Hi Sarah

Welcome to you and Billy! But sorry you needed to find this site. On the bright side, take heart that you and Billy will get past these problems. You aren't also faced with cancer, although I doubt that is much consolation now.

Certainly there have been many dogs with severe injuries following their clashes with cars. You can probably find some of these in the archives if you search the forums and maybe other people will highlight a few of their names. Some of these dogs underwent numerous limb-sparing surgeries but eventually had amputation, and then things worked out well for them.

I haven't heard of skin grafts for dogs. The path needed to save his leg does sound complicated and uncertain. But that is not to say that you should go the amputation route. Only you and Billy can figure that out. I did have a friend with a springer who had a plate put in his leg as a puppy. Although he always limped, he took huge 4 hr walks with his owner for the rest of his 13 yrs. But he did not have the skin issues you mention; it was simply a break.

What we can say is that most dogs indeed recover well from amputation and will resume their happy lives. It takes most dogs about 2 weeks to get past the dopey on pain-killer stage (but some leap out of the vet's office and never stop - others lay around a few weeks longer). There have been some dogs who did not recover, but I'd say they either had complicating conditions (very old with certain health issues or were giant dogs somewhat susceptible to heart problems, or complicated by chemo). Those are definitely in the minority.

Although most of our 3-legged dogs resume active and happy lives, they do not necessarily get back to taking the huge walks they might have taken in their previous 4-legged life. For example, Tazzie and I would probably walk about 3 km rather than more than 10 km, but we only had a couple of months after amputation due to metastases. Your dog is a youngish 7 yrs old with nothing that should  hold him back, so I imagine he might resume the longer treks typical of a non-cancer dog.

Ahh, I don't know what you mean by a 'lurch'. But I think I read on this site that greyhounds are susceptible to bleeding issues that need to be monitored during major surgeries. I suppose your vet is doing that now.

Why don't you register on this site? Then your posts will appear without waiting to be approved.

Susan

Hi Sarah & Billy,

Our dog Chuy lost his left front leg due to a car accident.  He's younger than Billy, but Chuy is doing just fine.  He had to have FHO surgery last spring on his left rear leg and is back to 110% now.  He runs, plays and goes for walks just like a 4 legger!  You can read more about him on the following link.

http://tripawds.....38;ret=all

I'm sure that Billy will do fine if you decide to go ahead with the amputation.  Keep us posted on how he's doing and what you decide on.

There is another dog named Angel that lost a leg due to auto accident.  She lost a rear leg, but you may find some useful information in her forum.

http://tripawds.....38;ret=all

Eleanor & Chuy.

Hi Sarah, I have to admit I don't exactly know what a lurcher is, but I love to see a picture of yours.

Did your vet give you an idea of the approximate  length of time for recovery if you did choose to go with the surgery/skin graft option? Based on how you describe Billy, I wonder if an amputation would be the better choice for him if it meant a shorter "down" time. Of course, every dog is different, but most here are up and doing well 2 weeks post amp.

My dog Rocky lost his front right leg in August 2009 due to cancer, and he gets along just great without it! He was around 96lbs pre-op, and is now at 88 lbs.  I try to keep him on the light side to make hopping round easier on his joints. He is also on a Glucosamine Chondroitin formula which also helps keep him loose and limber.

I know you and your family have a lot to think about, and I know you will do what you think is best for Billy. Keep us posted with what your vet says on Monday.

Michelle

Hi Sarah

Since I have Chart Polski, I know what a lurcher is.  But the Chart is not the Tripawd.  Cemil, the Anatolian Shepherd, is.  I can tell you that losing a front leg is not a serious issue for him.  Hopping around takes more energy than it used to (he's 148 lb) and it puts a strain on his back, but that can be helped with supplements.  As you've heard, the first two weeks are "hell", but after they recover from the major surgery and get off the pain meds, they return to their normal selves.  They have to learn new ways of doing a few things, but they're certainly capable of that.  Your respect for Billy will increase greatly as you watch him figure things out.  Mechanical things, not ways to avoid pain.  The pain will be gone.  And he'll be able to run again.

There are some greyhounds on this site, as well as borzoi--their stories might help you. 

Good luck with decision-making.  Please let us know how it's going.

Mary and Cemil (and Radzi, the Chart Polski)

I probably can't add much for useful info and I'm sure you'll here from more members who are more knowledgeable on some of your specific questions. It's a really tough decision.

My new boy Gerry was my foster dog shortly before his amputation and it wasn't certain initially whether his knee injury could be repaired or not. I was told by the shelter that the vet did rule out being able to repair the knee with surgery and thus they went with amputation. However, even before the vet's ruling, I know the shelter was seriously considering amputating anyway because Gerry is claustrophobic and can't be crated (he busted out of several at the shelter - thus he needed a foster asap!), and my understanding was that recovering from a knee surgery, really required being able to MAKE him limit his activity. So, unfortunately, I would agree that sometimes, for some dogs, even if the leg, knee, etc. can be repaired physically, the psychological toll of getting them through what needs to be done is too heavy.

That said, though recovery from amputation is (as I understand it) going to be quicker and less stressful than what your parents' dog would go through otherwise, it will still be a long two weeks. So it may take time to get full reassurance that the amputation was the better option. Though some dogs will show you the day you bring them home, how much happier they are to have the painful leg off!

Best wishes and good luck to your family!!!