The Tough Decision

Samson came into this world as, in my opinion, the nicest puppy out of our litter.  He was midsized and a dark caramel color.  By the next day his left rear leg had swelled up and it was clear something was wrong.  My mother took him to Canton Center Animal Hospital to visit Dr. David Tinker and began a 10 day laser treatment along with a cocktail of antibiotics.  Dr. Tinker was not able to determine why there was an infection.  It is possible that the cord wrapped around his leg while in the womb (which was cut off his foot at birth) may have been the cause but we will never know.  We knew that it was  a grave situation and that he may not make it.  Within a few weeks his little foot just withered and crumbled off.  The infection healed and he acted just like every other puppy in the litter, except he ran a little slower.  Oddly enough, he is the Alpha  of the litter.

My mother and I took him to Michigan State University to have him evaluated on what our next step should be.  The wonderful doctors there believed that he would be a good candidate for a prosthetic after a corrective surgery.  I did my research and just to be sure, I had my Vet ask for a second opinion.  The second opinion was that amputation would be the best option in the long run.  I have weighed the pros and cons.  I have had to look realistically at our financial resources as well as time constraints.  I looked closely at what toll the surgeries as well as different prosthetic would mean for him, knowing that the end result might still be amputation.  My Vet told me dogs were born with an extra leg.  They only need three and his quality of life would not be affected by the loss of one rear limb.

Today I finally came to a decision about what our next step for Samson should be.  We have explored all of the options and I am left with the belief that amputation is the best choice for him.  Samson needs to be done with this.  He needs to be able to run and romp and not be held back by the 3/4 of the leg left on his left side.  He is 6 months old now.  I have scheduled the surgery for April 6 and although I am deeply saddened by the choice, I feel that it is the right choice.

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