Rescue Boy Ben goes to vet on Monday

[sea4th]

Handsome rescue boy Ben goes in this Monday not only for the big snip, but he might have to have a front toe amputated. A few weeks ago he came up limping. He wouldn't let me examine it, but I could see that it was swollen and painful. I put him on antibiotics, never thinking it could be broken. It didn't get too much better after a couple of days and I had my daughter's wedding to go to, so I left him in a friend's boarding kennel for another week. When I picked him up, he was still limping and so off to the vet we went who said she could feel the bones sliding back and forth, and the lesion she & I saw, might have been one of the bone ends trying to work it's way through. We left him on antibiotics for the last couple of weeks, until he goes in for the snip, and if the toe is not better by then, it's coming off. It doesn't look too much better, so he'll probably have it amputated.

 

So here is the question - how do you think his mobility will be affected by a toe missing? -- after it's healed -- I know Ben will be one hurting boy next week though. While I'm sure it was very painful, there was just no slowing Ben down. That dog has heart and drive. I'd planned on putting him on sheep when this happened.

[Rebecca, Irena Farm]

We came every close to having one of Trim's toes amputated. The normal vet would have done it, but she said since Trim was a high performance dog, that it was better if an orthopedist looked at it. A mistake there CAN make a difference in mobility at extreme levels (sports, working). But, thank goodness we did go see the orthopedist - he said right away that amputation would have been completely unnecessary. Whew. $65 office visit well spent! That was a much simpler case than you describe, however, but we did have the same questions you did!