Would you get a prothesis for your puppy?

[chager]

We have a new puppy. She is a 17 week old Aussie and just the cutest thing!! We are trying to get together $1200 for a prothesis for her. She is missing part of her back foot due to an incident at birth. So the leg will never be as long as the others. Because of this she sometimes bumps her foot on things. We have talking with a vet in Colorado about it. (Yes, this is a long distance talk) It had been suggested that we amputate the leg and just let her be by a local vet, but she loves to run! So we found this other vet on the internet and he says amputation would a disservice to our Gabby.We are cutting corners budget wise everywhere we can and our DS12 is willing to give up Christmas for Gabby. Would you go to these lengths for your puppy? (To be honest we had never even considered a prothesis when we first got her because her leg seemed to be keeping up.)
Not wanting to start a debate, just curious if any else would go to these lengths.

 

[gallaj0]

I knew a dog with one shorter leg, she used to run around all day.

I'd question if you even need to amputate; if's it's going to be shorter anyways, once the dog gets bigger, will it still be an issue of bumping it?

3 legged dogs can run just as fast as most dogs; they just run differently.

Well, maybe not a Greyhound.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Yes, I would, even if it meant cutting other things out of our budget for a while. In fact, we've done just that several times when our dogs needed surgeries or other things, such as the set of wheels you see in the picture below.

 

[TallyLassie]

Won't you have to continue to buy more prothesis as her legs grow?

Can you wait on the amputation or do you have to make the decision now? If you have the money, and the prothesis is what is best for her, I say go for it.

 

[poohandwendy]

Yes, I would. If it would improve the quality of life for the dog.

Just wanted to add one thing, amputating her leg would not mean she could not run again. It probably depends on the dog, but I have 'known' two dogs who had only three legs and ran like champs. (one was born with a deformity and the other lostt he leg in an accident)

Good luck with it, whatever you decide!

 

[janette]

My brother's dog lost a leg in an accident but it hasn't slowed him down.

Prosthetics aren't that easy to adapt too depending on the type and they don't last forever. One of my nephews is an amputee and he prefers to use crutches and one leg, he wears his leg to "blend" as he says. He's pretty hard on legs so there are also repair issues and since he's still growing they need replaced at times due to growth.

I'd wait and see how she does and if you think it would be easier to amputate more of the leg do that but I'm not sure a prosthetic would be comfortable or do that much good for a dog.

 

[Toby'sFriend]

no, I've known a couple of 3 legged dogs and they both adapted wonderfully.

So I guess I'll modify my answer. If the dog was severly hampered mobility wise, I'd consider it. But from my experience, a 3 legged dog who loves to run will find a way to run.

 

[EthansMom]

Nope, I wouldn't pay for a prosthesis for a pet who could get around without it. I had a cat with 3.5 legs and she got around just fine hopping on the half a leg. Edited to add: Our cat's name was Peggy (for Peg-leg).

 

[Pigeon]

No, I tend to agree with janette. I've also known dogs that have lost legs and run around just fine. I think trying to teach a dog to use a prosthesis would be more trouble (for the dog) than it would be worth. I'd leave it alone for now and see how he does.

 

[Aimeedyan]

I would do whatever the best thing for my dog was. At 17 weeks, I would be cautious to not make any permanent decisions yet since there are lots of 3 legged dogs that do amazingly well. A shortened leg may not make a difference at all to her.

But if that ended up being the right thing, we would do it.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

The only thing I have seen is the little doggie carts and if your pup needed something to be able to function for walking or running..yes I would do it.

I was researching when my kitty broke her "knees"...turns out she was able to regain function enough for walking, running, and she modified her jumping to rely on her front paws. So no mobility assistance was needed--in my search...dogs of all sizes were using them--but it seemed that had lost mobility in both hind or front legs.

Not familiar with dogs--but the lack of one limb, shouldn't restrict their mobility other than some balance issues maybe--that are easily learned.

 

[Snowysmom]

I would wait for a while and see how the puppy does as she grows. She may find a way of adapting to the current problem. If later it seems like the prothesis is the way to go, then go for it. Last year we gave up our trip to Disney in order to pay for cancer surgery for our westie. She had another 5 months with us so it was worth it. It sounds like your DS has a good heart to want to give up things to help your puppy.

 

[snowwite]

My parents dog was a few weeks old when his owner hit him with the car and crushed his leg so badly it had to be amputated. My sis worked at vets and they wanted to put him asleep.My folks rescued him and he does not know he has three legs. He runs and does fine. He does a hand stand to pee though.LOL. he is spoiled rotten!
Here is his pic.

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

Some might not understand this mentality, but I would do a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g to maintain a great quality of life for Chloe.

I would however seek the advice of several vets before making a decision.

 

[horseshowmom]

You said it was his back foot. A dog bears most of his weight on the front end. Losing a back leg does not affect them greatly.

One of our dogs was shot in our yard (unfortunately, this sort of thing happens more often than you might think in rural areas). The bullet destroyed the bone. The vet tried putting a pin in (which we worked with for 6 months). As soon as the pin came out, the bone broke again. At that point, he suggested the amputation.

He said that it's not nearly as bad as it sounds, and it wasn't. In fact, she would have been much better off if we had done that to start with. After she healed, she could do anything she wanted and got along really well (she was about the size of your dog). Even when she got old, she still did great.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

 

[DawnCt1]

i am amazed at how many 3 legged dogs there are. it seems all of us knew at least one. i knew one and she was amazing. no different from a 4 legged one. also, what if she chews the prosthesthis. jude, 8 yr. old male neutered standard poodle bites his nails.

 

[Rollwithit]

We also had (bless his doggy soul) a dog that was shot by a hunter (a drunk hunter no less). His back leg was so mangled the vet amputated. Guthrie was still a puppy and grew up never knowing he only had three legs...he swam, ran, did everything a normal dog would do. He could even manage getting up into the back of our Suburban.

We called him Tripod for fun.

 

[ilovepcot]

I'd take a second mortgage out on my home if necessary to provide anything my dog *truly needed*. If that didn't do it, I'd max out credit cards and borrow from my parents, then begin selling off my grandmother's antiques. (They're mine now.) Anything it took! My dog means the world to me.

 

[cyndibelle]

ABSOLUTELY 100% i would.. My Max brings so much joy into my life that i would do anything for him !! He is like my third child!!!