Can my dog travel on a road trip with a broken leg before surgery?

Many of my patients travel from out of town for surgery at my hospital, cruciate repairs included. As long as he doesn’t jump in and out of the car I don’t see any reason to withhold travel. Best of luck and I hope his recovery continues to do well. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

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 sounds like your dog is likely in extreme pain, and he needs veterinary attention immediately. He may have fractures, internal injuries and bleeding, and may even have neurological issues from being hit by the car. If you mean that he is unable to urinate, that is a medical emergency, and requires immediate veterinary care. Your vet will assess him and recommend appropriate treatment, which will likely include pain medication, imaging and possibly surgical repair. Do not give pain medication to him without checking with your vet, as pain medications for humans can be toxic to dogs. Good luck, and I hope he feels better soon!

Hello, and thanks for your question. Yes, senior dogs can heal fractures, though their healing will definitely be slower compared to young dogs. A 15 year old dog will definitely require some extra healing time, and some extra tender loving care! The fracture must be well aligned, and well stabilized (with a cast, splint, or surgical stabilizer such as a plate or external fixator, depending on the type and location of the fracture) until the fracture is healed. Pain control is very important during this process. Hope this helps and Rayna feels better soon!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! You can rest her as much as possible to try to prevent further injury. Aside from that, she should be evaluated by a veterinarian as soon as possible to check if there are any fractures and to see what would be the best therapeutic step for her. At the very least pain medications can be started right away. Good luck and have a great day!

You need to take your dog to a veterinarian who can reset the leg and then at least immobilize it so a) the swelling can go down, b) the pain is reduced c) discuss possible alternatives in repairing the leg, be it conservative treatment or surgery d) prescribe pain medicine until you have decided how to proceed.

The dog should be kept as quiet as possible for 6-12 weeks to ensure that the bone sets and heals properly. This means no running, jumping, or playing, and the dog should be taken out to toilet on a lead only. Once x-rays are done to confirm that the bone has fully healed, the dog will be allowed to exercise and activity levels must be built back up slowly. Physical therapy and hydrotherapy may be done to help the dog regain it's muscle mass and activity levels.