# Puppy broke her leg



## Click-N-Treat (Nov 9, 2015)

Oh, I am sorry. Gentle hugs.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Oh no, I’m so sorry too. Poor baby.

Can you still go to puppy class? Would she still get some benefit out of it or did the vet say that she shouldn’t go because she needs bed rest to heal? Can you take her places in a pet stroller so she gets out to see new things while healing?

I had a kitten break her hind leg when she was 10 weeks old. The vet put a cast on it for I think 6 weeks. I had a horrible time keeping my kitte from being active and wan to play with her sibling. i just put this cat to sleep a few months ago. She was 19 yo and you would never know she had broken her leg as a kitten. No signs of arthritis or limping. I hope Maeby does as well.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Oh I am so very sorry.  Babies are so resilient. With proper care, I'm sure she'll heal completely. 

For socialization, I'd probably do things from a distance, like go for a park picnic, armed with loads of yummy treats, and watch the world go by. Or take her to some big box stores. You can even just sit out front.

@Skylar's pet stroller idea is great. 

You can build her confidence by playing nose games, and when she's nice and relaxed, work on some of the sights and sounds on your socialization checklist. Fireworks, babies crying, doorbells, that sort of thing, with lots of treats, praise, and relaxing. Good experiences not neutral experiences. Take her out front and have people come by to meet her. Watch joggers. I could go on and on. 

And most importantly: Forgive yourself. That exact same accident could have happened to any one of us.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Oh poor pup, and poor you. Don't blame yourself - it was not a foreseeable event, and you cannot wrap puppies in cotton wool.

I think a stroller is an excellent idea - perhaps in a week or so you could take her out in one to experience all the sights and sounds of socialisation, and even lift her out to sniff a bit if your vet approves. Sitting together and observing the puppy class may also be a good idea - just learning to be around other dogs while staying calm is an important skill for puppies. Plus all the new experiences will help tire her, and make her just a little less inclined to want to dash around too soon.


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## Asta's Mom (Aug 20, 2014)

So sorry that this has happened but please don't blame yourself. Things happen. You will be giving puppy lots of love and that will help the healing.


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## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

FWIW, my stepson-in-law actually broke his son's arm playing swing the baby. Of course you feel terrible over this but it wasn't intentional, so do try to forgive yourself. Maeby does.


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## Newport (Jul 16, 2014)

I'm so sorry for you and your puppy! I hope the mending is uneventful.

I also think a stroller would be a great way to enrich her day to day life. If you'd like some reading, here is a post about another poodle who broke her leg that includes some good information and photos about using a stroller: Ari update: She broke her leg

Also consider joining the Canine Enrichment page on Facebook. There is a wealth of information on how to provide a wonderful life for a dog, especially for a pup on crate rest.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Oh that is just awful, but as others have said not your fault, just an unforeseeable accident. I am sure it will heal just fine and yeah maybe no for agility but there are rally, nosework and other sports you should figure are still good possibilities. 
As to social development if you don't have a stroller that would work you could probably tow her around the neighborhood in a folding wagon. If you don't have one you should be able to get one on Amazon within a couple of days. They are handy for all sorts of things so I wouldn't look on one as something you buy and then wonder what to do with it when she is back to regular mobility. I have one and get lots of use out of it for dog shows and for odd types of shopping. 

I might also ask the instructor for the puppy class if you can go there and watch from the sidelines for now and then maybe do a bit of interaction with the other pups on leash and certainly lots of friendly exposure to the other people in a careful way like greet a person for a sit or down.


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## dogsavvy (Mar 6, 2015)

Oh it's so hard when our pups get hurt. Don't take on guilt over it. I know it's hard not to but puppies do things, just like little kids do. My Dad used to tell my Mom, "why does it seem like pups are all suicidal". I think this was after one of the Doberman pups got so focused on probably a cat & the idea of chasing the cat that it didn't see the door was shut & WHAM into the door so hard Dad thought the pup broke it's neck or cracked its head. Thank heavens it was one of those old metal screen doors with a metal screen & the little guard things so rather than a solid oak door, it had kindness to it. Mother's reply was always the same, "oh honey, it's like children. They have no idea that life is fragile or why we feel the need to protect them. So they just go at something with everything they are &... sometimes that doesn't work out." 

I've no doubt you'll take good care of her & in no time, the leg will be healed & she'll be back to being a puppy. Sending hugs & healing prayers for your pup.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

BTW I used to carry my kitten with her cast around the house in a market basket so she wasn’t stuck in a crate all the time while healing. She had a soft cushion for comfort and I had her leashed to the basket so she couldn’t do anything but lie down. She loved our little excursions. For the rest of her life she would jump in a laundry basket for a ride. While it seems little silly thing, it did opened up her world in a safe way which is why I suggest a pet stroller or something similar like a wagon. It really can make a difference. 

If the vet and/or trainer says no to the Puppy class, maybe they will allow you to audit so you can see what is being taught and you can try to adapt some of the lessons to take home to your puppy.


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## Happy'sDad (Jul 4, 2020)

The good news is she's going to heal and be ok. The challenge for you is going to be keeping her off it so it'll heal. As she starts to get used to the cast and feels better, she's going to resume being a playful puppy and will risk refracturing the break - leading to a longer recovery. She'll also discover she's got a convenient chew toy attached to her. Going back to have the cast redone get expensive. If you can keep her from running, jumping and chewing, you'll be ok. When my JRT Ginger broke her leg, it didn't take long before she would take off at a full sprint. I thnk it took an extra two weeks before she came out of her cast because i couldn't keep her still. Also, make sure you put some type of bag on it when she's out for potty breeaks. It's very important you keep the cast clean and dry. Maeby looks like a sweet dog. Good luck!


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## Murphy3 (Jul 4, 2020)

Not a great update. Maeby woke up vomiting and having diarrhea at 5 am this morning. She’s still having explosive diarrhea. We took her to the vet and they were not that helpful. They tested her for parvo (negative thank god), gave her an injection to stop vomiting, flagyl to help with diarrhea, and panacur in case it was parasites. They couldn’t get a stool sample which didn’t surprise me since she’s pretty much just spraying out liquid at this point. She was completely miserable for all of this and bit my partners ear during the parvo test (didn’t break the skin but still). We could hear her screaming in the back and then the tech came to return her to us and practically threw her at me. So now I have to add positive vet visits back to things we need to work on.
She is still having diarrhea really badly. It’s pure liquid and because she can’t squat it’s going all down her legs. Luckily we’ve been able to protect the cast for the most part (got a little on the outside but nothing inside the cast), but I need tips for how to get her good leg clean. Baby wipes are not cutting it. Any advice? Or just support? Your comments have been wonderful helping me look towards the future on how to manage this.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Oh no.  Could the stomach upset be caused by pain medication? Gracie could only tolerate one of the two meds she was given after her hip surgery.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

A warm, wet cloth with a little shampoo in the water is probably the best thing for cleaning her up - rinse well and dry thoroughly. The flagyl is soothing as well as an AB and anti parasite; let's hope it takes effect quickly. I have found Royal Canin sensitivity diet even better than chicken and rice for severely upset stomachs, so much so that I now always keep a few cans to hand. Might be worth asking your vet for some.


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## Murphy3 (Jul 4, 2020)

PeggyTheParti said:


> Could the stomach upset be caused by pain medication?


I thought it might be that, but the vet said it was unlikely because she’s had 3 doses of it already and it would likely have upset her earlier. We did stop one of her pain meds just to be sure.
She’s sleeping now and ate some chicken and rice. We’ll try to clean her up a little once she’s feeling better. To dry her, could I just use my own hair dryer? Or just a towel? I don’t own a dog grooming dryer.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Murphy3 said:


> I thought it might be that, but the vet said it was unlikely because she’s had 3 doses of it already and it would likely have upset her earlier. We did stop one of her pain meds just to be sure.
> She’s sleeping now and ate some chicken and rice. We’ll try to clean her up a little once she’s feeling better. To dry her, could I just use my own hair dryer? Or just a towel? I don’t own a dog grooming dryer.


Have you ever blow-dried her before? I'd probably avoid doing anything new that might be traumatic while she's already feeling so bad.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

poor baby. Just the stress and pain of breaking her leg and getting the cast on and dealing with the restrictions of a cast is enough to cause digestive upset and diarrhea. Hopefully she’ll be over it quickly.

Unless you have used a dryer on her regularly and you know she tolerates it well then a human hair dryer is fine. Keep your hand near the blowing air so you know immediately if it’s too hot or not.

OTOH if she has rarely seen a dryer I would stick to towel drying so you don’t add more stress.

She will get over this and you won’t remember much of this a few years from now. But right now this is a very trying time for you and her.


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## Murphy3 (Jul 4, 2020)

I ended up just using wipes and brushing her out when it dried. She seems to be a little cleaner. 
She was up a lot last night, but only peed a few times outside. I think she just wanted to go out and smell stuff so she might be feeling better. Still no poop so I think she’s pretty emptied out.

She’s been standing up on her own and waging her tail at my other dog which is good. I’m a little worried because when she is standing up her good leg is super twisted and points inward so much. I think she’s doing that to try and balance but I’m afraid she’s going to hurt that leg standing like that. We have a vet appointment on Friday so I will definitely talk to my vet about it.
She’s still not eating a ton of chicken and rice and she looks so skinny and fragile but I think her appetite should pick back up soon. 
I’m going to look into getting her a little wagon to take her places! Great idea guys!


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Lots of medications can put off appetites I think. I have been running through different antibiotics to try to clear up a sinus infection for Javelin. Doxycycline was first and wrecked his appetite but made him drink like a camel just out of the Nefud desert. The first two nights he ended up peeing all over the floor in the hallway because I ignored him when he tried to get me up to let him out. By the third night I figured it all out and respected the requests to go out through the night. Then since I didn't think he was improving well enough we added clavamox which killed what small appetite he had left so he got a lot of cheese to get even a smidge of food in with the antibiotics. Neither of the doctors who prescribed those drugs told me anything about what apparently are pretty common adverse reactions. I had to do my own research. Pain and pain meds could all have contributed to the digestive problems. You might try hand feeding her a bit. That helped some with Javelin. I hope she continues to improve and that the vet visit tomorrow goes well.


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## hrsldy (Oct 8, 2019)

I am just reading through this. I feel so bad for you and your pup. I can just imagine how hard it is. Best wishes for a speedy recovery.


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## Murphy3 (Jul 4, 2020)

We went on a wagon ride today! She was very distracted by everything and didn’t really want to stay sitting or laying down so we‘ll have to work on that. But she’s been sleeping for a few hours after so that seems to be good for her!


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Oh my goodness, that photo!!! What a sweet poodle. I'm so happy you were able to get her out. How hard it must be for her, not understanding why she can't run and play and explore.

I think setting up safe spaces for a "Sniffari" will be very benificial for her—little reminders that it's okay to sniff and learn about and interact with the world.


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## LakeSpoo (Sep 9, 2020)

What a bummer that this happened. She looks pretty chill in the picture, and very cute! She looks so much like my 4 month old pup!


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