three legged dog

my dog, jessica, got hit by a car three weeks ago. she has been diagnosed with brachiel pariephal radial nerve damage which has made her paralized in her left front leg, according to drs , this nerve does not regenerate, therefore will be looking at amputation. i've had dogs my entire life (purebred) and jessie is my first mixed(1/2 lab, 1/2 german shepherd) and i want everyone to know that this dog is the smartest most intelligent dog i've ever owned... the dog reasons about everything, i really should have showed her if i could ,if i had she would of took 1st place everytime, i'm convinced. any how the dr's say this was a freak accident, the car wasn.t going fast at all and she had no lacerations, cuts or broken bones or abrasions, just this nerve damage and a very bad concussion. she's come back strong and i've been researching three legged dogs, they say they can lead a very normal life, but ii need some feedback from people who do know if they can, we were walking 3-5 miles a day before this happened and now she can't walk more than two houses before she lays down and seems to be tired. maybe i'm not being patient, but she's up and doing eveything else normal. we will be amputating sometime this summer, need to get the balance down before add on any more expense. my main concern is her psychological part of it, she seems depressed at times, but seems happy when i have her leg in a sling.this is something i have to live with for the rest of my life too, because i should have
had her restrained and elected not to. this dog did'nt deserve this to happen to her, she loved life so much. we need to have ya'lls support. if i knew how to put her picture on here i would, she beautiful. thanks guys!

Its a well known fact that 3 leggers lead great lives and are just as happy as 4 leggers! Give your baby some time ot adjust,,,,, its a big change and getting tired is natural .... but after time and such,, things should be wayyyyy better..... be upbeat around you baby,,, trust me,, they know when your upset and it can reflect in thier behaviour and outlook.....

There's a terrific message board at www.handicappedpets.com and lots of people in the same predicament as you and Jessica. Three legged animals don't mourn the loss of limbs as humans do, and adapt and do very well after amputation. Hopefully the vets won't have to resort to that. :( P.S Welcome to Pettalk! Jan (owned by, and servant to several three leggeds, and one two legged kitties). ;)

My dog Scooby had a stroke out of the blue. His ENTIRE Right side of his body went "dead". There was no feeling and his side was cold. He couldn't stand up. The vet had to keep him for a week. I went every day and took him out to the bathroom. He fell down in his own urine:( . I had to support him.
The doctor finally released him and told me that Scooby would always walk to the right in a circle. He never mentioned putting him down thank god. I couldn't do it. We never did discover the cause of the sudden paralysis.
Scooby did exactly what your dog is doing but worse. He had NO control on BOTH right legs. We couldn't walk but 100 yards and he would be exhausted. I would have to carry him home from the mailbox. I had to buy him some "Doggy Mittens". His front paw would scrape the road and rub his paw raw till it bleed.
Scooby couldn't even get out of the doggy window anymore and it was only a foot off the ground. He is a Beagle/Jack Russell mix so not very tall but fat.:rolleyes: I finally moved from that house and purchased another house that had a back yard. That way he could walk on grass all the time and not hurt himself.
However, I purchased a much bigger house with a deck on the back going to the backyard. There are about 4 stairs going up to the deck. I brought Scooby and Shaggy over after the purchase. 10 minutes after Scooby went out to the back yard he could NOT get up the stairs!:rolleyes: His strength was not there for him to get up the stairs properly. So I had to install 2 inch concrete pavers to the stairs for added height. That worked.
It was a tough few months of rehab. He has made remarkable comeback. Although after a year he is still paralized in the right front paw. I don't think that will ever come back.
My rehab included doggy massages. I rubbed his right side for several minutes at a time in circular motion. Covered the whole area. I massaged his pads individually. I knew if it bothered him if he started licking me. A sign it tickled or was sore. I'd stop but resume a little more each day.
I also walked him a little more eac h day. If he was exhausted I'd pick him up and stop. We are talking very little distance like 20 feet outside a few times a day. He also play with Shaggy alot who had started thinking he was alpha dog while Scooby was at the vets':rolleyes:
Scooby is now walking and playing normally except with a pronounced limp. He jumps up on me but his one paw droops. I try to make him put weight on it occassionally. He's doing great and I am glad I didn't decide to amputate. His front paw has no feeling but the rest has come back 90%. However, he has developed a quite nasty "gas" habit since he doesn't digest as well.
He's still "Alpha" dog and even beat up a German Shepard!:o My recommendation is to do some massage therapy, buy a booty to protect it's paw, and give some time. If nothing improves in atleast 2-3 months, I would then consider amputation. I honestly did but didn't give up. I am okay with his limp and everyday is a pleasure to still have him here with me. Good luck to you! I know you will make the right decision.
Ps. His nerve showed signs of not being damaged completely. He still has "trembling" in his leg which indicates his nerve isn't completely gone. This may be the difference between your dog's injury and mine.

My three legger, Jesse (a girl) has three legs and she is perfectly happy! You can't tell that she has three legs most of the time! I would dare say that after Jessie's leg is amputated, she will feel a lot better! Right now she is lugging around a useless leg! When she isn't dragging it, it is easier for her to walk! If you have any more questions, you can just pm me! Here is a pic of her standing:
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/....jpg.thumb.jpg

What breed is Jessie and how old is she?