What would be the consequences of a 16-hour delay in the treatment for a dislocated shoulder?

[kwyjibo]

Is it really bad of me if it takes me 16 hours to get my puppy to the vet about a possible dislocated shoulder?  Versus a 4-hour delay.  Are the extra 12 hours a really big deal, or are they negligible?

My 5 mos old Toy Poodle (4.6 lbs) jumped off the picnic table while playing with the 6-year-old neighbour, and now she is holding her front foot about two or three inches off the ground.  She was crying then whining for a little bit right after it happened, but she doesn't seem to be in any pain now, unless I touch her in the shoulder area, or the foot area.  Otherwise she is not crying or fussing, she has been mostly sleeping.  (And she ate her big supper which was long overdue, she is anorexic so she had not eaten for about 10 hours....)

I took her to the vet clinic, but no-one saw her.  Tomorrow my vet's office opens at 8:30 and I will be at the door when it opens.  By the time anyone answers this I will have seen the vet, but in spite of this, what is the consensus, please?  Am I doing a bad thing, will it be harder to relocate the shoulder because I waited 16 hours instead of 4?

tks,

J

[chihuahuagrandma]

Oh good! Glad to hear you made it to the vet, I was worried about ya'll, I hope I did not hurt your feelings...
Okay, my opinion....
My experience on this...if a dog leg break, or knees problems, not all vets have the experience to perform the surgery needed to heal properly...
I had a dog, who had your dog's issue, I followed the direction of my vet too like you..
Found this out over time: the leg will have an injury not heal correctly, the dog will not be able to jump properly and sometimes leg will give and not hurts old injury or gets new injury, common sense, and as time goes, arthritis sets in and its an injury will calcium deposit and tissue scars, that like us, weather, move the wrong way, we hurt all over again, so ongoing pain and stress on injures, dogs do not always let you know the pain, cause dogs will dogs until the end, until its really bad and they limp or cry, pain on a dog overtime causes stress, stress causes an enlarged heart, and from there its downhill, I lost my friend to this very issue...Now, I have learned what should have been done....
Call around and ask other vets their opinion, and what vet located works with bone break in legs of dogs...find one w/history and knows their stuff...NO, don't add anymore to little fella of spaying now, too much...
Please call, or you will be in for a long history of issues to come...once scar tissue there, no surgery will be able to be done...
Keep me posted, let me know what you found out...sorry about your little fella...

[kwyjibo]

PS, she has a splint on of course, and we go back on Thursday for a check to ensure everything is okey-dokey....  then more visits every two weeks....  until it's fixed.  And I have to postpone the spaying.

[kwyjibo]

Hi there chihuahuagrandma,

thanks for replying to my question.  Yeah, I got to the vet's at 8:45, and I mis-diagnosed my baby's injuries.  It was a broken front right leg, both the ulna and the radius, broken in the forearm an inch or two from the wrist.  And also, she had some bone(s) dislocated in her wrist.  So the vet pushed the wrist bones back into position (I think) and tried to re-align the two bones of the arm/leg, the smaller one went back into position, and the larger one would not.  The vet said "it went into position and then it popped out of alignment."

So the larger bone (whatever it's called) is not aligned, one bone is directly to the right of the other bone, they are kitty-corner, if you know what I mean.  The vet says that they can heal like that, and a big calcium deposit will grow and connect the two, or smth along those lines, so the bones will be joined again, but not aligned.  I'm not happy about that.

What are your thoughts on that chihuahuagrandma?  I was debating getting a second opinion, or asking him to give it another shot, I wish the bones would line up properly....

So my baby Dancer has to take it VERY EASY for the next six-to-eight weeks, don't know how that's gonna work, she loves to run and play.

Thanks again chihuahuagrandma for your reply there!

J

PS:  I asked the vet if it was bad that I waited overnight to bring her in, and he said no.  FWIW

[chihuahuagrandma]

Did you get into the Vet's office??? And, how did it go for you??
Are ya'll okay??

[chihuahuagrandma]

Thats a call you as a pet owner will have to make...everyone has means...whether it's financial, location, timing...
I am a firm believer, if you own a pet, you have to understand that accidents come up within that pet's lifetime, that could be unfortunately timed...Like the wknd, or financially, but, to be a responsible pet owner in my opinion, if my dog was in any pain and it was within my capibilities to seek medical help...I would run...
It has to be painful what the dog is feeling, too much pain for too long, causes stress on dogs, and their heart will start to act up...
I am not trying to make you feel bad, I am just expressing my thoughts on the matter..
Please go to a vet hosp tonight, or please stand at the door in the morning for your vet..
Welcome also to the forum, wonderful and caring people...and keep us posted on your outcome, and hope only the best for you and yours...
REPEAT