Well shoot. I had a huge reply and lost it because I forgot to log in. ' class='wp-smiley' />

We're having his leg amputated as soon as we can afford it, rest assured. The only reason it's still attached is because we cannot pay the entire fee up front as per the vet's payment requirements.

I think that since he's getting around so well already even with the distraction of a useless leg then having the leg removed at the shoulder may be a better idea. I'd wanted to leave the option of a prosthetic open but the chance of him smacking his elbow if he falls and potentially injuring it worries me too much. To be honest I'd wanted to get a peg leg and a pirate eye patch for him. If getting up and down becomes difficult as he gets older then I'll invest in a harness to help him. I'm hoping the vet's standard procedure is at the shoulder or hip, and not at the lowest joint available. If the price he quoted is at the elbow then the shoulder may cost more money which will mean waiting for one more paycheck.

We're saving up for the basic $760 amputation fee, $100 catheterization and IV fee, and 4 days in ICU at $86 a day. This should pretty much cover everything we need as well as antibiotics, pain management , and one of those fashionable cones.

Shadow's learned to avoid using his leg altogether while moving about and is learning not to rely on it while relieving himself, as well. While the break isn't particularly painful for him anymore it is still sore and tender and if he tweaks it too badly he will experience jarring pain. The bone has absolutely no structural integrity anymore and just buckles underneath his weight. You can see it when he sits as he uses the leg habitually for support and it bows backward at the break. Very nerve wracking to see but he doesn't seem to mind it, or he wouldn't do it. Of course, he's still on his pain medication so that's probably giving him a false sense of painlessness. So while the leg clearly needs to come off, it's something that can wait until we come up with the cash, and that's exactly what the vet told us. It isn't an immediate threat and could technically be left alone entirely, but all of us are more comfortable just removing the risk of further injury altogether. ' class='wp-smiley' />

Since I live in northern Idaho and winter is approaching along with snow and ice I'm going to invest in a set of boots for him. He should be fine in the snow but when we take him on walks around town the sidewalks can easily become slick. The RuffWear grip trex boots are what I was looking at. Their customer service told me they should perform better on the ice than his bare feet alone. What do you guys think? I want him to have as much traction and stability as possible because he IS a husky, he does have a ton of energy, and he does need at least one good daily walk but usually gets two or three. There's an empty lot out back that we usually let him run around but once it snows his bad leg will be dragging through two or more feet of snow. I want to minimize contact with cold as much as I can so he'll be spending the winter on a leash on the sidewalk instead, I think.

Thank you all for your advice, it's very much appreciated.

Also, if I were to get a harness to help him up and down the stairs, which one would you recommend for a 55 lb dog?

My husband will be bummed to hear that the vet will most likely remove the entire leg, but it gives me some comfort knowing a fall is less likely to cause injury after he's healed.

Shadow's pretty good about letting people do pretty much whatever they want with him. When I first got him I could hardly get near him without being bitten. Now I can tug on him, pick him up, roll him over, dyed him green for St. Patrick's day a few years ago, dressed him up as a girl for Halloween once, and can trim his nails and give him a bath AND a vacuum dry at the groomer's without a complaint from him. Well, nail trimming rarely happens because he stubbornly tries to pull his feet away. He let the vet tweak his leg and bend it with no more complaint than a flinch. He doesn't like his feet touched but he'll leave the boots there once they're on. I plan on getting the liners to ensure a proper fit and will be measuring each foot individually in case I need to buy one in a different size.

I'm also going to buy a fleece dog jacket from Orvis if it's still chilly out when he has his surgery. After he heals I will go ahead and get the Ruff Wear harness . Until then we'll try using a soft towel or something to help him get around if he needs it.

I can believe a dog would do better if the entire leg was out of the way. There's a cat in our neighborhood that's missing a rear foot but he still tries to use the stump when he walks, resulting in a really odd limp. If there's enough left for Shadow to move and wiggle around then he may very well habitually position himself as though he was using it and cause back strain because there's no real physical support there.

I also read an article on this site about phantom pain in a siberian husky amputee, so I'll keep an eye out for it with Shadow and try some of their techniques to alleviate it if it's there.

Thanks again for the help. I'll probably be back with more questions once it's closer to surgery time.