Hi and welcome! Thanks for joining. What is you dog’s name?

Was he born with this condition? And have you gotten more than one opinion? If not, it would pay to have a board certified orthopedic vet see if he is a good candidate for a prosthetic (it sounds like he might be).

See our posts about prosthetics for more information.

Oh I'm so glad Michelle was able to help you last night! I'm sorry I missed you in the Chat. 

Here's what I didn't get a chance to mention earlier: if a dog will have a prosthetic device in the future, the amputation surgery has to be done with that in mind. The reason is so that the vet can leave enough limb so an artificial device can attach to it. If too much of the leg is taken, and no stump with joints is left behind, the dog will likely not be able to use one later.

Many times, rescue dogs will get their damaged leg amputated quickly in the interest of the animal (to eliminate pain) and to keep costs down. A second opinion costs money and I can't blame rescues for taking the less expensive way out. But all too often, we encounter rescue dogs who only needed a paw amputated but the entire leg was taken.

An amputation under these circumstances is kind of a shame, because many of these rescue dogs would have been great candidates for a prosthetic limb, provided that the right future pet parent could be found to pursue this course of action. See, as long as a dog has two joints left on a leg, they can be a great candidate for an artificial leg. Our Wyatt Ray was one of those dogs. He really only needed the paw removed but the rescue vet took the entire leg, and changed the course of his life forever.

And while dogs can do well on three legs, a dog with an artificial leg can reduce the risks of joint pain and arthritis that Tripawd dogs are more susceptible to having.

Here are some things to keep in mind about prosthetics , however:

Prosthetics take time, patience and money. A pet parent has to be willing to make that investment in order for them to be successful. They are few and far between.

Designing your own DIY prosthesis is NOT a good idea and here's why. I know we see them on TV and the Internet all the time, but what we don't see is the long-term damage DIY devices can cause. Without a good understanding of animal physiology and biomechanics, an untrained prosthetics maker can do more harm than good and cause long-term damage to the dog's body. I know your heart is in the right place but I would not attempt any more devices right now. What you can do in the meantime, is try no-slip dog booties or socks to cover up the area that gets damage. 

As for amputation and neutering at the same time, that is not at all uncommon and not a problem from what we see in our community.

If you think you want to foster this dog, I would take him to an orthopedic surgeon for a consultation. If you are not going to, you can try mentioning your concerns to the rescue and see how that goes. It may or may not fly since they have their systems in place and limited funding.

I hope this helps! Let us know what you decide to do.