# need idea's dog w/ broken leg



## Dorothea (May 10, 2004)

my 3 year old dog mange to break his leg right now he has 4 rods and a metal plate in his front leg...and he also has gauze and vet wrap around, goes to the vet once a week for changing...he will not stop licking it i have tried chili powder he likes it and i put Tabasco on it and he still licks it i also have a sock on it,,i am at lost on what to do here,,,he does have a mild infection and is on meds for that,,,he is in his 3rd week of recoveryi do know how to change his dressing..the vet doesn't want anything to go on his hardware,,he doesn't have an e-collar...why i don't know,,do you think bitters will work?? we still have 5 weeks for the hardware to come out,,,oh also can you let me know what a good wound cleaner would be,,so maybe i can help him with the itching...thanks for much


----------



## farmmom (Jan 4, 2009)

Poor pup! He must be miserable! Sorry you're going through this.

Bitters may work. Also, try Vicks Vapor Rub (can also be put on the skin, just not directly on the wound) You may want to invest in an e-collar. I know in our area, you can get them at the pet store, the vet, and sometimes at Tracor Supply. You could also make one out of a small, lightweight bucket. 

As far as cleaning the wounds, peroxide is usually not recommended on an older wound as it can destroy the granulation tissue. I would probably clean it with warm water (maybe with some Nolvasan solution in it - available at Tractor Supply or at the vet)then put some Neosporin + pain on it. Unfortunately, itching is part of healing.


----------



## jen74145 (Oct 31, 2006)

You used to be able to buy Ecollars at Petsmart, don't know if that's still true. I'd call other vets and beg and plead until I got my hands on one... assuming there are other vets in your area.


You can give him chew toys and such, may help... but the itching must be driving him nuts.


----------



## ai731 (Sep 11, 2007)

We had exactly the same problem - pup broke his leg, then chewed through the fiberglass cast. We tried everything we could think of: black pepper, cayenne powder, tabasco, lemon juice, dish soap and even cinnamon-flavoured whisky. Nothing would stop him chewing the cast. We got him one of those big plastic cones that go around their neck at the vet's, so he can't reach his cast to chew it. He hated it at first, but then he got used to it. He even learned to eat out of his bowl with it on and everything. He's had it on for 3 weeks now, and it will be another 2 weeks at least. Much cheeper than an e-collar, and you don't need to monitor the dog and 'zap' him when he chews, he just can't reach the cast/dressing to chew it.


----------



## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

http://www.dog.com/item/e-collar/
http://www.bonafido.com/page7.html
http://www.arcatapet.com/item.cfm?cat=10073
http://www.oes.org/page2/4294~Shorts_instead_of_an_elizabethan_collar_-_a_better_approach.html


----------



## Strange Bear (May 13, 2002)

We had a dog that would lick her leg raw, we put pantyhose and kept it on with first aid tape. she didn't like the feel of the hose and her leg healed. 
Good luck


----------



## GoldenMom (Jan 2, 2005)

ai731 said:


> We had exactly the same problem - pup broke his leg, then chewed through the fiberglass cast. We tried everything we could think of: black pepper, cayenne powder, tabasco, lemon juice, dish soap and even cinnamon-flavoured whisky. Nothing would stop him chewing the cast. We got him one of those big plastic cones that go around their neck at the vet's, so he can't reach his cast to chew it. He hated it at first, but then he got used to it. He even learned to eat out of his bowl with it on and everything. He's had it on for 3 weeks now, and it will be another 2 weeks at least. Much cheeper than an e-collar, and you don't need to monitor the dog and 'zap' him when he chews, he just can't reach the cast/dressing to chew it.


There are two types of e-collars. Everyone if recommending a Elizabethan Collar (what you got from your vet). An Electronic collar wouldn't be much help in this case.

OP-If you can't find an e-collar locally, order one from the many pet supply catalogs out there (KV, Jeffers, etc).


----------



## ai731 (Sep 11, 2007)

GoldenMom said:


> There are two types of e-collars. Everyone if recommending a Elizabethan Collar (what you got from your vet).


Thanks very much for clearing that up for me! Around here people tend to call them "cones" rather than Elizabethan Collars, so I hadn't heard the abbreviation e-collar for what I call a "cone".

Jan


----------



## Dorothea (May 10, 2004)

thanks for all the advice...so far he hates the no chew bitter so that's good i am loaded up with everything to change his dressing,,and found some wound cleaner..while i was cleaning him up i itched his leg for him ,,i think he was smiling...LOL..i would never put a shock collar on him he hurts enough all ready,,the vet did talk his plastic cast off this week,,because he is not using his foot causing it to swell...he will still get a sock on at night at least that slows him down a lot and his owies can still breath....next i will try to vivks rub...he has to keep dressing and vet wrap on his leg to keep it clean and it protects the hardware from catching on anything....so far we are at 975.00 we'll see what this runs at the end ....:Bawling:


----------



## ai731 (Sep 11, 2007)

Dorothea said:


> thanks for all the advice...so far he hates the no chew bitter so that's good i am loaded up with everything to change his dressing,,and found some wound cleaner..while i was cleaning him up i itched his leg for him ,,i think he was smiling...LOL..i would never put a shock collar on him he hurts enough all ready,,the vet did talk his plastic cast off this week,,because he is not using his foot causing it to swell...he will still get a sock on at night at least that slows him down a lot and his owies can still breath....next i will try to vivks rub...he has to keep dressing and vet wrap on his leg to keep it clean and it protects the hardware from catching on anything....so far we are at 975.00 we'll see what this runs at the end ....:Bawling:


I really empathise with what you're going through. We're at week 5 with our dog's broken leg so far. He managed to re-break it when it was in the original splint, so then he got a cast, and the re-break is healing more slowly. When he re-broke it the vet gave us the option of an imobilisation cast or the metal plates & screws. We went for the cast because we're scared silly of it getting infected (my DH was once in the hospital for a month on IV antibiotics for an infection). I think you're really brave to take care of the dressings on the pins! Is he in a crate or tethered in the house at all? Or is he allowed to move around as much as he wants?

We're going back to the vet's tonight (4 days after the last visit for x-rays) because his cast has 'slipped' an inch down his leg and is no longer supporting his elbow the way it should. More $$$. I feel your pain.

Good luck!


----------



## Dorothea (May 10, 2004)

we didn't have a choice on how this was going to be treated,,,he has 2 major breaks and 2 small...he moves as he wishes now but where i go he does to,,so we went grocery shopping to the feed store the dime store yes he went in with me...:happy: but even though it will be over a grand when we are done he is worth it,,,last year he got sick and that ran us 900.00 so much for a free puppy..my hubby is a long hauler driver and someone threw him out on the interstate in OR he stopped,,picked him up and said he was a trucking buddy that lasted until scooter pooped in his boot,,,,LOL...so far the bitter is working,thank God....good luck with your pup tonight,,,


----------

