Urgent - tissue damage, growth plate fracture or something else?

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sophie098567

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I'm in desperate need of some advice! Bella was out with me Friday night and at about 9pm she tripped on some concrete garden stairs when coming out of a friends house. She got up, but was only standing on three legs with her front left one barely touching the floor. I carried her home and thought I'd just let her rest and settle her for the night to see how things were in the morning. In the morning she was in the same condition and would not put any pressure on her leg atall so I made a vet appointment for 3 o'clock that day. The vets thought after feeling around and watching her attempt to walk was that she may have fractured a growth plate which could require surgery! They tried to do a concious xray but with no luck had her sedated and xrayed within 2 hours. However when I went to collect her they did mention that she was hard to xray because of her extra skin. Does this mean that they're not clear and it's harder to see damage? She said she can't see anything at the moment, but the top vet of the surgery is away until Tuesday and he will have to look then and determine what's wrong and whether surgery is needed. The vet I spoke to said that growth plate damage is really serious and that she would need surgery within 3 days. Surely Tuesday afternoon is too late if she did the damage Friday night? I'm just so worried. They've given me pain killers and anti inflammatories and told me to keep her resting without jumping about or attempting to walk. The vet said that she's hoping that she's right and that there isn't any damage to her growth plate and that if she's missed anything in the xray then it'll be something such as tissue damage. I'm praying she doesn't need surgery but I'm concerned that there's been no improvement atall and it's now Sunday night. She'll happily lie on it, and bend it, but when it comes to standing and walking she just isn't putting any pressure on it atall. When she rests it on the floor she's also twisting it out a bit. It's not that she can't hold it straight, I know she can beacuse I've seen her do it and she can move her shoulder around fine, it just seems she's comfier having it that way. Is there a chance this could be tissue damage or is it likely the other vet is going to look at the xrays and immediately pick up on growth plate damage? Does anyone know how long the tissue damage can take to repair and will it need surgery if it's for ligaments? I live in the UK aswell so does any one have idea on costs? She's already cost a fortune and I'm scared I won't be able to afford an operation. What do I do then? If anyone has any advice, tips or ideas, as silly or as unsure as you may be, they're all welcome. I'm just so worried and want poor Bella to be better again, it's really upsetting me seeing her distressed in a cage and unable to jump about and play with our other dog as usual :(
 

2BullyMama

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This sounds a lot like an ACL tear/rip... have the vet check for it and will not show in an xray. They can tell via stability tests and movement of the knee-cap.
 
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sophie098567

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She had a feel around her shoulder and knee and paw, but didn't say any of this. To be honest she didn't seem very experienced so I'm not going to rely too much on what she has suggested it could be, I'm going to wait for the top vet to see her and be sure to request him for any future problems. If what you say is right, will she need surgery and how much will it cost? What will her recovery period be?
 
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2BullyMama

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She had a feel around her shoulder and knee and paw, but didn't say any of this. To be honest she didn't seem very experienced so I'm not going to rely too much on what she has suggested it could be, I'm going to wait for the top vet to see her and be sure to request him for any future problems. If what you say is right, will she need surgery and how much will it cost? What will her recovery period be?

If it is the ACL, yes surgery will be needed... here in the states it runs about $1200 and takes about 6 weeks for recovery. we went through two of these for our boy.
 
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sophie098567

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Ok thank you very much! Your picture is lovely, typical bullies:) Gorgeous. It's so good to have so many experienced bulldog owners in one place with so much advice to offer!
 
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Bella'sMom

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Recovery is going to depend on what exactly has happened.

Both my bullies have had xrays and never was I told that due to extra skin it is hard to read. Even in Dentistry, if a person is larger, we just turn up the machine and xrays are fine. I really think she was un-experianced and not able to read it. See what the top vet says, if he feels the xrays don't need to be redone, then you know that the are legible. Also ask him loads of questions, you want to feel out if the other vet did you right.
 

2BullyMama

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You are welcome.... more experience will be along soon
 
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sophie098567

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Recovery is going to depend on what exactly has happened.

Both my bullies have had xrays and never was I told that due to extra skin it is hard to read. Even in Dentistry, if a person is larger, we just turn up the machine and xrays are fine. I really think she was un-experianced and not able to read it. See what the top vet says, if he feels the xrays don't need to be redone, then you know that the are legible. Also ask him loads of questions, you want to feel out if the other vet did you right.

i will be sure to ask plenty of questions and will definitely request the top vet in the future! if she needs surgery will the 3-4 day wait cause any problems?
 
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Davidh

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If you don't like what the top vet tells you,I think I would see another vet. Is your vet a bully vet? If not, find one and hope you have one in your area.
 

kazzy220

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For your ease of mind I would just keep Bella as still as you possibly can ... carry her everywhere if necessary until Tuesday comes along and you can get a more experienced opinion. I too have never heard of an x-ray being unreadable because of "extra skin"???!!!

I hope it is nothing that rest and anti-inflammatories can't put right!!! Please do let us know what happens ... we worry about other peoples bulldogs on here as much as we do our own!!!!! :hug:
 

Sherry

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Keep her calm, and yourself, less stress the better, I feel bad for both of you. I agree with what everyone has added, It's a shame you went to a vet and didn't get the help you needed . never heard of x-rays not showing up because of skin, that's bull :poo: You have another day to go, keep us posted. In the meantime, :pray: coming your way
 

JAKEISGREAT

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I'm sorry..I've no wise advice for you like these other great people. But I want you to know her resting as much as possible is very important. And being in a crate will certainly help. So glad you came here and are ready to ask the right things and demand the best for sweet Bella. Let us know! :hug:
 

LucysMum

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I'm sorry you have to be tortured over this until Tuesday. Is there an orthopedic vet that your vet could refer you to? It sounds like your vet is unsure. When it comes to bones and joints it may be best to see a specialist.

I do have experience with a growth plate fracture. Lucy needed surgery on a rear leg when she was 5 months old. My regular vet noticed it right away on xray (on a Friday evening). I had an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon on a Monday morning and they did surgery that day.

I know it is easy for me to tell you not to worry but it sounds like you still don't have all of the answers. Hopefully you can make some headway tomorrow. Until you get a diagnosis I would keep the pup on strict crate rest. No steps, no jumping and no interacting with other animals. Its best to keep the injured pup as quiet as you can. If you have steps leading out to the yard carry the pup and put a lead on to limit it's mobility during potty breaks.

Please keep us posted. I can tell you from my experience my Lucy has had her fair share of sprained and pulled muscles. I hope this is the case for you and your pup.
 

linda4568

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I have a bully that sprained his neck. My vet gave him a anti inflammitory and remidol and it took 3 weeks till he would play or move his neck. He cried alot we he got up. I took him to an inexperanced vet a they said it was his prostate. 900.00 dollars later I was able to see my vet and it was soft tissue. Hope this helps!:whew:
 
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sophie098567

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If you don't like what the top vet tells you,I think I would see another vet. Is your vet a bully vet? If not, find one and hope you have one in your area.

i know the top vet in the surgery is trustworthy, he's not a bully vet, i don't have any in my area but he's very experienced and has been recommended to me by a lot of people. unfortunately bella isn't a very lucky dog at the moment because she's been back and forth from the vets so many times! all things that aren't either her or my fault, just unlucky. hopefully after all of this she can stay clear from there for a while!
 
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