# Broken leg? How to tell?



## Araylee

I think my yearling doe has a broken leg, but I can't tell for sure. DH looked outside this evening and saw her rolling on her back by her play structure (ramp, table, and another ramp going down) and said "Oh, that's weird, she's rolling on her back!..." When I went out to grain a couple of hours later she was a tripod-she is holding her third leg (left hind) entirely off the ground. She stood up and hopped to the gate, then ate her grain like normal, just on three legs instead of four. Her leg is swollen below the knee and it kind of dangles at an odd angle, but it's hard to tell if it's dangling because it's broken or because the swelling is putting pressure at an odd spot. She does have a minor abrasion where the swelling is--so how can you tell if it's broken vs. sprained or bruised? I do have vet wrap but I'm afraid to splint it since I can only feel warm swollen tissue rather than individual bones. Do I wait for the swelling to go down? If it doesn't appear to get better or she really starts to act like she is hurting, how much does a trip to a large animal vet for a broken leg cost?? (assuming xrays and simple fracture, no surgery?) 
I don't want to put her through the trauma of loading her up and taking her to the vet if I don't have to. In addition, her best buddy (I have two goats) is pregnant and due to kid in two weeks, and I don't want to stress her out by taking her friend away, either.
My best guess is that she tripped over herself and fell off her play structure. She's kinda clumsy. I can't tell why she has a scraped spot on the side of her leg unless she scraped it falling off and it's just swollen because she bumped it?

Anyway, rambling here! What do you experienced goatspeople do? Can I safely wait it out and see if the swelling goes down? Should I wrap it and see if that helps?

Thanks for the help, I appreciate it!


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## PattySh

Never had a goat with a broken leg.  But have had a couple of dogs with broken legs. I do know that if it is broken it needs to be seen by a vet to make sure the bones line up properly. It only taken a few days for the bones to start mending and if they are in the wrong position it can turn out badly. If she isn't walking on it tomorrow I would suggest a vet visit. I could actually feel the broken bones on the dog. Will she let you ice it! Be careful about wrapping it swollen. I wouldn't use just vet wrap it can get too tight quickly. Use some fluffy liner like a soft towel then use vet wrap if you have to stabilize it and check it often for tightness. Sorry to say that broken bones are generally not cheap vet visits. I am pretty sure you can give Advil to a goat at double human dose. I'd see if she'd walk on it with some pain relief.


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## Our7Wonders

Arnica Montana (homeopathic pellets) can take swelling and bruising away in no time flat.  I've seen it take swollen lumps away on my children in minutes (my kids aren't always very graceful, we've had our share of bumps and bruises to test it on!)  If you don't have it on hand most any health food store or even grocery stores that have a small health food section in it should have it.  If it can help the swelling you might be able to better tell what you're dealing with.

Hope she's better soon.


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## Roll farms

I wouldn't think a simple fracture would be a huge bill...we had a lamb break a leg once and it was around 100$ total.

I don't think there's anything you can do at home, unless you have a friend who's a dr / nurse / EMT you can call to come feel it / set it for you.

Good luck!


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## 20kidsonhill

We have had a couple goats with clear snapped broken legs, between the knee and the foot, It is very obvious, it dangles and was loose from the rest of the leg, We took an appropriate size length  and width of PVC pipe cut it in half the long way, Made it long enough to fit between the knee and the foot(just above the hoof. Put soft paper towel around the leg, put the pvc halve on both side of the leg and wrapped it in more paper then duct tape. Put them in a small stall with food and water and gave them Penn G shots twice a day for a week. 

They both healed fine, and you could never tell. 

One hung herself on a cedar tree branch, and the other tried to jump a fence caught her leg in the woven wire as she was going over and snapped it.   

If it is dangling and loose feeling, another words you can't move it around from the rest of the leg, I would put her in a small pen, to give it a week or two to heal, but if it is loose it will need be set and wrapped.


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## cmjust0

Depending on how much swelling there is, it may not dangle much..  That's why breaks swell...kinda like the body's way of 'self-splinting,' for lack of a better way to put it..

If it were mine, I'd take it to the vet for an x-ray and possibly a cast or splint.  

I've only had one kid to break a bone, and it was...um...well it was the worst thing I've ever been through with a goat, as it was a 7 wk old kid and he *shattered* his femur.  Euthanized..  I spent days wishing -- if it had to happen -- that he'd have twisted just a little different and broken a cannon bone, like what you're describing..  

And FWIW, he had an abrasion at the point of the break where he hung it up..  If I had to guess, I'd say...yep...you're looking at a break.

Good luck..


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## Araylee

Bugger. Called two vets to get ballpark estimates. Roll, it ain't no $100!! Hubby gave me the go-ahead for $150-$200 ish range.

First vet: $65 exam fee, $149 x-ray, $100 cast fee and $74 anesthesia...$375+ 

Second vet: "hard to say, don't have exact price quote, depends, yadda yadda...$103 for xrays, $43 exam fee, ....maybe $300-400 total? The second vet sounds  a bit cheaper but are 45 minutes to an hour away vs. 15 minutes.

We paid a pretty penny for her because we wanted good breeding stock to start with, in case we wanted to start a dairy.  Like a lot of you, however, we're not exactly rolling in money. On the other side, don't want her to suffer needlessly. Went out to see her this morning, swelling is bad but she's still up and eating. GaH!! DH thinks we can cast it ourselves w/ decent results. I'm concerned that it's not a simple hairline fracture type break and it's going to get infected or ruined if we attempt to go it alone. 

I know this kind of thing happens w/ livestock and was expecting to have something like this happen eventually. Really though? She's 12 months, not a wild baby, and she broke the back leg which is pretty well unheard of in goat land. Apparently. 

Sigh. I know the vet has to make a living too, and I think she's worth fixing, it's just a bit of a shock to see a number that high.
Thanks for the ideas and support. Will likely look at it w/ hubby tonight and make a decision then.


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## freemotion

A back leg will likely heal better since they carry most of their weight on the front legs....unless she stands on her hind legs a lot.  What if you got the exam and xrays, then take her home and splint it yourself if needed?  Or just tell the vet that this is your budget (after exam and xrays, not up front) and that you cannot skip the mortgage payment for a goat, as much as you love her, you are on the edge right now.  I did this with a baby goat a couple years ago and the vet was good to me, did bare minimum tests and meds.  While she was doing the xrays, the rest of the vets came in from the road (big horse practice) and I had three more vets standing around suggesting more and more tests.  I started to panic and I glanced at the vet I was working with and she got out of their line of sight and gave me a reassuring signal.

This was not my normal experience, but we were in a very tight spot and I just laid it on the line with her, privately.  Looking pretty miserable about it probably helped, too.


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## Roll farms

The more I read about expensive vet bills on here, the more I appreciate our vets.  
I'm not saying they're 'cheap'...but they sure don't ream me the way they do some folks I see here....and give me the meds I want w/ out making me bring the critters in, etc.

Please let us know what you end up deciding, and hoping it works out, either way.


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## Araylee

OK! The vet was not willing to work with us, Soooo...
Trip to feed store= roll of cotton, several rolls of vet wrap, and a 2" PVC pipe. When we got out there she was shaking w/ pain. Now, she is limping around on all legs, eating her dinner...and getting cuddles. YAY! Gave her penicillan and ibuprofen. Anything I'm missing? oh yes-she broke the top bone but not the bottom, which was great news to me!!


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## freemotion

Did you get some sort of vet exam?  That told you which bone was broken?

Just watch it closely for swelling as you may have to loosen your bandaging.  Watch for pressure sores that could develop from the pvc pipe.  You can actually do quite a bit of immobilizing with a thick wrap, like roll cotton, covered with a bandage.

Is it the tibia you are talking about?  What do you mean by the top bone?  Femur?


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## getchasome

Our7Wonders said:
			
		

> Arnica Montana (homeopathic pellets) can take swelling and bruising away in no time flat.  I've seen it take swollen lumps away on my children in minutes (my kids aren't always very graceful, we've had our share of bumps and bruises to test it on!)  If you don't have it on hand most any health food store or even grocery stores that have a small health food section in it should have it.  If it can help the swelling you might be able to better tell what you're dealing with.
> 
> Hope she's better soon.


I 2nd that, Arnica Montana works wonders!


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## Our7Wonders

If you're certain that it's set well, comfrey is know as the *bone knitter* herb.  Might be helpful to add some to her feed.


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## Araylee

Erm, I don't know my goat anatomy, lol! metatarsus. Freemotion, you can both feel and see where it's broken. DH felt it line up and straightened it out as well as he could, then gave lots of support w/ bandaging and PVC. There is a wad of cotton fluff underneath the PVC to prevent sores/chafing. PVC extends past her hoof to the ground so that her hoof isn't pressing against the other end of the metatarsus and aggravating the broken ends of the bone. I tried talking to the clinic over the phone and they weren't willing to set w/out xrays, and we figured after loading her in the truck, unloading her at home, and shuffling her back to the shed to work on her would be more harmful than good if we decided to do xrays and then cast ourselves. 
WRT Arnica Montana, how do you administer?? I'd love to see the swelling go down. We'll be rewrapping periodically and are tentatively considering using casting material to make a permanent solution once the swelling is better and the bone has started to knit back together. They sell it at the feed store. Made me wonder how often people set their own animal's breaks!! 
Poor thing was so tired yesterday from having to hold her leg off the ground. There was definitely a look of relief when we stabilized it and she could rest her leg! We checked her hoof about 45 minutes later and it was still warm, so I think her circulation is still good.
Thanks our7wonders, I'll try to find some comfrey. My girls are anti-herbal-wormer so I hope comfrey is tasty!! How much should I give her?
My only other concern is her herdmate. (The herd is two goats.) She's due April 8th w/ her first babies and I'm afraid she's going to get all mean and nasty when her babies are born and start butting in earnest. We don't have any kind of "birthing stall" set up and no way to separate the girls at this point. The one that broke her leg so hates to be left that if she gets out of the pen and I shut the gate, she cries to be let back in with her sister. Really hoping we can keep her stable and calm until she's all healed!
Thanks so much for the help you guys!

Roll-I do think that vets do tend to work with people that they see frequently and are long-standing customers. With only two goats I don't exactly have a long history, LOL! And as I said before, they need to make a living as well. Large animal vets have a tough go-getting kicked, stepped on, bitten, butted, called outside in the rain and snow and ice in the middle of the night...I just don't have the money right now. 

20kids-Sounds like what we are dealing with. Thanks for your story, it gave me encouragement that she might make it through this in fine fashion after all! Yup, the bone is snapped through. I was really hoping that it was *cracked* rather than *snapped*, but it is what it is!

Thank you all!


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## freemotion

I really think you should separate her for a while.  How about a cattle panel?  Easy, cheap, and they can still see each other.  She should not be chased or bonked while healing.

Some swelling is necessary to healing.  Too much creates more tissue damage.  I wouldn't put a plaster cast on until the swelling has settled down.  What if it swells inside the plaster?  Not good.

Picture?


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## cmjust0

Araylee said:
			
		

> Yup, the bone is snapped through. I was really hoping that it was *cracked* rather than *snapped*, but it is what it is!


I remember wishing *so much* that one of mine could have "only" snapped the cannon instead of shattering his femur like he did..  Your misfortune is more fortunate than you realize..

Sounds like you're doing a good job, btw, and I wish you nothing but luck!  Be sure to keep us up on how it's going.


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## cmjust0

freemotion said:
			
		

> I really think you should separate her for a while.  How about a cattle panel?


Cattle panel + seperation + goat that already has *one* broken bone = yikes a roni.  

Having said that...I got no better suggestion.  I really hate to knock someone's suggestion without having another, but I really do feel compelled to say that I wouldn't split a broken legged goat off the herd with a cattle panel.


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## PattySh

My vet didn't use casting when the dogs had breaks. Padding such as you bought  on first and a splint made of plastic then tape top and bottom  of splint a bit more padding then vetwrap. She had me change it 2X day because animals will get it wet and you don't want moisture damage to the skin. VERY important to check for swelling also. I wouldn't recommend plaster with a farm animal. It was alot of work but dog healed well. To try to save on medical supplies  I would think a cheaper fix instead of cotton padding would be to buy a dozen cloth diapers and wash them. You could also use washable ace bandages  (dollar store's have them)  and tape vs vet wrap.


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## Emmetts Dairy

I feel fortunate as well Roll...my vet would never jam a bill down my neck like that for a broken leg....thats terrible.  I know thier in it to make money..but come on...thats a little much IMO.  

Im sorry about your goatie...and I hope she does well for you! Best of luck with her!!


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## Our7Wonders

Arnica is sold as little pellets.  The children's version disolves rapidly under the tongue.  If you can get it in their mouth it will melt quickly - and they're sweet so it doesn't taste bad.  The children's version I have is made by Hyland's and is called "Bumps and Bruises".  It's usually sold for 5 or 6 bucks.  

As for comfrey, here's what the Juliette de Bairacli Levy has to say about it in "The Complete Herbal Handbook for Farm and Stable":

"For bone kniting, feed two handuls of well bruised roots daily........When bone breaks are set with splints and bandages, pour over the bandages three times daily a strong brew of comfrey.  Also aids binding.  The foliage also possesses powerful knitting properties.  For poultice take a good handful of leaves, cut finely, mix with bran, place upon a square of flannel, fold, boil in water for five minutes, wring well and apply hot.  Also for swellings, make a pulp from the fresh leaves spread over the area and hold in place with cold, wet bandages".

Now, if it were me, I'd likely get comfrey by the pound from a health food store and add it to her normal feed.  Most livestock will willingly nibble on comfrey when it's growing, so I would just add the leaf and/or the roots right in with her feed, mix it in and I bet she doesn't even notice it's in there.  I wouldn't go the handful route because it's dried so less will be needed -and simply because by the handful you'll run out fast.  I'd maybe start with 1/4 cup loose leaf.  It's a great herb to grow if you have the opportunity - both for nutritional and medicinal purposes.

Sounds like you're doing great with her - keep up the good work!


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## jodief100

I have never splinted an animal BUT- I was an EMT and athletic trainer years ago.

I frequently had to splint up stubborn ball players who insisted on playing with something broken and the college spent too much money on them for me to fight it.  

We   reinforced it with stiff plastic, then wrapped with closed cell foam and then secured with an ace bandage.  We had this really cool stuff that softened in hot water and got firm when dry- perfect but I doubt that will be cost effective.  

Some foam, splint with stiff plastic and secure with an ace bandage. Stiff enough to support, flexable enough to prevent cutting off circulation.  

Bones heal much faster when you use them so let her walk as much as she can handle- but do not let her jump!


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## cmjust0

jodief100 said:
			
		

> We had this really cool stuff that softened in hot water and got firm when dry


At my house, we call that "pasta."

  

..sorry..


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