| Ask The Vet -
Q&A |
Question
My 11 week old puppy got his front leg caught in a door.
He limps with it instead of hopping without it so I don’t
think it is broken, but his paw area just hangs there when he sits
up on his hind legs. Should I do anything?
Teresa - Mesa, AZ
|
Answering questions:
Susie Samuel MA VetMB MRCVS from
Vet
Help Direct |
| Answer |
Hi Teresa,
It
sounds from your description as though your puppy is bearing some
weight on his foot; this is a good sign but is certainly not a guarantee
that he does not have a break or ‘fracture’. Catching
a leg in a door is often enough to cause a break, so you need to
take your puppy to see the vets urgently. The vet may be able to
tell from examining the leg if there are any broken bones but may
well need to take an x-ray.
The
leg is almost certainly very painful for your puppy; imagine how
sore our legs have to be before we start limping so obviously. Even
if there are no broken bones you need to get him to the vets so
that they can provide him with some pain relief. Do NOT try and
medicate him yourself. Human painkillers can be very dangerous for
dogs especially puppies.
At
the vets they will be able to assess his injury properly and prescribe
safe painkillers for him. You need to get him to the vets at the
first opportunity. Until then, keep him strictly rested in a small
room or, ideally, a puppy crate, and carry him to go to the toilet
and to get into the car. Withhold food on the morning of the appointment
in case the vet needs to sedate him to perform an x-ray.
I
hope he feels better soon. Let me know how you get on.
Kind regards,
Susie Samuel MA VetMB MRCVS www.vethelpdirect.com |
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