Please help with opinions, advice for my dog!

[AustinsPal]

Our almost 9 year old Austin, lab mix, was hit by a car on Monday morning. Let me first by saying he is the best dog, so obedient, protects our daughter Ali who is 4, just a wonderful dog. I call him our human dog because he is part of our family & just so so smart.

He has a dislocated left hip, pelvis is broke/cracked in places & torn tissues & muscles. I just talked to the vet & he told me that Austin has no will to put any weight on his good leg (right leg) which makes him think nerve damage. He does not think he will ever walk again. I think he may. We are going to get him this afternoon when the doctor calls me back.

I said that the muscles that are torn and the crackers in the pelvis will heal in 6 weeks. He said they will, but if he is not moving for 6 weeks then we will have other problems. I know in order to work on the dislocated left hip, we need his other injuries to heal. He can use the bathroom on his own & he is eating.

I think if I bring him home, work with his right leg, him being around his family & give him time he will use his right leg. The doctor told me earlier in the week that when someone tried to get him up that he tried to bite him, which shows he DOES feel something. What are your opinions. I am just SO upset & crying. I will do anything to save my little buddy!

[BendyMom]

I think it is WAY too early to say if he will every walk or not! I have known animals with cracked and badly proken pelvis to heal up and walk again.
He is undoubtedly in a lot of pain, I don't blame him for trying to bite someone! Good to hear he can use the bathroom on his own, one less thing to worry about.
I would keep him crated, keep him as still as possible. That pelvis is not going to heal with a lot of motion. I would also get him some pain meds, they will probably make him dopey an sleepy but that could be a good thing since you don't want him trying to do anything. I deal with cats, only know a little about dogs, but have read quite a bit here. I wanted you to have a reply ASAP, so even though its not "my area" I am replying. I knew a cat with a shattered pelvis who was wired back together, had a long recovery with a lot of physical therapy, and went on to walk with only a limp. Many vets encourage people to put their animals down because they don't think the owners will be willing to do all the necessary care, and they themselves may simply never have heard of this kind of injury doing well in the end (but hey if you euth everything you are not going to).
1. get your boy some pain meds and make him comfy
2. call around to different vets and see if any have experience in treating a fractured pelvis.
3. if your vet says it is hopeless say you disagree, if your vet says it will be a lot of work say you know so why doesn't he help.
4. don't be afraid to be firm with vets. we often have to fight for our pets, a good vet will listen and help you unfortunately you can't always find a good one.
5. keep him as still as possible, sleeping is a good thing. those bones need to knit up. yes, it will cause stiffness, but stiffness and some loss of range of motion of the joints is better than a non-healed pelvis.
6. Give him time, be patient. this is going to be a long battle. the first couple weeks are about keeping him comfy and just worrying about the basics, eating, bathroom use, keeping him clean, spending time with him to keep his spirits up.

you've come to the right place. hang in there!

[critters]

I COMPLETELY agree about pain meds, which is something I forgot to mention in my other post (need breakfast and more caffeine!).

[AustinsPal]

So we tried to take him outside to use the bathroom and he never would. We brought him back inside he wined, so we gave him pain medicine, sat him on our front porch in a bed last night. He somehow got on the grass. Then he moved again pretty far. Then we saw him move his right paw a little. But he is dragging his back legs to get around, so I picked him up, put him back in his bed. He has had his food, water, antibiotic and pain meds. I just hope he is using the bathroom. He is a very obedient dog, so he could have went on the grass, but we just did not see him. We dont want him to NOT use the bathroom. We just dont know what to do. We were going to put him to sleep this morning because he looked so so sad and he was suffering, but then he moved twice and we saw his right paw move a tad, so my husband was like...mmm I dunno now. We just dont want him to suffer. He is seriously the best dog and is like one of the family and seeing him suffer breaks our hearts. I am also 8 months pregnant so I am even more dang emotional than normal. He is much happier on our front porch though on his bed than in our room definitely, so wherever he is happiest then that is where he will be. I have a fan on him too. What do yall think? Thank you all for the opinions.

[BendyMom]

um
i had to read your post twice
that does not sound like keeping him as still as possible, just letting him move where ever. He does not understand that he needs to be still. You aren't going to see much improvement in a day or two, not at this point. this is a long slow recovery, not just a few days. he needs to be crated and medicated. You may need to help him use the bathroom. The swelling puts pressure on nerves, and the more he moves the more the swelling stays. The pain meds are so he can rest comfortably.

[CarolC]

LIke anyone with a broken pelvis, he needs to rest so it can heal. If you do not have a crate, there are other ways to confine him. An x-pen would be great. Or if you have already bought one of those hexagonal play yards for the new baby, you could use that to keep him in. Here is an example from Toys R Us.

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.js ... Id=2266978

I would definitely give him time. Like you say, it takes weeks for bones to heal. It is important not to let him drag around, not only because the bones need to heal, but also because you want to prevent sores. That is one of the things I suspect the vet was referring to when he mentioned there could be other problems after 6 weeks. You really need to keep him on soft dry bedding and not let him drag, seriously. Sores are much easier to prevent than to heal. You will be truly heartbroken if you let him get a nasty oozing raw sore on his hip because you let him drag around. This is definitely the time for tough love. I think it is going to be necessary to confine him and prevent dragging, even if he whines. Thank goodness he is an obedient dog, so he can cooperate when you are doing what's best for him.

[LoveMakesTheWorld]

Honey, do not give up hope! My lab was hit by a car this past December and we took him to 3 different specialists who all more or less indicated we would need to put him down, but I would not entertain such an idea. I assumed that he was paralyzed because he could move nothing except for his head. The first few days when I tried to take him outside to do his business he would not--he simply collapsed onto the ground every time I tried lifting him up. The good news is that your pooch has broken bones, which can heal. In my experience I was told that my dog's torn muscles and tissue would likely not regenerate but that only time would tell--well, here we are 8 months later and he is literally good as new. I know all of our cases are different, but with just a little faith and all the support of these fabulous individuals, I was able to get through. Vets don't always know best, so always bring up any tidbits of information you receive here. I had to be a real advocate for my dog when no one else was. Luckily I had the advice of all my wonderful angels here to guide me.

Everything you are being told here is correct. You need to restrict your pooch to strict crate rest. I did this by putting him in a corner (preferably closest to the door) and surrounding it with chairs and lots of pillows and blankets so he couldn't escape. He does not need to be moving around at this point and exhausting himself. Try spoon feeding him some soft can food to see if he eats. He might not have an appetite for a few days. It took 3 days until after my dog's accident for him to want to eat. Continue to medicate him as instructed. My dog was on prednisone and painkillers for a few weeks. The prednisone does not heal the damage but helps the swelling go down, which is the main source of discomfort right now for your pooch.

You are 8 months preggers right now so don't exert yourself too much with moving him in and out of the house. God knows I almost pulled my back several times transporting my pooch back and forth from the car to bring him to the vets. Your husband can wrap a towel under and around your dog that he can twist on the top to use as a support and lift him while you take him outside to do his business. If he does not urinate within 2 days, I would recommend that you learn to express his bladder. There are videos on YouTube on how to do this.

If he is alert and attuned to you right now, this is a very good sign. Just let him know you are there for him and try to comfort him as much as possible. Tall wagging is always a good sign too. I know it seems unlikely right now, but when the swelling goes down, you will see a much bigger difference. Just follow everyone's directions here.

You are in my thoughts and prayers honey.