oh crap, dog has hurt his leg does this sound like its broken?

[OracleInaCoracle]

we took the dog on a lovely 5 mile walk yesterday (he is a JRT/westie) and he ran down a pebbly bank to the river and started holding up his left hind leg. he has been using it, but as little as possible and it seems to hurt when you put pressure on it. dh pulled a stone out from between the pads last night, so I suppose he could have bruised it. and he still went swimming in the river and managed to walk the 2 miles home, just a little slower.

this morning he is using it, but trying to avoid putting too much pressure on it, I always thought that if it was broken he wouldnt use it at all. should we take him to the vets? or wait and let him rest today and see how he is tomorrow?

oh, and he isnt climbing like he would normally. his favourite spot is on the backl of the sofa, watching the sheep in the field. lasat night he spent the evening on my lap like a baby.

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When we've taken our dog to the vet with a limp/sore leg, they've generally advised to just rest him (v. short walks on lead only) for a week or so. So we tend to wait a bit now and see how it goes, and only go to the vet if things seem to be getting no better after a few days. And usually these things do sort themselves out.

Though if he seemed in a lot of pain, or lethargic and not himself, or couldn't put weight on it at all, I'd take him straight away.

oh, thank you so much for replying! he is lethargic, but its hot and he is a lazy dog anyway, so Im not too worried about that. he can put some weight on it and ive felt along his leg and he seemed fine, although he didnt like it when I pushed his leg down a bit. think I will see how he is today, no walk just rest and if he is still no better tomorrow try the vet.

It doesn't sound broken. I would suggest that the stuck pebble has hurt his paw and he'll be fine in a few days.

It sounds like the stone inhis paw has hurt and the area may be swollen and tender. A few days of light exercise and plenty of rest should sort it out.

Definitely doesnt sound broken to me.

Hope your woofer is better soon.

It sounds unlikely that it's broken but there is a possibility he's damaged his cruciate ligament (actually there's a long list of possible soft tissue damage) I would definitely take him to the vet, even if it's a case of rest and anti inflammatories/ pain relief being prescribed. You have a responsibility to ensure your dog is as pain free as is possible, which means seeking veterinary treatment when needed. Hope he's ok!

thanks, tbh he doesnt seem in pain, and he's not licking it. he can bear weight on it, but he is holding it up where he can. and like I said, he managed to walk home yesterday.

thank you all. I know that JRT's (thanks to ratting history) have v flexible hips, so I did wonder if he had just banged it.

I am sorry to hear about leg, but if he is stiff or lame at all in that leg it means he has pain. Legs are the bain of our lives in this house, having spent a grand total of £10,900 on my dogs legs,(actually leg each and i have 2 dogs) .

I am a vet, and I would say that if he's ok in himself and using the leg to some extent, it would be reasonable to rest him strictly today and take him to the vet first thing tomorrow (with no breakfast, in case they want to sedate or anaesthetise him) if he's not better by then. A stone between the pads would be enough to make him quite sore, possibly, but as others have said, there are lots of other possible causes, including ligament damage. If he has done something more serious, things won't be any worse for waiting 24 hours, so given it's a Sunday, I think it would be reasonable to wait until tomorrow, unless he seems ill or stops using the leg altogether.

Thank you alice, he has just stood on hind legs to get a piece of chicken, so it seems that its not as bad as I initially thought, but I will see how he is tomorrow, we are covered by insurance. Thank god.

Hah that's my usual test if there's anything really wrong too - what speed do they crank on up to to get to the kitchen when the food cupboard's opened!

Haha emptyshell, he is fine this morning, absolutely fine. Rested all day yesterday and has already done two laps of the house!