Sunday, August 21, 2011

Splints and Greyhounds

What the heck is on my leg?

You have to be so very careful with bandaging and splints on greyhounds because they are so prone to pressure sores.  Longtime readers know that I am a bandage snob (CLICK HERE for a tutorial on bandaging).  I wrap better than most vets and abhor having to pay for it.  Just tell me when surgery is over and I will come do it myself. Luckily my current vet, Dr. C, wraps as good as me most of the time so I actually will leave one of his bandages on for a few days. Ha!

But splints are new to me so I decided to let the vets have a go at it.  I took Riley back to the surgeon five days after surgery so he could see the leg and change the splint.
Just say no to bone chip

He looked at the splint and began to utter words that suggested he liked the way it looked and was thinking about leaving it on.  Well, I had just driven 40 minutes and had already paid for the splint change, so Riley was going to get her splint change.  I told him I did not think there was enough padding and was eager to see the leg.  Dr. G quickly changed his tune.
Livestrong and Love My Riley Greyhound

Sure enough, Riley had a very minor sore on her toes.  Dr. G trimmed the splint and applied plenty of padding.  Had we left the splint as is, I assume she would have developed a major pressure sore. 

The moral to this story is that while the vet is the expert, they are not always right.  Speak up if your gut tells you otherwise.  I also insist on being present for bandage changes so I can see any wounds for myself.
Rooting for Toots and Screwed (cause there is a screw in there)

The hubby and I are bored too and have resorted to splint graffiti.  Riley continues to do well, but her energy level is soaring.