Hi Duke and family!

I'm not a vet but I do have some experience to share which might be helpful when it comes to making your decision. Clearly every dog is different and every situation is different, and ultimately only you can decide what is best for Duke, which is what makes this so is terribly hard, I know.

My girl, Meg, suffered a sudden, explosive elbow fracture while running on grass. She was about four years old at the time. This was repaired with a major operation involving plates, pins, screws and almost a metre of wire. After months of rehab, she made a good recovery, albeit she was left with a permanent limp (caused, I was assured by lack of the full range of motion, rather than pain).

Two years later, I started to notice she seemed to be limping slightly more at the end of a walk than at the beginning. This concerned me as it suggested she was in pain, so I took her back for a check up. X-rays revealed she had very severe, end-stage arthritis in the joint. She was now just six years old and an extremely active, energetic dog. I was told that because of the severity of her arthritis, she would be limited to ten minute lead walks for the rest of her life. To me, this quality of life seemed unacceptable for a dog like Meg.

I took her to two different specialists, and after a lot of discussion and research decided on a custom made total elbow replacement. This was extremely expensive, but seemed to be the only possibility of giving Meg an active life, doing all the things she enjoyed. I had been told absolutely categorically that amputation was not an option for Meg. This was because she had elbow dysplasia and arthritis in her 'good' front leg, as well as a condition called IOHC, which had caused the initial fracture, and which meant her 'good' elbow could also explode at any time. I took out a loan and we went for the elbow replacement.

Surgery went well and the replacement seemed to be growing into the bone, but there were problems getting the skin on her elbow to heal. In the end the attempted to close it surgically, but necrosis set in. They then performed a skin graft, taking skin from her arm pit and sewing it over the wound. They attached an external frame to (through) her leg, and she spent a month like that. Within hours of removing the frame, the skin had died.

At this point, Meg had clearly been through a huge amount, and I felt trapped in a process I could see no way out of. I wanted to give her a chance after all she had had to put up with, but I was worried about putting her through more and more with no certainty of outcome. I was also getting ever further into debt.

After discussion, I agreed to them trying skin flap surgery. This involved a series of further operations, to file down the end of her elbow bone, and prepare a bed for the graft. Finally, they performed the skin flap surgery itself. This seemed to have gone well, at first, but Meg developed a chronic infection, which once again prevented the wound from healing.

Because of the implant, it was impossible to get rid of the infection completely. The best that could be hoped for was to keep it suppressed. This didn't happen, and we were left in a position where amputation or euthanasia became the only options. (suddenly, the same vets who'd assured me amputation wasn't an option were attempting to assure me that it was).

I brought Meg home. In total she had spent more than two months in hospital, and been through an immense and protracted ordeal. Emotionally, she coped quite remarkably well, and far better than I did, it must be said. To say I was broken by the experience, would be an understatement. In addition, I had accrued debts in excess of £40,000 (around $50,000).

I consulted more specialists, as well as this site, where people shared their experience and assured me that a life on three legs could certainly be well worth living. I decided that I owed it to Meg to give her a chance, after all she had been through, and we went (to a different hospital) for an amputation.

We are now very nearly nine months post amp, and Meg is doing quite fantastically well. (Click on the link to my blog below, and then check under 'my Movies' if you'd like to see Meg in action) She is extremely active and back to doing all the things she loves to do best, chasing squirrels, swimming etc. Yes, I do worry about her elbow sometimes (the fact it could explode as her other one did hangs above us like the sword of Damocles), but I do everything I possibly can in terms of maintaining her core strength etc. to give her the best chance possible. And whatever the future holds, she is pain free and happy and enjoying life now, and actually that is all any of us can hope for, isn't it?

This is a much longer post than I intended, for which, apologies. I just really wanted to share this experience, so that whatever you ultimately decide, you are fully aware of all the potential outcomes. With a dog as young as Duke, and an injury affecting a joint, I would bear in mind the likelihood that he will develop arthritis. Obviously, my feelings are shaped by my own experience, but you certainly need to be aware that repair surgery (in contrast to amputation) has a probability of leading to further problems, if not immediately, then some way down the line.

Sorry again, for the length of this post. Know that whatever you decide, all you can ever do is act on the information available and out of what you perceive to be Duke's best interests. There is no right or wrong here, and we will be here to support you whatever you decide.

Sending love, hugs and every pawsitive vibe...

Meg, Clare and Elsie Pie xxx