How to Fix a Dogs Broken Leg at Home?- Dogs are not only for playing or cuddling. And they are the most worthy companion of your life.
Emergency Care for a Dog’s Broken Leg
A broken leg is a serious injury for a dog. While getting to a veterinarian is essential, knowing basic first aid can provide comfort and prevent further injury. Here’s a breakdown of what to do, along with crucial safety tips:
Assess the Situation
- Safety First: If your dog has been injured in an accident, approach cautiously. Even the sweetest dog can bite when in pain or scared. Muzzle your dog if necessary.
- Evaluate the Injury:
- Open or closed fracture? An open fracture (bone exposed) is more urgent.
- Which leg is injured?
- Are there any other injuries?
First Aid Steps
-
Control Bleeding: For open fractures, apply gentle pressure with a clean cloth or gauze.
-
Stabilize the Limb:
- Bandaging: Wrap the area with a clean bandage, providing support but not cutting off circulation.
- Splinting (if possible): Use a rolled-up magazine or similar item, secured with a bandage, to provide additional support. Avoid overly manipulating the leg.
-
Transport to the Vet:
- Towel Sling: Use a towel as a sling under your dog’s belly to help support their weight while walking to the car.
- Secure in the Car: Place your dog on a padded surface and limit movement during transport.
Important Considerations
- DO NOT attempt to set the bone yourself. Improper setting can cause further damage.
- DO NOT give human pain medication. Many are toxic to dogs.
- Seek veterinary attention immediately. A broken leg requires professional diagnosis and treatment.
Signs of a Serious Situation
- Unconsciousness
- Difficulty breathing
- Pale or bluish gums
- Excessive bleeding
- Severe swelling
Prevention is Key
- Supervise your dog, especially smaller breeds who are more prone to fractures.
- Ensure good nutrition for strong bones.
- Keep your dog from jumping off high surfaces.
Key Takeaways
- While home care can stabilize the injury, a vet visit is crucial for proper healing.
- Act calmly and quickly to minimize your dog’s pain and stress.
- Knowing basic first aid can make a significant difference in a dog’s recovery.
Disclaimer: This guide is for emergency situations only. Always consult a veterinarian for professional diagnosis and treatment of a broken leg.
What Do You Mean by the Term Broken Leg?
Regarding the broken legs in pets, note that both the back and front legs can get fractured. The front leg includes the ulna, radius, and humerus. At the same time, the back portion of the leg consists of the fibula, femur, and the tibia.
Suppose your four-legged pooches suffered a sudden leg injury; in that case, the vet will analyze the area and evaluate the injury’s acuteness.
Besides all these, he or she will also consider the breakage location. Note that fracture is also a term that relates to the broken bone. Remember that all types of injury will not lead to fractures in bones, but there are cases when a mild bone fracture can also turn out painful.
Dogs’ Broken Legs Major Symptoms
Here we will broadly talk about the symptoms dog owners should look for when they suspect their buddy has suffered a leg fracture. So below are some of the symptoms jotted for easy reference.
- Moving the limb in an abnormal way
- Putting the leg in the upward direction for a while
- Limbs getting swollen
- Pain in the leg
- Dogs making a whining sound
- Not able to walk for long
- Grind like sound coming from the bone
- The legs showed bruise marks
Besides the said ones, you may come across some other intricate problems that are not visible but can take place internally, like bleeding or any injury in the organ. In such a case, you need to take the dog to the vet as soon as possible.
Types of Broken Legs
Well, when you talk about the broken bones in the dog, there are different types of broken bones. For that, you need to understand the severity of whether the broken part of the bone is causing any threat to your dog’s life. Therefore to have an idea, let’s discuss the types in detail.
Bones that are Completely or Partially Fractured
That means whether the crack is completely through the bone’s circumference or has happened partially in and around the bone area.
Oblique or Transverse
This type of fracture occurs straight through the bone and is stated as transverse. While if the fracture is diagonally through the bone, it is called the oblique.
Community
Community means when the bones break into three pieces or more than that.
Closed or Open Fracture
An open fracture means if the fracture is near an injury found on the skin, then it is called open. On the other hand, a closed fracture means when no wound is visible on the skin.
What are the Major Reasons Behind Broken Legs Found in Dogs?
Seeing your dog suffering from a broken leg is something you never expect. It is seriously painful for you to see the furry growling in pain. Such a situation causes some sort of anxiousness in your dog as well. So here are a few causes enumerated below.
- Trauma due to transportation
- Exercise and play
- Sports and games
- Any internal disease
- Inappropriate diet
- Cancer in the bone
- Weak bones, or you can say inherited defective bones
- Inappropriate bone formation
- Smaller breeds have small-sized bones which are prone to breakage
How to Fix a Dogs Broken Leg at Home?
It’s not always possible to visit the vet in times of emergency. That’s why home remedies come to the rescue.
Evaluate the Injury in the Leg
The first thing you should look for is where the injury occurred, precisely which leg, right or left. Make sure that you are careful and slow when it comes to supervision. Next, look at whether it is an open or closed fracture.
In case of open fracture, just clean the area often. But in case of a closed fracture, look for signs like whether he or she is limping or not.
To understand the fracture type, just put some pressure and see how he reacts. If you see that blood oozes out from there, then it’s serious. If he snarls, growls, or feels stressed, then a broken leg is a matter of concern for you.
To calm your dog, you can put a towel over his or her head. In addition, limit the usage of sound and light so that he or she can rest well.
Analyze the Severity of the Injury
The next thing that you should do is evaluate how severe the injury is. Suppose the dog had an accident on the road and, as a result, got a broken leg. In that case, first of all, adhere to emergency medical aid.
Now you will have to look at whether he is conscious or unconscious. Then look for the other body parts finally address the broken leg.
In case the fracture is internal, the best would be to feel the femoral pulse located in the interior portion of the thighs. If you can’t locate the thigh pulse, then take him to the vet.
Take Care With a Bandage
Once you have detected the broken leg, simply take a clean cotton bandage and wrap the broken area with that. Cover it tightly but don’t over-pressurize the area. Also, assure that the area stays secured with the help of first aid securing tapes.
The best would be to use the gauge cloth. If you don’t have anything, then just use a clean towel. While bandaging, just put two fingers and see the gap so that he or she feels comfortable with the bandage.
Use Medical Splint for the Leg
Do you know that a medical splint works the best when it comes to treating broken legs at home? To get the medial splint, just visit the vet shop and get the one. You need to pick the right size to cover the entire fractured area.
Also, it should easily cover up the upper and lower portion of the fracture. Be sure that you place the splint smartly so that it should follow the straight way up to the abdomen. Use a bandage to secure the splint with the leg and then cover up the bottom and top nicely.
Carry Your Dog With the Help of a Towel
Well, when you have a dog with a broken leg, you can’t expect that your dog will walk smoothly. He or she will trip, so to make him or her feel comfortable, you should help them reach the car. Take a towel and cover that up along the abdomen area.
Now you must bear the weight so to do it easily you should use a large bathing towel because that will offer the best support to your body weight. Now coming to carry, just use it as a sling holder diagonally crossing the shoulder.
Visit the Vet’s Hospital
Finally, it’s time to take the dog to the vet; without hesitation, you should visit the vet. In the meantime, while carrying him in the car, just keep him or her warm by wrapping him with a towel. Now depending on the severity, you need to take the decision.
Again consulting the vet is a must in case you suspect any internal failure is there. If the fracture is open, don’t use any random ointment, self-treatment is good, but still, you need to get painkillers and antibiotics recommendation from a professional vet only.
Special Tips on Management and Living of Your Pet
Well, in the end, before considering all these, you need to consider the dog’s fitness, size, and age. Considering the vet will be a wise option along with the self-treatments.
Small breed dog owners like tea cups need to be more cautious because they are more prone to bone fracture and other issues. You need to be careful while holding them because, at times, they can accidentally slip from your arm.
Also, put your steps very minutely so you won’t thrash him or her. Remember, all these can also lead to broken legs or bones.
As a dog owner, it’s pathetic to see your dog combating pain, especially when it’s a broken leg. However, you can help him, or her recover from the pain with some easy remedies at home. Therefore, knowing how to fix a dog’s broken leg at home becomes crucial during such emergencies.
