# Help :( Dog got run over



## rohksie (Apr 6, 2009)

Hi everybody, I just wanted to know if anyone else or someone has any advice for me. My dog Chloe just got run over a couple of hours ago, my husband and I rushed her to the vet, and he said that she has a broken pelvis and since we live in a isolated area, surgery would require flying her to Seattle, otherwise we can home medicate her for the next 6 weeks till she heals. We will need to watch over her to see if anything develops and she gets an xray on Friday.  I feel really shocked and sad, my husband feels super guilty, he was walking her and she went in the bushes to pee, and then jumped out in front of an oncoming GMC Sierra which wasn't moving faster than 10mph but he said she went right under the front passenger tire. We live in a military housing so it's not as if it was on the main road or anything but its pretty bushy and lots of foliage all over the place, which my dogs love to do their business in the bushiest place possible.

I don't mind paying the cost for surgery and getting those plates inserted, but what worries is me is the flight there and how much more stress she'll have to endure but I don't want her to not be able to have full use of her legs again and be able to run as freely as she would prior to her accident. She's a black lab, so you could say she was completely cloaked in darkness, its that time of year again here in AK where it gets dark real early so it was pitch black outside. 
Well I guess what I'm trying to say is some little encouragement and advice would be really appreciated and some thoughts for Chloe. My other lab Caleb is just as worried as we are.


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## Cracker (May 25, 2009)

I am so sorry! Poor Pup!

Is the pelvis fracture displaced? Or is it stable? If it's stable and you can be VERY diligent about her not moving much you may be okay with crate rest. But if there are several breaks or the bones have shifted the surgery would most likely be a better bet. 
Being concerned about the stress on the dog is so normal but it is more important she get the correct treatment than anything else..the emotional strain is ALREADY there, the physical pain is ALREADY there...the surgery may make her recovery easier etc.


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## lulusmom (Nov 12, 2008)

I agree wholeheartedly with Cracker. If you can afford the surgery and the stress of air travel is your only worry, then I wouldn't hesitate to schedule the surgery now. Your vet should be able to prescribe a sedative that will keep your baby comfortable and stress free during the trip.


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## Maliraptor (Mar 6, 2009)

I would ask your vet. Ask for his HONEST impression.

My husband's Malinois broke his leg in July. We x-rayed with my vet (orthopedic vet) and wanted to take him to surgery. He said splint it. I argued with him a bit, this is a pretty expensive competition dog, we needed every chance for him to be sound.

He finally said to me "You can splint and have a dog that is 90%, or do surgery and have a dog that is 92%. Is the 2% worth the stress and strain of surgery??" He had a very good point.

In our case, the bone healed as well as it would have if he went in and pinned it. I am glad he was honest with me.

So my advice is to talk to your vet. He's seen the x-rays. Tell him you're willing to do what it takes, but what does HE think is the best answer for your situation?

Good luck.


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## Hallie (Nov 9, 2008)

Don't panic! My girl Hallie actually just got hit a few weeks ago by 2 cars. She too sustained a pelvis break! Actually her pelvis was broken in 3 places, luckily everything was in place so we went the crate rest route. It's been 4 weeks since the accident and she's limping around as if nothing happened. The thing I found most difficult about the whole thing was she wasn't able to walk without a towel sling where we could kind of wheel barrel her around and we have stairs, also getting her out of the crate was really really hard and painful for her at first. If you could just put your dog in a bathroom that's alot more convenient for you and your dog at this stage. Also if you've ever seen how rescuers lift dogs that's how she'll need to be lifted if you absolutely have to pick her up, one arm under the tummy and the other on the neck. Every part of her will be in pain, Hallie hurt everywhere! Good luck! We are seeing that Hallie will have no serious prolonged affects from the accident, she may barely limp a little and we'll have to be careful about letting her jump but in all she'll be fully recovered it's the same thing as surgery. If I'm correct they only set the bones in surgery and if the vet said 6 weeks of healing could work then they probably don't need to be set.


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## rohksie (Apr 6, 2009)

Thanks everybody! Cracker, I'm not sure what kind of break it is yet as we still have to get an xray, its a pretty small community and not everything is accessible so we actually have to wait in for an xray tech at the community hospital to do the job tomorrow. 
Lulusmom, if we decide to fly her out thanks for the advice on the sedative, considering there are no straight flights out of here there will be about 3 stops on the way to Seattle, even I as a human can't stand all those landings and takeoffs, I can only imagine for her.
Maliraptor and Hallie thank you its really a great thing to know both your babies are fine and on their way to recovery. 
The vet said that once the xrays are in, he'll make a suggestion otherwise he usually just tells people to do the crate rest. What makes me worried is the other dogs he's crate rested are all small dogs, the biggest he worked with was a beagle.
Chloe is a full 70lb dog, Hallie, did you make that sling or was it something the vet gave you? Right now I have her on her doggie bed with a pen surrounding it so she can't go anywhere but picking her up and out to the yard is a serious work out. Can you splint her if her pelvis is what's broken?

**Another worry for me is, we got back home at 8 last night and she hasn't peed or pooped yet, or when she does have to, how do I go about this? I currently hold her up from her tummy because she can support her upper body, but how will she pee, she usually crouches to pee? Sorry if that's a stupid question. She finally drank some water and ate a little this morning but she just looks so out of it, so lifeless almost. Can't bear to watch her like this, considering she used to be bouncing off the walls and rough housing with Caleb. **


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## Hallie (Nov 9, 2008)

rohksie said:


> Thanks everybody! Cracker, I'm not sure what kind of break it is yet as we still have to get an xray, its a pretty small community and not everything is accessible so we actually have to wait in for an xray tech at the community hospital to do the job tomorrow.
> Lulusmom, if we decide to fly her out thanks for the advice on the sedative, considering there are no straight flights out of here there will be about 3 stops on the way to Seattle, even I as a human can't stand all those landings and takeoffs, I can only imagine for her.
> Maliraptor and Hallie thank you its really a great thing to know both your babies are fine and on their way to recovery.
> The vet said that once the xrays are in, he'll make a suggestion otherwise he usually just tells people to do the crate rest. What makes me worried is the other dogs he's crate rested are all small dogs, the biggest he worked with was a beagle.
> ...


I know what you mean about carrying her, I still have to carry Hallie up the stairs every morning of course she's only 25lbs but I'm only about 100! The vet didn't give us a sling, she just tossed us a towel. It works and it's easily removable and with a larger dog it wouldn't be so painstaking to bend down and walk while holding the towel up, it killed my back. The towel really worked for us, she will be able to bear some weight on the back legs in a few days if she can't already. Don't lift her entire backend up when you help her walk if you don't have to. We had the using the bathroom issue with Hallie as well. They will hold it and hold it, with Hallie she was too interested in walking since she spent all day in a crate. They can't hold it forever and it will come out eventually. You will need to fully suport her weight when she uses the bathroom. She should actually be on stool softeners to make it easier to use the bathroom because right now, due to the swelling, it would hurt for her to 'go'. She won't be so lifeless in a day or two I'm assuming she's on pain meds and they'll probably keep her pretty out of it for awhile. They sure did Hallie. Also try to keep her still because in a week or so she'll be trying to stand and when she does she'll come right back down. And if you do have to lift her watch how you put her back down if her legs go down weird it might hurt her. At first we couldn't lift Hallie to transport her because she was in so much pain you literally couldn't touch her without her freaking out so we took the bottom of her traveling crate off and would use that as a stretcher type thing. I would get the sling into posistion and help her walk out of the crate and into the bottom of the travel crate then I would lift one end and I would have someone else lift the other end and then we would go to our destination. We actually didn't get Hallie back until a few days after she'd been hit. 
Here's the sling towel thing we did for Hallie, this was week 2 and she could support most of her weight


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## rohksie (Apr 6, 2009)

*Chloe is on her way to recovery!*

Hi again, just wanted to let everyone know thanks for all the help, and Hallie you have been awesome thanks for the advice and such.
Chloe is still in a lot of pain but she is making headway, she's finally started eating again. She is being so strong, she has not cried unless it is extremely painful, which I am sure she is in pain all the time from the look in her eyes, but she keeps quiet. We try to stay ahead of the pain so we've got her on her pain medications pretty regularly. We put stool softener in her food to ease the pain on her from pooping, peeing is a different story. She seems to be hesitating to go every so often but she is going, well I help her out by pressing on her bladder like the vet showed me. My vet has been great, he has been making house visits since the incident checking up on her and bringing more medicine. My husband just had surgery on his hand so he's out of it, lugging around 70 pounds of dog surely is back breaking but it is worth it. I took Hallie's advice and made a sling for her out of a towel, I cut out holes in the front to put her front legs through to keep it from slipping to her tummy because she doesn't like it. She's tried getting up when I'm not looking and gets up a few feet but drops and starts shrieking and I start freaking out because of it, it makes me so sad to see her in so much pain. But all is going well so cross your fingers and keep her in your thoughts and prayers. Thanks!!


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