Hi. I've filled out an adoption application for a three year old, spayed, female, Australian Cattle Dog mix that looks to weigh around 45 to 50 lbs. She is missing all the weight bearing toes on her front, left paw (completely gone with only two partial toes on each outside). She has partial pads on the bottom of her foot intact. Whatever wound might have been there appears to be completely healed. I plan on taking her to the vet first thing when I'm approved and she comes home, but I'm trying to pre-plan. Right now, she gets around okay, but she appears either unsure of how to maneuver, or maybe she gets tired after a few steps. She alternates between taking a few steps using all four legs, using the stump as a foot (which creates a limp, since it is so much shorter than her other legs) and holding that leg up and hopping, as if she had no front leg. She appears to get confused and stop to either rest, or think about it, before continuing on her way. When she is sitting, she seems to hold that leg up, as if her paw was hurting. I did look over the paw and she didn't seem to be in pain when I touched it. My concern is her using the front leg to walk on. I'm concerned it will create major shoulder problems since there's at least a 1 1/2 to 2″ difference in length. I'm also concerned about her lack of consistency with how she chooses to walk. We live in a rural town & I have a nice vet, but through experience with my other dog, I know she doesn't have a lot of experience with unusual cases, so I'd like to educate myself about what I should be looking for, steps that might need to be taken, problems that might arise, etc.

Thank you for your time.

Mary:???: