Toe Amputation Question?

[Whippets Rule]

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hi

Badger has a nasty bone spur on an outer toe on his front paw.

we've had x rays of both front legs done and the bone spur is the only thing visible that accounts for his constant lameness on hard ground.

we've spoken to the vets several times and are currently considering amputation since he could live a few years yet and it's a long time to be in pain/on constant pain relief.

has anybody had a dog with an outer toe amputated?

i specifically need to know about outer toe because this could effect his balance ( my other dog had an inner toe on a rear paw removed and he manages fine but it's more difficult on a front paw and being the outer toe.

he's going in for his kennel cough vaccine this week and the vets have already said we should re xray his paw and then decide if amputation is right( one vet who owns a whippet herself is adamant it's the right thing to do but another vet is not so sure.)

i hate seeing him limping all the time and he deliberately tries to get off hard ground and walk where it's soft.

would be grateful for all experiences.

 

[JAX]

If the dog is in pain ,and amputation would stop the pain ,id have it done .

Ive trained a GH in the past who last that toe and she won races after , and thats when all GH racing was still on grass , with sanded bends :cheers:

 

[jayp]

Im having the same dilemma as one of mine keeps dislocating a toe,

I will prob have it done if it keeps happening as there is nothing worse for a dog than painful feet.

Has he been thoroughly checked for corns as they can be hard to spot but result in chronic lameness on hard ground but are sound on soft ground in fact this is the major indicator of corns

 

[k4tie-d]

im a bit confussed there are dog going about with only 3 legs that balance fine so how will one missing toe make a huge difference?

if its causeing him pain i wouldnt have any questions about it if that was the only saloution.

 

[jok]

Our very old boy Tizer had a toe amputated. Back foot, but one of the inner toes. IT had been broken prior to us rescuing him and was very mishapen - causing it to rub on the next toe and cause lameness.

It was like a miracle cure - no problems whatsoever, healed very quickly and sorted out his pain and lameness. :thumbsup:

 

[jade scott]

My dog had his outer toe on his front right foot removed about 3 years ago after it was badly dislocated and would not go back in to it socket even after 2 opportations.

As soon as the toe was removed we found he had no problems, for a little while it was a little bit tender so we had to be careful where to free run him, but we didnt find any problems with his balance or anything of the sort, i dont honestly think he noticed it was missing after the bandages were removed etc.

Personally we found Tigs quality of life vastly improved as he could get back to free running etc without any pain and without us worrying that his toe was hurting him, in fact he even went back to racing shortly after the foot had healed.

Hope that helps, its not an easy decision to make, but if this is the only thing causing your dog pain then i would go with the amputation as in my experience the pro's far out weigh the cons, it just looks strange to start with.

 

[Debbie Reed]

We had a whippet who was trodden on by a horse (w00t) and had to have an outside toe plus the tip of his next toe removed. It caused him no problems whatsoever.

If it means your lad will be more comfortable, personally I would go for it.

Debbie

 

[Whippets Rule]

Thanks very much all of you who have shared your experiences of your dogs amputations.

We had already made up our minds we want it done i just needed your experiences rather than just veterinary opinion.

so thanks a lot.

 

[Debbie Reed]

Good luck with the op. Please let us know how it goes.

Debbie

 

[Angel44]

Snap Debbies (w00t) My dog was accidently trodden on by my horse and had to have her back right second from last toe removed But she copes really well and generally people don't even notice. It's only when you point it out :- "

Good luck with the op :luck: Let us know how it goes :thumbsup: