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Four Legs Are Overrated

Cello's Corner

“It’s important that we share our experiences with other people. Your story will heal you and your story will heal somebody else. When you tell your story, you free yourself and give other people permission to acknowledge their own story.” ~ Iyanla Vanzant

It is my sincere hope that sharing my experience – the things that comforted and prepared both Whiskey and me – will help other PAWrents by providing empathy, advice and reassurance while they embark on the same or a similar journey. Please note: This post is not meant to provide information in place of seeking the advice of a professional. Sharing this post not only gives me the opportunity to process the information, it also assists me in healing from the trauma and stress. Most importantly, I hope that in sharing Whiskey’s story, it will encourage others to reach out for support and help fellow pawrents realize they are not alone when going through something like this with one of their four-legged children.

The Backstory

At approximately 4 month of age, Whiskey (then known as Wish…aka “Wish the Fish”) was saved by Pointer Rescue Organization from a kill shelter in TN. When she arrived to us in NJ from transport in May of 2018, I noticed she had a deformed right shoulder, a front-end limp and all of her lymph nodes were swollen.

Video of Whiskey’s gait the week she arrived to us in 2018 (Margarita {“Sweet Reet”} in the background!):

Video of Whiskey’s gait the week she arrived to us in 2018 (with Lager photo-bombing!):

After numerous tests, no significant findings were discovered in regards to her lymph nodes but radiographs showed she had previously suffered a broken right shoulder as well as a fractured right growth plate.

An orthopedic evaluation provided us with the alternatives of (1)fusing the shoulder, (2)amputation, or (3)leaving it alone to see how Whiskey adapted. We chose option number 3…to let Whiskey develop and observe how she adapted, with the understanding that an amputation was certain sometime in her future.

As she grew, Whiskey’s body developed and quite miraculously compensated despite the fact that her injuries caused an angular deformity of her right limb and an abnormal gait. Over the years, her vibrant personality didn’t allow her malformation, wonky gait, or compromised mobility to stop her from doing just about anything she wanted to do. She had a few incidents of lameness that resolved quickly with periods of rest and short cycles of pain medication….but over they years – and especially more recently – those episodes became more frequent, and Whiskey’s ability to recover dwindled – despite rest and maximum doses of pain management.

We had been told early-on that it was a “when” not an “if” as to further action needing to be taken… but as much as you mentally plan for that, it’s never easy to process. I’m grateful that Whiskey is otherwise healthy and had 7 years of 4-legged shenanigans.

As seen in this photo, Whiskey never put full weight on that right leg. The malformation in her right shoulder can also be seen here.

The Problem

Whiskey’s chronic malformation and osteoarthritis associated with her right shoulder has caused increased lameness and decreased range of motion. Despite efforts, her arthritis would get worse as would her comfort and range of motion. It was determined that an amputation would provide Whiskey with a greater quality of life in comparison to lifelong use of max doses of pain medications and other options like Librela. Right now Whiskey is also still young enough to handle the recovery and surgery as opposed to waiting until her senior years.

Radiographs were difficult to obtain, as even under sedation, her right shoulder could not be manipulated thoroughly.

Images below are from January 27, 2025

The Plan

A forequarter amputation (also known as scapulothoracic disarticulation) was scheduled- which means along with her right forelimb, the surgeon will also remove her right scapula (shoulder blade). This is the preferred method for the best functional outcome for our gal, especially when the injury/pain also lies in the scapula (as it does in Whiskey’s case). Muscles around the scapula can also atrophy if left in place, potentially leading to pressure sores. Removing the scapula also allows for better visualization and control of major blood vessels and nerves during the surgery.

The Power of Preparation

In nearly every aspect of our lives, the probability of our success depends heavily on the preparation we do. However, I don’t think there is enough prep in the world sufficient enough to get your mind and heart ready for seeing your fur-kid go from a quadruped to a tripod…but I did my best!

Preparing Myself

I’d like to say that 7 years was enough to prepare for the amputation that we were told would eventually happen…but instead…as the years went on, I planned and prepared less, and quite frankly, became overconfident that Whiskey would somehow be able to avoid the surgery.

I was told that first and foremost I should prepare myself and our home, as the amputation would be harder on the humans than it would be on Whiskey….and her physical and mental recovery would feed off of my energy. Beyond any other type of preparation, managing my fear and anxiety leading up to the pre-op appointment and surgery was by far the most difficult. Here are some things I did that helped me:

It’s moments like this that I realize just how BIG our community – our family – really is. I am beyond grateful for those who were kind enough to take time from their busy schedules to speak to me on the phone to share their personal experiences, send me tripod tips, recommend tripod gear, and to send me detailed exercises to help Whiskey before and during her recovery. Your empathy, reassurance and encouragement is truly what fueled my strength.

ALL of the post comments, in person conversations and on-the-phone-chats helped me immensely. ALL of the words of knowledge, advice and support have assisted me to stay strong and positive. Below are just some of my favorites:

Preparing Our Home

Recovery Kennel: “The Fish Fortress”

I figured if Whiskey had to loose a limb, she mind as well have a decorated recovery space waiting for her arrival home on Valentine’s Day.

Runners

These runners created a non-slippery path from Whiskey’s recovery kennel to the water bowl and to the doorway of the mud room where Whiskey would be exiting outside. I made a double-wide section of runners at the turn into the mud room since I figured turns would be more difficult that straight-line walking.

Preparing Whiskey

T-Minus Two Days Til Surgery

February 11, 2025

We met with Whiskey’s surgeon, Dr. Graham, for a pre-op evaluation for Whiskey on February 11, 2025. Despite how vigorously I tried to prepare myself, I had worked myself up into a panic and was so nervous that I had come up with just about every worst-case “what-if” scenario and every reason why maybe Whiskey shouldn’t have the amputation. During this appointment I asked many questions. Dr. Graham was extremely kind, knowledgeable, and patient as he answered all of my inquiries.

Here are some of the questions I asked:

In addition to thoroughly answering all of my questions and providing me with further knowledge about the amputation process, Dr. Graham eased my apprehension as my anxiety-ridden brain tried its best to absorb the facts about Whiskey’s current condition:

Since Whiskey has been choosing not to use her right forelimb, we are hoping she will have a quicker rate of adapting to being a tripod

The Big Day

February 13, 2025

I really need to try and be more like a dog! …I think Whiskey was the only one who slept soundly through the night (while hogging my pillow)… no worries in the world…and she was in no rush to get up early on the rainy morning that was February 13, 2025.

You can see in this photo of Brian wishing Whiskey well on the morning of her surgery that she is holding up that right forelimb

Surgery began at about 10:50am and at 1:28pm Dr. Graham called us to let us know that Whiskey was out of surgery and recovering from the anesthesia. Dr. Graham said that surgery went well with no surprises. He said it was good that we did go ahead with surgery considering that Whiskey had significant muscle atrophy – which means she hadn’t been using that leg much at all. He also said that even under heavy sedation there was little to no range of motion in Whiskey’s shoulder joint.

Whiskey was required to stay the night with 24 hour monitoring. She was continued on IV fluids and IV pain medication through the night.

Love is a Three-Legged Word

February 14, 2025

Last dose of IV pain medication was administered at 6am, and my furry Valentine was released to come home at 11am.

On the way home from surgery

Settling into her recovery kennel

Incision Photos

We were told that bruising, swelling, and weeping is normal at this stage.

First walk:


Second walk:

Recovery Plan:

Welcome Home

Thank you for the comments, private messages, phone calls and welcome-home gifts for Whiskey!

Cute little caterpillar from a VERY special rescue friend
Adorable caterpillar, tootsie roll, and whiskey bottle from great friends we met through dock diving

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