Amputation coming up - what should I expect
Posted: Sat May 25, 2013 11:12 am
Hi everyone. Long story short, my 100 pound (45 Kg) Alaskan Malamute shattered his left front leg right above his paw in January of this year. An emergency surgery was performed the next day with external fixation to set the bones. After 3 months, the hardware was removed and the leg put into a supportive soft bandage. However, as the treatment continued, the vet advised me that the bone density in the leg was becoming less and less and that the leg would not be able to hold the dogs weight. A bone graft was suggested as a possible treatment in the future.
I became very concerned and took the dog to another vet for a second opinion. Vet # 2 stated a bone graft could be attempted, but there was a good chance that it would not work. He also stated that there was no hope in saving the leg with the present course of treatment.
After spending a considerable sum of money, I have two options. Option 1 - do the bone graft and, if unsuccessful, euthanize the dog because I don't have additional funds for an amputation. Option 2 - amputate the left front leg and possibly look into a prosthetic device for the dog.
My dog is an 8 year old in good health (other that the leg). If anyone has any experience with front leg amputations and/or prosthetic devices used by large breed dogs, could you please share your experience so that I may know what to expect? Thanks in advance.
I became very concerned and took the dog to another vet for a second opinion. Vet # 2 stated a bone graft could be attempted, but there was a good chance that it would not work. He also stated that there was no hope in saving the leg with the present course of treatment.
After spending a considerable sum of money, I have two options. Option 1 - do the bone graft and, if unsuccessful, euthanize the dog because I don't have additional funds for an amputation. Option 2 - amputate the left front leg and possibly look into a prosthetic device for the dog.
My dog is an 8 year old in good health (other that the leg). If anyone has any experience with front leg amputations and/or prosthetic devices used by large breed dogs, could you please share your experience so that I may know what to expect? Thanks in advance.