Dog Dr. and grandpa advice needed.

[RED]

My granddaughter asked for a puppy for her Birthday last November. Her parents agreed so I took her around to look at various dogs and she chose a 3 month old toy rat terrier. Fast forward and now the doggie is about 6 months old and there was an accident and the dog's rear thighbone is fractured on both ends. The vet tells us there are 2 options. 1. Surgery. A cast won't work and costs $3,000+. 2. Euthanasia is about $50.

I think there is a 3rd option and that is let the little gal heal the best she can. Obviously she will be crippled for life but as some of us humans have had to do, she will live and a dog with 3 usable legs is better off than a dead dog.

Any opinions will be appreciated.

[lyman]

sorry to hear

all I can say is get a second opinion if you have not already.

[Ken The Kanuck]

Red if you have the money fix the dog, a year or two ago our daughter and the son in-law's dog back got screwed up. Cost us about 9-10 K.

Money well spent in my opinion.

Good luck with whatever choice you make.

KTK

[dryheat]

Dang Red. That's tough. If I had three grand I wouldn't spend it on a dog. Our neighbors had a dog(maybe not theirs) that got hit by a car. The dog limped around with one leg hanging until one day it fell off. The dog still romped with three legs. It was kind of a lesson for us kids about perseverance. What happened to that dog I don't know. That's country. So, maybe the little dog revives and it's a inspirational thing for the kid. Or maybe it's a lesson in life when you put the dog down. Hopefully either way, she loves animals and if she takes good care of them, has many more pets.

[rayg]

Well I suppose the families income would be a major factor in the decision. I guess you can't condemn anyone if they can't afford the operation. Ray

[Allen]

I too would go with option 1. You know how attached you become to these "members of the family" and your granddaughter is observing your actions as well.

Option 3, I would be concerned about the dogs pain. Animals often hide a lot of pain and discomfort.

Option 2 I would resort to only if the dog is in great agony. Might be a very bad experience for your granddaughter too.

[Sunray]

Option 3 means the dog will be in pain for months. I think there's the 4th option of amputation. Don't imagine that'd be cheap either though.
Part of having a pet with kids is them learning about the cycle of life. Still isn't easy.
$50 to put the thing down is cheap. Costs $150 plus here. Local vet wanted nearly $300Cdn to put my old cat down. Humane Society wanted the $150. And that's not recently.

[S.A. Boggs]

Will the operation benefit the dog to be ambulatory, is the cost affordable? 20 years ago spent $900.00 on something similar "Lady" still passed.
Sam

[RED]

Thanks for the advice. I put $230/month into her college fund (she is 11) and the money will just have to come from that source. Her daddy is a engineer on the UP Railroad and he is already up to his ass supporting a mother-in-law that has medical issues and doesn't qualify for SS or Medicare. But I can't let the little booger be put down although that's probably the most logical thing to do.

[Merc]

Red,

Do what’s needed to be done to save the dog from a life of pain. They get along quite well on three legs. Your granddaughter will thank you for the rest of your life and beyond.

Merc

[Sako]

Tough spot to be in but I can tell you kids get over a pet loss pretty quickly and I always felt like it is training for a child to learn to accept loss. It is a valuable lesson to deal with loss of more important things later in life.

[M1Tommy]

I will preface this, with that I am admittedly a curmudgeonly type, from "a farm in the sticks", and will likely be called a heartless arse but,

I cannot see spending $3,000 on a hurt dog. Loss is part of life, and , well it's a dog not a person. I'm most inclined to advise asking about amputation or putting doggie down.
I love my critters, cannot pass a dog without petting one, but... still, they are critters not people.
very best wishes, and your granddaughter will love you no matter what you decide I am sure.
Tommy

[togor]

Red hates my guts and I'm not too fond of his, but notwithstanding, as a fellow dog lover he has my sympathies in this tough situation, and I believe he will make a good call, however it goes and however difficult it may be.

[Merc]

The dog will get along fine on three legs if amputation is performed.

[M1Tommy]

Doggie sit-rep?
Curious minds, and all that.....

Tommy