loumabel Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 Apologies as I think this post may ramble on a bit! My Labrador Ben has broken his leg. He had a hip replacement back in September and now unfortunately a very rare side effect is that the femur breaks at the end of the hip implant. He had emergency surgery on Sunday at Fitzpatrick Referrals and I picked him up yesterday. I am just wondering if anyone has had a dog with a broken leg? I am prone to over reacting so am trying to be sensible but his legs seems very very swollen and red and he is crying a lot too. The vet has prescribed Metacam for pain relief but I can only give him this once a day. Any tips or advice would be really appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheeky Chooky Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 Hi Louise, I'm sorry that I don't have any advice to offer but I didn't want to read and run. I'm so sorry to read than Ben is having a really rough time of things, poor lad If it were one of my dogs and they were crying as much as you say Ben is, I'd get straight back on to the Vets. Big hugs to you and Ben *hug* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollyripkim Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 Oh poor Ben, what a worry for you, I do hope he makes a good recovery. To be honest I would go back and ask for stronger painkillers as well. I am sure there must be something stronger to relieve his pain, however I know sometimes if the pain is relieved completely he might be tempted to overdo things which wouldn't be good either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 I would contact the vets re your concerns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loumabel Posted January 29, 2013 Author Share Posted January 29, 2013 I have called the vets and they said this is normal symptoms and not to worry too much as long as he can put his foot down and bear weight then he should be ok. If he gets any worse I will take him back tomorrow, but I really don't want to put him on opiates like he had for the hip op as these sent him mad! I was hoping someone on here would have had a similar experience so I could compare notes and tell me if I am being an overprotective pooch mummy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasperaliceuk Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 Not with a broken leg, but Milo had a front leg procedure at Fitzpatricks to sever and reattach a tendon for the early signs of elbow dysplasia. Lovely place and I'm sure they are giving the best advice. I'm sure they will not mind at all if you contact them with any concerns. If you get a chance to do hydrotherapy once he has healed, take it - smashing facilities. And don't worry, its very easy to be overprotective with our pets, because they just can't communicate with us so we have to go on our own instincts. Certainly a day or two after surgery they will feel miserable and swelling is usually normal. But they usually bounce back surprisingly quickly. Keep us posted on his progress. You just have the fun of keeping him occupied and doing all the little walks when ready. When Milo had his done it was the time we had that huge amount of snow 3 years ago. So his five min walk was literally up to elbows in snow - he just shivered. Mind you it was probably good for the swelling! Sue Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 Sorry, was posting as was flying out of the door earlier. He should be fine on the pain relief that he has been given and your vets will have a good idea of how bad the break was vs the amount of pain he might be in. It is a worry if he is crying though if he is normally a brave dog, some dogs however are not so brave and you know better than anyone whether he is hamming it up a bit. The trouble with pets is weighing up pain control and rest, if all pain is taken away they can charge around and do untold damage. It is early days and he should make rapid progress and be more comfortable very soon. Poor boy sounds like he has been very unlucky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loumabel Posted January 29, 2013 Author Share Posted January 29, 2013 Thanks everyone, the poor love has been through so much and we were just getting back to normal after the hip replacement and bam! this happens. The vet at Fitzpatricks was excellent and so calm when we arrived completely freaking out after an 1 1/2 hour drive with a very poorly dog! we had been in the middle of the big clean out of the eglus when it happened so were both filthy dirty and covered in chicken poo, so I dread to think what he was thinking Ben does seem a little quieter now and has fallen asleep, It just seems worse than the hip op!! in terms of the swelling and bruising but he had 10 screws and plates put in his leg, plus 3 wires so I guess that is to be expected. Thanks again for all your comforting words, Louise X Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 Sorry to hear that and I hope he gets better soon. I'm a great believer that a wee bit of pain is a great natural limiter when they are supposed to be resting. In the past I have upped the painkillers at night to provide rest and comfort and lowered them slightly during the day to prevent any looning around, but as CM has said, only you know your dog and you should act on your vet's advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
