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.
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My fiancee and I are adopting a Great Dane pup from friends whose Danes bred unexpectedly. Eddie, our pup, was born without the tibia (per the vet the breeders brought him to) in his right hind leg. He's now been seen by 2 veterinarians, neither of which are surgeions, and both have said he will need to have his leg removed. My fiancee and I understand and agree, but the next question we're trying to answer is when. Eddie is 7 weeks today and we're going to be picking him up very soon. We know that Great Danes have problems that are breed specific, especially following surgeries, so we've found a vet that is VERY familiar with Danes to see him. We are planning on talking to our vet at his first visit, but are trying to get additional input as well.
When would it be appropriate to have the surgery done? One of the vets that has seen Eddie says that it would be better to wait until we're ready to neuter, which is recommended 10-12 months from now. The other vet says to remove the leg sooner rather than later because it will be easier for him growing up without his leg instead of adapting later on. His bad leg seems to be cumbersome for him to tote around, he cannot bear weight with it, although it doesn't seem to be hindering him in any way.
We're concerned that if he has the surgery too early, it will lead to more issues with his hips and his good leg later on, and we don't want that. We're also concerned that if we wait too long, he will be used to toting around the bad leg and will develop a strange gait that will continue after the surgery.
Does anyone have any experience with or recommendations for this? Any recommendations will be discussed with our vet and surgeon before any decisions are made.
Welcome to Tripaws, your future posts will not require moderation.
We have several members who's pups are tripawds due to a birth defect, hopefully some of them will post in addition to one or both of our resident vets.
I don't have any input here on when to amputate- but I did want to recommend that you bookmark Jerry's Required Reading List and consider downloading one or more of the E-Books on this site. There is lots of good information there on what to expect with amputation and recovery.
Good luck with you vet visits and let us know what you decide to do. We also would love to see pictures of little Eddie- there are Instructions on How to Insert Photos here.
Karen
I would amputate the leg any time after 12 weeks and neuter around 2 years.
Pam
Pam has great experience with large breed dogs and is a vet. We have three German Shepherd tripawds that are missing rear legs, and I think the younger they are amputated the better they adjust to the change in gait they have to make as tripawds. To me it is like they have to re-program the brain to operate on three legs and the re-programing takes some time after the surgery. Younger dogs will generally recover more quickly from the surgery. With a rear leg I would expect they would do what is called a midshaft femoral amputation where a small piece of the femur is left and the muscle is wrapped around the stub to provide padding that the dog can sit on. When done properly, the muscle tone seems to be maintained in the stump which helps when the dogs sit. Codie Rae was amputated over seven years ago and is still going strong with that type of amputation.
If you are going to tack his stomach, which many Great Dane owners do, you might want to consult with the vet on the timing of all the surgeries to see which ones might be able to be combined. Since the stomach tacking surgery can now be done laproscopically it greatly reduces the size of the incision and makes recovery easier. We had two dogs laproscopically tacked last week and they are recovering very well from the surgery.
Ralph
Pam,
Thanks for the input. Is there any specific reason to wait until 12 weeks for an amputation and 2 yrs for neutering? I only ask because 12 wks is the first solid answer I've gotten from anyone and 2 yrs seems long to wait for neutering. Everyone else that I've spoken with has said to neuter around 1 yr old. Thanks again!
Ryan, Sarah and Eddie
Ryan, Sarah and Eddie, I missed your original post and just want to say welcome.
I'm not a vet, but here's what vets have told me:
The younger the dog loses a leg the more challenging it will be to get acclimated to being a Tripawd. This is because older dogs who lose a leg already have balance and coordination down. When they lose a limb re-learning how to walk isn't that big a deal for most. Younger dogs however, have the dual challenges of learning these coordination basics on top of being a Tripawd. You may want to see a certified canine rehab expert before you decide what to do.
As for spaying at a young age, that used to be what people thought but it's changing. Here's an interesting forum discussion about why it can be better to wait.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thanks for all the information from everyone. We're definitely going to discuss everything with our veterinarian and the surgeon(s) that we speak with about our options. The article about desexing and cancer was an AWESOME read, full of great information and many things to consider. Sarah and I have and will spend much time discussing the concerns and potential outcomes for having Eddie desexed.
We will also discuss the canine rehab options and I have already have found 2 offices in our area that employ rehab specialists. Because of this, we will look long and hard at these offices as they provide all 3 services we are looking for. It will be nice to have a regular vet, surgical specialist and rehab specialist all in one place so that everyone involved will be familiar with Eddie and the chosen course of action.
With regards to amputation, if it is in fact the best option for Eddie, does it make a difference that Eddie doesn't have any real use of the affected limb? He was born missing the tibia, which I understand to be the main weight bearing bone in his lower leg, and has not had use of the limb since birth. So far, he seems to be getting around very well, especially because he already chases the neighborhood kids around when they come to see him. I don't think Eddie would notice a difference between his mobility now and after an amputation, if needed.
And this may not need to be said, but I don't want to seem as if we've already decided to have an amputation done, it just seems to be "worst case scenario" and because of my occupation, I have always planned for the worst. I truly hope that we don't need to put Eddie through an amputation, but I do want to have as much information as possible when we go to meet and discuss options.
Thanks again,
Ryan, Sarah and Eddie
Wow Eddie is one very fortunate pup to have you there advocating on his behalf. You are doing a GREAT job researching all of your options. Please know that we never tell anyone that amputation is the only way to go; every case is different and only you can decide what's best for your pup. So yay for you for checking out worst case scenarios, that is smart.
Here is a forum post about one member's experience with a deformity that might interest you, I forgot to share it earlier:
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
I would wait until 12 weeks only because the anesthesia is a little safer then. The surgery could be done now but greater care must be taken to keep the puppy warm and hydrated and the narcotic meds can hit them a little harder. If your vet feels comfortable doing the surgery now then that is great!
Since your dog is a giant breed I would wait until 2 years to neuter because the growth plates take that much longer to close in these larger dogs. Sometimes we have to make exceptions; if a male dog is exhibiting aggression then I might neuter sooner. I neutered my Mastiff Julian at 20 months because he kept trying to hump me and he weighed almost 200 pounds. His bones still grew normally and he now weighs 225 pounds at 3 1/2 years.
I had his stomach tacked down laparascopically at about 1 year of age and he did great with that too.
Pam
I'm not a vet expert but since you've gotten some good answers I thought I would butt in. Cora got her amp from birth defect at about 12 weeks of age. She came to me a week after the amp., so I wasn't there or the decider for how and when it was done. I do know the first few days after surgery were really rough for her. The good thing about doing it so young is they don't have to relearn everything. Cora was trying to use her deformed leg before the surgery and like your gorgeous pup, it seemed to get in the way. Puppies are amazing at adapting and there natural playfulness and curiosity is both a bonus and challenge. Keeping Cora calm and from overdoing was very difficult. One of the biggest challenges for Cora, and for other puppies I've read about, is that they are still getting their coordination sorted out. A four-legged great dane can be a clutz so be prepared for spills and awkwardness although it sounds like he's doing really well. You might be surprised at improvements in his mobility. While he doesn't try to use it to walk, it's there and, as you said, it's cumbersome. Not having it may be a huge relief for him.
If I had Cora when she was 12 weeks, I expect I would have made the decision to amputate then. Especially after having been a member here. I have never seen someone post and say that amputated too soon. I have seen many people wish they did it sooner. Cora's challenges are huge. She is blind and also has brain damage. She is getting around in life pretty well. (I just made a post about her in the Hopping Around section if you want to get a sense of what she can do). Because of her other issues we are really only now seriously pursuing rehab. I have been doing stretches and having her walk over obstacles since she was tiny, but there is so much that can be done with a good rehab program.
Please keep us posted about Eddie
Topher
Vet Assistant (in school to be a licensed vet technician)
1.5 years Oncology department, moved to rehab & sportsmed December 2024
Tripawd Angel, Cora the Determined <3
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