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.
Join The Tripawds Community
Learn how to help three legged dogs and cats in the forums below. Browse and search as a guest or register for free and get full member benefits:
Instant post approval.
Private messages to members.
Subscribe to favorite topics.
Live Chat and much more!
Register
Log In
Members
Add Topic
Hi,
I have a 3 month old Great Pyr puppy. She escaped her stall while I was at work on Friday and ended up with a broken right rear leg. She has a spiral fracture of the femur and a broken tibia. He recommended having the leg plated, but he does not have the ability to do it himself. He said he could pin the femur and do an external stabilization of the tibia, but her leg would be shorter than the other one.
I have a consult with a specialist in the morning. There is a group that can help up to $500. My tax refund should be here in the next three weeks. My big question, which I will also ask the vet, in a large breed puppy this young, could she blow out the good leg if the bad leg was amputated?
I have other questions as well. Like how likely is it the type of break she has will heal with plating or pinning, or would I just be putting her through more trauma only to end up amputating anyway? How will the plating or pinning affect the growth of the leg? Will she be able to have puppies, should we decide to breed her?
My thinking is because she is so young, an amputation might be easier on her. Any thoughts or opinions.
Thanks!!
Susan
Offline
Welcome, your future forum posts will not require moderation.
Every dog is different, but as a pup, yours should recover quickly and manage well on three legs if you decide to amputate. Too many times we hear about people putting dogs through multiple painful expensive surgeries trying to save the leg, only to eventually proceed with amputation. We are not vets, but have also heard stories of dogs with remaining shorter limbs developing spinal issues. Please consult with a certified rehab vet for a professional opinion.
Everyone here understands your financial concerns. We recently updated this financial resources article in the Tripawds Downloads blog:
How to Find Emergency Financial Help for Vet Bills
Search these forums and the blogs for more success stories of giant breed dogs and Tripawds from birth.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
I have never worked for an orthopedic speciality practice, only general practices. My advice would be, if you do decide to go with surgery to repair the fracture, the absolute best thing you can do is have it done by a specialist. I have seen a lot a bad complications come from surgery done by inexperienced vets who agree to do the surgery to help an owner save money. It is not that the vet is a "bad vet" but they have not done all of the work that it takes to become a specialist and they most likely hardly ever perform that involved of a surgery. If you cannot afford to have the surgery done by the specialist, your best option would probably be to have your regular vet perform an amputation rather than attempt to fix the leg. Because she is so young it is most likely that she would adjust very well and fairly quickly to being a tripawd, but there are other considerations. I think that the specialist should be able to give you an idea of how confident he/she is about if the repair surgery is the best option or not based on your dog's specific injuries. You can also look into CareCredit if the specialist needs payment up front, and then just pay it off once your tax return comes in. I wish you the absolute best!
sylvanoak said
My big question, which I will also ask the vet, in a large breed puppy this young, could she blow out the good leg if the bad leg was amputated?I have other questions as well. Like how likely is it the type of break she has will heal with plating or pinning, or would I just be putting her through more trauma only to end up amputating anyway? How will the plating or pinning affect the growth of the leg? Will she be able to have puppies, should we decide to breed her?
Susan
Hi Susan, I'm so sorry to hear about your pup. It sounds like you are on the right track by seeing a specialist tomorrow. I couldn't agree with Heather (our vet expert) more; see a specialist for this kind of thing and you will be in the best hands possible.
To answer your other questions; of course, the remaining leg can become injured at some point in time. That risk is always on a Tripawd pawrent's mind, and it does happen unfortunately. Recovery is tough but not impossible. It's imperative for a Tripawd pawrent to monitor and manage the activity of a tripawd to ensure that they are not allowing the dog to be at risk of injury. We have lots of tips here about that.
I'm not an orthopedic doc so I can't give you stats on how often a pinned leg must be amputated anyways or how it will grow, but I will agree with Admin in that we do see a lot of dogs here who had to go through amp despite the vet's best efforts to save the leg.
As far as having puppies; technically it is possible but it's not recommended because of the extra stress the additional weight places on a Tripawd's body. Tripawds must be kept leaner than their counterparts to decrease the risk of joint stress and injury.
I'm so sorry you're in such a difficult place. Please let us know how we can help, and do tell us what the specialist says tomorrow OK?
Best of luck, keep us posted.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
1 Guest(s)
