. We brought her home, had her around the family and neighbor kids, etc. But I had a deaf 8 yr old and a 10 yr old and didn't have time to get Sandy right to puppy class, I trained her at home, and did walks and took her with me places in the car. But the kids kept her active. I didn't start taking her to the park until 3 months or so. And she was the most beautifully adjusted dog I've ever had. I know we know alot more now, but I wouldn't worry so much. Just having kids and action and put her in the car w/ you will be plenty until she heals up.

[Lona and Bogart]

I don't have any answers to your questions, but I just want to tell you how sorry I am that you are going through this! May I share this? When my human children were 2,4 & 7, we baby sat a tiny tiny Pomeranian. She jumped off the couch and broke her leg. The owner wouldn't take her home!!! Turns out she really didn't want her. She was in a full cast up to her "arm pit". I had to sit her in the grass to "go out". One day we noticed a terrible odor. My 7 year old picked her up, looked in the top of the cast, found terrible scabs and sores and methodically cleaned the whole thing out and rebandaged it. I didn't even want to touch it. My daughter now is a 33 hear old eye surgeon. I credit the little dog with starting the whole thing!!!

[Sandra Griffith]

What a great story!! Here's an update on Aylah. We went to the vet yesterday and she said (after xraying her) that the fractures appear to have healed already! She wants us to keep her quiet for one more week just to be safe and then she can resume her regular activities. She no longer is splinted. It's only been 10 days!! They really do heal quickly at this young age. I would like to thank everyone for all of your kind suggestions. The socks really helped as did the bitter stuff. I felt so guilty about this happening. I should have been watching my 13 year old more closely. But in the end, it appears that everything's alright.

[DeeDee and Sheila]

Oh I am so happy to hear about little Aylah. I just knew the good Lord would not see fit for your daughter to have to watch her limp for be hurt from a simple mistake. Sandra, it could happen to ANY of us. You can't feel guilty about this. But I am so glad you shared with us your painful experience. My 24 yr. old deaf daughter will be on college break one week after Sheila comes home. Even with 2 implants, she can't hear what is happening behind her. I will have to be extra vigilant. I wouldn't even have been alerted to how small and delicate these puppies are at the beginning because I've always had gigantic hunting dogs. So the wheel turns. Aylah is fine and your story goes out on the airwaves of life and helps others. Way Cool!!

[DeeDee and Sheila]

What a blessing stories like these are. God does have his ways. My oldest daughter bonded to our first dog, but our second lab, Sandy, was her playmate while I worked with my other daughter Lauren, who was deaf. My Sandy the dog helped raise my girls and was our beloved pet for 13 yrs. My daughter became a vet, as she said that after watching her sister go through 15 operations, she would rather work with animals. We never know in totality what these pets do for our families. Your daughter's story brings tears to my eyes. I'd let her treat my Lauren any day. Both of our daughters have empathy, which is lacking in so many doctors, I hate to say.