My dog dislocated a bone. Is 15 days too long to wait for treatment?

Its hard to know without seeing the X-rays... if the hip is fully dislocated, it would be unusual for him to be fully bearing weight and not showing a significant abnormality in his gait. If it is "sub-luxated," meaning the head of the femur--the "ball" part of the ball and socket joint--is not well seated into the acetabulum--the "socket" part of the ball and socket joint. When the acetabulum/"socket" is very shallow, the hip can be "sub-luxated," and these dogs can continue to seem to have a very normal gait/not show any limp or problem until arthritis becomes problematic with age. If it is fully dislocated (fully luxated), a surgery called an FHO (femoral head osteotomy) can be considered even weeks after the initial injury. In this surgery, the "ball" part of the ball and socket joint/the head of the femur, is removed surgically, removing the source of pain. The muscles in the area typically do a great job of compensating and allowing these guys to get around quite well. However, a true REPAIR of a dislocated hip would not be possible if its been weeks or months since the injury. (A true repair of hip dislocation is generally done through a surgery called a toggle pin. ) If a hip dislocation is diagnosed right away, sometimes (about 50% of the time), they can be successfully reduced (put back in place) and we can get them to stay without surgery. Here is some information out may find helpful. https://www.acvs.org/small-animal/hip-luxation Thanks for asking PetCoach!

The bone appears broken to me but without an x-ray it is impossible for me to know for sure. Your vet should sedate him, try to put the bone back in alignment as best he can and then put on a spoon splint (from the elbow down to the toes) to stabilize the bone. That is the best chance at having the bone heal as straight as possible if x-rays and surgery are not possible. ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzSIvv5g83E )

If your veterinarian said they believe there is a neural issue, I would not assume he is wrong and try to perform a replacement procedure yourself instead. Even if there was a luxation of a joint, getting it back into place is never easy and painful. The only time that it is easy, is when its the type of luxation that easily pops back in and out. Unfortunately, these are worst cases since keeping the joint in place is very difficult. If your veterinarian is correct and that there is a neural issue, there are medications that can be used to treat the pain and inflammation associated with it. He should have prescribed something. Your dog also needs to rest. No running, jumping, playing, leashing walking only until shes close to better. An ulnar nerve injury is a pretty specific diagnosis so I do not know how or why the vet is assuming this is the case. If your dog is persistently lame, not bearing weight, and no x-ray was obtained, I would seek another opinion and get an x-ray taken. While I understand funds are tight, this may not be an issue that resolves on its own. The one thing I can say absolutely though, is that you should not attempt to relocate your dog's bones yourself. This is a procedure that should be done under heavy sedation or anesthesia, checked for accuracy radiographically, and then bandaged in placed with a specific bandage type. Hope this makes sense.

If the hip is out of place it will not heal unless it goes back in place and often times that can’t happen because the soft tissue structures are damaged and unable to hold it in place. He will lose muscle mass from not using that leg and pain can affect their appetite. There is a procedure called an FHO that removes the pain and a piece of bone to give them range of motion back in their leg and lets them walk on it again

Nymeria needs to stay in her crate as much as possible and should not be allowed to walk fast. Five days is not long enough for a broken bone to heal and she needs complete rest for a couple of weeks in order for her bone to heal correctly. If you allow her too much activity, this will prevent the bone from healing, and she could end up needing surgery to fix it. Best of luck!

No, this cannot be fixed at home, this requires a veterinarian immediately. Only a veterinary professional can fix this, and if you attempted to treat it yourself, you could do great harm and pain to Murfy. I would see if you can borrow money from family and friends to afford the vet, and I can give you some resources that may help. You can see if your vet accepts payment plans, if there is a low cost clinic in your area, or you can apply for Care Credit online. There is also an organization called Red Rover that give grants for treatment of sick animals, and you can see if you qualify for one of their grants. Best Friends also has a list of resources that offer financial assistance on their website. http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/trouble_affording_pet.html?credit=web_id91754962 https://www.redrover.org https://www.carecredit.com http://bestfriends.org/resources/financial-aid-pets http://lessonsfromaparalyzeddog.com/when-pet-owners-cant-afford-veterinary-bills/ http://www.dogheirs.com/resources-affordable-veterinary-care/ I hope one of these resources can help you afford a vet, please take her into one now immediately.

They can definitely heal on their own and they heal especially well with puppies. However, it may heal at an angle, which can cause a life-long limp and issues with arthritis. This particular fracture involves the growth plate, which can increase the possibility that it won't heal correctly. The advantage of surgery is that the fracture can be aligned appropriately, which will shorten healing time and reduce chances of future complications. This would not be an easy surgery though and would likely require an orthopedic specialist to do it; which can get quite expensive. If you want to pursue surgery, then it's best to ask your veterinarian for a referral to an orthopedic specialist. Otherwise it's possible for it to heal fine with casting/splinting and time. I hope that helps and Ice gets better soon.