Broken Toe

[mangos_mom]

Takoda, my fuzzy lurcher boy, decided that we didn't have enough excitement headed our way today with Hurricance Ike sideswiping Dallas - he decided to test my emergency preparedness in another way...

 

Since the bad weather from Ike wasn't due here until afternoon, I decided to take my two and the foster I have this weekend over to our dog park to let them stretch their legs before becoming housebound at least until tomorrow. Mango and Temerity, the foster, both full greyhounds, took off running at one point and Takoda went after them. Except, his hind legs aren't very strong (for reasons unknown to me - but being kept under watch by me and my vet). He tried to corner when the girls did, but his legs got too far under him and he almost went over backward. Instead, he caught himself, but paid a dear price, breaking the far right toe on his right front paw.

 

Fortunately, my vet is open on Saturday mornings, so off we went. They showed me the x-ray - it's a complete break, diagonal across the toe bone between the first and second knuckle (Phalanx 1 according to Care of the Racing and Retired Greyhound). They splinted and wrapped it, and warned me they might want to go in and put a plate in - they'll contact me Monday on that.

 

All that said, my question at the moment is: what can I expect next, and what should I keep an eye out for? The vet gave me Rimadyl - she called it an anti-inflammatory, but I know from here that it's given for pain, too- to give him every 12 hours.

 

The biggest problem I've had this afternoon is that Takoda generally doesn't lay on the floor. He's either on the couch or on my bed. I know he's not supposed to be jumping up on them, but I can't seem to catch him before he does. I guess I can attach him to me to prevent that when I can't keep an eye on him, but I don't want to make him move more than he has to either.

 

And when I'm at work, I'm guessing I will need to crate him? I have an ex-pen I can set up, but I don't know how he'll take it as I've never crated him in the 6 months I've had him.

 

I'm open to suggestions? I'm trying not to worry - understanding what to expect goes a long way for me to allaying that worry.

 

Thanks.

[kamsmom]

I have no advice Kate but wanted to let you know that I will be thinking of Tacoda tonight. (btw- we need pictures of that cute boy )

[Guest greytful4]

My girl did the very same thing only at a fun run on a sand based horse arena. This was in May.She was one of the first dogs out and as she turned the corner her head bobbed, but she kept on running. When I was finally able to catch her her, her toe was wobbling and bleeding a little. By the time I loaded her in the car it was bleeding like a faucet plus the toe was swelling and off at an odd angle. She had a spiral fracture in three places. It took a looooooooooong time for it to heal. She also was in a splint and on pain meds for about the first week.There is two schools of thought about splinting though. Some feel it will heal on it's own and some feel splinting is a good thing in some cases.She developed a pressure sore from having it on too long. In retrospect, I wished I would have had them taken it off after about four weeks and gone into a soft bandage. her toe never did heal right, but she still does her nightly zoomies! Hugs to your fella!

[mangos_mom]

I have no advice Kate but wanted to let you know that I will be thinking of Tacoda tonight. (btw- we need pictures of that cute boy )

 

I'm trying - it didn't work here, so I went over to Cute and Funny, but everytime I try to open a new topic there, my 'puter locks up. Grrrr...

[robinw]

Make sure the bandages don't get wet. I put heavy plastic, used IV bags over Loca's broken toe and still had difficulty keeping it dry. If it gets damp, you risk an infection. Since adopting Loca, she broke her leg (fractured three metatarsal bones ) and then broke her toe a year later. It took longer for her toe to hela because of the difficulty keeping it dry and the infection that followed due to dampness.

 

btw, she didn't have a splint.

 

 

 

[mangos_mom]

Make sure the bandages don't get wet. I put heavy plastic, used IV bags over Loca's broken toe and still had difficulty keeping it dry.

 

Yep - the vet assistant on today made sure to get me an IV bag to cover the "cast". And the vet told me about the risk of infection if it gets wet, so I'm working real hard to make sure it doesn't get wet.

 

Wow, Loca's bandage didn't go all the way up. Takoda's got all the way to his elbow. I was surprised when they brought him back to me.

[mangos_mom]

 

 

I figured out what I was doing wrong here in H&M. Here's my sad boy this afternoon with his 'cast'.

 

[kamsmom]

Awww, he is adorable! He does look a bit sad. Hopefully he will heal quickly and be back to playing in no time.

[Guest GreysAndMoreGreys]

As Robin said try your best to make sure it doesn't get wet. Also I'm not sure on how long you vet suggested before you come back for a bandage change but I'm a HUGE fan of re-wrapping the leg every 3 or 4 days. That way if something funky is going on under that bandage you will no about it before it gets out of hand.

 

As far as a plate for a toe, well I wouldn't go that route. I would just remove the toe if it doesn't set properly.

The rehab from a plate will more than likely take longer than if they amputate the toe.

 

Don't worry yourself too much about if he jumps on the couch or bed. He knows his toe is hurt so when he jumps up I'm betting he's holding that foot up. Most do with injuries like that.

 

Also are any of the toes exposed with the wrap he has now? Sometimes it's best to leave toes exposed so you can see if there is any swelling or infection going on.

 

good thoughts for you both and I hope recovery is smooth sailing

[Guest Vinnie]

I am so sorry to hear about Takoda - and that photo - looks just like our puppy Gus did 2 months ago - here is the link: http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php?showtopic=204525&hl= followed by our follow-up thread due to the pressure sore caused by the splint: http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php?showtopic=206491&hl=

 

If we had to do it again - we would never have let them splint him. His toe is still crooked but healed and the wound from the pressure sore has finally healed - but his foot is still turned out and flat - though they say it will get straighter once his foot starts knuckling up again from running and more walking.

 

Our best suggestion is to make sure to watch him - if he is limping too much or you have noticed movement of the splint - take him back in for a quick re-check. We used a long tube sock over the whole foot and splint - that way we could change quickly if dirty or wet and he left the splint and vet tape alone.

 

We had issues keeping him from jumping around - he likes to fly through the air - splint and all, all four paws off the ground and jumping as high as my head - and I'm 5'6"! He learned quickly what easy and slow meant though, which helped. Hoping Takoda heals quickly and without any problems - will keep our fingers crossed that he won't need any surgery for pins or anything. Will keep you in our thoughts and prayers - sending hugs and scritches.

[mangos_mom]

Also are any of the toes exposed with the wrap he has now? Sometimes it's best to leave toes exposed so you can see if there is any swelling or infection going on.

 

Yes, they left the very tips of the center two toes, and their pads, exposed and told me to keep an eye on them for signs of swelling. So far so good.

 

Vinne, thanks for sharing your experience. I'm going to go back right now and read your threads. I don't get much time on GT these days, so I read what I can, but I miss a lot.

 

So far, we're managing. I need to get the schedule down on the Rimadyl - the vet told me to give him one when I got him home yesterday, and the scrip says to give every 12 hours - that's okay on weekends but I won't be here to give it on work days, so I need to alter it today somehow. I've gated off the bedroom because the bed is high, but I've decided not to worry about the couch because he basically slides on and off of it anyway. He was most disappointed to miss his walk this morning. Oh, how he wanted to try - I took him out on the front lawn just to give him a view of something other than the backyard. He wanted to keep on going.

 

I'll do my best to keep you posted. My vet group is very good, but the vet I saw yesterday is the newest addition. If I don't hear from one of the two partners tomorrow, I'll call them. I also already have an appointment on Friday afternoon anyway for some unrelated follow-ups on both dogs, so I'm not too terribly worried on that front.

 

Thanks everyone for your advice and well wishes!

[Guest LynnM]

Don't think about plating it.... it's an exercise of extracting money from your checking account, nothing more.

 

If it's that bad that splinting is ineffective, amputation is the best option. There's not enough blood supply to make plating practical, and in the worst cases, the introduction of a place against such small bones causes the bones to resorb... not a good thing. Additionally, the outside toes do not bear weight- they're used for stability control only in dogs. In fact, oftentimes when one breaks, it's amputated as a matter of course, because it's considerably easier than dealing with splints (you'll find out in a couple of weeks what a PITA splints can be).

 

If it was my own dog and he broke an outside toe, I'd wrap it until Monday, give pain meds, take him to the vet on Monday and get rid of the thing. Keep it simple.

 

Of course, I'm not a vet.

 

Lynn

 

ETA, re what you wrote about Rimadyl. It can be given as a once per day dosage. Cosult with your vet, of course. But, for example, a 75 mg twice per day, can be given as 150 mg, once per day. In these cases especially, it's good to give something like Pepcid. Talk with your vet.

 

Lynn

Edited September 14, 2008 by LynnM

[Hubcitypam]

Don't think about plating it.... it's an exercise of extracting money from your checking account, nothing more.

No way in heck would I plate a broken toe.

Buck broke one of his front toes very badly and my vet wrapped it and refused to splint it. He may be on crack, but he said he'd rather have a broken toe than moving the pressure up the leg and having a possibility of a fractured leg.

Whatever, Buck favored that paw for about 3 weeks and has been fine ever since. He also is missing one of his backs that was amputated while he was racing. I laugh I should get a discount on pedicures.

[Guest trevdog]

I 2nd the being careful about the splint. Trevor broke his toe and I had it splinted. He was a mess a few days later, it shifted somehow and he got awful, infected pressure sores from it all over his leg. We had to change his bandages every 2 days and it took months to heal, the toe was healed way before those sores were. And guess what it didn't heal straight anyhow. Just keep an eye on it, keep it wrapped and dry. I don't think I'd keep it splinted very long either. Just try and keep him quiet for a week or so if possible and no walks except to potty for a few weeks.

Edited September 14, 2008 by trevdog

[mangos_mom]

Thanks for the input re plating. I will definitely keep it in mind when discussing things with my vet.

[Hubcitypam]

Just a thought...if you broke one of your toes would you have a plate put in?

[Guest greytfulhounds]

Oh, NO!!! I just saw this!! Poor Takoda!! Please give that sweet boy extra hugs and kisses from me. Praying for a speedy and uneventful recovery for him.

 

[mangos_mom]

Just a thought...if you broke one of your toes would you have a plate put in?

 

 

Nope. I thought it was pretty strange that they were suggesting that. It's one of the reasons I came here asking questions.

 

Oh, NO!!! I just saw this!! Poor Takoda!! Please give that sweet boy extra hugs and kisses from me. Praying for a speedy and uneventful recovery for him.

 

 

 

He's getting plenty of hugs and kisses from me because he's so good with the Eyeore-eyes!

[greysmom]

Dude broke a middle toe on his hind foot in May. They went in and amputated it - I would think that splinting/plating would be more trouble and money than it's worth. His amputation healed slick as a whistle in two weeks. But the splint cause an infection and pressure sores that needed extended weekly follow up care for 6 more weeks.

 

Dude sounds the same as your Takoda - very active bouncy boys! Dude quickly learned the 3-legged hop (though I think it's easier with a hurt back foot than front one) and he could actually go as fast on 3 legs as he could on 4. I kept him as quiet as I could - but he still got on his chair and the bed - upstairs no less! - and was generally pretty mobile all through. He actually hopped on 3 legs for several weeks after the splint and bandage came off until he realized he could use that foot again.

 

I did have to muzzle Dude when I was away from the house to keep him from tearing at his splint, but he was a good boy mostly. Keeping it dry is the major issue and that includes spit! No licking allowed!

 

Dude is now all better and runs just like normal. His 3-toed foot looks a little strange but he soens't know any different.

 

Good thoughts for your boy!

greysmom

[Guest RocketDog]

that's the same toe Cassie broke, and our vet didn't have us wrap it or do anything other than keep her quiet for 8 weeks. I'm going to get a second opinion on removing the toe, since there is some obvious calcification of the joint that leads to discomfort after long periods of standing, or long walks/runs. My vet had an orthopedic specialist examine her foot and the radiographs we had taken after the injury, and he suggested just 'dealing' with it by not letting her run - but who honestly wants to make a 3 year old greyhound sit out on zoomies?! I'd rather amputate and let 'em run pain-free...

[Guest vahoundlover]

Kate, I am sorry to hear this! Sending lots of quick, uneventful healing thoughts to your handsome fella.

[mangos_mom]

Takoda is hanging in there. Except for the clunk-clunk of his splint, you'd never know there was anything wrong. He's such a stoic guy!

 

My vet called me first thing this morning (I love my vet!), and told me everything that you all had already prepared me for. He doesn't believe in hardware for a toe break. His method is usually just wrapping the toes, but since it's been splinted, we'll see how it goes this week. He wants us in weekly for a check on it, and at 21 days, he'll x-ray again. Since I already had an appointment Friday for follow-up on some other things, we're all set for this week. I'll ask about pressure sores and such when I talk to the vet face-to-face.

 

Takoda isn't doing the 3-legged strut, but since getting feedback from all of you, I've been watching him and noticed that when he jumps up on the couch or the bed, he holds that splinted leg out in front of him, just like you said! Who said dogs are dumb? I went back to gating off the bedroom though because he was just jumping too much there. Fortunately, other than getting excited at walk time and meal time, he's really a laid back guy.

 

The biggest problem I'm having is keeping the bandages dry because Takoda tends to pee on his front feet - always has. I put the IV bag on religiously, but I noticed this morning when I went to take it off, that it was wet around the top. So, I'm definitely going to go the sock route, if for no other reason than to add a layer of protection! Gotta love those boys, huh?

 

Thanks again for all your input. It made the call from my vet so much easier this morning because I was prepared for everything he said. You guys are great!