Guest Raelen Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 During the storm yesterday we had a short break in the downpour so I let all the dogs ouside. After only about 1 min we hear the GSOD. I go running outside and my heart drops like a rock. Raelen is holding up her front right foot and the leg is bent at a 90 degree angle. I scream for John who scoops her up and I get the other dogs inside and grab my keys. We are at the emergency vet in under 10 min. I'm attempting not to panic but the leg looked horrendous. They got her on some pain meds and took some x-rays. No sign of cancer and no fractures. She completely dislocated the wrist. They sedated her and reset it. She's now in a spoon splint and back home. The real issue is that the ligaments on the wrist have been torn so it's off to see an orthopaedic specialist as the vet warned me that the chance it heals on it's own without recurring dislocations is slim. So I'm going to try and get the opinion of a surgeon I've worked with before. All my research online tells me the vet was probably right and we'll probably need to fuse some of the wrist bones together surgically (athrodesis). Depending on how bad the surgeon feels it is will depend on how many bones get fused together. Most of the reviews online say they jump back fairly quickly from this. Anyone dealt with this type of injury before? Raelen btw is 6 years old and healthy. She's on some pain meds and anti-inflammatories. So far she kept a bit of food down last night but regurgitated her breakfast this morning along with most of her pills. She's in a gated off small room on a soft bed and wrapped in a blanket. She isn't moving much. We are keeping a close eye on her. But she has not done her business yet either. They gave us a cut off end of an IV bag to loop over the splint and I must admit the heavy plastic works well to keep it dry when we take her outside. She's getting carried mostly, when she does hobble she drags the leg behind her. A very scary weekend... But now it's on to fixing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houndtime Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 Oh Julie, I just so hope that she will be fine. Quote Irene Ullmann w/Flying Odin and Mama Mia in Lower Delaware Angels Brandy, John E, American Idol, Paul, Fuzzy and Shine Handcrafted Greyhound and Custom Clocks http://www.houndtime.com Zoom Doggies-Racing Coats for Racing Greyhounds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
45MPHK9 Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 No advice. Just sending hugs to you and to Raelen. Hope she heals quickly. Quote Tricia with Kyle, our senior mutt dog Always missing Murray Maldives, Bee Wiseman, River, Hopper, Kaia, and Holly Oaks Holly“You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.“ -Bob Dylan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greytkidsmom Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 Poor Ralen! No experience here either but sounds like she is in good hands and you have a good plan to find out what's next. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macoduck Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 Therapaws can custom-make a wrist support for her at a reasonable price. It might help with long term support. Quote Freshy (Droopys Fresh), NoAh the podenco orito, Howie the portuguese podengo maneto Angels: Rita the podenco maneta, Lila, the podenco, Mr X aka Denali, Lulu the podenco andaluz, Hada the podenco maneta, Georgie Girl (UMR Cordella), Charlie the iggy, Mazy (CBR Crazy Girl), Potato, my mystery ibizan girl, Allen (M's Pretty Boy), Percy (Fast But True), Mikey (Doray's Patuti), Pudge le mutt, Tessa the iggy, Possum (Apostle), Gracie (Dusty Lady), Harold (Slatex Harold), "Cousin" Simon our step-iggy, Little Dude the iggy ,Bandit (Bb Blue Jay), Niña the galgo, Wally (Allen Hogg), Thane (Pog Mo Thoine), Oliver (JJ Special Agent), Comet, & Rosie our original mutt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batmom Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 No advice or experience, but best wishes for a full recovery. What a scary, freak accident! Quote Star aka Starz Ovation (Ronco x Oneco Maggie*, litter #48538), Coco aka Low Key (Kiowa Mon Manny x Party Hardy, litter # 59881), and mom in IllinoisWe miss Reko Batman (Trouper Zeke x Marque Louisiana), 11/15/95-6/29/06, Rocco the thistledown whippet, 04/29/93-10/14/08, Reko Zema (Mo Kick x Reko Princess), 8/16/98-4/18/10, the most beautiful girl in the whole USA, my good egg Joseph aka Won by a Nose (Oneco Cufflink x Buy Back), 09/22/2003-03/01/2013, and our gentle sweet Gidget (Digitizer, Dodgem by Design x Sobe Mulberry), 1/29/2006-11/22/2014, gone much too soon. Never forgetting CJC's Buckshot, 1/2/07-10/25/10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maggiespet Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 Julie - no advise but i sure hope sweet Raelen is on the mend soon. What a scary thing - her foot bent the wrong way!!! Good for you for keeping your head. hugs to you all. Quote http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g240/mtbucket/siggies/Everyday-2.jpgJane - forever servant to the whims and wishes of Maggie (L's Magnolia of JCKC) and Sam the mutt pup.[/b] She's classy, sassy and a bit smart assy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest FullMetalFrank Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 Ouch, poor girl. That sounds awfully painful! I hope she heals well and if she does need surgery, that it goes easily for her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greyhead Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 She's lucky to have such a smart mom! So sorry you and she are going through this. Quote Mary with Jumper Jack (2/17/11) and angels Shane (PA's Busta Rime, 12/10/02 - 10/14/16) and Spencer (Dutch Laser, 11/25/00 - 3/29/13). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Raelen Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 Yep, looks like we will need surgery to fuse the wrist bones together. They'll basically be removing the cartilage in the wrist and placing a plate from the weight bearing bone in her leg to the bone which would be her middle finger. When it heals back it will act more like bone than a joint. She'll lose all flexibility but it will be stable enough to allow her to run and play again and without pain. Not much else we can do as it's highly unlikley that the joint will ever be strong enough to support any weight again without surgery. Obviously it's not cheap... Sigh... Her surgery is scheduled for Thurs. After that it's back after 3 days for a post-op appt. Then back for bandage and splint changes every 1 - 2 weeks for 8 weeks. The hope is after 8 weeks we can remove the splint. Thanks for the Therapaws link. Once we get through the 8 weeks after surgery I think it might be worth it to invest in something to help support. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rickiesmom Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 (edited) Good luck with the surgery. My whippet Rickie had partial carpal fusion surgery in 2004 - because they didn't have to fuse the entire joint he retained fairly good flexibility. We had a long recovery - long after he should have been out of the splint he was still limping. They thought the plate was rubbing tendons in the foot so decided to go in and remove the plate. Turns out a screw in the plate had also come loose. In any event, once the plate was out he healed well. We did some underwater treadmill therapy to build him up again and truly, you would never know today he'd had it done. Your outcome may be more restrictive because of the more extensive fusion, but it's well worth it. My main caution - be sure they bandage with tons of padding - you want to avoid "cast sores" at all costs. We never had an issue with them because the vets were very diligent in this regard. As a side note, some people believed (and still may) that metal plates increase the chances of bone cancer. I was consulting all kinds of people before we had the surgery done, and Dr. Radfliffe in Wheeling, who is extremely well regarded, told me that at that time at least, the research did not support the connection. You may want to research this on your own but I wanted to put it out there for reassurance. Finally, because this surgery changes how a dog moves they are more prone to arthritis. You may want to proactively put Raelen on supplements. Our vet recommended Cosequin (now Flexadin) - I think it's called Dasuquin in the US? -and you may choose something else, but the idea is a good one. Rickie does have a bit of arthritis now (he'll be 13 in June) but honestly, his recent corns are much more of a hassle. While he is growing more frail with age Rickie still loves to chase a ball in the backyard (we don't throw far or high) and has never, since it healed, had any issue with that joint. I certainly didn't lure course him after the surgery, not wanting to incur undue stress, but regular play activity and walks have always been fine. Please keep us posted on Thursday and then durin Raelen's recovery. Edited for spelling. Edited April 19, 2011 by Rickiesmom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesiRayMom Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 Prayers for a good outcome on Thurs! Strength for you to get through the next 8 weeks. Quote Blessed is the person who has earned the love of an old dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Raelen Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 Thanks for the info! It's nice to know that others have made it through this. She was a couch potato before this so as long as she can walk and play without pain I'm happy. Good advice on the cast sores. I actually am much more aware now. After our visit to the orthopaedist yesterday I got her home and comfortable and noticed that she had a huge bruise in her armpit around the cast. I was HOT. Basically they made it too long at the ER vet but when I called them back I got attitude that I'd picked a different hospital to go for surgery with. Since she'll only be in it for another 2 days I'm trying to pad the area and keep her from not walking on it as much as possible but man was I MAD! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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