my boy pomeranian has a broken foot and torn ligament
 

my dalmation accidentally stepped on his foot when playing.:( poor boy, were up to a 600 dollar vet bill and they havent operated yet.

yikes!

my near farm boy status attitudes about pets recoils at such large expenditures on pet repairs.

but i know a lot of folks feel their dogs are a part of the family. the dogs think so too!

sorry to hear your little buddy is hurting.

tom w

sorry about that. My dogs are family. I wouldn't hesitate to spend money on them any more than most would for a sick child.

kmay- sorry to hear about that. My cat had a bladder stone that cost close to 1000.00 to remove. Harry Winston set it in platinum when it came out.

Agreed. It is an expensive stone. However, when the pet is healed, the dog's love is PRICELESS. Dunno about a cat but that much I know about dogs.

Howdy K,
Sorry to hear about the little guy. I can relate. My youngest dog broke a leg running jacks last August. I'm up around $3,000. He is running again but I don't think he will show any more.
Are they operating to repair the ligament or the bone?¿ Bones usually heal by just being splinted.

my poodle broke his right front leg and it took a year of surgeries and IIRC 2k worth of bills.. plus last year the pin worked its way out and had to be fixed.. His right leg isnt right so he gimps around sometimes...

What sucks most is that he is a pure bred AKC Poodle that we were going to enter into shows before that event happened... If only my mom did not stick him in the rumpus room while a guest came over.. He turned to fast and smacked the bannister on the stairs.. I still love my gimpy poodle.. hes soo cool

Howdy The Don,
Where on the leg was the break?¿ How close to a joint was it?¿

Sorry to hear about your dog. Vet bills can be expensive and generally there is no insurance to cover it.

A few years I was playing with our Akita, I guess a little too vigorously, and he busted a knee. Try carrying a 100+ dog back to your car and getting him in!

Two operations and $5k later he is as good as new. Hell, his knees are now in better shape than my own!

$5k is a LOT of money, but my wife and te kids love the dog, so what was I to do? Besides I was the one playing with him when he busted his knee so....

I hope your little guy makes a full and complete recovery! :)

I'm as much an animal lover as anybody but...
 

I'd amputate before I'd spend thousands on a dog's leg. I've seen lots of tripod dogs and they get around great. I would argue that there's probably less suffering for the animal too.
Just my opinion.

My duck hunting pal just spent $700 at two vets becausee his retriever swallowed a bath towell. Two x rays and three sonograms (first guy didn't have sonogram) and a bunch of barium and seditives. I think I would have given him some good ole human epicac first and seen if that worked.

Coffee enima....

I have a friend whose dog ate a disposable diaper once. They had to cut that dog open to get it out. The things a dog will eat amaze me.

Fortunately for my Akita you're not his owner.

Maybe so. And money does play a role in my thinking. But, if the surgery was free, I wonder if the dog would rather have the pain of two operations and associated rehab or just get the damn leg out of the way and get along with life. If all we're talking about is the humane aspect, the amputation is far less traumatic. Now if it's about life threatening things or illness, I will pay to save the life or comfort of an animal, but $5K for a dog's leg tells me you've never seen a three-legged dog and how well they get around.