Hi Lacey and family,

I'm so sorry to hear about your accident, it sure sounds like your pack has been through a lot of ruff times. Sounds like you've given things a good amount of time to see if she'll get to use her front leg again. I'm so sorry that didn't improve.  I hope we can help make things easier for you as you decide what to do.

First, start by reading our Required Reading List, and if you'd like, our ebook, "Three Legs & a Spare." In these two things you'll find lots of tips and insight into coping with the idea of living life on three legs. I can add a few things that can help:

Since Lacey has already been living life on three legs, she shouldn't have a difficult time adjusting to balance and movement. Many dogs start the same way and they end up doing fine. She will probably feel pain after surgery, however, since this is such a major operation, but as long as your vet has good pain management protocols in place, this should be manageable. Be sure to ask about what type of pain medication she will get before, during and after surgery. Good pain meds can make all the difference between a ruff recovery and an easier one.

Being that she's part Catahoula, I can see how you might be concerned that she'll overdo things, especially since she spends so much time outdoors. So yes, it's entirely possible that she will try to do too much, too soon, and that's the biggest challenge; keeping her confined to a safe place so she can recover without injury, and monitoring her behavior so that she doesn't overdo things and risk a muscle strain injury, or worse. You won't always  have to be so extremely vigilant, just for the first month or so after her surgery. After that you'll still need to monitor her activities but you can ease up a little. 

You'll find lots of dogs here who began their lives as extremely active and athletic, and most continue to be that way. From hunting dogs to agility champions, many dogs can continue doing what they love, although on a smaller scale. Search our forums and blogs for "hunting" and "agility" and you'll find lots of great stories to give you hope.

As a front leg Tripawd, she will have reduced stamina, especially the first few months until she builds up strength (see our Gear Blog for more about that). Although all dogs are different in how much they can do on three legs, most will find that they will need to take it easy. Some dogs are better at stopping to rest, while others aren't. That's where you come in, to ensure that she doesn't overdo things. We can talk about that in detail later. For now, focus on helping here get through recovery. I'm going to bet that she will do just fine.

Thanks so much for joining. Your future posts won't require moderation.

So glad to hear she came through surgery! How did your vet visit go?

We would love to see photos! Here is a forum topic about adding images to your post.

Lacey looks great!