Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi everyone,
My 5 and a half year old, extremely active sheltie, dislocated her back foot. Specifically the foot from the hock. We don't really know how it happened. She was in her crate (wire) while we were gone for an hour. We didn't notice anything when we first let her out but there were 8 dogs at the house at the time so it's always crazy when we first come home and let everyone out. When she came in from outside she was not using her right back leg at all. She was holding it up. I gave her a good once over and saw no wounds but the foot was floppy and crunchy. She seemed to want to just sleep in our bedroom closet which is unusual for her but anytime the other dogs started bouncing about in another part of the house, she wanted to get up and join. She also didn't vocalize or show any pain when I manipulated the foot. It seemed uncomfortable but not painful. So we didn't feel it was emergency clinic worthy and took her to the vet the next morning.
The vet took x rays and said the foot is totally dislocated from the hock. This is allegedly quite painful and the fact that she wasn't showing any pain was a bad sign. Then the vet said something that blew up everything. She said we need to remove her entire leg. She said there is a surgery that is wildly expensive and somewhat unsuccesful due to the area of the injury causing the plate they put in to migrate out though the skin. She said people will tell you that you can cast the foot and after 6 months of extensive sedating, x raying, and re casting, sometimes the bones will fuse. She said she's never seen that be successful though and in the end, you always take the leg off.
I understand that dogs to insanely well with amputation and I believe that it is possible that this is the right choice for my dog. She is too active to be crated for 6 months and we don't have the money for the surgery. I still don't know that amputating is the only correct option here though. So, my question is, do any of you have experience with a dislocation leading to amputation? I just have such a hard time accepting I have to cut off my active, agility dog's leg just because she placed her foot wrong.
Just read your post! Wow! You certainly do have a stoic pup!
Have you spoken with anOrthopedic Specialist? Iwould get an secoond, or even third, opinion.
I don't have any specific experience in this area. You may want to post thisunder "Ask a Vet" and maybe you'll gain some more knowledge going that route.
Just wanted to "welcome" you and say how sorry I am that you're havng to deal with this. I'll keep checkng back and see ifother's with more experience have chimed in.
Sending you lots of supportive hugs!
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!
I second what Sally said. A second opinion from an orthopedic specialist would my choice, too.
Where are you located? Is there a vet school anywhere near? Veterinary specialty clinic? I know that there have been some wonderful advancements in veterinary orthopedics in the last few years, so maybe there would be something new. I did get the impression, though, that your vet felt there might be some nerve damage (lack of pain in the foot), and a consultation with an orthopedist and perhaps a rehab vet after that might yield some other alternatives.
Kathi and Murphy
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!
Owwwww poor puppy! I'm so sorry this happened.
Yes, get a second opinion with a board certified orthopedic surgeon before you do anything. Where are you located? We might be able to recommend one that others' have found helpful. As Kathi said, University teaching hospitals are another awesome resource in odd situations like this.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
I just got done reading the post about advice on exercising a high energy Tripawd. Checking this post might give you some hope that agility, etc. can still be in your girl's future.
Kathi and Murphy
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!
Here is the post that Kathi is referring to. And yep, we've had lots of agility tripawds here!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi all and thanks for the responces. It has been done. I tried to get a second opinion from an orthepedic surgeon but the only one in my area was out of town until next week. So I settled for a 2nd opinion from another vet (who was my last choice in back up vets since no one else could get me in). This vet felt amputation was extreme but not out of the question in my situation. Basically, we don't have much money. My hubby and I both work full time to support 6 dogs, 4 cats, 2 rabbits, and fluctuating numbers of rescue... rats. So both vets reccomended amputation. Mostly due to her energy level and the high chance the surgery plate and pin option would be unsuccessful. But unfortunately, funds had a play in it.
So anyway, she was operated on on Thursday and I brought her home today/yesterday. She is coping really well of course. I am not. I feel like I have brutally mutilated my precious baby. I am paranoid at the amount of bruising but she doesn't seem too painful. The vet didn't give me any discharge intructions except to give her her meds and don't let her lick. I am convinced she needs some sort of hot pack but I don't want to touch the area with anything. They left a LOT of length on the sutures and I'm afraid they will catch and tug if I try to put a cloth coveted hot pack on her.
She really is doing great though so I suppose that is good.
No heat yet! Use ice for bruising if she needs anything. She will amaze you at how well she will do.
Just keep remembering that you did not do this TO her, you did it FOR her. All she will know is that she now has a chance at a new normal without pain.
Kathi and Murphy
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!
Oh gosh please don't feel badly about the money issue: you are not alone here, every single one of us has to weigh in the pros and cons of spending for procedures, surgeries, etc.. What matters is that you are a great, loving pawrent who did your absolute best to help get rid of the terrible pain, and that is a gift of the highest kind to your girl. What is her name by the way?
And yes, like Kathi said, no heat yet. Ice helps with bruising. Keep a cold pack (covered in a towel) on the area for 5-10 minutes at a time, no longer, about 3x a day if she will tolerate it.
You also want to keep an eye on the incision, make sure there's no smelly discharge. A clear, bloody fluid or puffiness around it is normal (that's called a seroma , click on the link to read more), but it shouldn't be hot to the touch.
Please check out Jerry's Required Reading List and the Tripawds e-books , they will point you in the right direction for post-op information. You can also search the blogs and forums too anytime you have a question, and of course we are here to help.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
You have made the best decision for your girl!
And yes, right nowmit feels like you are still stuck in a nightmare andnyou have done something horrible TO your dog! As Kathis say,s thisis FOR your dog! It's just hard foryou to see that right now?
The ncision site sounds good. Of courseit's verymobvious tonyou right now...the shaved hair, the stitches...but all that will clear up soon andnyo won't even otice it! She could care less about what it looks like! She just kows somethingnhashappened that she needs to adjust to..and is clearly doing so very well.
Let her rest right ow. Justhave her go outto "do her bidness" and then plentymof rest. No jumping, no stair climbing, just take it nice and easy.
She's still highon osp. meds and they should start wearing off now. You may notice more whining and restlessness, discomfort. The pain meds he gave you (Tramadol and Rimadyl perhaps) will help some. This is major surgery anditmis panful. Butit does get better!
Is she eatingyet? Drinking? Poop g? Peeing? Let us know when all these things happen so we can celebrate with you!! And plenty of tripawds continue with Agility Training once theyfuly recover. There are videos on here of "Maggie the Agile Cow Dog" competingz,
And the best news for your girl? She doesn't have a life threatening piece of crap disease! This amputation "cures" her and takes awah her pain!
We are here for you! You are ot alne, okay? Stay connected to s a d let us know how we can help!
Hugs tl all! You are dong great!,
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!
Just here to offer some support to you and your beautiful girl.
After the initial recovery period, she will amaze you with how well she will do.
I think you made the best decision for her 🙂 The veterinary surgeon that amputated Tuck's leg told me he has had poor results with plates etc. when a dog has an injury and will often recommend amputation....even when finances are not a factor.
Just remember your lovely girl in the same wonderful pup on the inside...with a slightly modified package on the outside.
Please let us know how you are both doing and don't hesitate to come here to vent- cry - and share success stories.
Many hugs
Linda and Tucker 
I can weigh in here because my girl, Shelby, had a plate/pin when she broke her leg and we ended up with amputation MONTHS later and I can honestly say it's been the best thing for Shelby. Shelby fractured her leg and while there was a mass, it didn't present as cancer so we fixed it. A few months later we found the cancer (hemangiosarcoma) and we started treating then. Then after the first of the year, her leg just continued to plague her and we had to remove it. Shelby has recovered so well. She's got her energy levels back (she's 13!!!!) and she acts like a puppy. She limped for months with that extra leg and I figured she needed PT or something.
So as hard as it is to think that you 'destroyed your dog' - know that you took away her pain! She is the same dog. She doesn't know she's any different. The other pets don't know ... it's the brilliant thing about being an animal - how well they adapt! Shelby is almost 2 months post-amp and for the most part, things are back to normal. I still do a double-take sometimes when I see her on the 3 legs but my love for her has grown leaps and bounds (if that's even possible). It does get better, the bruising/swelling goes away and the pain stops.... hang in there!
Alison and Shelby
Shelby Lynne; Jack Russell/Shiba Inu mix. Proud member of the April Angels of 2014.
October 15, 2000 to April 8, 2014
Our story: Broke rear leg in June 2013 - non-conclusive results for cancer so leg was plated and pinned. Enlarged spleen in September 2013 and had it removed and was diagnosed with Hemangiosarcoma and started chemotherapy. Became a Tripawd January 8th, 2014 and definitive Hemangiosarcoma diagnosis. Three major surgeries in 7 months and Shelby took them all like a champ only to lose her battle to cancer in her brain. We had 8 amazing extra months together and no regrets. #shelbystrong #loveofmylife
Hi guys,
Thank you so much for all the support. I really do appreciate it. Brie is doing really well. We have kept her separated from the other dogs (we have 5 others plus a foster and the neighbor dog likes to visit) and she was doing well with that. She seems bored and almost depressed now. I think she is really tired of the cone and not being able to run around. Her pain meds ended several days ago and she couldn't care less. Now she has started her ritual dizzying spinning that she does when she gets over stimulated. Like at meal time. We have all laminate floors in the house and she keeps crashing down with every spin. She is a 14 pound sheltie and not overweight at all so I'm not too concerned about her hurting herself very badly. I know it could happen though. Three of my other dogs are German Shepherds and one of them really likes to "freight train" into her while she's in the middle of running her "one dog race" laps around the yard. We will obviously not be letting that happen AT ALL anymore. Not that we were really okay with it before but Brie was pretty good at correcting him herself so we weren't terribly vigilant. Now we will be. Anyway, I am concerned about just letting her play with them. Most are pretty young and they play rough. They play what I imagine is their version of "wolf and deer" by dubbing one dog the deer (not Brie thankfully) and then they all gang up and bring that dog down. It gets rough and the shelties "job" in the pack is to pop in and take a leg or an ear when the "deer" starts to try and get up. They also help run the "deer" into the jaws of the bigger "wolves". So they all really love this game. Even the "deer" but I am really concerned about letting Brie play these games and whatever other rough games they come up with. Even just chasing the ball is a fiasco. Her stitches come out tomorrow and I feel it's best to let her start going back to normal. I don't want to coddle her because of this. I don't want to keep her from her favorite games. I also don't want to expect too much from her and have her get hurt again. Is there any right answer to this or should I just play it by ear?
Thank you again for all your support. I love hearing about all your dogs and how well they are doing. I have a soft spot in my heart for Allison's 13 year old Shelby I was fostering a 13 year old cocker spaniel from the shelter last year and immediately found a mammary lump. The shelter is high kill and they said that made her un adoptable. They said I had to euthanize her. So I cried and thankfully the shelter director knew I was really good with medical care on the dogs (my foster for them before the cocker was a distemper pup that with a lot of care and a little luck, pulled through with no neurological ticks whatsoever), so she said I could adopt her. We had Lolly for almost 1 year. The vet said removing the lump was really risky at her age but we had to put her under anesthesia to verify she was spayed for the shelter's paperwork. So we did it and she pulled through great! We found out she was deaf and so I trained her with hand signals. About 6 months in she got glaucoma. We treated that and all was well for several months. Then the glaucoma reared it's ugly head again, despite the eye drops that had been working. She went totally blind. Then her heart started to fail. Miserably. So we let her go. I was going to consider removing her eyes until the heart failure set in. She had such bad separation anxiety that being deaf and blind put her in a constant state of restlessness. And when her heart started to do it's awfulness, she was never comfortable. So anyway, I really, really love old dogs. They are so special and worth every moment.
Oh that's wonderful she's doing so well! You have such a great pack there. I agree; getting back to normal is best, the pack will figure things out but do keep an eye out to make sure she's not overdoing her daily activity; dogs will do their best to keep up and not show tiredness or injury. You may need to intervene and require rest breaks, especially while she's still close to being post op.
Shelties are pretty tough dogs as you know, but when it comes to your floors I would put runners down for her. Even though she's not overweight, one small slip the wrong way can mean a pulled muscle and debilitating pain that can keep her from playing with your other dogs for a while. Slippery floors can also blow the confidence of any Tripawd who's walking with an entirely new gait and asking their body to do things it's never done before. I'll bet you'll be surprised at how she will gravitate to floors with traction on them, most dogs do.
What a big-hearted, kind soul you are for opening your heart and home to such great animals. They are so fortunate to be in your care!
Keep up the fantastic work and keep us posted.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
I brought out my little canvas agility shoot and detached the shoot. I figured hopping through it a few times would make her feel a little peppier and burn a little of that overstimulated energy. I underestimated what her excitement level would be for this game. She wiped out a couple of times so I laid a blanket at the front of the short tunnel and sent her in. And she wouldn't come out. When we took classes she would sometimes go in the tunnel but pop back out instead of going through. I thought that was what she was doing so I encouraged her to go through and stuck my foot in to block. She sat down and refused to go out the other end. So I moved my foot and said her release word and she came out the side I sent her in. The side with the blanket. I got a second blanket and put it on the other end and she hopped right through. Gravitating towards traction is right. This will be a learning experience in more ways than I realized.
I watched the Amazing Maggie and Tracy's videos on core strengthening and I am so inspired. Brie would love those exercises!
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