broken leg

[deuce69]

I have a five month old registered pit that weighs 55lb. Recently, he jumped out of the back of a pickup truck while the truck was standing still. he broke his femur pretty bad. The vet put pins in his leg, but the pins come out after 8 weeks.I was just wondering if anyone has had the same surgery for their dog, and how did it turn out afterwards?

[pocketpit]

Much of the outcome depends on where the dog broke it, what type of break and how bad it was, and your ability to follow instructions for home care after sx.
I've seen tons of other dogs that have been repaired via pins, plates, wiring, ect. and most of them turn out great. Many of them you would never know were ever injured. Some have a slight limp, and in other extreme cases it's very obvious, but the dog is happy and the leg doesn't bother them.
I've seen dogs with an excellent prognosis have problems because the owners felt it was too much trouble to follow instructions, too dificult to keep them quiet (he's so energetic and he just hates being crated!), ect.

Good luck with your boy

[deuce69]

he broke it high on the femur, near the hip... the vet said that i won't know he even had a broken leg after a while, but you never know...

[kendall]

When Levi was six months old, he was hit by a van. He fractured his upper left foreleg by a joint, and we had to have 2 pins put in.
It's really important to follow the vet's instructions after your dog comes home. Levi was strictly crate confined for 2 months. That's going to be really tough with a young dog, but it's doable. You can carry him outside and set him down so he can pee and poop, but no hopping around. He'll probably come home with a cast looking thing on. This needs to be kept clean (we kept tube socks over Levi's) and DRY (plastic shopping bag over it anytime it's raining or dewy out).
Also, with such a young dog, it is VERY hard to keep them from jumping around. Being so hyper, they can very easily rebreak their leg, or break the pin. That being said, I would really recommend asking your vet for some sedatives if you have a hyper dog. It really sucks to see your puppy medicated like that, but honestly, if we hadn't done that for Levi, I'm afraid he would have hurt that leg again. We tried it for the first couple weeks w/out anything, and he was moving around so much trying to get out of his crate, he would yelp every once in awhile because he'd hurt himself. Sedatives really helped keep him comfortable (because he was sleeping so much he never hurt the leg), and helped his leg heal better.
The only time Levi was allowed out of his crate was late at night, when it was just me and Josh up, so he wouldn't have any distractions or things to get him excited. We would lay on the floor with him and watch TV. But that's all you can do with him... and you have to be really diligent about it.
Levi had 2 pins put in. One that came out about 2 months after his initial surgery, and one that stayed in permanently.

Now for the good news. Levi recovered perfectly. We had a really good orthopedic surgeon, who did an excellent job. And we watched him like hawks during his recovery.
So if you just follow your vets instructions (and consider those sedatives... honestly) very closely, you should be fine. And just to prove that your pup has an excellent chance at a good recovery... here's Levi.

You can see his scar on the front leg closest to the camera. That's the only way you'd ever know he had surgery.


If you have ANY other questions, PM me or email me, since I went through pretty much the same thing. Good luck.

[moto1320]

I had a cat that was let out while I was away. She had the same break from being hit by a car. The shatter required that the whole femoral head of the bone be removed. I followed instructions and kept her doped up on Valium and she didn't even limp after recovery. You will be fine most likely. Good luck.

[deuce69]

thanks for all the input guys and ladies

[barbponys]

Kendall,
Levi is absolutely GORGEOUS!! I just want to hug him and kiss him .

Pat

[kendall]

Thank you barbponys! Too bad you don't live around here-- there are times I would GLADLY let you babysit. He's a handful, for sure.

[katch22]

When we got Pete (from a bad loser of a neighbor), he had his front left fractured in 3 places - and was left with no med attention for one month. We took him in to our lives and to the vet. He has pins as well and was supposed to be strictly confined to a crate for 6 - 8 weeks. Well - we did our best with the confinement, however, did break the rules a bit. Do not follow that lead. Do your best to follow the vet instructions fully. After 5 months, he is playing just like the rest. He does have arthritis already and will always from here on out...Do the physical therapy recommended by the vet!

Just some info - I am no vet, but we were told also that swimming will be the best exercise and WALKING the second best after a surgery like this. The jarring from running could be very dangerous.

Best of luck!

[deuce69]

well, the vet drained the hematoma on deuce's leg; they actually got 60cc's of fluid out of it... Although they got all the fluid out at that time, the lump showed up the next morning full of fluid again... It looks gross, but it really doesnt seem to bother deuce... sometimes he will attempt to bite at it, but i am very quick to interupt him... other than the fluid, he is doing awesome; he walks around fine on it, although sometimes with a slight limp,usually when he's tired. I think everything will be A OK. I was extremely worried about the whole thing at first, but as long as I keep following the vets instructions, everything should go smoothly... Thanks again for the input everyone, and someone please tell me if there is anything going on in the tampa region or anywhere close to tampa associated with apbt.. thanks again and go lightning

[damienApbt]

wow, he's already able to walk? good luck and keep us updated.

and go flames.

[deuce69]

the crazy thing is, he was walking on his leg 4 hours after surgery.... he had a limp, but he was walking... the doctor was really surprised to see how well he was doing. I take him back in two weeks for an x-ray to see when the pin will be coming out (thank god). Im anxious to get this whole thing behind me... It was an expensive mistake, and I learned a valuable lesson- if a dog is in the bed of a pickup truck, tie him up, even if the truck isnt moving. In my case, the truck wasnt moving, but my puppy was only 5 months old and he weighed 55lbs. Puppys have soft bones. Personally, i will never put my dog in the back of any truck again, no chances.... I will be borrowing my friends digital cam. soon so everyone can see my champion, as i call him... Just for the record, this is the 1st apbt i've owned, and he is the smartest dog i've ever had. He surprises me everyday. LETS GO LIGHTNING