Cattle Dog Just Ripped Her Leg Wide Open!

[EllenD]

It never ends, does it...Honestly. Of all the stupid things to have happen, this one might be at the top of the list so far...

Lola, my Australian Cattle Dog (Blue Heeler), who is just turning 5 years old, decided today that she could somehow fold herself up and fit through the wooden slats in the grape-arbor that is built-in to my wooden privacy fence around the backyard. I have no idea what she was thinking, but I let them out to run around, and I heard a whining noise, so I went downstairs, opened up the sliding glass door, and there she was, stuck in-between the slats. I think that when she saw me open the door she thought "Oh ****, there's mom, I'm in trouble!", because she immediately started yanking herself back through the fence, and when she did I heard this big yelp, and blood was suddenly everywhere.

After calming her down I finally figured out where the bleeding was coming from. She tore a 50 cent-piece size hole in her left front lower leg, right above her ankle. It's clean through all layers of skin and sub-cutaneous fat, and her muscle is exposed The fascia around her muscles, tendons, etc. is in-tact and she can move and feel everything, but it's ugly! I put her in the tub, washed it out with anti-bacterial soap and then Betadine, dried it, put some Hibiclens on/around it, and now have a gauze compression bandage around it to get the bleeding to stop and keep her from licking it. I'm going to have to take her for sutures tomorrow morning....and right now she's laying on my bed feeling very sorry for herself. She got a new pig ear and is now cuddling with me, on me, she is just pitiful right now.

So, just in-case anyone was thinking of trying it, don't try to squeeze through the slats in a wooden fence. Doesn't work.

 

[GaleriaGila]

Oh, no!

At times like this, I'm grateful for our pint-size little red mutt lap dog, who spends her time racing from window to window, barking at falling leaves!

Sorry, Ellen... good luck.

 

[noodles123]

colloidal silver is common in topical anti-microbial ointments--I know, I know...people can drink it and turn blue....but when it comes to cuts and scrapes, it is a legitimate option for animals (and people)- here is one such study:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4943132/

You can buy it at a health-food store and just put a few drops on there....they also sell pre-mixed pet sprays.
Sorry you are dealing with this....oy *face-palm*

 

[Laurasea]

I like everything you've done especially the hibacleanse! I don't think they will stich after that long if a wait...? They will probably let it heal on its own, but start you on antibiotics, pooor poor baby!!!! Keep us posted!!!

 

[TiredOldMan]

They will stitch even after several days. They tried to hold me up for 2700 to stitch up a stray that appeared at my place in very bad shape. Think jumped out of a truck doing 65+ on asphalt. Three large areas on the right side and all four paws ground up. I estimate that it happened several days before he came to me. After a heartworm test and a rabies shot I took him back home and healed him up. Other than three small areas where the hair has yet to grow back he's great. This was in May.

BTW does anyone need a medium size dog about a year old. He's house broken, neutered, and has a great attitude.

 

[ChristaNL]

Ohnoes...poor doggo!


best of luck at the vets later- I know you've got this, but still ... no fun

 

[Scott]

Oh, poor Lola, hope she's resting comfortably. She couldn't be in better hands!

 

[EllenD]

Well that was fun..I've been sitting in the outer vet office for almost 3 hours. They squeezed her in when I called this morning, but they wanted me to just leave her there, and that just wasn't going to happen, as she was freaking out about it this morning. I grabbed my tablet and decided to go back and sit and wait with her, and they finally took her in.

Cleaned it all out, numbed her, then had me restrain her and "keep her calm" (yeah) while they inspected inside of her leg to make sure there was no tendon damage, which there isn't. 6 sutures, and Antibiotic injection, and a round of oral Ceph, and we're leaving. Oh, and a gauze bandage with a gauze wrap around it that might last til we get to the car...

She's again feeling extremely sorry for herself, she's a pathetic little Dingo right now...So I told her we would stop for some ice cream on the way home. I'm just so happy it only needed sutures, I was waiting to hear the words "ruptured tendon" or "deep muscle tear" or something of the like...

 

[ChristaNL]

Always a relief to get a "good" diagnosis.
(though in your case it is more of a second opinion anyway )


Happy healing!!

 

[EllenD]

LOL, I swear Lola knows exactly how to work this injury/illness thing for all it's worth. Both dogs sleep on my bed (I have a male Shar Pei as well), and we got up this morning and they were both running around and playing, she ran outside and did her morning laps in the back yard as usual, they came in and ate their breakfast, and then we went for a ride in the car to the grocery store and then they each got a big femur bone of some animal to chew on, I don't know what they're from, but they went nuts for them. So we get home and i tell her we have to clean her leg, so we go in the bathroom and I tell her to hop in the tub...So she jumps in the tub, and the second I start taking the bandage off of her leg, she lays down on her side and puts her leg up in the air, with it hanging there pathetically, and as soon as I touch the bandage, not even her leg, just the bandage, she starts this pathetic little whimpering...

I took the bandage off and it looks good, so I use the shower thing to run water over it, and she starts crying, then I rinsed it with Betadine, rinsed it, and patted it dry, which made her start crying again...The I put a new bandage on her, and suddenly she has to be "lifted" out of the tub, as she can no longer even stand up! I swear, I looked at her and said "Really? You're going to make me lift you huh?" So I lifted all 45 pounds of her out of the tub, and she was then suddenly limping and hopping on 3 legs, and she collapsed on the kitchen floor next to her bone. Now she's laying on the office floor beside me, while I'm on my laptop, and she's dangling her leg in the air and occasionally making this little whimper...unbelievable.

Bowie cracks me up...He was just on my shoulder, and when he heard Lola doing her pathetic, "feel sorry for me please, I'm injured" whimpering, he flew down to the floor behind her and walked up onto her head...Suddenly Lola's leg is totally fine as she jumped up and ran down the stairs away from Bowie. Bowie's back on my shoulder now, he's like "I knew she was faking, what a drama queen!"

 

[ChristaNL]

Hahahahaha, oh that is just brilliant!!

Bowie the bullsh!tbuster.

 

[Scott]

Glad Lola is feeling better!!