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.
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Hi all, My name is Colin and my wife and I just rescued a 5 month old Lab/Hound mix that was left on the side of the road. He was brought into the local Animal Hospital where my wife works with a really bad limp. She obviously couldn't let him go to the local shelter so he, now named Red, was brought home to join the family with our other rescue Cooper, a Husky/Lab/Terrier mix (1 yr). Before he was brought home we had X-rays done on his bad front leg limp and it was seen that his elbow is fractured and we have no idea how long he has had this. We reached out to a surgical specialist to see if a fusion may be an option but suggested amputation over arthrodesis. We have just been trying to inform ourselves before doing the surgery. I was lucky enough to find this site and i was just wondering if anyone here has had a similar experience or if you could help us make the correct decision on our beautiful boys future.
Ohhhh thank you for rescuing your sweet Red. I'm sorry that he has that fracture. We are so glad you found us though.
OK before you jump to amputation, I would get another opinion, maybe two, from board-certified surgeons.
Our Nellie B. is in a very similar situation, we adopted her late last summer with the same kind of fracture on her front left leg. She has minimal pain that is being managed until we can get back to our place in Colorado in spring. The experts at Colorado State can examine her and we can get a 4th and final opinion on how to help her. Nobody can seem to agree on what to do so they are the tie breaker.
We have been told by a boarded surgeon that arthrodesis negatively impacts quality of life over time (by contributing to severe arthritis), so yeah, don't go there.
But a dog with a fractured elbow may or may not be a good candidate for a prosthetic so if Red's pain is being managed, and you think you are willing to invest the time and money into prosthetics , it can make all the difference for quality of life. Investigate it. Don't jump into amputation until you get multiple opinions, as long as he is being kept comfortable and not going too wild with your other pup.
He's a very lucky pup to find his way to you!
Hi Jerry G Dawg (Jim & Rene),
Thanks for the reply. I looked into Nellie B and I see that your poor girl has a bad wrist, sorry to see that and I hope she will get it fixed up real soon.
We have got 3 opinions now and they all say that from the X-rays and his injury being so old with no history, that they don't want to fuse it as the bones may splinter and cause even more damage that will lead to inevitable amputation. So it looks like the best way ahead for our boy is the amputation route. We looked into prosthetics but believe that due to our location that this will not be a sustainable route. As the fracture is in his elbow that is so close to his shoulder that amputation will be the best way ahead.
So now we have booked him in later this month for the amputation, a difficult decision, one that has been deliberated over for a long time but we believe will give our boy the best way ahead. Hopefully, as he is only 5 months old, he will bounce back quickly and he will get used to having the limb gone. He is a happy bouncy boy who has a really positive attitude, we are quietly confident that he will adapt to his new situation well.
We will be reading up on here to get ready for his after Op care and rehabilitation, thanks for all the advice so far, anything else will be gratefully received.
Hey there, welcome back Colin & Red.
It makes total sense why you would proceed with the amputation, but yeah it's still a difficult decision! If it's any consolation, our Wyatt Ray spent 12 years on 3 legs and overall did very, very well. Keep a dog slim, manage their activity so it's a reasonable amount and not overdoing it, check in occasionally with a physio, and watch for pain signals , and you'll be giving Red the best life possible.
Being that he's so young, he will want to do everything and continue to bounce off walls as puppies do. It will be challenging to make sure he gets safe, appropriate activity but you can do it. We always recommend meeting with a physio (which is why we have our Tripawds Foundation rehab reimbursement program that can pay for your first rehab visit ). This is the best way to know what he should and shouldn't do now, and as he ages. And it's also valuable to have a relationship with a PT so you can have a contact person if you suspect anything is wrong at some point in the future.
But for now, get your home Tripawd proofed for Red's recovery. Check our What to Expect articles , and the Tripawds Recovery Shopping List , so you can get some ideas of how create a good space for him during recovery and beyond.
Being that you have Cooper, a four-legger, walking them together could be challenging. Red will try to keep up and that's not really good for him, even though he'll be like "Hey I'm OK see! I Can do this!" We recommend a dog stroller so that Red can go together with Cooper. He can walk a little, ride a little, and not get worn out by the time you get to your destination.
How's your house set up? Is it ready to go? Do you have stairs he will need to use?
Hey Jerry,
I hear all you are saying and we are reading the articles on here which are a great help.
Our house is set up pretty well, we already have a small ramp installed to get out of the house which I made for our last beautiful boy Vince, he was a black Labrador who has also gained his wings, and I’m sure he’s watching over us all. We have stairs in the house but those areas are off limits and they don’t need to go there.
I will look in to physio in our area, we may have to travel for this but it’s needed so that is no problem.
We have both taken some time off work to get him situated after the Op. I work a 2 week camp rotation and my wife works part time at the local Veterinarian Hospital, so Red will have the best of care from there and have plenty of support.
A big challenge will be to get Cooper to calm down and realize that she’s can’t play as rough as they used to. But she is a very loving nurturing girl and looks out for her younger brother so I’m sure she will be fine.
Thanks for all the help and support so far. We will keep you posted. Op is set for the 28th, fingers crossed.
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