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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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Need Help making the Decision- severe arthritis
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Member Since:
6 October 2012
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6 October 2012 - 5:59 am
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Hello!  I am brand new here.  My husband and I (and our two children) have an 8 1/2 year old black lab mix named Indy.  He's our "first baby."  For almost a year now he's been struggling with arthritis and a bone chip in his front right leg.  It's been better and worse at times, but since April we've had him on some pretty serious medication.  Over the last month things have gotten quite bad and the last 3-4 days he has been in pain and doesn't want to put any weight on his leg...he just hops around on it...it's heartbreaking to watch.  

We took him to the vet again yesterday and they basically said that he's not going to get better...the arthritis in his leg with just continue to progress (and he's basically on the maximum meds already).  So, that leaves us with two options...we can either amputate his leg or have him put down.  

We are talking with our vet again on Monday to find out if we can even afford to have his leg amputated (which sadly I'm worried that we may not)...but if we can we have a big decision to make.

I'm ready to go forward and have the amputation done, but my husband has some real concerns.  Because this is a result of severe arthritis we are concerned about what this might do to his other legs.  He likely has some arthritis in his other legs as well...but mild (nothing compared to his front right leg).  

Is there anybody out there who has amputated due to arthritis?  And if so, how did it affect your dog's other legs?  

We love our dog so much and we just can't bear to see him continue in so much pain.  We are hoping to make what feels like an impossible decision in the next couple of days.  

Thanks for any help and advice!

krun15
2
6 October 2012 - 10:30 am
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Hello and welcome to Tripawds, your future posts will not require moderation.

I hope you don't mind that I moved your topic to this forum since you are not dealing with cancer.

I know we have at least one member here who chose amputation due to arthritis, and we have other pups who had arthritis at the time of amputation for other issues.  I'm adding the word 'arthritis' to your topic title so people will see it.

I have a 12 year old quad pug named Tani who has very bad arthritis so I know how difficult it is to deal with.

Does your vet think that Indy is a good candidate for amputation? 

 

Karen and the pugapalooza

San Diego, CA
Member Since:
29 October 2010
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6 October 2012 - 10:58 am
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I'm sorry you had to find us here.

We didn't have to deal with arthritis as our tripawd was very young. But like Karen said, there are other members on the site who have dealt with it and hopefully they will chime in.

If your pup is already hopping, it sounds like he's learning to adapt to life on 3 legs. Yes, what does your vet think?

Sending pawsitive thoughts out for you and your pup. Keep us posted,
Jackie, Angel Abby's mom

Abby: Aug 1, 2009 – Jan 10, 2012. Our beautiful rescue pup lived LARGE with osteosarcoma for 15 months – half her way-too-short life. I think our "halflistic" approach (mixing traditional meds + supplements) helped her thrive. (PM me for details. I'm happy to help.) She had lung mets for over a year. They took her from us in the end, but they cannot take her spirit! She will live forever in our hearts. She loved the beach and giving kisses and going to In-N-Out for a Flying Dutchman. Tripawds blog, and a more detailed blog here. Please also check out my novel, What the Dog Ate. Now also in paperback! Purchase it at Amazon via Tripawds and help support Tripawds!

My heart lives at Rainbow Bridge
Member Since:
28 November 2008
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6 October 2012 - 11:34 am
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It is heartbreaking to see our fur children struggle. The questions that come to mind that need an answer are 1) is the arthritis contained to that one leg and if not 2) how widespread is it and will an amputation cause added stress that will cause a more rapid progression.

I totally understand the need to stop the pain, and if the amputation will do this without creating other complications, that would be a great thing.

Trouble had an amputation due to cancer, but 27 1/2 months later she lost the battle not to cancer, but to arthritis. I don't want to discourage you in any way.  Trouble was an old girl and lived a truly long and happy life.  By comparison, your Indy is still quite young.  One of the things I always recommend is to seek a second opinion.  I think sometimes the vet who treats them all the time doesn't always see the forest for all the trees.

These decisions are hard to make.  There are no wrong decisions as long as you keep Indy's best interest at heart.  Sending good thoughts to you, your family, and Indy as you face this decision.

Shanna & Spirit Trouble ~ Trouble gained her wings 3/16/2011, a 27 1/2 month cancer survivor, tail wagging. RIP sweetheart, you are my heart and soul.  Run free at Rainbow Bridge.
The November Five - Spirits Max, Cherry, Tika, Trouble & Nova. 11/2008 - 3/2013 An era ends as Queen Nova crossed the Bridge.

Columbia, MO
Member Since:
10 December 2011
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6 October 2012 - 2:57 pm
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Hi.  My Daisy lost her left front leg to severe arthritis.  Her elbow joint was destroyed and the bone was eaten away.  She also has hip dysplasia with arthritis in both hips and some arthritis in her spine.  I was concerned about her mobility if she lost her leg but the vets thought she would do ok.  Her leg was amputated on Dec 9, 2011.

Daisy is a 80 lb. lab/wolfhound mix.  She gets meloxicam daily for pain and a glucosimine/chondrotin supplement to help her remaining joints.  At 10 months post amp she still gets around just fine.  Daisy never was a very agile dog -- diagnosed with arthritis at age 5 which the vet said is young for a dog to have so much arthritis.

To me it was worth amputating her leg.  She was (and still is) a happy and sweet dog and I couldn't imagine setting her spirit free when she still had so much life left.

Best of luck!

Marla and Daisy

My Two Tripawds...Biscuit and Spirit Daisy

Sydney, Australia
Member Since:
13 September 2011
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7 October 2012 - 9:27 pm
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I don't have any experience in this area but I just wanted to concur with others. It would be worth getting a second opinion and xrays of all the legs so that you can get an idea of how bad the arthritis is before making your decision.

Also, our experience with glucosamine/chondroitin/MSM supplements to ease arthritis pain has been really positive.

Good luck with your decision.

Karen and Spirit Magnum

Magnum: 30th May 2002 to 5th May 2012. Lost her back left leg to osteosarcoma on 5th Sep 2011. Lung mets found on 20th Mar 2012 but it was bone mets in the hip that ended her brave battle. Magnum's motto - "Dream as if you'll live for ever, live as if you'll die today" (James Dean). Loyal, loving, courageous and spirited to the end. My beloved heart dog, see her memoirs from Rainbow Bridge ...... http://princess.....pawds.com/


Member Since:
6 October 2012
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8 October 2012 - 7:21 pm
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Thank you to everybody for your sweet words and advice!

We have an appointment in two days for Indy to have further x-rays on all of his legs.  At this time it doesn't appear that he has arthritis in any of his other legs (or if he does it's pretty mild)- but the vet wants to check to make sure that he doesn't have a particular bone disease which would quickly affect his other limbs (and thus would not make him a good candidate for this surgery).  We are hoping that the x-rays will help us determine the condition of his legs so that we can make the best decision for him.

Thanks again for all of your help as we try to figure this all out!

On The Road


Member Since:
24 September 2009
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8 October 2012 - 9:01 pm
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Hi Angie, I'm just now catching up on your story, please excuse my tardiness! I hope the vet has good news for you this week. 8 seems really young to be in such bad shape with arthritis. Have you had a second opinion yet? That's where I would go next, and if you can, go either to an orthopedic doc or a a certified rehab vet (a vet with "CCRT" or "CCRP" after their name). A second opinion can make all the difference in the world when it comes to this big decision. Please let us know how this next appointment goes.

Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
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