puppy injured his leg by slipping in a puddle

Question
While playing catch in our apartment, my 5 month old German shepherd/golden retriever slipped in a puddle from his water dish and went down kind of hard on his back right hip/leg. He did let out a quick yelp and avoided that leg for a few minutes. I don't know if he also slid into the wall or if it was just the impact from the floor. Even though he walks on it he has a limp and favors it. There isn't any pain reaction during use or touch. There is no swelling or obvious damage other than the limp. We kept him off of it as much as we can a puppy his age, crate rested for 2 days. I don't want it to get stiff, but I don't want it to be more serious than I think. Is there something I should try at home or is it ok to give it a couple more days before cleaning out my very very meager savings account for a vet visit? I truly do not have the $300 the vet estimated for an exam with x-rays. Especially if its something we can heal at home. But I worry that he'll injure himself worse if we let it wait too long. What do you suggest?

Answer
I would find another vet. That is way too much for an exam and xray. Besides, what are you going to xray at this point? A hands-on exam is the first step to see if he has ruptured his ACL (unlikely but not impossible) or just strained it (more likely). If none of the above works and the vet can illicit pain on the bone during the exam, then an xray might be warranted to see if he has a greenstick fracture or a growth plate fracture. Now those can be serious as they affect the growth of the leg.

It is possible that he fractured the hip socket too, but if he isn't limping on it that is also unlikely. A strain can be sore for weeks. You didn't mention how long this has been going on.

You can always call around and find a vet that has a more reasonable price structure. This is a good reason to have pet insurance too. Dogs like these are prone to injuries and with the costs nowadays it pays to insure your pets too!!

But that is for another time. If this has already been a week and he is still limping, then a vet visit is warranted. If it's only been three days then I would give it two more. But don't wait too much longer because growth plate injuries as I said are serious in that they can cause some major problems to the growing bone.

I hope you can find a vet that is more reasonable. Please let me know how he does.