broken toe

[jigsaw 11,899]

whats the proper procedure with this,the saluki/hound had a hell of a run and when he came into the field his toe was pointing westwards,so a vet is the obvious reply and steady with the insults.I was talking to a greyhound man and he said let it calsify,it would be ok in 8-9 weeks.So whats the best, vet or healing au natural.

[Blue one 89]

A good greyhound vet will tell you exactly what to do Jigsaw, your best bet in my opinion.

Or if you visit any greyhound track, their is usually a bone mad their, that will also helpfull.

[wi11ow 2,657]

a lot of vets now say remove it DONT there not like the old type vets that understood a dog they read a book and think thats right

[the big chief 3,099]

if you think its broke and you can move it around the vet will charge a hefty bill for an exray just tell them to lob it of thats what i did with mine you could clearly see my dogs toe was broke the vet says we will just exray it i was putting his toe back to where it had snapped so my bill was harf the price just because i didn't let him exray it

[oddser 79]

whats the proper procedure with this,the saluki/hound had a hell of a run and when he came into the field his toe was pointing westwards,so a vet is the obvious reply and steady with the insults.I was talking to a greyhound man and he said let it calsify,it would be ok in 8-9 weeks.So whats the best, vet or healing au natural.

if its pointing to one side it may just be dislocated its easy to put them back but if you not sure go to vet good luck

[skycat 6,174]

I can't believe that people are offering advice without even seeing a photo of the toe. This is the internet at its most dangerous!

 

But I'm a sucker so I'll give it a go LOL

 

If the toe is out of alignment it is more likely to be dislocated than broken, but don't take my word for it! I can't see the dog! Whatever you do, you can't leave the toe like that: not only will it cause the dog a lot of pain if it tries to run on it, but it won't ever heal properly if it is not in the correct position. And the longer you leave it like it is, the worse the soft tissue damage will be (ligaments torn I suspect) so get the dog to a vet and get it seen to asap.

[jigsaw 11,899]

thank you so far,I didnt clarify the situation as is now so I apologise,but when we walked him from the field to the van his toe was westward that was after the first run of the day.My immediate reaction was straight to a vet,but as it was just before 9.am. too early for the surgery to be opened.We put him in the van with his coat on and went for another scurry about for a few hours and when we returned the toe was back in perfect position,I put this down to the dog licking himself clean and maybe knocking it back into place..I gave him a short walk today and called to a greyhound enthusiast ,he had a look and gave me the direction of leaveing it heal for itself.If it was as we found it I wouldnt hesitate to have him seen to.He has no pain or limp at the present time and he can walk as normal.The origional piece makes me look like a callous lout(which I certainly am not),the dogs best interest is foremost on my mind as hes a genuine do or die kind of dog,which I admire admirably,anyway just gathering opinions as Im not up too well on this situation but I am happy hes coping well and pain free.

Edited December 21, 2011 by jigsaw

[skycat 6,174]

Phew! You had me worried for a moment!

 

One of my lurchers did a similar thing: two toes pointing sideways: we pulled them back into the right place and all appeared to be healing well: then around a fortnight later, with her not even having been out of the kennel, one of the toes started swelling badly. Off to the vet, who took off the toe and found that there was a serious infection going on inside the toe bone! Possibly due to a tiny wound which happened at the same time as the dislocation.

 

Now I'm not saying that yours is the same, but do keep an eye on it for extreme heat and swelling. Of course it will be a bit swollen and warm anyway. The best thing you can do is to stand the foot in a bowl of very cold water twice a day: that will help to take down any inflammation.

 

The bad news is that it will take at least 6 weeks to heal, maybe more, because the ligaments which hold the bones in place will have been ruptured, or very stretched at the least. The toe will probably always be more prone to coming out again in the future, but only the future will tell you that! Or you could have it taken off now and the dog will be running again in around a month: your call.

[banner man 588]

iv had a good few dogs down the years with broken toes and iv tryed a lot of different things but the best thing iv found to do is cut the nail on the toe right back all the way and tie the dog up for 4 weeks and he should be fine.

[jigsaw 11,899]

thank you skycat,his toe is looking quiet normal,no swelling or weird displacement.hes walking on it fine so I will give him a few weeks off and then slowly reintroduce him to short gallops and see from there.Amputation is th last resort I think.Gives me an excuse to get more work done with the saluki bitch now I suppose,lol.Thanks banner man,how far back,what about the quik bleeding in the nail.Hes walked a lot on the roads so his nails are not too long,all good info though.

[bendrover 556]

if you rate the dog as highly as you say ,would you not take him to the vet and get an xray.just to make sure the nibs that hold the bone in the socket are not damaged.as if there was damage to the area im talking about then as sky cat said ,it will probably go again.if there is no damage and as little damage to the ligaments you will stand a far better chance of complete recovery.but ,i think the best part of the season will be missed.atb benny

[jigsaw 11,899]

bendy,going on the advice of the greyhound/coarsing mans opinion,plus I dont have a lot of spare cash at this time and the fact im keeping a close eye on his movements and foot condition I am hopeing to avoid paying a vet to tell me exactly what the other chap did,but if it comes to it I will go to the vet if necessary.Thanks for the input,I expect the best part of the season will be missed wether or which anyway as we stop runing the dogs at the start of feburary which aint too far away as it is.

[wi11ow 2,657]

I can't believe that people are offering advice without even seeing a photo of the toe. This is the internet at its most dangerous!

 

But I'm a sucker so I'll give it a go LOL

 

If the toe is out of alignment it is more likely to be dislocated than broken, but don't take my word for it! I can't see the dog! Whatever you do, you can't leave the toe like that: not only will it cause the dog a lot of pain if it tries to run on it, but it won't ever heal properly if it is not in the correct position. And the longer you leave it like it is, the worse the soft tissue damage will be (ligaments torn I suspect) so get the dog to a vet and get it seen to asap.

 

before drakey was about when he was running dogs what did they do and before anyfool could wright a book witch half the shit in it is wrong what did the old running dog men do ??????????????? phone a few and aske them for some info

[skycat 6,174]

It wouldn't hurt to cut the claw right back to the toe either: to take the pressure off that toe. Even if his claws aren't too long, it is still something that a lot of the old greyhound men used to do....................a very old greyhound man told me this!!!

[rooster cogburn 68]

if your finding things a bit tight jigsaw.run it under a cold hose to take the heat out of it then. cut the nail back as close to the toe as you can.get your self some potassium permanganate. you can buy it from most chemists .put it on a peace of cotton wool and hold to the nail untill it stop bleeding wich dosnt take long.,get another a peace of cotton wool place it between the dogs toes , try to hold the dogs toes in place with a light bandage. then get some wideish tape A to protect it and B to hold the toe in place to allow support whilst it heals. try your best to keep it dry. and supported but not to tight.this is an old greyhound man.overweight been in the game 40 odd years an have mended a few broken toes in my time. .if your not sure of what your doing or the injury. a trip to the vet and an x ray would be an idea. best of luck rooster.