Our little Baxter jumped off a chair and shattered his elbow. We will have to have his fron leg amputated. We've never been around a three -legged dog before and don't know what to expect.

Baxter is a rescue that already had an old, un-treated injury to the first joint (wrist) of this same leg. He barely could use it for balance and kept it pulled up out of the way most of the time. Being already a weak leg, when he jumped, it was just too much pressure on the next joint up (elbow) and it shattered.

We've only had the little guy for a month. He's such a happy, precious boy! He is maybe 2 years old, some kind of Terrier mix, about 9 pounds.

Right now, he's got a cast to hold it still till we come in for the surgery. The vet wanted to give us a day or two to come to terms with it and weigh our options.

1. Surgery to repair it, several thousand dollars, wire/pin it, painful recovery, always be a weak leg prone to injury all on a leg already compromised and not but about 30% usable before this.

2. Cast it and let it heal at a bent, rigid angle, dangling, joint "crunchy" with broken bones, growing together however it may, suseptible to arthritis, prone to injury on a leg already compromised and not but about 30% usable before this.

3. Amputate, heal, adapt and move forward with his life on three legs.

I, in no way think this will be the easy solution, but I hope I am making the best decision for him. I'm terrified at not knowing how to help him.

What Abby's mom said about us humans having a hard time with this is so true. But your pup doesn't care about the leg — he just wants the pain GONE! Because we've all been where you are, we can say with complete confidence that amputation is not the end of the world for these dogs. They nearly all go on to be happy dogs that run and play like nothing's different. Especially the ones who aren't dealing with cancer on top of everything else.

My advice is to read everything you can on this website and others about your dog's condition. If you don't trust your vet's advice, or if you're feeling uncertain, do NOT hesitate to get a second opinion. Trust yourself. You know your dog better than anyone, and you will be able to make the best decisions for him. Don't spend a lot of time feeling bad for your pup — he's not going to, so why should you. You will have moments of second-guessing and guilt. Let them GO! You are making the best decision possible based on the information you have, and that's all anyone could ever expect from you. Get some rest — you will need it. The sleep deprivation alone can make things a lot rougher than they need to be. And finally, we are here for you and Baxter — no question is too small or too stupid to ask, so ask!!!

Good luck, and keep us posted on how things go for you and Baxter.

Micki and Rio

Thank you everyone! I found this site just by googling three legged dogs and am so thankful you are here. We set Baxter's appt for Friday.
He's a rescue so we don't know much about his history other than by his condition he was either very neglected or had been on his own for a long time. He already inspires us just because he has the best, happy go lucky attitude for where he came from. He's just so greatful to be loved and we sure do love our little guy!
I know in my head that we are doing the right thing, but my heart hurts for what he's about to go through. After talking to several Dr.s, they all agree amputation is best, and I know it's for the best, and I truly think he will be ok, if not better,once we get him healed.
The x-ray showed the bottom joint to be a badly healed break. He arrived at the shelter with the limp and since he wasn't in pain they weren't inclined to have it specifically looked at. They do have to prioritize and it was moved to the bottom of the list and never went back to. He was at the shelter for about 6 months before we adopted him.
And he really didn't use the leg. He wasn't able to stand on it or scratch with it and most of the time it was held off the ground. As silly as this sounds, what I am going to mourn the most is when he lay down watching things with his two front legs crossed. He always crossed the cricked leg over the good leg when resting. I know, so trivial! But it was something he did that the other dogs didn't do.
I will check out the suggested reading for sure. I'm an unashamed nerd and feel better when armed with information!

Here's a link to one of our facebook albums:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.259368684101773.61551.100000859301407&type=1&l=a918c54248
Please feel free to visit and see my sweeties!!

Cute pups!

You are doing the right thing. You commented on the special way that Baxter lays that you'll miss – but just wait until he is a tripawd! He'll do all sorts of special things that will amaze you! It is awesome to be a tripawd pawrent!

Hope he breezes through the surgery and recovery!
Jackie, Abby's mom