Puppy's leg wobbly after splint removal. Is it weak or torn ligament?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Summitt. Sometimes a dog's gait will be different after a splint is removed. This is due to the fact that muscles have not been used as much while it was on. It can take some time to rebuild some strength. However, if she is not making progress walking more normally, she needs to see her veterinarian. Most of the time, I see the normal gait return within several days. I hope this information helps!

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. Generally speaking, young animals heal very fast, especially if the fracture is properly aligned. Six to eight weeks is the average time that we see properly aligned fractures in young animals heal. Sometimes even four to six weeks. I am sorry to hear that you have been affected by the hurricane. If the splint has been on for 6 weeks already, I do start getting concerned about bandage sores and confining the lake for so long without rechecking the leg and changing the splint if needed. The downside with taking the splint off yourself and not doing follow-up x-rays is that the fracture may still be unstable and as soon as that splint comes off, the leg may break again. If finances are a concern I would suggest applying for Care Credit to see if you qualify because you can use Care Credit to pay for veterinary expenses and make payments on a payment plan. If you do not qualify for Care Credit I would suggest checking with the Humane Society to see if someone can check the splint for you. If you are unable to do any of these, and I would suggest waiting one more week with the splint on as long as there are no signs of discomfort with the leg and no signs of sores developing near the edge of the splint where it is taped to the skin. After the additional week of leaving the splint on, you may then remove the splint carefully. I would strongly urge that you cage confine Jackson for an additional one to two weeks following removal of the splint. You still risk read breaking the leg if the fracture site has not healed and without follow-up x-rays there is no way to fully determine how much of the fracture has healed. I hope this helps! Please feel free to contact me if you have any other questions or concerns about Jackson. I am also available by phone or text based consultation if needed.

Poor girl. : ( It sounds like she is tweaking it a bit when she tries to do extrenuous exercise, which is expected, especially since she still has hardware in place in the leg. Her muscles also can grow tired quicker and become inflamed, which can cause some limping after increased movement. This sounds pretty normal at this stage in the healing process. However, if you are noticing any excessive swelling around the area, drainage or signs of infection, then she should be seen by your vet. Otherwise, follow-up your vet as scheduled to check on things and hopefully the leg is healing well via the post surgery x-rays that they will take. I hope that Olly's leg heals well. Best wishes and take care.

It is difficult to assess without a full history of the type and severity of the injury. The most common type of injury is to the cruciate ligament inside the knee - although this can stabilise quite well with rest, weight management and joint supplements (especially in smaller dogs under 10-15kg), surgery is the recommended route in order to minimise the severity of arthritis which will develop due to the joints being unstable. Some arthritis is inevitable but it should be less severe and develop later in life if the joint is quickly stabilised with surgery

Poor Otto! In general puppies heal very well. The only thing to watch for is that a splint can cause temporary laxity in the joint ligaments but this typically resolves. It is very important to keep up with the splint to care as described by your veterinarian. Hopefully his healing will be uneventful. Please feel free to post any additional questions.

This does sound bad and I’m concerned about the nerves running to Oso’s leg. There may be damage to them causing the leg to be so limp. I can’t say what is going on with him without seeing him in person, so I would take him into a vet today.

The two problems may be related or not. If they are, the underlying injury (soft tissue or bone tissue damage) is probably so severe to cause the loss of balance; in the the other case the loss of balance could be related to a dysfunction of the vestibular system (that part of the nervous system in charge of the balance). In both cases Sadie would require a physical examination to confirm these clinical suspicion and appropriate treatment. Radiographs may be needed. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.