Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Help---- Ice is a 15 month old Siberian who had his right hind leg removed when he was 7 month after being hit by a car at 4 months. He lived at the shelter for some time and I became his foster mom. That turned to forever pretty quickly.
We have two other large dogs as well. Our home is nothing but quiet. We call Ice our little Indian. He is so full of life and his spirit has yet to be broken. He recovered from his amp without a glitch. I think he was relieved to have it gone for the pain it caused.
In nov he presented with what looked like a broken back. It ended up being a severe bladder infection the moved into his spine. We had an MRI and spinal tap done on him then. After 5 months of antibiotics we got the all clear in April. And now.......it appears he has torn his ACL. He is left dragging himself or not moving at all. We support and carry him as needed but did I mention he is a wild little Indian. My vet and I have discussed options. Her fear is that one leap off the bed or the force of the Berner's tail knocking him over would hurt him again. I am starting to think our options are limited. I don't know how we would manage an 8 wk recovery in such a busy household and there is no way my husky will crate for that long. He is on Metacam only right now and is in pain. Panting nightly, not walking..... a mom just knows how much pain their babies are in!!
I am seriously considering euthanizing him. I want him to go out with high spirits and I cant watch him suffer any longer.
Did I mention he is a husky.... wild little husky!!!
My heart is broken and I feel helpless. We are seeing the rehab specialist today. I cant seem to find any posts on back end tripods who have experienced this. 
Hi there, I'm so sorry to hear about Ice's health problems, I know you must be so sad and upset. When a tripawd has an injury to a remaining leg it's an incredibly scary time.
We have had other pawrents who've dealt with this situation, here are some posts that can give you some insight:
Worried and Help Needed. My tripawd has a torn ligament on another limb and now he cant walk at all!
Conservative Management for Knee and Hip Surgeries
We hope things get better. Let us know how today's visit goes. Oh, you may want to ask your vet for stronger pain meds than Metacam, I'm not a vet but that really doesn't seem like a strong enough med for his condition.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Yes, Huskeys just seem to stay puppies forever....full of energy and mischief:-) 
Good for you for checking out ALL your options AND asking the vet for some better pain medicine.
This will give you the breather OK Ned to educate yourself and make the best decision for our HANDSOME boy...He is soooooo beautidul:-)
Please post back as soon as you can and let us know how we can best support you once you get some more info.
Your boy is clearly a fighter and has already overcome a lot of obstacles! You are a WONDERFUL paw parent and obviously very committed to doing what's best for him.
Look forward to hearing from you.
Surrounding you with calm, peace and reassurance----mixed in with an extra dose of strength!
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!
So sorry to hear about Ice! I have a tripod with one front leg who needs to have a toe removed from his remaining leg, so I know the difficult decisions you need to make...
How about a wheeled harness for his back end while he recovers from ACL surgery? If he is so active, he may not have a problem being strapped into a crazy contraption for a couple of months and it would still allow him to go on walks and get around in the meantime.
smooches-----Kristina and Hugo
SO HAPPY TO REPORT......
The specialist thinks it may be a combination of his spine and hip and not at all his ACL!! The thought running through my head of euth is gone, gone, gone!!!
Lalalalalalala!!!!
We started with some laser therapy and acupuncture. I was a sceptic on Chinese medicine until yesterday. We had carried Ice into the apt and he walked out!! She suspects this started with the bladder infection in Nov. She said it would take 3 visits to say 100%. We will be doing a variety of different things.
We discussed prosthetics ..... What we aren't sure of is if that would have had to be decided on before the amp. Like if the nub needed to be formed for the prosthetic during surgery? As he is so young we think he will be a great candidate.
did I already say...lalalalalalala!!!
So freaking happy!!!!!
I live in Ontario so if anybody can send me in the right direction...........
WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWW AND LALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALA:-)
We heard your sigh all the way over here in Virginia:-) That's wonderful news and a reminder to us all to constantly stay focused in the present with what we know. We can deal with the "what it's" when and I'd they arise!
Wondering why prosthetic was suggested....may have missed that. There is definitely info. On them in this site so just type it in on the search bar space.
I think.....and could be completely off base......you do have to have a stump nd most dogs don't use them very well.......may have just imagined that..not sure:-)
Okay, we're all going to do a celebration dance for you two to the tune of. LALALALALALA. LALALALALALALALALALALALALA. LALALALALALALALALALLA
WOW, that's a hard song to remember the words:-)
Keep us posted and you are a great mom:-) 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!
That is absolute WONDERFUL news!!!! I look forward to reading about Ice's recovrey!!
What a scary situation to be in... I'm glad the outcome what not was you thought it might be!!
LALALALALALALALALLALALALALALALA!!!!
Franklin, he was the Happiest Dog on Three Legs! Diagnosed 09/26/2012 with Osteosarcoma, amputated 12/4/2012. Had a wonderful 5 1/2 months painfree until he ran for the Bridge on 5/15/2013. Always in my heart, and always a guardian angel of my pack... You can follow his Tripawd Adventures, before and after, in my blog, Frank'n'Farter!
We are so happy to hear that Ice is improving so much. Murphy is also a rear leg Tripawd who has had a total hip replacement on his remaining back leg after four dislocations. Amazing things can be done for our fur babies these days. Keep your chin up, and remember this quote from Winston Churchill that is posted prominently in our ortho's office..."never, ever, ever give up."
Murphy is a five year old Lab/Chessie cross. He was hit by a car on 10/29/12 and became a Tripawd on 11/24/12. On 2/5/13, he had a total hip replacement on his remaining back leg. He has absolutely no idea that he has only three legs!
UPDATE: Murphy lived his life to the fullest, right up until an aggressive bone lesion took him across the Rainbow Bridge on April 9, 2015 and he gained his membership in the April Angels. Run free, my love. You deserve it!
Happy dance going on here for Ice. Yippee!
Spirit Shooter was a Miniature Australian Shepherd who was diagnosed with a MCT and had a LF amp 1/28/13 at 13-1/2 years old.
Shooter crossed the Bridge on 8/28/13, his 7 month ampuversary and two weeks from his 14th birthday.
Fantastic news! Sounds like he's getting first-class treatment. Can I ask where the clinic is? Feel free to post a recommendation in our Veterinary Referrals topic.
Yes, for a prosthesis to have any chance of working, the surgery has to be done with a prosthesis in mind. This article by one of our members, a prosthesis designer, tells about her experience trying to use one with her pup:
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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