nottzhunter08 898 Posted June 11, 2012 Report Share Posted June 11, 2012 i was doing a bit of fishing the other day and took dog with me. after a couple hours and very few fish i decided to give the dog a little walk round the woods. anyway hes marking this patch of hedge row nose down tail up in the air and next thing i see a long eared broke out the hedge into the field the other side with my mutt sharpe on its arse, they disappeared over the brow. a couple minutes later he returned holding his back leg up. i could see his leg wobbling all over the place and my first thought was its broke. after a long walk with the dog on my shoulders we went vets. they kept him in overnight and x-rayed it. he has a hair line fracture on his hock. i am returning with him on thursday as the vet said he needs other vets opinions on his hock and how to deal with it. has anyone witnessed this injury with there dog and did they make a full recovery? atb N.H 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
leegreen 2,219 Posted June 11, 2012 Report Share Posted June 11, 2012 Hairline fracture, should heal with rest. How old is the dog? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nottzhunter08 898 Posted June 11, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2012 he is nearly 4 mate and the dogs bin fit and healthy all his life which hopefully goes in his advantage. this is his first injury in the space of 4 years. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BEARINATOR 2,872 Posted June 11, 2012 Report Share Posted June 11, 2012 As Lee said plenty of rest and it will be fine, my 2 year old bitch had a hair line fracture and broken toe and she was house bound for a few months but is running well on the track now Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nottzhunter08 898 Posted June 11, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2012 sound mate Quote Link to post Share on other sites
whippet 99 2,613 Posted June 11, 2012 Report Share Posted June 11, 2012 thats the only trouble with these dogs as atheletes, there prone to injuries when running hard. i would advise any one to insure there dog, especially running dogs and the most frustrating thing is waiting for them to mend . on the plus side for you nottzhunter is the season is still abit away , you might be luckly to get a few runs in this side of christmas. i would get someone to do a rehabilitation programme for him after the rest. he will need to build the muscle around the injury again aswell as the rest of the body. if you dont use your head and take it real steady you could potentionally do some permanent damage. im no expert as i nearly ruined my own running dog running her while she was injured but i never realised. boy did i feel bad. but you live and learn . and injuries are sometimes hard to spot when out it night. the hardest thing about owning running dogs is to be honest with your self and try and make the right decision. every one in the dog game want to know everything and have the best dogs etc, dont be embarrased to seek advise from exspereinced people . it could be the making or breaking of a dog in the end. seek the advise and evaluate it before any rash decisions , time is the main healer .good luck 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nottzhunter08 898 Posted June 11, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2012 (edited) good advice whippet99 i was think 8 - 12 weeks pure rest, then 4-8 weeks road walking and trotting next to the bike before i even think of running anything. as you say running dogs are prone to injuries and we run this risk every time we take them out. he is my first dog and i am very pleased with the outcome of him so its only fair to give him the rest he deserves. cheers Edited June 11, 2012 by nottzhunter08 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
skycat 6,174 Posted June 11, 2012 Report Share Posted June 11, 2012 The bit that worries me is when you said (his leg was wobbling all over the place). To me, and no I'm not a vet but I've seen more injuries than I care to remember, this implies a lot more than just a hairline fracture. I've had dogs with hairline fractures, and a slight limp is all you get. The trouble with the hock is that it is a complicated and delicate arrangement of multiple bones and ligaments. If it was my dog I'd get a good greyhound vet to x ray and examine the dog. Pet vets are OK with certain things, but as I've said many times before, they don't fully realise the stresses and strains a running dog puts on its joints when working. For a pet dog vet, a partial return to almost normal function would be good enough for most pet dogs, but a joint which is not 100% won't stand up to a lot of running or hard work. Sorry, I'm not trying to depress you, and it may well be that your dog does make a full recovery, but do get expert diagnosis from someone who deals with canine athletes. 5 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Westy76 546 Posted June 11, 2012 Report Share Posted June 11, 2012 (edited) My bitch had a fracture of the rear hock I took her to a bone man and this was the treatment bone radial applied to the area 3 x a day,porta mag and 6 weeks crating only out to relived herself only. Healed a treat and runs well on it. Good luck. Ps 4 weeks gentle road work after. Edited June 11, 2012 by Westy76 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mally 832 Posted June 11, 2012 Report Share Posted June 11, 2012 I'd be very worried if my vet said he needed another vets opinion, time to find another vet mate. There is a good greyhound vet in loughborough he has treated a couple of mates dogs and they have been very happy with him. I don't have his number as i always use Paul Evans at Manchester but i can get you his number is you would like it please pm me. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
leegreen 2,219 Posted June 11, 2012 Report Share Posted June 11, 2012 I must apologize. I always find myself skip reading things and sometimes I fail to spot important facts as Skycat so rightly points out. Like "his leg wobbling all over the place" and the vet saying "he needs a another opinion on the hock" very good points and one's that need taking note of. Saying that if the hock truly has a "hairline fracture" I don't see a problem in your dog making a full recovery, given proper grub and rest. Good luck. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nottzhunter08 898 Posted June 11, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2012 i have seen the x-ray what the vets did and all other bones in his leg were checked over and looked perfectly fine. but i totally agree about vets not knowing of the strain and pressure that the dogs bones go through, especially when there out in winter 4-5 times a week working. i am going to see what the vets say on thursday and if im not satisfied with there answer then the next step is a greyhound vet. hes been very settled and eating well. he isnt putting any weight on his back foot and when he tries his lower hock looks unstable. cheers for all advice will fill you in with vets say on thursday. atb Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sandymere 8,263 Posted June 12, 2012 Report Share Posted June 12, 2012 Your statment "he isnt putting any weight on his back foot and when he tries his lower hock looks unstable" sounds odd, can you explain what you mean by unstable? One would expect that any instability would suggest a major fracture and some kind of cast etc. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
skycat 6,174 Posted June 12, 2012 Report Share Posted June 12, 2012 (edited) Here's a link to a page where there is a good diagram of the hock. http://darkstarrrotts.com/hock.htm All those little bones are held in the right place by ligaments, which if torn or stretched will cause instability to the joint/s. With so many little bones all needing to be held in the correct position, you can see how easy it would be for the whole assembly to be badly compromised if even one or two ligaments are damaged. And whilst you say a hairline fracture: which bone is fractured? There's quite a lot going on in the hock. I've put this up so you can be better informed and be able to ask the vet exactly what is going on with your dog. Edited June 12, 2012 by skycat Quote Link to post Share on other sites
paulus 26 Posted June 12, 2012 Report Share Posted June 12, 2012 richard torr at shepshed http://www.vetclick.com/find-a-vet/view_detail.php?Id=4686 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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