My 3mo old lab puppy fell off the porch steps last night. He now doesn't put weight on his right, rear leg, but he doesn't whimper when we touch it. What should we do?

Please take him to the vet asap. Thanks!

Thank you for taking the time to comment. We plan to see a vet later on... we just had a new baby so neither myself, nor my husband have leave we can take at work. Plus, our vet is closed this weekend for the 4th of July. So, I'm hoping for some advice in the mean time.

Today is only Wednesday. Isn't your vet open in the evening?

One or more of our dog experts will be along later (most post in the evening), so they should have good advice for you.

I'm not an expert but I've had dogs all my life. It could be anything from a sprain to a torn ligament (which actually happened to one of my dogs). Unfortunately, part of being a dog owner is being inconvenienced, taking time off work for emergencies, spending money on Vet bills.

I don't think you should wait until after the weekend. He could do more damage to himself just trying to get around.

If you care for your dog you'll make sure he/she isn't injured.

If timing is an issue for you maybe it is possible for you to drop him off before work and pick him up afterwards. Of course keeping in touch during the day for updates on what they may have found. I would give them a call and ask if this is a service they offer.

Thanks for the comments, but I am still looking for additional advice.

Let me reiterate that my husband and I have NO leave to take at work. We were forced to use it all with our new baby. Also, as I mentioned my vet is on vacation from now until Tuesday, 07/05/11.

Thus, I still need some tips for taking care of Tiger's right, rear leg, which was injured when he fell off the porch steps, until I can get him to a vet next week. Again, he is a 3 month old lab puppy and can no longer put weight on his leg. However, he does not cry/whimper and seems to be very happy other than the limping. I appreciate any advice you folks have for me.

Thanks!

If you absolutely cannot get him to the vet until next week then your only option is crating him and limiting his activity. Be warned though, if it is a serious problem by waiting it may end up costing you a lot more than if it were treated right away depending on the severity of the injury.
Some dogs will yelp and limp if they get a small splinter, others will still keep on running with a broken leg, there's really no way for us to tell exactly what is wrong.

Our Vet is closed this week for their 4th of July family vacation. So that's why we can't carry Tiger after work or Saturday.

Thankfully, Tiger is putting more weight on the injured leg when walking, so I do believe it is a sprain/strain. He continues to play and run with less limping than yesterday. He even managed to get in trouble for dragging off one of my husband's heavy boots, which makes me think it is not a real bad injury or he wouldn't be capable of dragging off such a heavy boot (especially as far as he did).

Thanks for your input... if you think of anything else, please let me know. I am open and appreciative of any suggestions.

I have a suggestion - if no one covers for your Vet, find another Vet.

When all of this is said and done, come back and report to us, please.

Then I'll tell you the horror story of how much it cost me when my Rott tore a ligament and walked on it, played on it - and further injured it, all while I (in all stupidity, quite frankly) was thinking it was a sprain and could wait until the next day.

Our Vet is closed this week for their 4th of July family vacation. So that's why we can't carry Tiger after work or Saturday.

Thankfully, Tiger is putting more weight on the injured leg when walking, so I do believe it is a sprain/strain. He continues to play and run with less limping than yesterday. He even managed to get in trouble for dragging off one of my husband's heavy boots, which makes me think it is not a real bad injury or he wouldn't be capable of dragging off such a heavy boot (especially as far as he did).

Thanks for your input... if you think of anything else, please let me know. I am open and appreciative of any suggestions.

If your vet doesn't have someone to cover him while he's gone, get another vet. Accidents happen, and you can't be expected to wait many days before seeing a vet.

You may believe that it's only a sprain or a strain, and you may be right. The fact is, you may be wrong.

You've been given the only advice we can give. Unless you send us a copy of the x-rays done (which haven't been done), there's no way for anyone online to tell you what's wrong. We simply don't have that power.

The only option is your vet. Hopefully it's not serious and when your vet gets back from his vacation, all will be well. The thing is, playing, putting weight on it, isn't a guarantee that all is well.

I hope we've reiterated that enough.

A little addition. Your post is titled "free vet answers?". Well, a fact of life, not even a vet can diagnose an animal online. We can guess, but that's it. Guesses don't do diddly squat. We don't have crystal balls, we can't look at x-rays that don't exist, we can't tell you any more then you already know, not with an injury like the one you've described. We need to see inside your dog, which we can't do. I don't understand what you were expecting to learn on the internet. An injury to the leg isn't absolute, it cannot be diagnosed online. Nothing can.

Good luck.

Not to be mean , but if you don't have time for the puppy , maybe you should find some one that does.