- Sam before surgery
Today Sam had his front left leg amputated. Two years ago Sam (severely) broke all of his metatarsal bones in his left foot; he had to have plates implanted to repair them. By the time those bones started to heal properly the ligament in his joint (what would be our wrist) had blown so badly there was no way to repair it. The plates were taken off of his metatarsal bones and 2 new plates were then placed over the joint area to fuse the joint together. To make a very long story short, that surgical sight contracted the MRSA staph infection. We fought the infection aggressively and for a year and a half we thought we had won. Until last week, Sam’s skin broke for no apparent reason. My initial thought was one of the screws was trying to come out, which I knew was going to be bad news. MRSA can go dormant and if undisturbed, can sometimes be fine. Turns out it was not a screw trying to pop out, it was just the MRSA causing the problem. Our best option was to amputate the leg and hopefully be rid of this 2 year old injury and its nasty staph infection once and for all. Sam has the best doctor we could ask for and I know she would only lead us in the right direction. She had the privilege of caring for him 4 years ago when he got hit by a pick-up truck. Needless to say, “Sam I Am” (named that by his doctor, it use to just be Sam) is a little accident prone…
Deciding to amputate was one of the hardest decisions I think I’ve ever made; but after visiting the tripawds web-site today, I admit I feel better about it! I’m not sure what all to expect in the coming days, weeks and months, but after 2 major injuries in the last 4 years, I think we can handle whatever comes our way. Or, at least I hope we can….
I know you can handle it, and you’ll find lots of support and advice hear and in the discussion forums.
But if you ask me, Sam has won the battle! It’s just too bad it took a nuclear bomb like amputation to declare vistory. Best wishes for a complete, speedy recovery. Thanks for joining the community!
I think I might go so far as to say that Sam I Am won his battle against MRSA. By making the decision to remove the let Sam will never have to worry about this nasty infection again. Check out the forums. There are several sites that will explain more about what to expect. I would imagine that Sam has probably been living on three legs for awhile so hopefully his recovery will be easier for him.
Good luck with your boy.
Debra & Angel Emily
I hope we never have to mumble “MRSA” again! But, since he has had it he will always be high risk for getting it again… As far as him adapting to 3 legs, I think that will be fairly easy since over the last 4 years he has been a 3-legged dog on and off due to his injuries. I’ve been reading through different blogs; what an amazing resource this web-site provides!
Sam’s Mom,
Your baby is beautiful!!! I’m so glad to hear that he had his nasty infected leg finally removed. I hope that he heals quickly without any complications, and gets to live a long and happy pain-free life!!!
Glad that you found us here!! Post some more pictures of Sam… he is just too cute!!
Angel Jake’s Mom
Sam looks like an awesome dog!!
It is too bad you needed to find this site, but you will find information and real support provided by all the folks who post here, this is a great community.
Good luck in the near term, sometimes the first couple of weeks can be bumpy, most of us have experienced some ups and downs during the healing process. Since Sam has been through so much he will probably handle everything just fine.
Karen and the pug girls
Sounds like you have been through a lot! You will be able to handle amputation no problem. Sam will amaze you at how fast he will adapt to the situation and it sounds like he already uses mainly three legs to get around. He won’t be in pain anymore!
Good luck and stay strong! You have made a hard decision, but you will soon learn it was a good decision!! Keep us posted. We love to see pictures! Sam is adorable!
Good luck Sam, you can do it! I hope you’re hopping around and doing great in no time.
So, tell us, what kinda dog are you? Pretty cool lookin’ if you ask me!