Hello bazpup! Your situation sounds similar to my Bert's. His original stump was just above his rear right hock. In the beginning of our journey together, I too thought that keeping as much of the leg as possible and pursuing prosthesis later would be a good option to look into. As Bert aged, and learned to walk, he used the end of the stump like a foot. I attempted to bandage the leg up so he could not use it, then I tried making a padded boot thing for him but nothing was working. Bandaging became increasingly difficult as he aged (to the point of impossible) and his stump kept getting bloody and infected due to the way he was using it. I did not want him to be on antibiotics and limited activity over and over again for the first year or more of his life, and maybe more after that. I decided that amputation was the best, most healthy (and also most cost effective) decision in our case. I added links to Bert's story for you.

http://tripawds.....-days-old/

http://tripawds.....-6-update/

If you have any questions feel free to ask. Also, please do not take this as discouragement. I just wanted to share what happened in my situation as it is similar to yours. I do not have any personal experience with prosthesis as we never made it that far. Good luck with everything and keep us posted!