Rescue dog with untreated fracture

[lrayburn]

I pulled Winston from the shelter Friday. Saturday morning I noticed that he had a bony swelling on his hock and was favoring his left hind leg. The vet did x-rays on Wednesday and said that it is an old fracture that wasn't treated. He has extensive bony and fibrous scar tissue and a lot of tendon and ligament damage but there is still movement in the fracture. The vet didn't think that surgery (even with an orthopedic specialist) would do much good at this point and recommended that we keep him comfortable (Deramaxx) and give him glucosamine and chondroitin for a month and see if he develops enough scar tissue to stabilize the fracture and reduce the pain. If that doesn't work, he thinks that we might want to consider amputation down the road.

 

I had originally hoped to find this dog a place in rescue as soon as possible but now I'm not quite sure what to do. He is a handsome dog with a WONDERFUL temperment which is why I pulled him to begin with. He is a happy dog now despite the pain and I do want to give him an opportunity to keep that leg. He puts the foot down and uses it most of the time but hops or skips occasionally when he runs. His hips have developed unevenly since he favors that leg. He's probably in the range of 5-7 years old, has seem some rough use all around (lots of broken teeth, scarring, buckshot) and is not a real active dog (although that might change if he wasn't in pain?).

 

Does anybody have experience with untreated fractures? Or with amputation? We don't have to make a decision now but my feeling is that dogs probably adjust better to amputation than some of the people around them do. I've thought about taking him to an orthopedist for an evaluation but hate to do an expensive surgery that isn't likely to resolve the problem either.

 

I'd appreciate hearing about other peoples experiences while I try to figure out what is the best choice to make for Winston. Even the vet said that Winston was a heartbreaker.

Lisa

[juliepoudrier]

Lisa,

There's someone who posts here who had a very similar experience--brought a dog home, discovered an old, untreated fracture, and ended up having the leg amputated. Maybe he'll see your post and reply here. The outcome was fine for the dog. Dogs do very well on three legs.

 

J.

[lrayburn]

Julie,

Thanks for the quick and reassuring response. The vet had mentioned that bone cancer was a possible (although remote) diagnosis so I was already mentally prepared for the idea of amputation to come up in the converstion. However, several people I have talked to since have seemed very negative about the idea. I just want him to be healthy, happy, ideally pain-free and to find a good home.

Lisa

[MaggieDog]

I had a foster ACD that had two untreated broken legs (shoulder and tibia I think) when I got him - he didn't have the legs amputated (hard to run with two legs lol) and he's doing great, though the vet said he'd always limp due to one leg being shorter than the other and he'll develop arthritis earlier. She also said to prevent him from jumping as much as possible to avoid additional pressure on the legs. He really never seemed to be in pain and got around just fine; he was adopted by a trainer locally and is apparently doing well.

[jvw]

Dogs do very well with three legs. They adjust quickly and never mourn the loss of a limb. They just move on! So if its going to relieve him of pain I wouldn't hesitate to do it.

 

Jennifer

[Rebecca, Irena Farm]

Take him to a specialist. They will have a clearer picture for you, and if you go NOW, there might be something that can be done that the GP vet isn't comfortable suggesting or doesn't know about. Or, failing that, it is at least very likely that the ortho vet can give you quicker resolution (being more comfortable giving you a long term prognosis) and enable you to place him, or find long term foster care, as needed.

 

I can get you a reference if you need it (you are in NC, right?). Most will work from the films your vet took, and so you'll only pay for the consult initially, no more than $75 around here - probably less if they know it's a rescue.

 

ETA: We had a dog with a more recently broken leg than the one you describe, a few years ago. My vet sent us down the road to the Triangle, and I'll never regret that - best gas money and $65 I ever spent on a rescue. My own vet thought we'd need expensive surgery and I was terrified because although people were incredibly kind and sent us some money, it wasn't nearly enough - not even a third. The ortho vet instead said he would not need anything more than swimming therapy to increase his range of motion, and possibly he'd need surgery at some point in the future (to break and reset the leg), but there was no point at that time. The dog was placed, amazingly, with a guy who worked for an orthopaedic vet! I love how things work out . . .

[aljones]

This is just secondhand information, but I thought I'd share it anyway, for what it's worth. A colleague recently adopted a dog with an untreated fracture. The dog had been running loose in another colleague's neighborhood for some time, and animal control finally picked her up and got her to the shelter, at which point the "neighborhood" colleague began pressuring all her friends to adopt the poor thing.

 

Anyway, the initial diagnosis and treatment sounds a lot like the one you got with Winston. They rested the dog for a few weeks and then had the local vet known for ortho stuff (not a specialist, but the most experienced person in town) go in surgically to check on the condition of the leg and the fracture. The adopter had agreed to let the vet make the call on whether the break was able to be stabilized or whether the leg would need to be amputated, fully expecting amputation to be the outcome. To everyone's happy surprise, the vet was able to repair the leg (with a plate, I think), and the dog is recovering well.

 

But I really like Becca's suggestion to see the ortho vet right away, both for Winston and for your peace of mind. I always find that consulting with an expert makes me feel much more confident of the decisions I need to make, both immediately and long-term. I'll keep a good thought for Winston--he's lucky you found him.

[bc friend]

Rocky, my border collie sized 5 yo mixed breed, had an untreated fracture right at "ankle" level on his front leg. There is a mainly soft tissue knot just above joint. When I first noticed it, my vet had an ortho examine him and their joint recommendation was to just "wait and see" because of the damage that had been done, the only solution would be amputation if it became a problem. That was 5 yrs ago. In the last yr, the knot has enlarged and his paw is turning inward causing a strange gait. He was recently examined, x-rayed, etc. and the same advice given. It isn't tender, doesn't cause him any pain, but there's clearly some nerve damage and it is likely that within the next few yrs, he will lose the leg. My choice has been that as long as the leg doesn't cause him any pain and it isn't becoming infected, I will wait on amputation - when it becomes a problem, he will become a 3-legged dog!

[BayouBC]

We have a german shorthair pointer pup in the rescue right now with a similar problem. She was riding in the back of a pickup at 4 months of age, jumped out, and was run over by the owners. Stupid, unfortunate mistake. She ended up with a femoral fracture JUST above the knee.

 

When we originally were contacted, the owners were looking for either a rescue or individual that could have the surgery done and adopt her or place her. Because of the type of fracture, the only place around here that would have been able to do the surgery was the vet school, and it was going to be at least ~$2,000, which we just don't have. The alternative was just doing weekly splint changes and hope for the best.

 

About two weeks later, they contacted us again saying they couldn't afford the weekly vet bills and if we couldn't take her, they were going to have to take her to a shelter and hope someone adopted her. Around here (and in MOST areas), a dog with a broken leg just isn't going to get adopted, even if the shelter gives them the chance (most automatically euthanize a dog with serious injury). I'm a sucker, so now I have a GSP running around with a pack of BC's.

 

Because it had been so long since the accident, the fracture was already mostly healed. Unfortunately, the bone healed at an angle, and because of the splinting, the leg had severe contracture already setting in. It wasn't hurting her at all - she was climbing baby gates and trees...literally...without being able to use the leg at all - but was just sticking out at a diagonal behind her. Surgery wasn't a great option at that point to correct the break, so the vets suggested a "wait and see". Worst comes to worst, we'd amputate it later if it started hurting her or dragging, etc.

 

We're probably about a month or so post that initial visit. The fracture's fully healed, though the knee has visibly healed malformed. It kind of looks like a big, boney knot. The leg slightly shorter than her good leg, because of the angle the femur healed at. However, through a lot of physical therapy, she's actually regained a surprising range of motion. She can bend the injured leg at both the knee and ankle now. She uses it mostly when she's running around, but there's an obvious limp when she walks. Sometimes she has more of a hitch in her gait, and other times it's less noticable. The muscle in her thigh is a lot smaller than in her good leg, but it's a heck of a lot better than it was. The only time I ever notice her having any discomfort is after long park trips where she's been running around like a maniac for hours on end, but she's also new to park trips (now that she's pretty reliable off leash) so that will improve with time. It's also helping her build up some of the wasted muscle, both from the running and the swimming. She LOVES to swim and will literally just swim in circles out in the pond, splashing at the water and biting at the water.

 

The "bad" leg is the right rear

 

 

Sorry...I'm too lazy to go through and rotate the picture, but you can see that she's standing on the leg pretty normally.

[Ceredwyn]

Wow, I'm just glad the vet didn't find a tumor or aggressive process in there. Poor old Winston. He's obviously been through a lot in his life. I'm gladder every day that you went ahead and pulled him. I have known several tripod dogs (always a rear leg gone), and all seemed well adjusted. But it would be great if there is a less drastic solution for him!

[kelpiegirl]

BayouBC

 

That is one stunning dog.

[lrayburn]

Thanks for all the responses. It's interesting to hear how many dogs are gimping around and really doing alright.

 

I spoke to my vet yesterday afternoon (my initial conversation was with her relief vet). Anyway, my vet feels that the wait and see approach is the best option at this point. The surgical route involves going in, cleaning out scar tissue and fusing the joint so it is a "salvage operation" at best. She said that waiting won't hurt and would probably be better than going in and trying to do anything at this point. She also feels like he's using ithe leg enough that it is beneficial and he's not in significant pain. She also feels that a decision about amputation is "way off down the road" - years not months like I was thinking from the original converstion.

 

So we are going to keep Winston for a month and see how he progresses. If his fracture stabilizes, we'll go ahead and try to find him a home at that point with the understanding that he's always going to be a little gimpy and the leg may need more medical attention as he ages.

 

That said, its amazing what some good food, a soft dog bed and some kind attention seem to be doing for the poor guy.

 

Lisa

[KrisK]

Just thought you might like to check out Skip's story - he's at Border Collie Rescue Ontario - Skip and his prostetic leg He's one cool dude

 

http://www.bordercollierescueont.com/

[lrayburn]

For some reason I couldn't see the pictures of the GSP or find Skip on the Ontario link but I will look later after work. I just took Winston out for a little walk/potty break. You have to look pretty close to see that he favors that leg.

 

The other day I was beating myself up for not noticing it at the shelter but I guess the shelter workers didn't notice it either or I doubt they would have kept him as long as they did. And if I'd known then what I know now, I can't say I would have done anything differently! Alive and gimpy is better than dead any day, right?

 

Thanks y'all!

Lisa

[Liz P]

I've got a 1.5 yr old BC who was squashed by his dam at 3 weeks old. He had a pretty similar injury to the pointer, crushed femur at the growth plate leading to a deformed knee and short leg that comes out at a slightly odd angle. I took him to see the best orthopedic surgeons but the leg could not be fixed, we just had to let it heal. I doubt he will ever be able to do the long outruns required of Open courses but he gets around. He mostly uses the leg when he runs, he has a visable limp at a walk. He also had a spinal cord injury so he is a little weaker than normal in the back end. I don't know what the future holds but right now he is happy and as active as he can be and is doing some light training on stock.

[Patty Abel]

I haven't read every post , so don't know if you have your answers yet. In '01 I took in a foster border collie. His hocks were large with scar tissue. after clean up realized he had a repair pin sticking out of his hock. X-ray showed three pins. So maybe your dog WAS treated and the swelling is a result of treatment or natural arthritis... We had the pins removed, cast the leg for over a month,but he always preferred to run three legged. He stayed with us for four years.