Guest zoolaine Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 After her nap last evening, Zali got up and refused to put weight on her back, left leg. She didn't seem like she was in very much pain - still biting and playing just hoping around on three legs. She couldn't get up on the bed last night so I put her up there. She had no interest in getting up to go out in the middle of the night with the boys and she gave a puppy GSOD when I tried to gently move her off of my pillow when I got back from letting the boys out. This morning she was better but still limping around so I took her to the vet and x-rays showed a fractured toe. It is a weight bearing toe and the vet said the gold standard is splinting it but since she was doing so well the splinting may cause more problems. I remember all the problems Baby Gus had a few months ago so I opted to skip the splint. What do you guys think - would you splint a 6 month old puppy? Also, she was supposed to start obedience class on Oct 15th, should I still go (without the free/play time of course) or try to get her in a latter class - it would probably be December or January before she could get in. Any advice on trying to keep her from "running, jumping, playing" for the next 4 weeks? When I was at the vet, I was like "I gotta go ask the other GTers before I decide" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greytful4 Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 My girl broke that exact same toe on her hind leg. She was splinted and did get a pressure sore. Her toe never did heal right, it lays flat, while her other toes knuckle up. I'd just keep it in a soft bandage, Zali will know when she can put weight on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greyt2love Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 What is it with these puppies and their toes ? Hopefully, Marlee misses this fad !!!! Be a good girl and let it heal, Zali sweetie !! Marlee and Miss Deb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TheDoggfather Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 What is it with these puppies and their toes ? Hopefully, Marlee misses this fad !!!! Be a good girl and let it heal, Zali sweetie !! Marlee and Miss Deb We deal with this allllll the time on the farm Well, not ALL the time, but, every now and then Seeing as how she's so young and not going to be racing, it's not going to have much, if any, effect on her day to day life. Of course, I'm saying that not having seen the extent of the break, but, by and large, it's a pretty benign issue with most dogs that this happens to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xan Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 Brilly had the same toe break, we splinted, he got sores, they were talking amputation ... we stopped the splinting on our own after something like 8 weeks. He still has scars from the sores, and his toe sticks up just a tad, but apparently causes him absolutely no functional problems or pain. It's a tough call, but if I had another pup break a toe, I think I'd just keep him/her more or less calm for several weeks, and just let it heal (assuming it wasn't really out of place, I suppose). Good luck! Quote My Inspirations: Grey Pogo, borzoi Katie, Meep the cat, AND MY BELOVED DH!!!Missing Rowdy, Coco, Brilly, Happy and Wabi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SusanP Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 Spinner with his own messed up toe sends his sympathies to Zali. Spinner's nail pulled out and the bone was amputated at the end. He's just wearing a padded bandage, but it doesn't sound quite the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Vinnie Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 Oh no, Zali! Baby Gus votes no splint! Or if you do splint, don't let them do the tall splint, make sure there is tons of padding before the splint gets placed and you will need to check to make sure it does not move, get wet, chewed on or outgrown - which at this age is very difficult to do. Part of Gus' problem was the splint moved and caused the horrendous pressure sore that they were afraid was going to eat into and through his bone - I still have nightmares. I don't think I would ever splint again unless they could guarantee no issues! Gus' toe still is crooked but healed and his paw is just now starting to knuckle up again. We hope that as his chest expands and he runs more, his wrist will turn back correctly. As for keeping them quiet ...... if you pm me with your email, I can send an article over that helped with ideas that was sent to us by another gt'er. And for the class - as long as she does not cause more pain walking on it, I would say take her to the class, it may expend some of the energy she has in the class so she will be quieter at home for you. It may also give you short lessons to work on with her to keep her mind active at home with learning the things she needs to. Gus sends lots of nosey kisses, amongst his pouty lips as that means he has to wait to come play! All of us send quick healing thoughts (with a pup, supposed to be about 4 weeks), hugs and scritches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BooMooandDoo Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 Mazie broke her toe and was in a splint for approximately 3 days before I returned to the vet and they removed it. Then it was keep her comfortable and limit exercise for the next 3 weeks. I would definitely go for NO SPLINT! Her toe is crooked, but it doesn't effect her walking or running or causing pure chaos in our house Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest redreed Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 I have no experience on this one but I just remember all that poor baby Gus went through. So I just wanted to send you and Zali lots of good thoughts and prayers!! And of course, Spyder has to jump in and send very sloppy, double fanged nibbles and a couple of good sloppy kisses!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2zeus Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 Puppies and broken toes must go together. Bear broke his front toe when he was about 4 months old. We splinted and he healed up fine. But we also had the splint changed every 4-5 days. Then 2 months later he broke the SAME toe again. At that point our vet said we could either have it repaired with hardware or amputate the toe. Our vet was honest and said that with Bears activity level (yes he's hyper) that the hardware would most likely not hold up and it would be a long recovery. So we opted to amputate the toe and Bear recoverd very fast from that and hasn't had any problems with his toes since. As for the running, jumping and playing, we gave up really fast. Bear was NOT going to be quiet. We didn't let him run fullout outside but in the house we let him play like he always did. If it hurt he stopped. And I would wait on the obedience class. It's hard enough to keep a puppy's attention without adding an injury to the mix. Quote Trish, Thorpe, Thorton, Solstice and RemyCome see us at Milkys Greyt Goodies Fleece coats, cool-down coats, pajamas and Scrunchies for the well dressed greyhound Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest trevdog Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 No splinting here either! Wrap it if needed. Being a puppy, she's going to do what she feels like doing as long as it doesn't hurt. Dallas broke/sprained her her toe a few months ago. She was limping for a few days but fine about a week later. You can still see it looks a little differnet than the others. Trevor broke his at an older age, they splinted and he got nasty pressure sores from it. It took much longer for them to heal than his toe. And it was still crooked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greysmom Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 Dude broke one of his middle toes on his hind foot and because of how it fractured we had to amputate. He was splinted, he did get sores, he had a month of weekly bandage changes. Here's a picture: He's perfectly fine now, and runs and plays like normal. If I had to do it again (please God no!) I would make different choices. The amputation was a given in our situation, but I think I might try and manage him at home otherwise. If you're comfortable doing that then you should consider it. greysmom Quote Chris - Mom to: Felicity (DeLand), and Andi (Braska Pandora) siggy by Chris Harper, on Flickr Angels: Libby (Everlast), Dorie (Dog Gone Holly), Dude (TNJ VooDoo), Copper (Kid's Copper), Cash (GSI Payncash), Toni (LPH Cry Baby), Whiskey (KT's Phys Ed), Atom, Lilly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest zoolaine Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 So far Zali seems to be doing fine without the splint. She HATES only being allowed outside on the leash with mother in tow. In the house she is still playing and acting like a goofball, "no running" has become the most used phrase in the house. She still limps but no crying or GSODs. I am so glad to have you guys as a resource to figure out what is best for her. Thanks again for all your input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest redreed Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 Glad to hear she's doing okay!!!! Please keep us updated on her and give her some little ear nibbles from Spydie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.