Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat

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Tripawds Three Legged Dog and Cat Forums Share Your Story Is amputation the right choice beca…

Is amputation the right choice because of pressure sores?

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mindy1172

Member Since:
28 April 2016

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29 April 2016 - 10:12 am

My dog Chester (Shiba Inu mix) was hit by a car in Jan of this year. He has recovered from the trauma to his neck and fractured ribs. I have been taking him to Blue Pearl Veterinary Partners since this happened. They are a nationwide referral pet hospital.

What he has not recovered from (and I don't expect that he will at this point) is Brachial Plexus Avulsion on the right front leg.

Because of his immobility right after the accident he developed a pressure sore on the same leg at the elbow. The vet has been trying to close this wound since late Feb. It is almost closed now except the

middle part of the sore won't close. I took him to the vet again yesterday knowing something else was bothering him. The vet discovered a nickle sized new pressure sore right below the original sore on the elbow. It

had worked itself down to the bone in 1 week. No infection involved.

Because of his Brachial plexus avulsion, I don't believe his leg will ever function again. So the vet is recommending amputation, which she has mentioned many times in the past.

Possibly the pressure sores are going to be an ongoing problem with him continuing to develop more pressure sores in that area. I don't know if something else can be done to heal these sores. The vet has it stitched and is using a doughnut

type bandage to help keep pressure off. I thought if the sore would heal we would not do the amputation to the leg. At this point I don't know what else to do to get the sores to heal and avoid amputation.

Maybe amputation is the best for him since his leg does not function anyway. Also I have not seen any improvement with the brachial plexus avulsion in the last 3 months since the accident.

I have considered consulting a holistic vet about healing the pressure sores. But if his leg was amputated we would not be dealing with

the pressures sores or the bum leg. Would my Chester have a better quality of life with the amputation? He does not use that leg nor does he have feeling in it.

I don't know if I should just go along with the amputation or try to find a holistic Dr who may be able to help with the pressure sores.

Anyone else out there who is unsure about going ahead with amputation? Chester has been through enough already. Is amputation the best option for him? After 3 months I seriously doubt the leg will ever function again.

Any info concerning my doubts about amputation would very much be appreciated! Otherwise he is healthy and doing well.

krun15

Livermore, CA

Member Since:
18 October 2009

Offline

29 April 2016 - 10:39 am

Hello and welcome, your future posts will not have to wait for approval.

I'm sorry you are dealing with the result of a car accident- how scary!

I don't know that I have heard of an amputation for pressure sores, but it is often done when there is a Brachial Plexus Avulsion and the leg does not recover.

Aside from the pressure sores how does Chester get around? Is the bum leg a hindrance in any way? Often times after an injury like Chester's the non-functioning leg becomes such a problem that amputation is the best solution.

Have you gone for a second opinion on the injury? Maybe from a certified orthopedic surgeon or a certifed rehab vet? Obviously you want to be sure there is no chance of the leg recovering before making any decisions.

Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls

Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.

1999 to 2010

Maggie's Story Amputation and Chemo

mindy1172

Member Since:
28 April 2016

Offline

29 April 2016 - 2:19 pm

Chester gets around pretty well, however sometimes it seems the bum leg is in the way when going up steps. Other times when walking or running he will either knuckle which I hate to see or he manages to flip the paw forward so it appears as though he is able to move it.

I realized after much reading he is just able to flip the paw, but I don't believe he can put it forward when just walking. the paw flips forward more so when running as opposed to just a slow walk.

He basically is using 3 legs and has been for the last 3 months, which makes me wonder if it is hindering him at times. He has no feeling in the leg. The vet demonstrated that to me yesterday.

Because of the brachial plexus avulsion problems I believe this makes it hard for the pressure sore to heal. Dead area and not enough circulation & nutrients get to the elbow area. Also he is sitting more than he did before. Now he will mostly watch the squirrels and bark instead of chasing them.

The vet has suggested amputation because of the brachial plexus avulsion from the beginning. I was told it will not recover which I believe as I have not seen any improvement at all in his ability to use his leg properly. Seems to me it is occasionally useful for balance, but I'm not sure if it appears that way simply because it is there anyway. He doesn't like to put weight on it and when in a sitting position he always holds it up using his shoulder. Is that a hinderence to him? Maybe.

I have not consulted a rehab vet as I have not seen any improvement and his leg has been bandaged for the last 2 months due to the pressure sore not healing.

Thank you for responding to my post!

Mindy

midnighter94

Michigan

Member Since:
2 April 2013

Offline

1 May 2016 - 8:40 am

I don't know much about the brachial plexus avulsion.

I do know that our dog Cassie recently had a wound from surgery that we really had a tough time getting to heal because she just wouldn't leave it alone. She had a lump removed and it looked good originally and then she licked it. ugh What should have healed in about a week or so took us almost 4 months of daily bandage changes to get to heal (and I don't know how much I spent on coban! lol) Our vet had us use surgical honey on it (manuka honey) - what he had was from Australia. You can order it online from Amazon, someone mentioned they found some at a local discount store (TJ Maxx), but only once in awhile and I didn't find it there. It runs about $20 for a tube. When I ran out I found something at the store made by Curad that said it had silver in it - it's also an ointment. So every day we cleaned it then put the honey or the silver ointment on then a piece of telfa gauze so that it wouldn't stick, then wrapped it in coban. Coban is also in the dressing aisle in the drug store, with the tapes. It's a self-adhesive tape. You just wrap it around and it sticks to itself. That way Cassie couldn't get the dressing off but it didn't stick to the wound either. I really wanted to be able to let the wound air-out some, but to do that we had to put a cone on her.

I think checking with the rehab vet is probably a good idea - make sure that you are looking at all of your options first. But if the leg doesn't have circulation, then it may just be a matter of time before there is more injury. How old is Chester? And how is he otherwise? If you decided to go ahead with surgery, the first 2 weeks or so are the hardest, but after that they usually do much better. Whatever you decide to do, we'll be here!

Donna

Donna, Glenn & Murphy

Murphy had his right front leg amputated due to histiocytic sarcoma at 7 years old. He survived 4 years, 2 months & 1 week, only to be taken by hemangiosarcoma at 11 1/2 years 6/12/17
Read about Murphy's Life on Three Legs