Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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I am fostering a dog, Jewels, who has radial nerve damage that prevents her from using one of her legs. She holds the leg up fine (front right) and gets around very well on three. She does still have the ability to move the injured leg from the shoulder, so she can use it as leverage when she's chewing on toys and she bats at me with it when we play, she also sets it down for balance sometimes. She just doesn't have function in the wrist so can't place it properly, and the muscle is gone.
I'm really struggling with how to advocate for her. I'm not sure if the right decision would be to amputate, or to let her keep the leg as long as she can. Having one leg that will likely need future amputation is sort of a mark against her when it comes to adoptability, but I don't want to decide to remove her leg just so people will be more attracted to her. I know she'd be fine with three legs, but I feel bad deciding to take the leg when it's not causing her any problems and she still uses it to play.
I'd love to hear from anyone who has experienced a radial nerve injury and how the injury progressed. Any support, advice, or comments are welcome.
Tiffany
Welcome and thanks for joining, your future posts will not require moderation.
Many dogs get around just fine their whole life with a non-functioning limb. Hopefully you'll hear from cometdog about just how well. Other dogs can develop complications from trying to use the limb, or allowing it to drag.
How do you advocate for her? Send potential adoption candidates to this site for advice and inspiration! Better yet, start a blog for Jewels to keep progress of her life on three legs, showing how well she does. Blog ownership can easily be transferred to whoever adopts Jewels, if they register.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thank you for your reply. I have had trouble finding much information about radial nerve damage, and most everything I have found ends up with an amputation. I think Jewels' situation is rare in that her non-functioning leg isn't causing her any trouble and she isn't dragging or chewing it. So amputation isn't the only choice in her case.
Did you search these forums? Here are the results for "radial nerve".
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Cometdog here! Welcome! I didn't think I'd ever find another one like Comet!
think Jewels' situation is rare in that her non-functioning leg isn't causing her any trouble and she isn't dragging or chewing it.
I had one just like it! Well Comet did! I got her as a puppy from a no kill shelter. She was rescued from a dog hoarder and all the dogs were terribly neglected (22 of them). So, we don't know for sure her history but it appears to have been deformed from birth. It too, wasn't hurting anything so we didn't amputate it.
Her first vet said it should come off and we scheduled the appt but she developed kennel cough that turned into pneumonia which took weeks to heal. We had just gotten her and by the time she got well from pneumonia we realized she actually "used" it. She liked to paddle stuff with it. (her food bowl when she was hungry, her tennis ball and she used it to knock over stuff to get my attention)She could move her shoulder which was deformed and turned inward toward her chest.
We had her until January in which she was 12 1/2 years old but died of internal bleeding. The leg was still with her all those years. I adored that gimpy leg! I miss that leg that she used as a paddle to hit me on the shin to get my attention.
There were moments during her life, I wished I had removed it. I had to watch her carefully because I was afraid it would get caught on something. Wire crates scared me because it was just small enough to get caught in the wires. So, I always used soft sided crates.
She too never brothered hers and she adjusted it just fine. Now that she is gone, the memory of having to worry about it is fading so I can't give you a logical answer whether to leave it or remove because I miss it so much. I loved it. It was her.
I would love to see pictures of Jewels. In ther meantime, here's Comet:
Comet - 1999 to 2011
She departed us unexpectedly January 23, 2011 at the age of 12 1/2.
She was born with a deformed front leg and a tripawd all of her life.
Thank you for your story, cometdog. She was a beautiful girl. I also think Jewels' leg is endearing and it gives her personality. I hope she can continue to keep her leg without injuring it. Screening adopters for her is going to be my biggest challenge yet since I feel so protective of her. I hope the perfect person comes along because she really is a cool dog. She's so happy all the time and exploding with love. I'll see if I can figure out how to post some pictures of her...
jewels said:
I'll see if I can figure out how to post some pictures of her...
Here are instructions for adding photos to forum posts. If you don't share photos online somewhere, the easiest way is to start a blog and upload them there.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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What a cutie!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
I'm not sure why I'm getting the red x's and misc. text… but there she is. She's a super dog!! I have a video too, here's the link if you wanna see…
OH MY DOG! I love her already! I saw the video and how cute is she????????????? THOSE EYES!
I hope the leg is able to be left on since she uses it. But most vets will recommend it being removed. My first one did. I just didn't want to put her through the surgery because she had lived such a horrible life before me and after battling the pneumonia, I wanted her to start living a happy life.
Jewels looks part Golden to me. How old is she?
I don't know your circumstances but if you can or might decide to keep her, your life will be so enriched. Comet made me a better person. Comet had emotional issues from her puppy life with a hoarder and was terrified of strangers because she didn't have the fight or flight ability. She trusted me and my husband but mostly me. When she felt secure, she was so very sassy and adorable.
Jewels seems so well adjusted mentally so it would be so easy.
Please keep us posted.
Comet - 1999 to 2011
She departed us unexpectedly January 23, 2011 at the age of 12 1/2.
She was born with a deformed front leg and a tripawd all of her life.
No red Xs here! your photos display just fine. Thanks for the video link, we embedded that for you following these instructions for embedding videos in forum posts.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
I agree that she's probably a golden retriever mix. She's one year old as of April and she definately is well adjusted. She has great social skills and is very responsive. I have considered the idea of keeping her... but I have a full house already with my own three dogs. I will keep her as long as it takes to find the perfect home though, and that may end up being a while.
Hi Tiffany! Welcome and thank you for helping sweet Jewels!
I understand your concern about finding a great home for her and hoping her new family will both appreciate her special needs and not be "put off" early on--in other words, hoping people give her a chance up front. If she were in my area and I were looking to adopt a dog, I would in no way be afraid of taking her on. And I'm nothing special, so I have to believe that there will be many people out there way more interested in Jewels' personality than in how her leg functions--or doesn't function. That's how I'd size her up.
There may be some people who might be turned off and write her off, assuming she's not a dog to consider. But you don't want folks like that coming through the door, anyway, so it's no great loss. I think she'll find a home easily. Just let a couple of kids come to play with her; once they crawl all over her and she dances around blissfully, she's sold!
As much as you don't want people to underestimate Jewels, please don't underestimate the average adopter. I think most people will absolutely not care and will be way more interested in the important stuff: aggression, chewing, house training, running away, etc. Those things are far, far more important than the number of usable legs.
Shari
From abandoned puppy to Tripawd Warrior Dude, Dakota became one of the 2011 February Furballs due to STS. Our incredibly sweet friend lived with grace and dignity till he impulsively raced over the Bridge on 12-15-12.
Dakota's thoughtful and erudite blog is at http://shari.tr.....pawds.com/
Hi Tiffany,
My dog was hit by a car two years ago and has radial nerve damage. The vet recommended amputation, however, I kept his leg on. He is just fine and everyone that meets him states that he is one of the happiest dogs they've ever seen. Keeping the leg on was the best decision. He runs, swims, and paws at his tennis ball and toys. The right person will come along!!
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