I have a dog w a broken leg/ankle area?
 

I know I should put this in the animal area, but I need to make a decision. Golden retreiver weighs abt 100 lbs, is abt 8-9 yrs old. Playing in the pond with grandsons on Saturday, she yelped & layed down in the shallow water, would not move. We finally carried her out & got her up to the house. She's not gotten up for 3 days. She skoot's herself off the porch to lay in grass to do her business. She's one of the sweetest animals I've ever known, I've been giving her aspirin & antibiotics. Antibiotics are from her to vet a few weeks ago with a high fever. She's got Addison's Disease. She's very alert. I hate to have her put down. Anyone ever deal with a broken foot by themselves? We can't afford a vet, broken bone set is $2,000 here.

Go to a health store and get crystalized Vitamin C. Give her 1/2 t in her food every day. This will help with healing.

I wonder if she got into something that broke her bone, or if her bones are brittle, so they break. If Addison’s disease causes brittle or weak bones, I think it may be time to euthanize her. Just consider it if she doesn’t seem to get better.

At that age I would just have her put down. Yes you'll miss her.

I'm sorry your having to deal with this but if the dog isn't standing or walking at all, this is more than a broken leg/ankle. A dog with a broken leg can get along quite well on the other three legs. I think this is worth the expense of a vet visit. Unfortunately with the dogs age and other health issues the outcome doesn't sound promising. Best of luck.

If you are going to keep her home with no treatment, you must at least get her some decent pain meds. Just aspirin is not enough. If you can't afford the vet bill, you should consider a rescue that could help her. Or make the hard decision. But she deserves some relief after 3 days.

IMO - Take the dog to the vet. Verify what the real condition of the foot and leg is. Ask the vet if there is a chance that it will heal on its own (possible but not probable). And even if it does heal there may be pain for the rest of the dogs life.

You are unwilling and/or unable to pay for complete veterinary care. I think that you already know what you intend to do.

It could be a torn ligament too, instead of a bone. In any case you should have her checked out by a vet. It's causing her to much suffering the way it is. Dogs can stand a great deal of pain without showing it much.

Sorry this happened! The quality of life you describe, a dog that can now only scoot around on the ground, is nil. Just to have the dog seen by a vet and get their diagnosis won't cost anywhere near $2000. Find out what is actually wrong, then make an informed decision. I understand how these things always come at the worst time for the budget. We took an unplanned $150 trip to the vet this weekend ourselves.

Get a definitive diagnosis from a vet then make a decision. I'm sorry this is happening, it's very hard to see them hurt.

I'm so sorry! I agree with the majority here. Have her seen then decide what to do. Personally I'd put the poor girl down. Try calling around and finding a home vet. They might be able to help if money is a big issue right now.

It is inhumane to let her suffer. She needs to be seen by the vet and an accurate diagnosis made. If you cannot afford treatment you need to do the right thing and have her humanely euthanized. Yes it is difficult to do and very painful for the family but it is the right thing to do.

DaynaJ, I'm sorry your beloved retriever is suffering. ((hugs))

I am in agreement with the others in that you really need an accurate diagnoses before making any decisions. Remember there are times when we need to make those hard decisions for our pets.

Whenever we deal with a situation like this we got to be honest with ourselves - are we making a decision because how the out come will affect us or the animal - we all love our pets and so often hate to put them down because how sad we will feel - but most often it is the thing to do for the pet's sake - sometimes we just have to let go - but yes - have vet check the dog first before you make a decision - good luck -

I do wish you would update us on what is going on with your dear dog.

She is doing better!
 

She's walking on three legs & putting slight pressure on the one she hurt. so it's a wait & see situation. Thanks ya'll for your concerns & help--Great God blessed day to ya!

Have you taken her to see a vet yet?

Are you certain she didn't get bitten or stung by something? Is her leg bent or misshapen? How would she have broken her leg in the water? All questions that haven't been addressed as yet, and there is no way to diagnose or express direction without a vet diagnosis.

If she is using 3 legs and putting some pressure no on the 4th, she will recover it sounds like to me, but then I am not a vet:-)

I'm glad to hear that she's moving around more. Be careful not to let her move around too much, especially if she's on any kind of pain killers. She could reinjure or do further damage. It would be nice to know what she actually did though. I hope she continues to improve. Good luck! Sue

At that weight and age I would also say it could be acl. Our retriever mix did hers several years ago and they are three legged after that and it's painful. Ours just turned 11 and did this probably around 8 or 9 years old. Surgery at her weight and age were not an option but rest and limited activity helped heal to a point. It is scarred and rough when she has her checkups and some days are worse than others but she checks out every year and the vets say she's fine. It's worth the trip to find out and see if it's 6 weeks to heal or longer. Ours tried to play too early and delayed healing by a couple weeks.

Is it front or rear leg? I'm wondering ACL too.

My lab popped hers last spring. We did the surgery and she is back to perfectly normal, but she was only 4 years old.

You all are very kind--
 

She is doing better. Walks to the water bowl. i hand carry food to her, the new kittens we have (I'm bottle feeding them, someone dumped them in a parking lot), they love her lying down as they can crawl on her & sleep. All the kittens thru the years have slept on her. She has such a sweet spirit. Her foot & lower leg is still a little swollen. i'm doing the best I can. My husband passed away last year after about 10-13 years of being an invalid. His disease & medical bills took all our savings. I lost most of my income when he passed. I have very little left over at the end of the month. So please don't judge me as bad, I feel bad enough that I can't take her to the vet. It's basically this, I either have to have a friend come & put her down, or take care of her & love her till she gets better. If it takes to long or I don't see progress, I will not let her suffer. Thank you all for your suggestions & care--

Best of luck. I had an old aussie who would sometimes have issues walking. Ironically, she would try to walk it off LOL. I would give her the doggie kind of aspirin so she would sleep a lot while she healed. It would take up to a month to get her going normal again, but like you, I could never make that final trip to the vet with her. I have heard GR's have issues with the ligaments in their back legs due to a genetic defect bred into them and that it can be really expensive, but I have never heard what happens if you do not have the surgery. I just assumed it meant they could no longer jump.

An office visit and x-ray shouldn't hit anywhere close to $2,000... maybe $300?

I have a 13 year old Peke who has been blind for at least 4 years. Recently, I came home from work & found her to be acting like a baby bird, right before it dies. Head tilt, barely moving, never mind walking.

Thought maybe it was just time for her... gave her a day. Next day, took her to one vet, he said she had a stroke, put her down, she was suffering & wouldn't recover, that she was going to die.

My thought - she doesn't appear to be suffering. She still likes to eat. I'm taking her home.

Took her to another vet a few days later. This was an emergency location - only open on weekends & @ night, so are much more expensive. She stayed almost a week. Several tests were done & she had an IV the entire time. Even there, the bill didn't reach $2,000.

She is slowly getting more active, tho she will never fully recover.

Point being, you don't know the cost until you try. Call around, you may find one that will take payments.

BTW, Addisons was one of the things they suspected for mine @ the 2nd vet. Possible, yours had a stroke, as well?

Maybe not, see you said there is swelling. All the same, a vet visit shouldn't be nearly as high as you suspect. FWIW, might try ice & giving her warm baths with epsom salts - be sure she doesn't drink any of the water - I think it is toxic to drink.