Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi Everyone,
I'm at the stage of deciding whether partial or full rear leg amputation is necessary. I have a ten year old Westie with a suspect mass' tuma which I understand to a less lethal form of cancer on her foot, The vet has given me an option to amputate the lower leg and hope that a prosthetic limb will help her to have a better quality of life rather than a complete leg amputation.
As Westies' are a smaller breed with short leg's I was curious how their agility compares with larger breeds with long legs if the full amputation is performed ?
Also, what are the real life challenges of maintaining a prosthetic leg ?
Thankyou so much for your replies.
Hi Stephen, and welcome. Your future posts will not need approval.
I assume you mean your dog has a mast cell tumor?
How fortunate you're working with a vet who is familiar with partial amputation and prosthetics ! I haven't been in the position to make this decision - I adopted my tripawd post-amputation. Given the opportunity, I think I would be likely to go for the partial amputation and prosthetic. If it works out well, it should put less strain on your dog's remaining limbs and joints and therefore offer a better long term quality of life.
However, a prosthetic has to fit correctly or it can cause sores. Your dog has to be open to wearing/using it. There are probably other potential pitfalls I'm not thinking of.
That said, most dogs adapt well to life on three legs. Rear amputation may be slightly easier on the dog because they carry more of their weight on their front legs. We've had members with dogs of all sizes - from little 5lb peanuts to giant 150 lb dogs adapt well to the loss of a leg.
Hi Stephen, welcome. I'm sorry your dog got that diagnosis. Cancer, ugh!
I agree that it's pretty cool your vet mentioned the possibility of a prosthetic. A partial amputation requires special incision/wound care that will take a little more time to heal but if your vet has experience doing them that way, it shouldn't be a problem.
You'll see the link to prosthetics goes to all our info about artificial legs for dogs. The commitment to training a dog to use a prosthetic falls on the pet parent, so you'll need to be really committed to make it worth your money and time. Many dogs adapt to them right away but some need a few months.
Most dogs do really well on three and especially smaller dogs! What leg is affected?
Hi and welcome.
Are you talking about a mast cell tumor? If so I would recommend that you also consult with an oncologist. There is also a treatment available for MCTs called Stelfonta which is injected directly into the tumor. It has good results and potentially could spare the leg, an oncologist would have more info and could tell you if it might work for your pup. While it's true that some MCTs are relatively easy to treat not all are. You would want to be sure to know the grade and mitotic index of the tumor so you can make decisions going forward. The tumor has to be removed to get the proper path results- and an oncologist can tell you what the proper tests are to see if the cancer has metastasized before doing surgery. I don't mean to scare you but knowledge is power!
If you didn't mean MCT then ignore the previous paragraph!
My first Tripawd was a Pug named Maggie. She lost her left rear leg to a mast cell tumor, her tumor was in her knee so there was not an option for a prosthetic if they even existed back then...it was 2006 when she had surgery. Stelfonta wasn't out then either. Her prognosis after amputation was poor but she beat the odds and hopped happily through life for almost 4 years after amputation and treatment. If you are interested you can read her story- the links are in my signature below.
My current Tri is a Pug mix named Elly. She lost her right rear leg to a car accident when she was 7 months old. She is now 8.5 years old and approaching her 8 year ampuversary. I understand that Elly's femur was broken in several places so there was no option other than to remove the entire leg, I adopted her when she was 10 months old and 2.5 months or so post op. She is fit and strong and gets around well. I do limit some burst type activities and we don't go for long walks (unless we bring the stroller) and I avoid walks on hard surfaces where possible. We play lots of food games and puzzles, we do exercises for balance and strength, and we do obedience and trick training. All of those things help her build strength and balance, challenges her mind and burns energy without too much stress on those 3 legs.
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls and Boy
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Hi...my Tripawd was a leggy Doberman, but I've had Westie's for over 30 years and am well acquainted with the breed; and my Cairn Terrier just went through a CCL tear that had him hopping on 3 for a couple of months before his surgery. He had no problem with using only 3 legs...which leg is affected with your Westie? A previous Westie of mine had a front foot issue for a brief period and did well with hopping that way - so to answer one of your questions, just because they have shorter legs, they do just fine on 3. Just do your research, and get all the info you can to help you make the best decision. Good luck!
Paula
Nitro 11 1/2 yr old Doberman; right front amp June 2014. Had 6 doses carboplatin, followed by metronomic therapy. Rocked it on 3 legs for over 3 years! My Warrior beat cancer, but couldn't beat old age. He crossed the Bridge peacefully on July 25, 2017, with dignity and on his terms. Follow his blog entitled "Doberman's journey"
"Be good, mama loves you".....run free my beautiful Warrior
Thanks Paula♥️
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!
thankyou for the correct definition, this makes a huge difference. It was lost in translation with my Thai vet.
Thankyou also for your advice, it is greatly appreciated.
thankyou for the correct definition, this makes a huge difference. It was lost in translation with my Thai vet.
Thankyou also for your advice, it is greatly appreciated.
mischief said
Hi Stephen, and welcome. Your future posts will not need approval.I assume you mean your dog has a mast cell tumor?
How fortunate you're working with a vet who is familiar with partial amputation and prosthetics ! I haven't been in the position to make this decision - I adopted my tripawd post-amputation. Given the opportunity, I think I would be likely to go for the partial amputation and prosthetic. If it works out well, it should put less strain on your dog's remaining limbs and joints and therefore offer a better long term quality of life.
However, a prosthetic has to fit correctly or it can cause sores. Your dog has to be open to wearing/using it. There are probably other potential pitfalls I'm not thinking of.
That said, most dogs adapt well to life on three legs. Rear amputation may be slightly easier on the dog because they carry more of their weight on their front legs. We've had members with dogs of all sizes - from little 5lb peanuts to giant 150 lb dogs adapt well to the loss of a leg.
jerry said
Hi Stephen, welcome. I'm sorry your dog got that diagnosis. Cancer, ugh!I agree that it's pretty cool your vet mentioned the possibility of a prosthetic. A partial amputation requires special incision/wound care that will take a little more time to heal but if your vet has experience doing them that way, it shouldn't be a problem.
You'll see the link to prosthetics goes to all our info about artificial legs for dogs. The commitment to training a dog to use a prosthetic falls on the pet parent, so you'll need to be really committed to make it worth your money and time. Many dogs adapt to them right away but some need a few months.
Most dogs do really well on three and especially smaller dogs! What leg is affected?
Thankyou for your reply and advice on some of the realities of opting for a prosthetic leg. It is the rear, right leg that is affected.
krun15 said
Hi and welcome.Are you talking about a mast cell tumor? If so I would recommend that you also consult with an oncologist. There is also a treatment available for MCTs called Stelfonta which is injected directly into the tumor. It has good results and potentially could spare the leg, an oncologist would have more info and could tell you if it might work for your pup. While it's true that some MCTs are relatively easy to treat not all are. You would want to be sure to know the grade and mitotic index of the tumor so you can make decisions going forward. The tumor has to be removed to get the proper path results- and an oncologist can tell you what the proper tests are to see if the cancer has metastasized before doing surgery. I don't mean to scare you but knowledge is power!
If you didn't mean MCT then ignore the previous paragraph!
My first Tripawd was a Pug named Maggie. She lost her left rear leg to a mast cell tumor, her tumor was in her knee so there was not an option for a prosthetic if they even existed back then...it was 2006 when she had surgery. Stelfonta wasn't out then either. Her prognosis after amputation was poor but she beat the odds and hopped happily through life for almost 4 years after amputation and treatment. If you are interested you can read her story- the links are in my signature below.
My current Tri is a Pug mix named Elly. She lost her right rear leg to a car accident when she was 7 months old. She is now 8.5 years old and approaching her 8 year ampuversary. I understand that Elly's femur was broken in several places so there was no option other than to remove the entire leg, I adopted her when she was 10 months old and 2.5 months or so post op. She is fit and strong and gets around well. I do limit some burst type activities and we don't go for long walks (unless we bring the stroller) and I avoid walks on hard surfaces where possible. We play lots of food games and puzzles, we do exercises for balance and strength, and we do obedience and trick training. All of those things help her build strength and balance, challenges her mind and burns energy without too much stress on those 3 legs.
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls and Boy
Thankyou very much for your lengthy replay and fantastic detail. Yes, it was an MCT (thankyou) and I did enquiry to the possibility of Stelfonta. Unfortunately, as I'm located in northern Thailand it's not available here. This is the 2nd tuma that has grown, the 1st one was surgically removed along with a small section part of her paw but is has come back. On hindsight Stelfonta might have been a better option the 1st time around (had it been available)
dobemom said
Hi...my Tripawd was a leggy Doberman, but I've had Westie's for over 30 years and am well acquainted with the breed; and my Cairn Terrier just went through a CCL tear that had him hopping on 3 for a couple of months before his surgery. He had no problem with using only 3 legs...which leg is affected with your Westie? A previous Westie of mine had a front foot issue for a brief period and did well with hopping that way - so to answer one of your questions, just because they have shorter legs, they do just fine on 3. Just do your research, and get all the info you can to help you make the best decision. Good luck!Paula
Thankyou for your reply & sharing Paula. It's the rear, right leg that has the problem. She is naturally quite a stocky dog, so I do understand that a strict diet will be needed, no matter what.
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