Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi all so back in February my dog (Sparky) fractured his femur bone so we took him to go get surgery. A few months later we noticed that he still was not getting better and still limping after the surgery, well it turns out that they performed the surgery incorrectly causing his bones to fuse together and him not having any range of motion on his back leg. On top of that the vet that initially performed the surgery failed to diagnose that he also had a fractured him. We took him to another vet and they said that at this point amputation seems like the only option. We have called multiple vets around to get a quote on the amputation and they have all said around 3,000-4,000$. This seems pretty high, and seems pretty discouraging considering that we already spent so much money on his surgery before. I was wondering if this price range is typical for amputations? I am feeling very overwhelmed because my pup has been in a lot of pain and has not been able to be his playful self since this happened, I want to have the amputation performed as soon as possible because want his pain to end. How did you guys pay for this procedure?
Also I am new here on this site, does anyone know how to add pictures to your post??
shandelly22 said
...3,000-4,000$. This seems pretty high...
Compared to what? Have you been through this before?
A surgical procedure as critical as amputation is not something you want to shop around for. Search these forums and you will find many topics discussing costs of amputation, with plenty of feedback from many others:
Tripawds Forums: Search results for 'cost' (41)
Here's just a few topics you may find relative:
Costs of Amputation and Chemotherapy for Dogs: What Did You Pay?
The Difference Between Low Cost and Regular Clinics
Here's another important article and video about selecting a hospital too:
How to Choose a Veterinarian for Amputation Surgery
Why Your Pet Should See an AAHA Accredited Vet
Cost is definitely a major consideration, for every member of the Tripawds community. That's why fundraising is not allowed here, so we have edited your post accordingly. You will find various veterinary financial aid resources in the Tripawds Blogs , including the Tripawds Foundation ASAP Fund. Please see the Tripawds Fundraising Policy for complete details.
Best wishes with the decisions you face. Your future forum posts will not require moderation. Please start here for help finding the many other Tripawds resources and assistance programs.
anyone know how to add pictures to your post??
Here are detailed instructions for adding photos to forum posts . If you don't already share photos online somewhere, you can start a free Tripawds blog any time and upload them there. Need further help? Post in the Tech Support forum and we'll be happy to help!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
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Best of luck to you and Sparky. I'd be pretty upset that the first vet mismanaged the first surgery.
I think for just the amputation, I paid about $2K. It was probably a little more when you factor in post-op pain meds. I don't really know how that compares to others. My vet recommended a board-certified surgeon, and I never looked anywhere else.
I also did a bone biopsy and multiple rounds of chemo, so the amputation cost was just a part of a much larger cost.
I'm not rich by any means, but I'm fortunate to make decent money and manage it well, so I was able to cover the costs. Rocky was my child, so money was never a factor for me - I'd have spent twice as much if it would have helped him.
David and Rocky (and Baxter now too!)
Rocky had his right front leg amputated on Valentine's Day 2017 after being diagnosed with osteosarcoma.
He joined the September Saints on September 3, 2017.
He is the toughest, bravest, sweetest and best friend I'll ever know.
Clyde's amputation surgery itself was about $3500. That's not including diagnostics, etc. I'm in the Los Angeles area.
If you state the incident correctly, it seems the vet making the error should make good on this,, they have insurance,, where their insurance carrier will pay them for what they have to pay to your specialist to fix their mistakes. not sure if this applies.. but I know it gets done,,,
So sorry you and Sparky have been through such an awful ordeal. I can only imagine how hard it must have been to go through the surgery and the recocery, only to have it botched so badly.
I agree with Luke. I would certainly pursue trying to get some compensation from the original Vet. It really seems like there was some gross negligence going on.
Do you have access to a teaching hospital anywhere near you? They often offer lower prices.
Also, I would try and get an exact quote from uour new Vet. Possibly you can find ways to cut the expense down. While we wouldn't recommend it, if there is a fee for overnight care, perhaps you could take Sparky home the day of surgery. It would be hard, especially if you aren't familiar with the way animals react when coming out of anesthesia , etc. You'd want a lot of these in place if you do this, but it is doable.
Possibly, considering the sad circumstances bringing you to this point...possibly the new Vet would work woth you on a payment plan. It's certainly worth approaching him.
If you are anywhere xlose to Virginia, there is a clinic called HELPING HANDS. They do amputations for half of what you were quoted. That said, they certainly don't have overnight care and I'm other corners are cut, but everything absolutely necessary ti Sparky's well being is included, Mayve there's a clinic similar in your area.
Please keep us posted, Should you be able to pursue amputation, we will be here every step of the way to help you navigate through recovery. I know you will be so relieved to see Sparky be pain frre again and living life to the fullest again.
Lots of hugs
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
Hi all,
Thank you for your kind replies. Unfortunately at the time of Sparky's accident that led to a broken femur we were in vacation in Mexico, so we decided to do the surgery there since we would be staying there for a while longer. Therefore I don't think we could get reimbursed for the poorly done surgery. If it helps we are located in Arizona in the Phoenix area. If anyone knows or has done any amputations in this area, is there any vets you would recommend and how much did you pay. We are looking into CareCredit to help pay for surgery expenses, what are your experiences with this?
So sorry you and Sparky are going thru this. I just had my little girl's front leg amputated. Smiley went thru chemo for a couple of months first. I used Care Credit for that, but the clinic would only offer 6 month repayment. It's interest free if you pay before the 6 months. So when we did amputation which ended up being $2,600. I had a yard sale and came up with $900. then I put the rest on my regular card because the payments were lower even thou I have to pay interest. I'm on a fixed income so it helps me. I also have the Wells Fargo card for health issue but they are the same 6 months. If you can pay it in six months that's great I just couldn't.
I hope you can find a vet that can do this for Sparky. Good luck.
I just noticed your avatar. Is that Sparky? If so he and Smiley look like twins.
Yes that's Sparky! He's a brindle colored pitbull mix, we're not sure what he's mixed with though. What kind of dog is Smiley?
Sparky is a good looking fella'. I bet with that name he's full of spunk too!
Amother thought. Call around to various shelters and see if they can recommend less expensive Bets. Obvious something as important as major surgery amputation you want done right by an Orthopedic Surgeon, but they may have good connections to one.
Hopeful that ARIZONA has a good resource for you.
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
IT IS expensive The " Specialist" charged me 4500 but they were recommended and I did not shop around Thank god for high limit credit cards
I think by the time all was said and done we spent about $4000.00 on Huckleberry. We did get totally nickeled and dimed to death over unforeseen things and poor pain management , in other words Huck had to go back in for a few days and we ran out of meds about 4 times.
I agree that you should contact somebody like AVMA or AAHA and proceed with a formal complaint and request a refund that would go towards another animal hospital. I would not let them touch my animal again though. They may offer to compensate by re-doing the procedure and you do whatever you feel comfortable with but I personally could not trust somebody like that again.
I am sorry you are going through all of this, I hope you find a way to get your furbaby taken care of properly.
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry 
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