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The doghouse

Dog with either soft tissue injury or broken bone in paw. Suspicious of dog walker

20 replies

hmcAsWas · 09/04/2017 01:24

Dog was fine prior to walk but came back 15 minutes after leaving with dog walker who said she had noticed he had started to limp. Asked her if anything had happened - she said 'no' Confused

Got him an emergency slot at the vets. No cut/ blood / wound / sharp thorn or similar. Vet says either some sort of soft tissue injury or possibly a fracture. Have to take him back starved on Monday morning for x-rays etc if no better by then.

He isn't weight bearing on it, he winces when it is touched etc and I fear it could be a fracture because he is really uncomfortable

Am not implying that dog walker has done something heinous - but suspect she might be withholding info from me. I just can't imagine you can sustain an injury like this (either soft tissue or fracture) without some sort of obvious accident / incident? Surely he must have yelped when he did it....

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hmcAsWas · 09/04/2017 01:31

I will bump this thread in the morning. Might have posted too late at night for the clean living dog walking setSmile

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MarcoPoloCX · 09/04/2017 05:52

What sort of dog is he?
Was she walking other dogs at the same time?
Did he play rough with another dog?

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BiteyShark · 09/04/2017 06:23

Where does your dog walker go? I walk in the forest and I would not necessarily see an injury as he bounces around in the undergrowth at the side of the path. Equally he runs away fast and does an about turn skid often to run back to me. What I am saying is there are many opportunities for him to hurt himself and for me not to see.

Poor dog, hope he starts to get better.

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Noitsnotteatimeyet · 09/04/2017 06:42

Dogs can be very stoical - my sister's dog managed to stab herself with a sharp stick on a walk with my dog with four adults and assorted children and none of us noticed a thing. She didn't yelp, stop running around with my dog or even look a bit sorry for herself and yet she needed expensive surgery to sort it out the following day

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Thewolfsjustapuppy · 09/04/2017 07:33

My old dog once went lame like this and no one could find anything (x rays weren't suggested) eventually I found a flat black nail head just under the heal pad (the little one behind the knee on the front leg) when I pulled an inch long nail came out, it was almost invisible with no swelling and no blood.

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hmcAsWas · 09/04/2017 10:14

Thanks all - lie in this morning after late night worrying about him. Poor boy - he is sat in his usual position on the front porch next to the car for his morning dog walk, which he isn't capable of doing and is not going to get Sad

MarcoPolo - he's a flatcoat, and yes he is walked with other dogs. I don't know if he rough played with another dog because dog walker apparently heard and saw nothing untoward. I did notice quite a few white dog hairs on his hind quarters though so I am suspiscious

Biteyshark - he walks off lead in the forest. Yes I know accidents can happen that way - it has happened once on my watch unfortunately, but I knew how he had hurt himself. Dog walker claims he hadn't even been running when she noticed the limp Hmm

Noitsnottea - wow my dog had pretty much identical injury with a sharp upstanding tree root in some undergrowth. He impaled himself on it (fortunately at an angle into muscle around his groin rather than internal organs) back in December when chasing a ball into undergrowth. We no longer take a ball on dog walks. I did know about it however because he let out the loudest yelp of fear - which sounded like a scream. He also needed an op. Guess he may be a bit accident prone.

Thewolf - wow! You did well to find that!

So. I reckon it will be a fracture of the metatarsus - it seems consistent with his symptoms and probably x-ray will show that when he goes back tomorrow. Hoping for a simple hairline fracture rather than something requiring surgery.

Re my dog walker - she is one of a collective of four. It started with two school mums working together who recruited a third - all good, like and trust all of them. Then they recruited a fourth person and she does our Saturday morning dog walk whilst dh and I take kids to sporting activities. I have never liked her - can't put my finger on it, but she is cold. I am probably letting my personal feelings about her colour my judgement....

But I am nevertheless a bit sceptical how a dog could fracture his paw and you wouldn't know what had happened immediately prior. I am probably deeply evil but I don't think I can let her walk him again (she just doesn't have my trust) and I will have to talk to chief dog walker of the four about it

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hmcAsWas · 09/04/2017 10:18

I will be careful regarding what I say to chief dog walker since if my suspicions are groundless it would be unfair to out a question mark over the 4th dog walker in their group.

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BiteyShark · 09/04/2017 11:12

Hmm that is a difficult one. If the person who looks after my dog said he had injured himself and didn't have a clue how I would not bat an eyelid as I trust her 100% and I know my dog runs round like an idiot and thinks he can jump over hug gaps (and has missed Sad)

I do think you need to be careful as you said in your last post because he might have injured himself previously and the walk has simply made it wrose so he can no longer walk on it. Saying that, if you don't trust her then I could never imagine handing over my dog in that situation so yes I agree you need to change walkers.

Hope the X-ray on Monday shows good news.

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hmcAsWas · 09/04/2017 11:25

Thanks Bitey, fingers crossed for tomorrow.

I will try to be v diplomatic re the 4th dog walker when I have that conversation

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Mrsladybirdface · 09/04/2017 13:05

Why would the dog walker feel the need to hide things from you? She wouldn't be liable for vets fees would she.

Even if my dog was badly injured with the dog walker...I would absolutely not blame her. They are having such an amazing time with her it's a small risk to take on any countryside walk

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Mrsladybirdface · 09/04/2017 13:13

I think your issues of not liking her are fair enough and I would stop because of that rather than accusations that can never be proven and don't really matter even if it was true

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Lonecatwithkitten · 09/04/2017 17:22

Given the right set of positions fractures can happen startling easily. Had clients go out for the afternoon dog fine when they left, broken leg ( tibia) when they came home. Nothing disturbed, no access to stairs and we can guess is that she jumped off the sofa awkwardly.

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BiteyShark · 09/04/2017 18:06

Lonecat isn't that similar to things such as putting your back out as a human when it is often when you bend down to tie your laces or grab something when it goes but actual the damage was done way before but it's only later that it gives way?

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Floralnomad · 11/04/2017 22:09

How is your dog OP ?

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hmcAsWas · 11/04/2017 23:30

He's good thanks - turns out it was a soft tissue injury and after a few days rest he is now weight bearing on that paw snd nearly completely better

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Floralnomad · 11/04/2017 23:32

Good result .

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CherryChapstik · 12/04/2017 00:28

Feel sorry for your poor dog walker, you sound hard work

Glad the dog had next to nothing wrong with him though

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hmcAsWas · 12/04/2017 07:53

And you sound rude with a tendancy to jump to conclusions on the basis of minimal evidence ....

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Miloarmadillo1 · 12/04/2017 08:01

I'm a vet and would say the majority of cases where a dog has gone lame the owner has no idea what happened (barring major trauma/RTA etc).

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CherryChapstik · 12/04/2017 08:04

I'm not being rude, I'm basing my comment on your posts.

Dogs often just suddenly limp out of nowhere. Your thread is full of HmmConfused faces and I think you're rather rude towards your dog walker. Especially given that it turns out there's nothing wrong

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