Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat

Sorry to hear about the loss of your special dog this year. I'm sure the loss makes it especially hard to wrap your mind around the best option for Skyli. I wanted to add another option to consider - a prosthetic. I'm sure there are lots of things to think about going this route (cost, time, availability) but wanted to let you know about some resource info the Tripawd Team has put together: https://tripawd.....osthetics/

All the best in your decision-making.

Kerren

Hi Jamie,

As mentioned above, my Meg had her right foreleg amputated for similar reasons. In her case, the left elbow was not entirely healthy (IOHC and moderate arthritis) and for this reason amputation was not considered an option. Faced with the prospect of euthanasia (she was 7 at the time), I sought a second, third, fourth opinion and ultimately decided to go ahead with amputation on the basis that I felt she deserved a chance, and if she could just have one year doing all the things she enjoyed (swimming, squirrel-chasing, rolling around in the mud and general mayhem) then that would surely be worth it. That was more than four years ago, and Meg has not looked back. The arthritis in her left elbow has increased, and she now takes a range of meds (amantadine, metacam, gabapentin, tylenol) and uses a buggy on longer walks, but she will be twelve this year after all, and her quality of life is excellent. She is a very happy dog.

Having dealt with recovery from an elbow dislocation (which you clearly did extremely well, given the joint looks so good), you will be well set up for recovery from amputation. Meg had been through multiple surgeries in our efforts to save her leg and certainly for us, amputation was a much more straightforward procedure with a far faster recovery time. In fact, though Meg was on pain meds and not showing very obvious signs of discomfort before her amputation, the moment I picked her up from the hospital, it was as though a great weight had been lifted. Her face looked relaxed and her whole body seemed to express the relief she felt at being done with that bum leg once and for all. Within weeks, she was jumping in the river again, catching rabbits and generally getting herself into trouble. I was nervous about the amputation. Worried I was being unfair to her, putting her through a procedure which would leave her with a poor quality of life (she is a highly active dog), but I now look back on that day as a liberation.

I'm so sorry about the loss of your beloved Shepherd in March. I lost my other dog from liver cancer a couple of years ago. In her case, as in yours, there was no alternative to euthanasia. I just feel so incredibly lucky that in the case of Meg there was. I agree with Jerry about getting a second opinion from a board certified orthopaedic surgeon if Skyli already seen one. I also explored the possibility of a prosthetic for Meg, but was told that she would need two working joints in order to be able to use one. Because her amputation had to be above the elbow, it wasn't an option for her, but that was more than four years ago and these things are developing all the time, so it's certainly worth checking. A front-wheel cart is also a possibility.

Good luck with everything, and please keep posting. Whatever you decide to do, this community is here to support you.

I'll leave you with a couple of videos of Meg, which will serve, I hope, as a signpost towards a more positive future.

Sending love,

Meg, Clare and Angel Pie xxx

Yes, if you possibly can see a specialist, then I would certainly suggest doing so. It’s not a question of not trusting your vet, who I’m sure is excellent, but a specialist, by virtue of them being a specialist will have seen far more of this type of thing than a regular vet, who must cover the full range of issues. What’s rare for a general vet to see, may be pretty commonplace for a specialist and that experience really can make a difference when weighing up options. Your own vet’s input is also invaluable of course, as they know you and the dogs so well and will be well placed to support you in making the right decision. 

Re the videos, I would LOVE to see Skyli. It’s actually very easy to post them. Just upload to YouTube and then cut and paste the link (on a line on its own). It will just look like the link, but when you submit your post, the video appears like magic.

M, C, AP xxx