Rhys Posted March 30, 2007 Report Share Posted March 30, 2007 My husband and I adopted our border collie, Rhys, on March 14th. Rhys is young, probably less than a year old. Rhys’ left hind leg is atrophied. I took him to the vet on March 16th for a physical and to have x-rays done. To everyone’s surprise the x-ray showed pins. We had assumed that he had an old untreated injury. The x-ray showed that his knee joint is bone on bone and there are two infections in the leg. The leg is stiff. The only movement he has is in the hip and toes and that the range of motion is very limited. What we thought was use of his leg is actually the inability to keep it out of the way. The leg is very painful and cannot be repaired. Rhys’ amputation is April 3rd. This board has many members, I’m wondering if anyone else has had to have their dog’s leg amputated or if anyone has any advice? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSnappy Posted March 30, 2007 Report Share Posted March 30, 2007 I hvae not had to have any of my personal dogs' legs amputated, but we have had to do it on rescue dogs. In fact, we very recently had Hope's leg amputated. You can see her story here: http://www.bcbordercollies.com/bc/ Mike says she was up and about like nothing had happened within 24 hours of the surgery. She actually seemed grateful to have the leg off, as it hindered her movement prior to this. It seems scarier than it is. If the leg is hindering movement or causing pain, removal just frees up the dog. One of our volunteers has a three legged BC that runs flyball and is one of the fastest does in the club!! Best of luck, RDM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathyF Posted March 30, 2007 Report Share Posted March 30, 2007 Most dogs will do just fine with an amputation. The rear limb is easier for them to lose than a front leg. As a vet tech for many years I have seen many with amputations and they do great. I also saw a cat with legs removed. Kathy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Watch Debatable Posted March 30, 2007 Report Share Posted March 30, 2007 Yep, if a dog has to lose a leg, a hind one is "better" to lose than a front one. Dogs missing a hind leg have run in Open trials --- I knew one personally, and have heard of others. Best wishes to Rhys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueborders Posted March 30, 2007 Report Share Posted March 30, 2007 I fostered a wonderful border collie "Happy" that we had to amputate the back leg. He was pulled from the shelter with his foot missing. Happy truly never missed a step and you'd never know that he was missing a leg. He was faster and more agile than some of the other dogs. He now lives in California and does some obedience and agility. In fact, he and his mom competed on their club's behalf in the Top Dog competion the CA clubs have each year. He is an awesome dog and I miss him! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eileen Stein Posted March 31, 2007 Report Share Posted March 31, 2007 Kate Broadbent's Decks, a nationally ranked Open dog for years, was a hind-leg amputee. Sometimes people didn't even notice that a leg was missing, he ran so well. The dogs I've known personally who had a hind leg amputated seemed to adjust very quickly, and as RDM says, I think they were grateful to be rid of the bad leg. I bet Rhys will be too. Good luck, and let us know how it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhys Posted April 2, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 2, 2007 I know amputation is the best thing I can do for Rhys since the leg is useless, can't be repaired and is painful. It's the emotional part of I'm having my dog's leg cut off that's difficult. Thanks for posting success stories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted April 2, 2007 Report Share Posted April 2, 2007 I know amputation is the best thing I can do for Rhys since the leg is useless, can't be repaired and is painful. It's the emotional part of I'm having my dog's leg cut off that's difficult. Thanks for posting success stories. Realize that you are improving your dog's quality of life by removing a source of pain, rather than the amputation of a limb. He'll thank you for it. Best wishes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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