My 4 month old puppy fractured her growth plate?

Question

my 4 month old lab puppy fractured her growth plate, and her vet doesnt want to do surgery because of her age and she has so much growing to do!!! and he has bandages it so she cant move it....... and she isnt allowed to do barely any excercise.... what are the chances of her fracture not healing?? and her leg not growing properly

Answer 1

just love her and she will be alright...even if her leg doesnt heal you should not leave her

Answer 2

Which bone was broken? Growth plates close at different rates for different bones. There is a good chance if the growth plate was injured - then this bone will stop growing at that plate resulting in deformity.

You probably should refer to an orthopedic vet specialist - an external fixator may need to be applied. But, depending on which bone - more than casting/bandaging may be necessary.

Answer 3

I think you need to ask him what he thinks about what he's seen in your puppy. I hope that you are there for her no matter what. It doesnt seem from what i've read that he should be putting off surgery it says as soon as possible, but then again maybe not for a pup this age.You may have some perm. damage but likely the puppy will walk fine just limp some.

Bottom line is that you need to speak with the professional and maybe get a second opinion, my family and i are notorious for consulting 2 vets when it comes to major decisions like these. Making the choice to reconsult has saved one of my dogs in the past from being put down when she had 3 years left in her, quality years for those are wondering (she just needed a special supplement and food).

Answer 4

I would get a 2nd opinion on this from a different veterinary practices, if its a green stick fracture, then they'll most likely not do surgery on it or even bandage it, but just confine the dog in a small room, so it can still move, but not much, which doesn't stop the leg from moving, but does reduce the amount of strain. One of the dogs on tv vet show was dropped off the porch by one of the young children and injured it leg, due to the age of the dog, it didn't have enough calcium in the bone to do the x-ray, so the vet checked it out and said its green stick fracture and i won't splint it as the dog won't use it, and it loose muscle tone , so he told the lady to confine it and should heel itself in 6-8weeks.

This is one of the cases, i think needs a 2nd opinion!

Answer 5

Kristy, I don't know the chances because I'm not a veternarian, and I don't know enough about your individual case.  But, my thoughts are that you should love your animal unconditionally, and don't give up on it too soon.  From my experiences with people, I've found that young folks recover from accidents remarkably fast.  I've got to assume it's the same for puppies.  So hang in there for your little girl.  She'll get better.