# Has your chi injured a leg?



## Enzo's Mom (May 23, 2004)

Enzo climbed out of his bed the other day (its a laundry basket) and jumped down only to let out a yelp and then he limped around for a day or so.

Well on Sunday, my son accidently stepped on him (not like the whole dog with his whole foot, but more of a swipe of his foot). Enzo yelped of course and limped around for a day on the same leg as before and then he was fine. 

Well tonight, he was playing with his toys and yelped again (this time just once) and then drew his paw into his chest for the "three-legged walk".

I know the leg is not broken because he will put pressure on it and I can touch it and he doesn't whimper any. I think he may have just bruised it or something. We have a vet appointment next week. I don't think that it is bad enough to rush to the doc early. Has this happened to your chi? Sorry so long, I am just wanting some feedback on what to do for him 

Thanks,
Elizabeth


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## NoahFL (May 14, 2004)

This happened to Zeus twice when he was 9 weeks old. He limped for an hour (after jumping off the couch), then was fine. Another time, I went to hop in the shower and I left him in the kitchen. He must have tried to jump on the chair and limped for a few hours. Depending on Enzo's age, dogs can have 5mg per pound of aspirin every 12 hours. You might want to ask your vet if he's old enough for it. For very young dogs, they lack the enzyme to process the aspirin. I can't recall what that age is. If he's better, if it were my dog, I probably wouldn't take him to the vet. If it is just a bruise, aspirin would work great, but please ask the vet if he's old enough. Maybe someone else on the boards knows the "magic" age.

How old is your son? I can't recall how old Enzo is, but when they are young, they are extremely fragile. My daughter was 1 when we got Zeus so they could only play together under supervision then they were seperated. Our vet had told us that if a Chi at a young age is stepped it, it could be fatal. I've also would walk kinda of dragging my feet on the carpet because I didn't want to step on Zeus. Now that he's 11#, he's a lot more aware of us walking around, as am I. My daughter (2 now) and Zeus can now play more together. Now I worry about him hurting hurt her and not the other way around anymore.

Keep us posted.


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## Ms_P (Apr 25, 2004)

I would definatly NOT recommend giving aspirin without consulting your vet first. If you give them too much it can cause seizures which can lead to a lot of other things. Coma, paralasis etc.
If you are concerned about his leg call your vet and explain what happened. Let them tell you what to do.


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## OzzyAndLilysMom (Mar 9, 2004)

yes definately ask the vet first like noah says as you never now if he is old enough, also asprin is a dangerous drug in people so I would not reccomend giving much to dogs, most people are only prescribed 75 mg a day by doctors and Ozzy weighs 5 pounds so according to zeus mom that would mean i would give him 50 mg it doesnt seem right it can cause internal bleeding and stomach ulcers I would definately consult vet first  get him checked over anyway


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## Boogaloo (Mar 27, 2004)

How is he doing this morning? If it still seems to be bothering him I would call the vet and see if they have any suggestions. Good luck and let us know how lil Enzo is doing!


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## my3angels (Apr 15, 2004)

I agree, do not give your dog any meds until a doctor sees him.
Dogs can be very good at hiding an injury. Just because they will allow you to put pressure on their leg, that doesnt really mean that the leg isnt injured. I remember Bailey (our Lhasa mix) jumped from one couch to the next and fell backwards on the floor. She was three-legged for a day or two but I pressed my mom to take her to the vet anyway. Turned out that she had a fracture! They thought it would need surgery, but then they decided against it. 
When I first adopted kylie she had a very bad broken leg. even though she wasnt using it she was not crying or depressed at all. She was running around acting crazy which is the main reason her original owners waited all day before calling me for advise. 

Here is something you can do in the mean time...take your hand and run it down the leg that is injured...starting from the back and slowly moving down to the toes. See if you can feel any heat in the leg. You will notice right away if an area on his leg is hotter then the rest. That is a key sign of something going on in the leg. We do that a lot at work (I work as a vet tech at a Vet-rehab facility...(helping injured dogs afer the vet visit). You must keep your hand moving to feel it though. Your hand can produce heat if you leave it on your dog so you want your hand moving so you can feel his heat, not yours. 
If you do have some areas that are hot, put some ice on it, just for 10 minutes. Put a washcloth under the bag of ice so it isnt too cold for them. Ice will only help with pain and swelling....do not put heat on it. heat can potentially make an injury worse so the only time I would use heat is if the vet tells you to.

Other then that I guess just keep an eye on him until her appointment. If you notice he is uncomfortalbe, limping, getting up from a down position differently, or anything else that would show he is in pain I would take him in sooner. My personal opinion is that you take him in sooner then a week, but that is up to you.  

Good luck with him! Please let us know what happens!!! 
Jessica


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## Enzo's Mom (May 23, 2004)

I don't feel any heat in his leg. 

He woke up this morning walking normal again and playing. I think I will try to keep him contained for a few days and give him time to totally heal. He gets to playing so rough and thats when I noticed him limping again. We have also changed the rules about when he is allowed to be down with the kids. If an adult can't stay and supervise the WHOLE time, he is put up in his bed to keep another accident from happening.

Thanks everyone for your help and if I think it is getting worse, I will run him by the clinic and have it checked.

Elizabeth


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## my3angels (Apr 15, 2004)

Glad to hear he is doing well! He might have just pulled the muscle. Keeping his activity restricted is probably best for now. If he doesnt get better by the vet appointment i would bring him in
Good luck with him. Sounds like you have everything under control  Let us know how he does in the next week!
Jessica


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