In most cases, the dog in the house is not just a guard. She becomes a full member of the family. Caring owners try to monitor the health of the pet. Unfortunately, this is not always possible. Dogs are incredibly active and restless, so the owners often encounter various situations that can harm the health of the pet. One of the most common injuries is a dog’s paw fracture. What does the owner need to know to competently help the pet? How to determine a dog’s paw fracture visually and when to sound an alarm?
Why do fractures occur?
According to the "dog" surgeons, there are only 2 main reasons leading to fractures of the animal's limbs:
In the first variant, a dog’s paw fracture occurs due to mechanical action on the bone. This can be a bruise, an animal falling from a height, a strong blow, unsuccessful touchdowns during training, a fight with relatives. A difficult fracture of the hind paw in a dog is due to a collision with a car, moped or bicycle. This can be caused by pinched parts of the moving mechanism, getting into the trap and trying to escape from captivity. Separate line can be distinguished fragmented fractures due to a bullet in the service or hunting animals.
The second option is a consequence of a deterioration in mineral metabolism due to malnutrition or the age of the dog. The cause of the pathology can be osteoporosis, various neoplasms, the presence of destructive processes in bone tissues, various inflammations.
Types of Fractures
In terms of severity and some other factors, the following types of fractures are distinguished:
- Incomplete (crack). The easiest option, which is almost impossible to detect without special diagnostics.
- Hammered in. Most often this is a fracture of the forepaw of a dog that has jumped from a height. The weight of the body falls on the paws, and the bones cannot withstand. Such an injury is not accompanied by severe damage to internal tissues, but it requires the attention of a specialist.
- Closed without bias. Sufficiently severe injury, accompanied by fever, redness and swelling at the site of damage. But the bone is held in place.
- Closed with offset. Very similar to the previous version. However, parts of the bone move from their place and between each other. Such a fracture is dangerous by the presence of significant internal injuries and hematomas.
- Open. A very difficult situation, accompanied by significant tissue damage, bleeding. Such a fracture of the paw in a dog is perfectly visible visually, because part of the broken bone cuts through the skin and protrudes outward. An open fracture is often accompanied by rupture of muscles, ligaments and joints, lymphatic vessels and blood loss.
What other fractures are there?
In the direction of kink in relation to the axis of damage there are:
- longitudinal;
- oblique;
- spiral;
- transverse;
- regional.
According to the strength of the impact and the size of the fragments of injury, there are:
- finely fragmented;
- coarse fragmented;
- crushed;
- fragmented.
How to determine that a dog has broken a paw?
Quickly and without additional diagnostics, the hosts will be able to detect only an open fracture. Not to notice it is simply impossible. A fragment of a broken bone cuts through the skin and protrudes outward. In this case, bleeding is necessarily observed. A closed fracture with a displacement is also easy to see. The paw of the dog will change its usual shape. The animal will be hurt on her. At the fracture site, a dense cone will be viewed or felt.
Symptoms of Fractures
Common signs of a dog’s paw fracture are as follows:
- the animal holds the limb in weight, is lame or does not step on the injured paw at all;
- sore spot thickens, swells;
- the foot is in an unnatural position, bent or hangs;
- when moving a sick paw, you can hear the characteristic sound of friction of the fragments against each other (bone crepitus);
- the pet whines mournfully when trying to touch a limb.
In addition, the dog is sluggish, lying all the time, refuses food, it has a fever. Symptoms of a dog’s paw fracture are quite eloquent, and an attentive owner will detect them immediately. Even if you notice only one or two signs from the list, there is reason to visit a veterinary clinic.
How to give a dog first aid?
The first thing that the owners need to remember is that the injury itself will not go away. Therefore, the faster you deliver the animal to the clinic, the better. When providing assistance, it is necessary to act wisely and not to aggravate the situation. First of all, you should put a muzzle on the pet or tie a mouth with something. Judging by the reviews of the owners, even the friendliest dog in pain can grab his hand, and then you will have to pay attention. She will not do this because she does not love you. She just really hurts.
If you have an open wound, it is very important to quickly stop the blood flow. Do this with a harness. It is placed a little higher than the wound and tightened tightly. For the harness, a belt, rope, scarf, scarf, twisted bandage or other similar materials are suitable. It is very important to put a rag or napkin under the tourniquet. If you tighten it right on the paw, you can damage the skin and only add to the four-legged friend suffering.
Now you need to clean the wound from dust and dirt. A solution of "Furacilin", "Miramistin", hydrogen peroxide, "Chlorhexidine" and other antiseptics are suitable. Never use alcohol or other alcohol-containing drugs. A dog may simply die from pain shock.
To resist the ingress of new dirt and infection, it is better to lightly tie a wound with a clean handkerchief or bandage it lightly. Also, the paw of the animal should be immobilized if possible. This will not allow the dog to move the limb, so as not to aggravate his condition. To do this, you can impose an improvised tire from improvised materials. The student’s line will fit perfectly, a fairly wide stick, a small stick, strips of plastic or thick cardboard, and other similar materials.
The pet should be transported to the hospital at rest. You can put the animal in the car in the back seat. If the dog is small, it is permissible to place it in a rigid carrier or on the lap of the owners. It is important to ensure that the damaged limb remains at rest and is not loaded. You can’t try to straighten the protruding bone, apply any ointments and other drugs.
How will the veterinarian help?
Treatment of a dog’s paw fracture begins with a diagnosis. The veterinarian will anesthetize the damaged area, conduct a visual examination and be sure to take an x-ray. To better assess the complexity of the fracture, an x-ray is often taken in different projections. To determine the internal damage, the doctor may suggest an ultrasound or MRI.
Surgical intervention
Dog fractures in more than 90% of cases are treated surgically. After anesthesia and the use of special drugs for muscle relaxation, the doctor adjusts the displaced bones and applies a special fixing bandage. It restricts movement and promotes the speedy healing of wounds. The use of gypsum is very limited. It is extremely difficult to force a dog to protect the plaster and the paw itself. The animal tries by any means to remove the bandage and may receive additional damage.
Since animal bone injuries rarely happen by chance, they are very complex, often open and fragments. Fractures grow together most qualitatively when fragments are correctly and tightly composed and securely fixed. All this is possible only with surgical intervention.
Fusion operations are called osteosynthesis. When carrying out them, the veterinarian surgeon often uses various devices: brackets, screws, knitting needles, screws, pins, wire and plates. The last “squeak” of veterinary surgery is the use of polymer fixatives rather than metal ones.
Also, during operations, special designs are used:
- The apparatus of Ilizarov. It consists of knitting needles and special metal rings that fix the bones.
- Kishner's apparatus. It is a construction of a metal rod and self-tapping rods. It is used when installation of the Ilizarov design is impossible. This happens with small dogs or with the occurrence of complex intraarticular fractures. In modern medicine, plastic rods and less traumatic self-tapping screws in the form of needles are used.
When the mentioned structures cannot be used, the pin is installed directly inside the bone. He will stay there forever. In this case, the qualifications of the surgeon should be the highest.
Healing and rehabilitation period
Fixation is usually removed after 30-40 days, and if the dog is old, the healing period can last up to 2 months. To exclude infection of the wound, the animal is additionally prescribed a course of antibacterial drugs.
In order for the fracture to grow together better, the animal should be limited in movement. You can put it in a cage for a while. Pet walks begin only after 3-4 weeks. If the dog is trying to bite or lick the injured area, you can use a special limiting collar.
During this period, the pet can be given special vitamins and additional minerals. This will help speed up bone fusion. In order to accelerate tissue regeneration, physical procedures, such as ultraviolet irradiation, can be performed. However, they should only be prescribed by a doctor.
Having carefully studied the feedback from experienced dog owners, you can understand that with the right treatment, dog’s paw fractures heal relatively quickly and without consequences. If the doctor has done everything right, your pet will forget about the injury after a couple of months and will delight you with its activity and cheerfulness for a long time.