Dorsal Approach to Digit 5

This chapter describes the positioning of patient and the procedure for performing digit amputations by dorsal approach to digit in dogs. The distal areas of the limb, including all the digits, are clipped and prepped. The dog is placed in lateral recumbency with the affected leg uppermost and prepped using a hanging limb set-up. The subcutaneous tissues are dissected away bluntly and the metacarpo- or metatarsophalangeal joint is identified. The muscles are transected at their origins and the joint is disarticulated. The deeper tissues are approximated first. The chapter also presents an alternate positioning and approaches for performing digit amputations in the dog.