My 10-year-old Lab has a broken shoulder. What can I do for him?

Question

My dog recently couldn't walk or get-up unless he really had to. We took him to the vet where they initially told us it has just a high fever. But x-rays and other scans shows a fracture near his shoulder. The veterinarian told us that nothing can be done at his age and he has to suffer through with the pain till his death. He is a 10-year old Labrador retriever turning 11 this November. We have no idea as of how he met his injury. He can't even get-up and we have to feed him water and food. Pet's info: Dog | Labrador Retriever | Male | neutered | 92.6 lbs

Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA · Accepted Answer

A fractured bone should never cause a fever unless there is systemic infection. Rover may need blood work to see if this is the case. There are many pain medication options available in pets, and it is likely that Rover needs to be on a few different ones at the same time to manage this type of pain. In an older dog without a recent history of trauma, I would be very concerned that the fracture could be due to cancer in the bone (called a pathologic fracture). Sometimes this will show on x-rays. If it is the case, the best way to manage this type of pain is amputation with or without chemotherapy. Amputation is also an option for a simple broken bone as splinting or casting will not help a fracture in the shoulder. As a last resort, euthanasia is preferred over endless suffering.

My 10-year-old Lab has a broken shoulder. What can I do for him?

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