Sprain or Serious Issue?

StellaTheBully

Before I jumped into a new discussion I wanted to properly introduce myself….

My name is Taylor and I have had my BT for almost 5 months now, she is currently 7 months old and her name is Stella  

I learned so much from just browsing through the discussions so I decided to join. I posted once and fell off the map but I'm back! and just wanted to say THANK YOU for all the advice  

Unfortunately about a month ago Stella sprained her left paw. The vet told me that it could be one of two things- either a sprain or it could be a type of bone disease that is developing as 6 months of age is when symptoms would start to show if she did in fact have some sort of disease. We took the first route, and assumed it was a sprain. The vet gave me "doggy tylenol" as he put it, and told me that she needed to rest until it healed. He told me that if it doesn't heal in a couple weeks, it may not be a sprain & we would need to have x-rays done and make sure it wasn't some sort of bone disease or other serious issue.

So almost a month has passed, her limping is not AS BAD but she does still limp…. after a couple minutes of limping she will walk/run fine as if she just needed a "warm up" but I know that dogs are good at hiding their pain… I have not returned to the vet because she is still an active puppy (you can only tame a bully so much, especially at 7 months) and because he told me at our last visit what the next plan would be… x-rays. I have slowed down on the walks, decreased the amount we take, etc. But when we are in the house or in the back yard, she will just run and get out of control (because I haven't been exercising her as much) so she exerts her energy anyway.. this is why I think her limping has decreased but not completely gone away. 

The only other advice I've received is that she needs to be on "crate rest" where I keep her in her crate for 23 hours a day, only taking her out to eat and go pee outside. I don't really think that is fair for her or good for her sanity…. so I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced this? Was it a sprain or should I take her to the vet immediately? or should I give this "crate rest" a try?  

She's on a PMR diet (for almost 3 weeks now) I've just introduced turkey and we're alternating between chicken and turkey, she gets an egg twice a week and grizzly oil daily. Her stool is fine, no swelling, everything is symmetrical on both sides, she doesn't cry at all ever. She looks healthy, the only symptom is the physical limping and sometimes she will put all of her weight on her other 3 paws. 

Here are some pictures of her… thank you so much!!!

bhardypr

Oh, Stella is beautiful! She looks a lot like my boy, Sammy!

I'm sorry she hurt her paw. I agree that it's next to impossible to get her to actually "rest" it. Bullies (esp bullie pups) don't know how to rest.

It sounds like it's still bothering her although it's good that she can run and play once she warms up. Bullies generally have a high pain threshold, so it might concern me that she's running and playing on it when she should be resting it.

I would maybe call the vet and see what he says. Perhaps you should put her on crate rest for a few days and see if that improves it. Poor baby...let us know how she does.

StellaTheBully

Thank you, she really is a great pup!

I think I'm going to try keeping her in the crate often & if there really is no improvement I'll take her to the vet.

I feel bad crating her but it is better than her seriously injuring her paw!

exiled

Stella is so adorable and beautiful.  Can't be of any assistance about the sprain, but sending some good wishes that she's better soon. 

Seon

Beautiful dog.  Wish you the best on her paw.

StellaTheBully

Thank you guys

philsergeant

She's a stunner!  She doesn't appear to have her foot strapped at all (and maybe she'll need a head cone when left alone with strapping), but in my opinion, a sprain that lasts more than a few days needs heavy strapping.  You can't keep a 7month old bullie caged, impossible. Even if she has to have a soft cast she needs her exercise in these formative months.
I don't know how a vet can "suggest" a bone disease in such a young pup without extensive investigation.... Maybe you need a better vet?, most of them could be a lot better, I think some of them get their degrees at Walmart.  Keep investigating and please keep us informed.

Stoges_mom

She is gorgeous! Sorry I don't have any advice on the injury but I hope it heals up soon :-)

StellaTheBully

Thank you all so much!

I'm looking into strapping and I'm also working on keeping her calm more often and trying to prevent her energetic outbursts lol. Thank you for all the advice!

Jmallar

I know how you feel, my baby has sprained her front leg, hurt her toe, and now her ankle and we are finding it almost impossible to keep her quiet. We have been going thru this for months. I did get x-rays as soon as possible as Steve reminded me that they are so tough it was better to be safe than sorry, I would get x-rays now just in case

Quinnofhearts

My bull terrier broke her back leg at 10 months, had orthopedic surgery to mend the shattered bone and was on crate rest (all day) for a minimum of a week. Trust me, crate rest is hard, but it can be done. (The healing process was a total of 9 weeks, no playing, no running, no jumping, no stairs. Torture!!!!) It is SOO important to rest these dogs or they just will not get better. The day after Quinn's leg surgery she came out walking on it like a big dope. So just because your pup isn't limping doesn't mean it isn't hurting. Also, i would go ahead and get the xrays done. At this age if it is something serious it can affect her for the rest of her life. Just gotta bite the bullet and accept those vet bills as they come...

Jmallar

We just found out we are probably headed for surgery for Roxanne's ankle . I dread the healing time, she is terrible right now on limited activity but we are in hopes for a good result and getting her back to her old self!

BulliesofNC

Oh nooooo, is her ankle that bad? poor girl! I hate hearing about an injured Bullie. Wish I could give her some hugs and attention.

StellaTheBully

Oh my, I couldn't even imagine surgery! I am with ya on the limited activity though it is so difficult. Stella has been resting more than ever and I've been good about keeping her in the crate more often. She's definitely doing a lot better but we'll still be going for x-rays soon.

I hope Roxanne has a speedy recovery!!

BONC_Jacksonville

So sorry that it come down to surgery.  Rest and relaxation for a few days usually fixes their minor spains.  Good job of staying on top and getting the situation fixed.  She will be bounding around soon.

Quinnofhearts

Bull terriers are so resilient. No one can hardly believe me when I describe Quinn's injury, the way she moves now. Recovery is very hard, but seeing them finally run and play again is so rewarding. Both Stella and Roxanne will be just fine, I'm sure. :-bd