How to Know if a Dog Broke Its Paw

Video Transcript

"Let's talk about how to tell if a dog has broken its paw. Paws, since they are in contact with the ground, are very commonly one of the first things that get injured easily. Dogs can jump off of things and fracture feet, they can also get crushed, or get hit by a car, all sorts of things can cause a broken paw. There are many different types of bones that are in the paw, or feet, just like it is in our hand. There are toes, the digits that is, metacarpels and carpel bones. So there are many, many different bones that could be effected, or fractured. So, if you think that there is a fracture, the way you're going to tell is dogs, with a fractured bone in a paw, are not going to put weight on it, typically. It's also going to be very swollen and very painful. We do not suggest to try to see if it's painful or swollen by feeling of it, because you can also get injured yourself. If you think that there is a fracture or injury to a paw, then definitely get your dog to a veterinary clinic, either your day clinic, or an emergency clinic, and they can do radigraphs, and they can do bandaging and splinting to find out, or just to treat your pet. They also, on top of that, the thing is to do pain management, because fractures are very, very painful, and they can help you with that as well."