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My puppy is only 10 months old, a pit bull.
I left today to get breakfast and when I came back I've noticed he started
Limping, he wouldn't step on it, he doesn't have any energy and just sleeping
All day, then later he was lying with me in bed and he peed himself. I have no idea
What's wrong with him, he doesn't seem like he is in pain. I already got an appointment
with the vet on Sunday be I can't afford an emergency room.
He may have torn his ACL while you were gone. This is common for medium to large dogs. It also happens to small ones but the damage is less severe and possibly able to heal on its own with weeks of rest.
Try this: while he is on his side, and his bad leg facing you, try GENTLY stretch his leg a little bit. Not all the way. Watch the knee bones. If it moves oddly in comparison to the good knee, he might have torn his ligament. If he cries, stop immediately. Don't do this if you are not confident that you know how to stretch his leg.
It is extremely painful. Depending on the damage, some vets recommend conservative treatment which are pain meds and 2 weeks of rest. However, most vets will recommend surgery. Yes, surgery. If the ligament is completely torn, they have to put plates in there. I highly recommend doing the surgery if your vet makes that suggestion. The reason is the weight of your dog. The ligament cannot heal properly and fast enough due to his weight. Until he is fixed, his other knee bears all the weight, which will quickly cause that one to pop as well. The faster the surgery is done, the less risk for other knee to pop.
Now brace yourself... it is very expensive surgery. The average runs about $2700.00. I paid $2600.00. Some areas can charge up to $3500.00. Most of the money goes to a board certified orthopaedic surgeon, not your vet. Only a surgeon is allowed to perform this surgery. That means, you might not an appointment with him right away. We had to wait a month for our surgery.
I'm hoping I'm wrong but it really sounds like it. Do not go to the emergency room for ACL injuries. They can't do anything other than pain meds and x rays and charge you insane amounts of $ (I paid $1200.00 when we rushed our dog to the emergency hospital). Go to an emergency hospital if his gums goes pale, throws up, lack of appetite, etc.
Fyi, many pet insurance companies do not cover ACL injuries because it is so common. Check the exclusion page of the policy.
My puppy is only 10 months old, a pit bull.
I left today to get breakfast and when I came back I've noticed he started
Limping, he wouldn't step on it, he doesn't have any energy and just sleeping
All day, then later he was lying with me in bed and he peed himself. I have no idea
What's wrong with him, he doesn't seem like he is in pain. I already got an appointment
with the vet on Sunday be I can't afford an emergency room.
Please help!!
Nobody here is able to do anything other than speculate. Your pup needs to go to the vet ASAP. Dogs hide their pain well. Borrow money, sell whatever valuables you have, use credit card, ask the vet about CareCredit, but do whatever you need to do to get your dog seen by the vet.
If in the end it turns out to be a torn ACL.. there are other options besides paying thousands for surgery. With the help and advice of our vet we decided to go with the conservative treatment meaning no surgery and bedrest for 8 weeks minimum.
It's an alternative that has way less risks than operating on your dog. We also bought an Ortocanis dog knee brace to help stabilize her knee while the tissue was repairing itself - Ortocanis Knee Brace for Dogs
If the problem is a torn ACL (and you definitely need to get to the vet ASAP to figure out the diagnosis) there are definitely options out there that you should look into besides surgery.
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