You want to know what hurts? Seeing your pet get injured.
Yesterday Gallagher and I were playing in the park (I was throwing the ball, he was chasing after it) and after about an hour or so, it happened. He must have jammed his leg on an uneven patch of grass because from that point on, I noticed a limp…and it got a lot worse.
Unfortunately, my vet (Granville Island Veterinary Hospital) was unable to book us yesterday, so I took care of him and his injury from home and learned a lot of things about dog leg injuries that I want to share in case this ever happens to you.
Keep in mind, I am still a relatively new dog owner (Gallagher is only 1.5 years old), so I am always learning. But after seeing how he’s doing now, it looks like I’ve done something right.
So here we go…
1. Cease and desist
When you notice something is wrong with you dog, stop doing what you’re doing. Just like if you injured yourself, you’d stop whatever activity you were doing, wouldn’t you?
2. Assess
If not life-threatening, check to see where the pain is coming from and/or what may have caused it. If it is a joint issue (like Gallagher’s is), figure out which leg it is and what type of movement causes the pain. Performing a quick check like this will help you understand what to do and will help in your conversation with the vet (which shouldn’t be avoided, in my view).
3. Ask the experts
I don’t condone trying to play veterinarian, so do call/check in with your vet. If you aren’t able to get in right away (like me), seeks information that you have on hand to help you in the interim. I found dog forums and E-Vet Clinic to be good resources on dog leg injuries. I even called my goldendoodle breeder (who I’ve talked about in the past) as she has encountered many different situations and proved to be a good sounding board for me.
4. Limit activity
Take care of your dog. No more long walks, runs, or playing. If you have a dog walking service like I do, cancel them for the time being. Priority number 1 is taking care of your dog’s injury. Until he or she is back to 100%, it’s time to put the kibosh on physical activity. That’s probably obvious to you, but it’s worth mentioning.
5. TLC
You probably already know that dogs are highly social animals. If you have one, you probably also know that they are sensitive creatures and need care and attention like anyone else when they are in pain. Pay attention to this and give your dog a little more TLC than you might normally. I iced Gallagher’s leg and stayed near his bed while he slept for most of the day. I didn’t know why I was doing what I was doing, mind you, I just was doing what I thought seemed right. It actually worked really well, so I’ve put it on the list.
That’s it! I hope you don’t have to go through what I did. If you do, follow these 5 easy steps and I think you should be well along your way back to full strength. You guys will be back in the park in no time!
darren
Hi,
I want to thank you for your article, my rottie,Tara sprained her paw I know the vet can’t do much if anything. I was hoping you could tell me how long Gallegher had his injury for? Did you restrict him from stairs if any in your home?
thanks
Sincerely
Jennifer Nyszczy
Thanks, Jennifer.
You’re right…there wasn’t much the vet could do. Gallagher had to get through it on his own and it probably took the better portion of a week. I restricted his play time, walks, and runs to only what was necessary - he loves to play so that was hard - (and also his diet, accordingly).
Hope that helps!
darren
Thanks for the info…my dog had a simular situation, she was running and all of a sudden she yelped real loud, i actually thought a snake or somthing bit her, then she began to limp, my question to u is do i take her to the vet and waste the money if they are gonna tell me they cant do anything for me? or do i just give it a few days first then take her? thanks
Daniel: My best advice is…’it depends’. That’s probably not what you were wanting to hear, but here’s how I see it: depending on how severe her limping and pain is, you’ll have to make a judgement call. What I would suggest is waiting a few hours after the injury with bed rest and limiting walking activity (i.e., no stairs). If it persists, then best to head in as it may be a sprain, a tear, or in your case…a snake bite infection!
Let me know how it goes/went!
darren