Amputation or Prosthetic? PLEASE HELP

[kloehn2042@yahoo.com]

I recently rescued a 4 month old puppy from our shelter. He is missing half of his back left leg. I have gone to multiple vets all recommending further amputation up to the hip (his stub reopens occasionally when he rubs it). When I bring up a prosthetic instead they just shrug it off often saying it's just expensive. I want opinions of people with experience. I do not mind expense and care more about his overall comfort through life. He wont be too big of a dog maybe 12-15 lbs.

Would you suggest amputation or prosthetic. Sometimes I wish he could just talk so I knew which he would prefer haha.

[sdrakkan]

I'm not the savant with amputees like other members are, but I would keep it covered and let him figure out being a tripod. Most dogs adapt very well and don't need a prosthetic at all. If he keeps trying to put weight on it and opens the end, then amputation farther up may be in his best interest.

[Lucys human]

My late collie/gsd cross had a high left rear amuption but my neighbours smaller collie/whippet cross has a lower right rear leg amutation, hers is just above the knee.
Young dogs cope well with amputations and hopefully your baby will too.
I agree give him time and see how he copes and see if the wound will fully heal and if not he may need a higher amputation.
Try not to fuss over his stump if you worry your pup will too.
He is very lucky to have found such a caring and dedicated owner but i'm sure you feel equally lucky to have found him.

[critters]

With smaller critters especially, they don't seem to do prosthetics as often, and your baby would probably be OK without the limb. The main downsides to prosthetics would be cost, difficulty finding a provider, and fiddling with it/them life-long. The amputation would essentially be hands-off after healing. If you'd like to consider a prosthesis, I'd call around and check out the options, especially local ones. Local ones would be a LOT easier to deal with if there's a problem. After you have all the info you can decide whether or not to schedule the surgery.