GSP broken leg, what to expect.

natel24 · Post by **natel24** » Thu Dec 27, 2012 7:46 pm

Haven't posted on in here in quite awhile but i knew this would be the place to come for some help. My dogs hunting season got cut short this season pretty badly. We think my 4.5 year old GSP got hit in our driveway by my mother of all people, and she broke his left rear femur (the only possible scenario really). The femur was shattered into about 8 pieces the vet said. After visiting two different vets we decided to have surgery to repair the leg, with the surgeon telling me he expeceted an almost full recovery. We took him to an animal hospital in by chicago that had a board certified surgeon (didn't even know that existed with dogs) we heard some great refferals on. And 8 screws, one 3/16" rod, one metal plate and 9 metal bands later the surgery was done (oh ya and about $4500). The dog is now in about week six of a 10-12 week recovery. I was just wondering if anyone has any experience with dogs coming back from a major surgery like this and what to expect, or any tips on helping the process. He is now going for short walks outside daily to keep the muscles loose, otherwise he is contained in a crate til about the middle of febuary. I go next week for a follow up xray to see if everything healed up right (fingers crossed). Thanks in advance for any help.

Gertie · Post by **Gertie** » Thu Dec 27, 2012 8:03 pm

Sorry to hear about your dog. Nice to hear he's on the mend though. My Uncle had a dog that went through a similar surgery after being hit by a car a few years ago. After the initial immobilization period he started taking him to a pool and letting him swim around (it was a physical therapy pool for race horses that he had access to). Anyway, I guess the swimming was a good way to get him moving around without impact and really helped with the initial muscle re-development on the injured leg. Don't know if that helps too much because I don't know too many people who have access to a pool that they can let their dog swim around in but if you do (or could improvise somehow) then it might be an idea. At any rate, the dog made a great recovery. He's getting older now and seems to be a little arthritic on that side but considering the initial damage that's not too bad. Hope your pup bounces back quick. Take care.

Post by **Sharon** » Thu Dec 27, 2012 11:10 pm

"And 8 screws, one 3/16" rod, one metal plate and 9 metal bands later" quote

Almost the same metal for a TPLO surgery ($4000.). After 5 months , my 6 year old is as good as new. Proper rehab is a pain in the neck but essential.

mountaindogs · Post by **mountaindogs** » Fri Dec 28, 2012 8:29 am

I was going to say rehab is super important too. The surgeon probably works with a rehabilitation specialist and they wilm have a treadmill pool/tank. Plus several other helpful rehab tools. I expect your biggest challenge will be keeping you dog sloooooooowwwww which is not a speed most GSPs have.
Hope all goes well

RoostersMom · Post by **RoostersMom** » Fri Dec 28, 2012 10:21 am

We had a pup that broke her femur (though not as badly as yours). The rehab is the key. Following the doc's advice TO THE LETTER is going to assure proper recovery. No "letting her out because she looked lonely in the crate" or you "feel bad for her." In the scheme of things, 3-4 months of rehab is nothing in the lifespan of a good birddog. Do your rehab religiously and follow all the care instructions.

Water therapy is great if you can find a pool.

The pup we had just ran in her first field trial two weeks ago!

joachimt · Post by **joachimt** » Sat Dec 29, 2012 2:08 pm

My dog had TPLO surgery and she is on her 3rd week post surgery. It has been difficult keeping her calm but she is starting to walk on the leg already and will be looking for some water therapy for her. Stick to a good rehab plan and he will be good to go.

Post by **ezzy333** » Sat Dec 29, 2012 3:50 pm

We had a dog hit by a car 7 years ago. His hip and pelvis were completely smashed. We went to possibly the same hospital you are talking about and after the surgeon found out Rush was an active field dog he decided to try and put the whole thing back together. Using a steel plate, 13 screws, a foot of wire, and a tube of super glue. We brought him home. Due to some unexplained set backs a couple of times that necessitated some emergency trip back to Aurora we got him well enough to walk on a leash and started the rehab. Most of it was just leading in figure eights to put pressure on the leg as well as leading him over obstacles. He joined us in the field on a cold snowy day about 5 months after the surgery and we have never looked back. He just turned 9 a couple of months ago and he has competed in a few trials as well as many hours in the field with no problems to date. I doubt if anyone would notice any sign of a problem if you didn't know about it and weren't looking for it. Ever once in a while he will favor that leg when he gets home after being in the field for several hours but that is seldom and only lasts for a short time.

Ezzy

Brazosvalleyvizslas · Post by **Brazosvalleyvizslas** » Sat Dec 29, 2012 7:59 pm

That's awesome Ezzy. While I hate to hear about the accidents, I love to hear the successes.

buckwildbirddogs · Post by **buckwildbirddogs** » Mon Dec 31, 2012 3:27 pm

search for one of my posts. We had a 6m old pup jump out of the back of the truck and broke her femur. It was a long road but now (3yrs old) and doing great. She still kinda runs a little funny (throws the leg out to the side a bit) but she doesn't let it slow her down. She had six pins if i remember right and an external rod. All were removed in the end. Our biggest trouble was fighting infections and keeping her calm. If we could have kept her still longer she would have recovered quicker but try keeping a 6m old pup confined (nearly impossible).

natel24 · Post by **natel24** » Fri Jan 18, 2013 4:16 pm

Just wanted to post an update. I took hogan to the vet yesterday for his final check up. They took an xray an everything healed up right and stayed in place. The surgeon gave a list of exercises to get the muscle built back up which is noticeably a lot smaller than his other leg. And said he can go on unlimited walks on a leash and should be full go in about four weeks. Thanks for all the replies, it was good to hear I had some hope on a full recovery. Vca animal hospital in aurora il has my full reccomendation. P.s. I sent this while deer hunting. Gotta love technology.

natel24 · Post by **natel24** » Mon Oct 21, 2013 9:33 pm

*update* good old hogan had his first day back out in the field and did not miss a step. He climbed over rocks, up and down ditches and through some real thick cover. if you never new he had the surgery you wouldn't even notice. hunted for a solid three hours straight, i wore out well before the dog with a bionic leg. i was just completely ecstatic when we shot our first rooster, made all the time, effort and $$$ worth it. i will be sending a picture and thank you letter to the surgeon who put his leg back together. [/img][/img]

Post by **Sharon** » Tue Oct 22, 2013 11:25 am

Isn't that great! Dog surgery has certainly made tremendous advances since the 50s. In those day you just put the dog down.

(Send the surgeon that pic.)

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GSP broken leg, what to expect.

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