Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
Tripawds is your home to learn how to care for a three legged dog or cat, with answers about dog leg amputation, and cat amputation recovery from many years of member experiences.
Join The Tripawds Community
Learn how to help three legged dogs and cats in the forums below. Browse and search as a guest or register for free and get full member benefits:
Instant post approval.
Private messages to members.
Subscribe to favorite topics.
Live Chat and much more!
Register
Log In
Members
Add Topic
Offline
LOL Good Girl Myrtle. I can't wait to see bath pictures and how wet you end up Sally LOL. Make sure to let us know 
hugs
Michelle & Angel Sassy
Sassy is a proud member of the Winter Warriors. Live long, & strong Winter Warriors.
sassysugarbear.tripawds.com
07/26/2006 - Sassy earned her wings 08/20/2013
05/04/2006 - Bosch, Sassy's pal, earned his wings 03/29/19 fought cancer for 4 months.
"You aren't doing it TO her, you are doing it FOR her. Give her a chance at life."
Online
OH Michelle....you'll love this pic since you know some of the "back story" about this breeder
OKAY...and then the seond picture as I was getting ready to hose off stinky puppy pants Myrtle....LOOK!
image missing
JERRY.....I need to order eight million more "PROTECT THIS DOG" pendants!!!!! Check is in the mail!
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
Okay a small screw up.......n ow.......here's a whole new meaning to STINK EYE!! Actually, this has nothing to do with the smelly rolling pawty she was having...so.ething stung he as I was getting ready to hose her!
Dr. PAM...apologies for hijacking your site!
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
Oh Myrtle ... you're not having a very good day at all! 
I know about rolling in stinky sh!t. Shelby was the queen of that ...she would go low to the ground, kind of ease herself down and smoosh, smoosh, smoosh... goose cr@p was her favorite! Disgusting, vile beast ... thankfully Jasper does seem to be a bit more of a lady and has no interest in grass... sitting or walking on it!
Feel better sweet girl!
Shelby Lynne; Jack Russell/Shiba Inu mix. Proud member of the April Angels of 2014.
October 15, 2000 to April 8, 2014
Our story: Broke rear leg in June 2013 - non-conclusive results for cancer so leg was plated and pinned. Enlarged spleen in September 2013 and had it removed and was diagnosed with Hemangiosarcoma and started chemotherapy. Became a Tripawd January 8th, 2014 and definitive Hemangiosarcoma diagnosis. Three major surgeries in 7 months and Shelby took them all like a champ only to lose her battle to cancer in her brain. We had 8 amazing extra months together and no regrets. #shelbystrong #loveofmylife
Oh Sally....eat chocolate....scuba dive (with or without sharks)....hose off stinky puppies.....but try not to put any energy into worrying about the "maybes".
Merry Myrtle is a beautiful, rambunctious and fun-loving pup and that is all that matters for now
I agree with everyone else - we are all very sensitive to the "what ifs"....but as you have so beautifully demonstrated with the beautiful Miss Happy Hannah.......it is important to live in the now!!
I love the name that Christine created for you....and typos...perfect...we all look forward to them.
Many hugs and much love,
Linda and Tucker
This is a valgus deformity meaning that the carpus (wrist) is turned out. A varus deformity means turned in.
The most common cause in a giant breed is too rapid growth or an injury to the joint that has affected the growth plate.
I agree that splints don't work and most correct themselves. If the angle gets worse your vet can take an xray to examine both bones in the forearm. Usually the radius is growing too fast and the ulna has a growth plate that has been damaged or is otherwise growing too slow so the arm starts to curl around. If that occurs a specialist can perform a surgery called an ulnar osteotomy (some say ostectomy) where the distal piece of the ulna is removed so that the radius can grow straight. This sounds scary but actually is not that hard for a specialist to do (takes less time than some amputations).
I would review her nutrition as not all large breed puppy foods are the same. I think that Orijen is a good brand but I have not run the numbers on it myself. When Julian was a pup I researched a ton of foods. The protein content is not that important but you always want the ratio of grams of calcium to total kcal of diet to be between 2.5 and 4.5. Any higher and your dog may be getting too much calcium. Never supplement extra calcium and do not allow the pup to get overweight.
It can be hard to find this nutritional info. I had to go on many websites and some companies did not have that info available so I declined to feed that food. The best foods I found are Precise Large Breed puppy, Innova Large Breed puppy, and Calfornia Natural chicken and rice. Often lamb diets are on the high end of the spectrum and some fish diets are too low. As I said I did not check out all foods but I have seen many large breed pups with this problem and I usually switch them to the Precise or Innova and make sure they are not fat. I am not a fan of feeding raw to large or giant breed pups because it is just too hard to balance properly. Once the dog is an adult or has at least passed the rapid growth stage then I have no issues with the raw diet. One of the foods I looked into was Instinct (a raw kibble) but they could not provide me with the proper calcium info so I did not try it. Keep in mind that this was 4 years ago so companies may be more forthcoming.
Also I doubt that this would predispose your dog to OSA.
Pam
Thank you Dr Pam for this wealth of information, I truly love learning all of the professional knowledge that you provide for all of us here. I am sure this will definitely help Sally, as well as putting her mind at ease a bit.
Bonnie & Angel Polly
WHEEEEEEEEW!!! Huge sigh of relief going on over here!!!
And Dr. Pam, I don't know how we ever got so lucky to have you stay on here and continue to help us out, but we are all so grateful!!! Of course, I know Tazzie had her huge paw in this!
And Julian??? Okay Jerry, can you give us a link to Julian? I've got a feeling we have another huge Mastiff somewhere in the mix!
THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH FOR THIS INVALUABLE INFORMATION! ABSOLUTELY INVALUABLE, INFORMATIVE AND, MY FAVORITE PART...EASY TO UNDERSTAND!!! And good feedback on the Raw aspect.
Well, my MOST FAVORITE PART....your last sentence!!!!!!
Okay, I've got a lot of research to do...I keep interrupting this post to try and go figure out what the Orijen labels are saying!!!! Then I might check out Dog Advisor or Whole Dog Journal...they may have info. At least, thanks to y o u Dr. PAM, I can make the switch to INNOVA or CALIFORNIA or PRECISE and feel comfortable!
THANK YOU AGAIN PAM!!! Soooooo grateful...so very grateful!
Sally and Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle too!
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
Just caught the post - Remeber Sally, live for the moment and don't worry about what may come. I know that's easier said than done, but just looking at Myrtle's face (even swollen) will make you forget all about it.
Breathe!!
Luanne and Spirit Shooter
Spirit Shooter was a Miniature Australian Shepherd who was diagnosed with a MCT and had a LF amp 1/28/13 at 13-1/2 years old.
Shooter crossed the Bridge on 8/28/13, his 7 month ampuversary and two weeks from his 14th birthday.
Can I just say one thing?
Dr. Wiltzius ROCKS!
Sally, you didn't know about Julian? Herrrrreeeeeee he is!
Here he is as a puppy. Pam, we need some new pix!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these pics !!!!! Oh how impossibly adorable of the two handsome guys together !!! 
OMD!!!! I'M IN LOVE!!!!!!! Myrtle needs a playmate!
Julian's head is as big as Wyatt's whole body!!!
I keep scrolling back up!! Can't take my eyes off those pictures! Sooo cute! Cannot even imagine the drool and slobber those jowls can put out!!! We've got to see more pictures!!
I bet Julian could "regulate" Wyatt, no problem!
LUANNE...yes, just looking at Merry Myrtle's mug keeps me In the present!
SHELBY sliding on her tummy into goose poop,!!! Love the visual!
LINDA...think I'll try feeding the sharks chocolate next time...I think it's good for their bones!
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
Oh, Sally...hope you felt our hugs through the interwebs as soon as we started reading this post. *Ditto* what everyone else said about breathing and chiocolate and not giving the c word any power (even though we all know it's hard not to go there). And yaaaay -- so happy to see Rene's reply and pic of Wyatt and Dr. Pam's response!
But here's the -BIG- question... Lexie wants to know what's up with Merry Myrtle waiting so long to roll in the good stuff?! Has Happy Hannah been having so much fun playing with her RB friends that she forgot to tell her little sis about the magic of deer poop for almost 3 months?
Anyway, I told Lexie that MM will have plenty of days ahead to roll in the good stuff and that you can't just do everything during month 1'of being Sally's Sidekick and the luckiest big puppy in the world. I think she gets it...maybe.
Xo,
Deb and Lexie
Deb and Angel Lexie* Diagnosed at age 13. Tried radiation first; wish we had amputated upon diagnosis (even with lung mets). Joined Club Tripawd April 2014 & Lexie loved life on 3 legs! Advice: Start physical therapy as soon as your vet clears it, especially hydrotherapy if available :-) See Lexie pics here.
OH Merry Myrtle you just get yourself into so much mischief. Your poor eye but it makes for a cute picture. Leland had gotten stung by bees before when he was a pup...his eye swelled up like your as did his nose. He looked like he'd gone a few rounds in a boxing ring...lol.
Hopefully, your hose down went ok...stinky, slimy things are a no,no to roll in.
Our first dog Lucky was NOTORIOUS for rolling in goose poop (UGH...gross) but thankfully Leland wasn't interested (THANK GOD). I'll have to wait and see which side Lucian is going to fall on...(please don't like stinky gross stuff)...lol.
The info from Dr. Pam was very interesting. I had been told by Leland's breeder to not put him on a high protein food because that would accelerate his bone growth which isn't good for large breed dogs. So I was always careful to get Lg Breed food with a lower protein count. I never thought to check the calcium content. I fed Leland and now Lucian, Blue Buffalo. Leland was on the Basics for food sensitivities because he had awful diarrhea as a pup and throughout his life. I have Lucian on the Lg Breed Puppy Freedom formula which is grain free
and gluten free (trying to avert any future gastrointestinal issues). The crude protein is 26%min and the calcium is 1.1%min. I don't know if this is good or bad and math is not my strong suit in trying to figure out the ratio of grams of calcium to kcal...
.
Sahana and her Angel Leland
November 17, 2009 - June 30, 2014
May you finally be healthy and running free at the Rainbow Bridge. Until we meet again my sweet boy!
Oh Sally, I am laughing so hard over here at the picture so MM and the Breeder! Too funny! So Hannah is whispering to Lucy today! I was hanging out clothes and she spied deer. Off she went. She usually does not go far, she is too fat to distance run. I called and she would not come. She LOVES to ride on the Gator so I hopped on and as soon as she heard the key click, she came running. I brought her in for a treat and whoo eeeee! The stink! Not sure of the poop source , but that immediately she went into the washroom sink. I am glad your heart is getting some relief from the scare. MM is so cute even with a swollen eye. My Aussie mix got into bees once and his jowls looked like a Bull Mastiff. A trip to vet for a shot that time. Enjoy the freshness of a newly washed pup for a day or two. Love from Lori and. Ty
TY GUY, Best Black Lab ever! Diagnosed and had amp in January, 2014. Kicked MRSA's butt. Earned his angel wings on April 16, 2014. Run Free my boy and don't forget a shoe. Ty is a proud member of the " April Angels". Ty sent us Daryl, a Tripawd rescue in Sept. of 2016. Daryl is 5 +or -. We are also Pawrents to Chandler, a Border Collie mix who is 15 and 1/2, Lucy, a Corgi who is 7, 2 minis, 2 horses, and a feisty cat named Zoe. Zoe had a non skeletal Osteosarcoma removed in July 2015. No Chemo, she was at least 16. She is going strong although she is now completely blind. She is now close to 20 and her hobbies are eating and sleeping in front of her personal heater.
1 Guest(s)
