My old dog has a dislocated shoulder. How can I help him at home?

Since you have no easy access to a vet you can start by seriously restricting activity of your dog. That means strictly leash walking for eliminations, otherwise crate rest. Check for swelling and injuries. bite wounds and other trauma If you find wounds she will likely need antibiotics. If you do find a swelling you can try to ice the area on and off and hope the swelling will go down. Icing will also take the pain.If this does not improve within a week you need to contact the vet nearest you for advice. It may be possible for that vet to do a computer assisted consult (you will need a camera and a mic for that) and get medications to you.

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!

A fractured bone should never cause a fever unless there is systemic infection. Rover may need blood work to see if this is the case. There are many pain medication options available in pets, and it is likely that Rover needs to be on a few different ones at the same time to manage this type of pain. In an older dog without a recent history of trauma, I would be very concerned that the fracture could be due to cancer in the bone (called a pathologic fracture). Sometimes this will show on x-rays. If it is the case, the best way to manage this type of pain is amputation with or without chemotherapy. Amputation is also an option for a simple broken bone as splinting or casting will not help a fracture in the shoulder. As a last resort, euthanasia is preferred over endless suffering.

I am so sorry to hear about Brandy but happy that she seems to be doing well. Your options will really depend on the type/severity of the break. Some breaks can heal if bandaged/splinted without surgery if the bones are aligned well enough. If that is the case, you may be able to manage her under supervision of your vet with strict confinement and pain management and regular rechecking. If the leg is shattered into too many fragments for the leg to heal this way, you may have to make the tough decision of going ahead with surgery knowing that there is a risk. Even though she is an older dog, if she is otherwise healthy and has no known kidney/liver/heart disease she may do fine with surgery as long as she has good monitoring during anesthesia and supportive care after. If your vet isn't comfortable with this you may ask for a referral to a hospital that does more surgeries or a veterinary college that handles this type of case.

It may be a good idea to remove the chip, or at least go in arthroscopically (with a tiny camera) to see what the joint looks like and clean it up if necessary. My guess is there was significant trauma if it was enough to dislodge a chip there so it may predispose her to arthritis as she gets older, so going in while she's young and not having any signs could be beneficial. I would see if your veterinarian can recommend a boarded surgeon that performs arthroscopy to take a look at her and her x-rays and see what they think.

Poor Mia! You should contact your vet to discuss pain relief options and i would also recommend a specialist diet such as the hills mobility range. Physiotherapy, acupuncture and chiropractic care can all help optimise comfort and mobility

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.