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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Hey everyone we have a golden retriever x Burnese mountain dog mix she's a 4 month old puppy named Peach. She recently got ran into by one of the other dogs who are usually well aware and very gentle around her. she is needing an expensive surgery to fix her elbow, only catch is it might not fully heal and we were debating on the option of amputation as it would be a affordable option for us but we want to know that peachy would get along just fine without a front leg. We are looking for advice on the options we've been given based on anyones experience with heavier/larger dog breeds. Please help with any info you have for us. -Braeden, Makayla, Peach
braeden said
4 month old puppy named Peach. She recently got ran into...
So sorry to hear it! Welcome to the best club nobody ever wants to join, and good for you to ask questions before surgery! Every dog is different. Depending on the break, Peach may be an excellent candidate for prosthetic use. Too many times, we've seen people put their dogs through multiple, expensive, painful surgeries trying to "save the leg" only to end up amputating anyway. Only your orthopedic surgeon and you can make the best decision. As a pup, she should recovery quickly and adapt well to live a happy life on three legs. Our Wyatt Ray lost his rear spare at 8± months, and we helped him love life on three legs for 12 years thanks to plenty of rehab, rehab, rehab.
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Hi guys,
It was nice to 'meet you' on the Helpline today! Hopefully I was able to answer all your questions.
Please keep us posted on how you decide to proceed.
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
I'm so glad you posted too! It's a tough situation to decide on amputation, especially when you have a dog so young. I would say to get another opinion, preferably from a board-certified vet surgeon who specializes in orthopedics. Also if there is a chance to save much of the leg, she may be a candidate for a prosthetic, so it's worth looking into and finding a surgeon who is experienced in that area. If you'd like help finding one, ask your vet. If they don't know, message me your location and I'll try to give you some names.
Dogs can get along great on three, even big dogs! Keeping them lean and monitoring their activity over time is essential to avoid remaining leg injuries. So you have a bit more work to do on your end, but we think it's worth the effort to have a happy dog free of pain and enjoying life!
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