In a severe rib fracture, you may notice your dog has a bulging chest which could be hard or soft. If you notice one, you should cover it with a clean cloth or gauze.Īvoid carrying your dog in a way that impacts the chest area. What you're looking for is any bone going through the skin. This sounds like a weird step for many owners whose dogs aren't aggressive, but you must consider that a dog with fractured ribs will be painful and may become extremely defensive in this state.Ĭhecking for open wounds. Muzzling the dog, but only if it doesn't affect breathing. This page gives guidelines only.If you notice your dog might have fractured ribs, there are a few preparatory steps you might take before you head to your local vet clinic. Your pain is not adequately controlled (or seek advice from a pharmacist).You start to cough up green, yellow or blood-stained sputum (phlegm).Keep your shoulders moving with light activities, avoiding heavy lifting.You may find it helpful to sleep sitting upright for the first few nights.You may be prescribed an opioid such as codeine or tramadol to take as well This will make it easier to cough and breathe deeply. Take regular painkilling tablets either as prescribed or as bought over the counter (eg, paracetamol and ibubrofen).Keep mobile (eg, walking around) as this will help to improve your breathing.Maintain your fluid intake which may aid sputum clearance It will be more comfortable to cough if you support the painful area with a pillow or, after a few days, with your hand. It is vital that you do cough to remove phlegm, despite the pain. Do regular deep breathing exercises (for example, 5 very deep breaths every hour, holding each for 3 seconds).The risk is greater in smokers and people with chest disease. The main risk of a chest wall injury is a build up of phlegm (normal chest secretions) in the lungs because it is painful to cough and coughing normally removes excess phlegm. There is no specific treatment for broken ribs (it is often not necessary to X-ray the chest as the treatment is the same for bruised or broken ribs) and this is that the injury should be allowed to heal naturally, to take painkillers and to follow the guidelines on this page. Coughing and deep breathing can be painful (due to movement of the broken/bruised area), but are an important aid to your recovery. It may be even longer if more than one rib is involved. As a rough guide, one broken/bruised rib may be painful for several weeks. Injuries of the chest wall can be very painful and often take several weeks to get better. This information leaflet gives advice to patients with any of the following:
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