Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
Tripawds is your home to learn how to care for a three legged dog or cat, with answers about dog leg amputation, and cat amputation recovery from many years of member experiences.
Join The Tripawds Community
Learn how to help three legged dogs and cats in the forums below. Browse and search as a guest or register for free and get full member benefits:
Instant post approval.
Private messages to members.
Subscribe to favorite topics.
Live Chat and much more!
Register
Log In
Members
Add Topic
Offline
Hope I am posting in the right place.. First time here and looking for any information for my girlfriend who's dog got hit by a car a few days ago and broke/shattered some bones in his left hip. Her parents are considering putting him down instead of getting possible surgery. Looking to try to find any answers i can to save the little guy.
He is a fox terrier and is about 8 years old, his name is Turbo and he ran into the street a few days ago and ended up getting himself hit.. He is doing well from what I'm told.. He wont eat or drink as much because of the pain meds but the real reason I'm here is to find out any information i can on how to help him..
I'm told that for his surgery they will have to cut through the bone under his hip to repair any damage and the leg would just end up being loose and he would have to drag it.. I've been looking around for any answers i can and I haven't been able to come across much info on any cases where it's better to let the leg hang loose and have him adjust.. what possible complications can come with such an injury and is it better to have the leg amputated? It doesn't seem like the vet he has gone to has even mentioned amputation yet but I'm afraid of the little guy just getting his paw scraped up or end up hurting himself over time or if it becomes more of a burden than anything.. Since he can't tell us himself I'm trying to see if anyone else has gone through anything similar and can shed some light on the subject for me.. My girlfriends parents are thinking about putting him down just because he has no "spark" and they are afraid he will just be in pain the rest of his life but I'm trying to make his case that it's not reason to put him down because it will be harder then caring for him before his accident.. I'm not sure if it is a money issue or what but I believe you can pay such a surgery in installments and not all at once..
I have a tendency to ramble.. Apologies.. Just worried.. I guess the real question is would it be better to have the surgery done so his leg is loose and dragging or have his leg amputated to save him possible future pain ? In the end it's not my choice just trying to get as much information as possible to try to save him from being put down.
Thank you all for any information that can be provided.. Will keep fighting for him.
Dante & Family, welcome. Sorry to take so long to approve your post, your future posts won't need to get approved.
We're glad you found us and we hope that we can help you and your girlfriend's family make the best decision for this pup. We do have a couple of vets and vet techs who answer questions here but in the meantime I'll try to give you my non-vet opinion.
Most dogs do great on 3 legs. If the dog is in otherwise good shape and doesn't have any pre-existing conditions, and the leg will otherwise be useless, why on earth would anyone keep it? Imagine trying to drag a useless limb around on your body, that would be pretty tough don't you think? The only exception I can think of is if the pawrent wants to keep the limb in order to attach a prosthesis to, which is a whole other issue altogether.
We've seen many people try to save their dog's leg after an accident like this, only to resort to amputation. If this vet is proposing surgery to try to save the leg, I would personally get another opinion from a board-certified veterinary surgeon to find out what the chances of saving the leg are. If it's unsuccessful, the costs for the surgery and subsequent amputation could run in the thousands. A second opinion can save everyone a lot of grief.
I highly recommend showing your girlfriend's family our community to reassure them that dogs do get along just fine on 3 legs. I know it's hard for people who are unfamiliar with Tripawds to accept this, but most people once they see how we do, are OK with it for their own dog.
I'm not sure if this helped or not but I sure hope so, as I'd love to see that pup get a second chance at a good life. Thank you for going to bat for him. Please keep us posted.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Welcome Turbo and pack-
Sorry about Turbo's accident, but being a small dog he would more than likely adapt easily to being a tripawd. I feel he would be much happier that way than dragging a leg around that would just get in his way and make him miserable. Plus he is not having to fight cancer as so many on here are and could live a long life. Those of us who chose amputation for a short term chance at extra time rarely regret the choice because of how well the dogs do after surgery even the larger ones.
Sending pawsitive thoughts your way and please keep us updated.
Luanne and Spirit Shooter
Spirit Shooter was a Miniature Australian Shepherd who was diagnosed with a MCT and had a LF amp 1/28/13 at 13-1/2 years old.
Shooter crossed the Bridge on 8/28/13, his 7 month ampuversary and two weeks from his 14th birthday.
Our Murphy was also hit by a car. His left knee was blown and his right hip dislocated. The doctors tried for three weeks to get that left leg to work, but the nerves were shot and it just dragged along. Nothing they could do to help it, so amputation was the choice. He had other problems with the remaining hip, but is doing so very well now that some people don't even notice that the left leg is missing. He is a big dog (over 90 pounds at the time of the accident), and I understand that small dogs do even better.
He also has Turbo in his name, although it's Turbotail. So, from one Turbo to another...you can do it!!!
Kathi and Murphy
Murphy is a five year old Lab/Chessie cross. He was hit by a car on 10/29/12 and became a Tripawd on 11/24/12. On 2/5/13, he had a total hip replacement on his remaining back leg. He has absolutely no idea that he has only three legs!
UPDATE: Murphy lived his life to the fullest, right up until an aggressive bone lesion took him across the Rainbow Bridge on April 9, 2015 and he gained his membership in the April Angels. Run free, my love. You deserve it!
You are not rambling! You cwre andit's coming tnrough loud and c.ear! I am sooooooo glad Turbo has you as his voice!! An eight year "young" Fox Terrier, ight? He has YEARS of a vibrant, joyful, happy, lovng life anead of him!! For them to end his life now without reviewing the research and knowledge this site, and a specialist vet have to offer would be something I fear they would regret down the road.
Of course he has no spark right now.....he's on pain meds AND most likely experiencing some pain! That shuts down anyone's appetite! Should amputation be advised, and my guess isit will be, You will be amazed at how quicky Turbo gets arou d on three legs! I know I was soooooo veryhesitant about an amputationfor my large Hapy Hannah (osteosarco a).....so afraid she wouldn't be avle to get around.....best decision ever!!! Yeah, recovery from major surgeryis no picnic, but you will be estactic at how happy Turbo will be once he recovers!!
As far as finances, there ARE alternativess...some will wowho k on a payment plan (her surgeon did) and there are some placies who provide much cheaper surgery than others. In Virginia there is a clinic called "Helping Hands".....they do it for aout a third, or less, of other places here. Check around, there are also various organizations who can assist.
And yes, quite often we have dogs here who are tripawds because of accidents and not disease. And as someone said, almost every sngle person ks glad they did this.
PLEASE,PLEASE, keep usmposted and let us know how we can help further. Turbo, and your girlfriend, are incerdibly fortunate to have you in their corner! Eveeyone here is rooting for you and Turbo! Turbo would say he wants to live! Turbo would say get rid of the bum leg!!
Sending you the very best for a positive outcome for Turbo,
Sally and Happy Hannah
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!
If the leg can not be repaired then I would have no qualms about pursuing amputation. A small dog like that should do great! In general it is easier to lose a rear leg than a front leg.
Pam
oh man.. that too bad about the car incident.. poor baby!
but.. my goodness... I hope you received all these answers before a decision was made!! All of us here are here for the same reason.. that we own a tripawd.. a furbaby who has lost a leg due to many different reasons. Cancer, deformity at birth, accident, whatever! But the outcome is the same.. they do great as a tripawd.
They don't know that they are missing a leg.. they adjust! They adjust way better than humans do I tell ya!
And the fact that he will have to lose his leg due to an accident, and not cancer, will guarantee him many, many more years of life, painfree as one of the cutest tripawds on the planet!!
Please let us know how Turbo is doing...
Christine..... with Franklin in her heart♥
Franklin, he was the Happiest Dog on Three Legs! Diagnosed 09/26/2012 with Osteosarcoma, amputated 12/4/2012. Had a wonderful 5 1/2 months painfree until he ran for the Bridge on 5/15/2013. Always in my heart, and always a guardian angel of my pack... You can follow his Tripawd Adventures, before and after, in my blog, Frank'n'Farter!
I agree with everyone else! For a small dog, eight years old is senior but he could still have many years of great quality life as long as there are not other health issues (obesity, arthritis, etc.) that you did not mention.
I'm not sure why the vet did not mention amputation as an option, it is possible that they may not feel comfortable doing it. If the hip and leg are injured the amputation would be more complicated than if just the leg was injured as the surgeon will not have the option of amputating mid femur, they would most likely need to remove the entire femur. Unfortunately, if the vet has not done this before they may be wary of offering it and some vets do not like to refer to another vet because they do not want to lose business. I think seeing another vet would not be a bad idea.
If you chose to attempt to fix the leg it is very important to DO YOUR RESEARCH on the vet! No all surgeons are created equal, and sometimes general practitioners will offer to attempt to fix things that they have not seen since vet school, and have never performed themselves. They are not trying to be malicious, they are trying to be helpful, but your chances of the leg working again will be greatly decreased. As Jerry mentioned, a Board Certified Veterinary Surgeon would be the way to go if you are pursing fixing the leg.
If finances are a concern, having someone qualified fix the leg is going to be much more expensive than amputation. Be careful about clinics though, make sure that they are using up to date anesthetic, sterilization, and monitoring techniques. Also, I personally would never want any dog to have to live life with a useless limb that could cause them pain and infection. Best of luck to you and Turbo!
Thank you everyone for your kind words and helpful information..
Sadly tho i did not get a chance to talk with her parents before his surgery was already scheduled. He went in the day after i made my first post and i could not be heard in time..
The surgery went well tho and he is doing just fine. The vet removed the small shards of bone in his hip and I'm told he just had the top of his femur (the Femoral head i believe?) removed but the rest of his leg is healing just fine. He can even put a little weight on it and is more so just limping a bit. He seems in good spirits and is walking around a little on his own even tho everyone tries to get him to rest and stay still. He hasn't been whining or showing any signs of pain and has had a decent appetite. All in all he seems to be doing rather well and i guess if he has complications down the road amputation will be an option to consider. If anyone has any more information tho regarding any kind of harness possibly or anything that will help his mobility in his current state now or in the future would be a great help. I would also love to hear any advice that anyone has or anything they wish to share about what to look out for to make sure his recovery goes well and he stays healthy.
Here is a picture of the little guy. Will come back and check often to see if anyone has any advice and do what i can to get my girlfriend and her parents to check out the site.
Post Surgery hope it shows up.
(Edit)
Couldn't get it to post so just made him my Avatar photo.
Thank you all again so much.. Great information really helped and put my mind at ease and made my girlfriend feel better.
Gosh...holding my breath, as I'm sure everyone here was.............and you said, "Sadly though I did not get a chance to talk to er parents BEFORE........." At that point I didn't want t read any more. I didn't want to know what came after..."before....."
YAAAAAAAAY! Turbo is alive and recovering! WHOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOO!
Can't even think of any "advice" right now, just so darn glad he's alive!!
Yo can search this sit for all types of harnesses. In the meantime, perhaps a towel will work.
Yes, Turbo's picture showed up fairly well. Well enough to know he's adorable! YOU are a wo derful friend to Turbo! If you and the girlfriend ever break up, see if you can keep the dog!!!!
winker: JUST KIDDING!
Sally and Happy Hannah
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!
We got a Ruffwear harness for Murphy and it was wonderful. We still use it for him when we are in strange or new situstions, as the handle on the top is useful in controlling his rambunctiousness.
So glad to hear that things are going well.
Kathi and Murphy
Murphy is a five year old Lab/Chessie cross. He was hit by a car on 10/29/12 and became a Tripawd on 11/24/12. On 2/5/13, he had a total hip replacement on his remaining back leg. He has absolutely no idea that he has only three legs!
UPDATE: Murphy lived his life to the fullest, right up until an aggressive bone lesion took him across the Rainbow Bridge on April 9, 2015 and he gained his membership in the April Angels. Run free, my love. You deserve it!
I used the Ruffwear Webmaster harness for my quad pug Obie when he had knee surgery in February. It worked great for him, he practically lived in the thing for 3 months. He is pretty low to the ground but by hooking his leash to the back attachment point I was able to help him hop and keep weight of the bad leg.
To get Turbo strong and keep him healthy you might check out the Exercise and Fitness Ideas in the Gear Blog. Of course get clearance from your vet before starting on this stuff.
I hope his recovery goes well.
Karen
Oh boy, I'm with Sally--I saw "sadly' and thought it was going to be sad. But it isn't sad! Yay for Turbo getting better! If he can keep his leg without it bothering him, then that's great. We like it when we get successes like this. We see a lot of attempts at healing a break that just won't heal, but that doesn't mean Turbo won't mend. Keep us posted so we know the end of the story, ok?
Shari
From abandoned puppy to Tripawd Warrior Dude, Dakota became one of the 2011 February Furballs due to STS. Our incredibly sweet friend lived with grace and dignity till he impulsively raced over the Bridge on 12-15-12.
Dakota's thoughtful and erudite blog is at http://shari.tr.....pawds.com/
1 Guest(s)
