How Do You Splint a Dog's Leg?

For any serious injury, you should take your dog to a qualified veterinarian right away. However, in some situations, you may be required to temporarily treat your dog until you can get him to a vet's office. For example, an injury may require you to splint your dog's leg. After you splint his leg, you should make every effort to get him medical attention as soon as possible.

Things You'll Need

  • Gauze
  • Roll cotton
  • Elastic bandage
  • Sticky tape
  • Splint material
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Bandage the injured leg. Cover any wound with gauze and wrap the leg in roll cotton. Be sure to wrap your dog's surrounding joints in roll cotton if you suspect he may have a fracture. Fractures of the upper arm bone or thigh bone, however, should not be bandaged or splinted. Instead, try to keep your dog still until you can reach a veterinarian.

    • 2

      Wrap an elastic bandage around the roll cotton, and secure it to your dog with sticky tape to prevent sliding. Make sure the bandage is not wrapped too tightly. You could cut off your dog's circulation. If his toes get cold or start to swell, remove all layers of the bandage right away.

    • 3

      Find something stable to place on either side of your dog's leg to start the splint. Ideally, you should use flat pieces of metal or straight sticks. If these materials are not available, use a magazine or rolled-up newspaper. Put the objects you use against your dog's leg, one on each side. Use sticky tape to secure the objects.

    • 4

      Use an elastic bandage to cover the splint, and hold it in place with sticky tape. The sticky tape should go around the bandage, splint and your dog's fur to prevent slipping.