Is it possible to operate an old fracture in a dog's leg?

A dog was brought in at the shelter where I volunteer. She's a large (31kg) mix breed around 7 years old. She was found in the street about 2 months and she's limping. I took her in for fostering as she wasn't doing well at the shelter at all. We found a home for her, but she stayed at mine for a while longer, because she was going to get an operation on her leg to improve her situation. Even after the X-Rays were taken 2 vets looked at them, the operation was supposed to take place.When I took her into the clinic on Monday, a third (orthopedic) vet saw her and her X-Rays and said that the trauma is too old and she's an old dog already and nothing can be done for her apart from giving her pain medication.It might sounds stubborn, but I am having a very hard time believing this. She's a wonderful dog, she walks up and down the stairs, loves people and dogs (though she's afraid to let them come near her leg), has a great time chewing and playing with her raw hide bones and is extremely loving. Is it worth our while (or rather her new owners where she's going to later today. Poor people have been waiting and waiting for her to have the operation. She could have gone to them more than a month ago!) to look for another vet who is willing to operate? Is there really such a thing as injuries too old to operate?Thanks in advance!

Well, yes and no. Yes, it is possible that an operation could imporve her leg, if the injury isn't too severe-which it doesn't sound terrible, if she can walk up and down stairs. BUT! If she does have the operation, here is the unfortunate part about it, and the main reason why most vets will not want to do it:In order to repair a broken leg that has healed improperly, they must break it again in the same spot and set it correctly. This might be a problem because, for one, it will hurt again, and for two, if the dog tries to walk around and winds up injuring herself again, say by tripping over something or hitting her leg on the stairs while she's trying to lift it to walk up, it could actually make it worse.In my personal opinion, if she can still walk the stairs and play around, and if these new dog-parents love her already, then she should be fine. However, I understand your concerns and your love for the dog and I can respect and admire your tenacity in trying to get her some help. So do what you think is best in your heart, but be cautious! If you talk it over with her new family, be sure to warn them of the possible danger of making it worse while trying to make it better, and be sure that if they proceed and find a vet who will operate, they will have someone there to monitor her AT ALL TIMES to make sure she won't hurt herself while she's healing again.As far as being worth the time or money, though, that's really up to the people adopting her. Their finances may or may not be of any concern in this case. Irregardless, an old broken bone will always hurt with the weather changes, and the older an animal gets (even humans), the longer it takes to heal and the less their chances of healing properly are. So, if I were you, I'd leave well enough alone and advise them to get her some mild painkillers, dog aspirin or the like. But I'm not you, that's just my opinion and advice, do what you will with it. It's still very nice to know that somebody cares about a dog's quality of life.

The orthopedic surgeon is the best one to make the call because he is the expert in this area. Another alternative, and again this is a suggestion, is to consider amputation of the leg if possible depending where the break is and any other problems involved. Age may be a factor here. Considering the age and the size of the dog, medication may be the best route for treatment. Not knowing the circumstances there may be a reason why this was not suggested so do not take it the wrong way. You might ask the shelter the reason so you will understand better. Remember that the vets consider all the factors to make the best decision possible for their patients.