Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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I’m in need of some advice. Has anyone seen a dog who’s leg is amputated below the should joint? With a small piece of the tibia left as a stub? The reason I’m asking is because my dog is the only one I’ve personally seen that has this. My dog had his leg removed a few years ago when I get him from abuse from his previous owners. Recently (after going to a new vet) my dogs stub has been getting extremely swollen.
My dog is very active so I kept thinking he was falling on his stub while playing and it was swollen because of that. Last Friday it swelled so badly that it looked almost like a hanging tumor so I took him in immediately. This was the first time I had gone to this veterinarian and right when he saw my dog Harley he questioned why he has the stub left there. I told him I had no idea and I thought it was supposed to be that way.
He seemed really concerned and asked me which vet in town did the amputation and said it was done wrong. After the veterinarian drained it we discovered what was pooling up at the end of his stub was joint fluid, since the other vet had left his joint there with the remaining bone.
On top of that concern the vet told me the reason amputations are done at the shoulder is because (even though my dog may be young now) as time goes on this bone can actually start to try to push through the skin, and when my dog lays down he puts the most pressure on the end of the stub. My vet had me push firmly on the stub and it actually does feel quite sharp. (HOW HORRIFYING IS THAT THOUGHT) :/
The vet said he recommended that I start thinking about getting the rest of his leg removed since he is young (4 years old). He also offered to call my old vet and ask her if she is willing to fix the problem for free. I don’t have another $2,000.00 to fix it. I’m horrified that she might refuse to fix it, and I’m not sure I feel comfortable with her doing it again. I’m upset that if she didn’t know what she was doing that she didn’t just refer me to someone else.
I understand procedures sometimes have to be re-done because things go wrong but it’s not like she left that stub there for a reason. I actually had no idea why it was left and I thought it was normal until I started meeting up with other three legged dogs in town.
Does anyone have any advice for me, what do I do? If she says no should I take her to court? I’m devastated my dog has to go through this again… Thanks for all your help everyone. I really appreciate it!
_Rebecca & Harley
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Rebecca,
I'm sorry you and Harley are going through this. You're not the first one ever but it doesn't make the situation any easier.
It really sucks that he might have to go through another surgery. When someone comes to us before amputation and their vet is recommending a partial amp, it's usually for one of three reasons: 1) to save money (it's less complicated than cutting into muscle), 2) to fit for a prosthetic or 3) the vet hasn't done a lot of amputations. Now, nobody can say for sure why your previous vet did it that way but unfortunately your best bet right now is to move forward and find a qualified vet who can do it. Personally there's no way I would let that other vet work on my dog again.
As you know, it's not cheap and I'm so sorry for that.
Here is an interesting post about partial versus full amputations.
"How do they decide where to amputate the leg."
And here's a post about finding a qualified surgeon.
How to Choose a Veterinarian for Amputation Surgery
I hope this helps somewhat, I'm so sorry.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Geeeeez Rebecca! Thismis ne for "the books" Sorryyou and Harley are going through this vutit sonds like you fnallhnhave the advice of a comoassinate and knowledgeable vet.
AND, younhave dedinitely come to the right place to nelp support you throughthe recovery process should your sweet Harley need the amp. This just breaks mynheart,
HOWEVER, the amputation will definitely give him a pan free life!! His poor stub HAS to hurt right now. Soooooo glad he foundyou and you dound him! A match meant ro be!
Love your avatar picof him! HE'S ADORABLE!
Do your research with the links Jerry gave you and let us now how we can help. You are strng.....Harley is strng.....and you can look forward to a longhapy and pan free ife together! Harley wkll be more spoiled and more loved than you ever thought yo could!
Hugs!
Sally and Happy Hannah
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
From what I've seen in my years here a small stump on a rear amp is pretty normal, but leaving a stump in the front leads to trouble unless the plan is for a prosthetic. Cora had to have a second surgery to remove her front stump, HERE are Chris' posts- a couple are about the stump problem. Chris posts as blackdogcompanion- you could send here a PM to get her input.
My little pug Maggie was a rear amp and had a mid-femoral amputation. It's a bit misleading as you couldn't see any stump, it was covered with the leg muscles. You could see it move, actually see the skin and muscle move, and you could feel it. It never caused her any problems, she was a Tri-pug for almost 4 years.
Hope this helps.
Karen
If you do decide that amputation is Harley's best option but the cost is an too much for you give a few of your local rescue organizations a call and explain your situation. Sometimes they have funds available to help with vet costs or they have relationships with vet clinics (or if they are larger, they have vets on staff) that can provide services at lower costs. It is a long shot but certainly worth looking into, you will hear a lot of No's but you might just find your way into a Yes.
Good luck to you both, you're lucky to have each other.
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