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.
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Hey all, we are adopting a 4 month old lab, rear tripawd. We'll be getting "Lego" next week and are trying to learn as much as we can before he comes home. He was picked up by Animal Control and taken to the shelter and found he had a broken hind leg. The shelter vet said the leg could not be saved and they would have to amputate it. He is 3 weeks post-op and is playing with the other foster pups. When he gets tired he does this cute little army crawl so he can stay in the action.
What are some things we need to consider as he get's older? Is his remaining hip, back or shoulders more susceptible to injury? He is just a little lover and he get's along great with our kids and our 4 y/o labradoodle.
We just want him to be healthy and happy!
Hi Lego and family, welcome! Your future posts won't need approval, thanks for your patience.
And Thank you for giving this sweetheart a forever home. It's smart of you to do your research because as much as Tripawds can do everything that four leggers can do, it doesn't always mean they should be allowed to. One of the biggest recommendations we have is to monitor your dog's activity and not let him overdo things to the point of complete exhaustion.
For example, any time a dog goes on a walk and sits down, whether four legger or three, if the dog won't go further that means the dog has gone to far. We learned a lot of great suggestions like this by talking to rehabilitation veterinarians and we compiled them into a book about living strong and healthy on three legs, called Loving Life on Three Legs. We hope you'll check it out, you'll find tons of ideas for helping him be the strongest he can be for a long, long life.
Other tips we have include:
- staying lean, in a slightly-below average weight, is ideal for a Tripawd to help prevent joint stress
- exercising core muscles is better than going on long walks to help build strength
- Tripawd proofing your house with traction (throw rugs) is going to preserve his joints
- feeding as healthy as you can afford will go a long way
I know you'll find lots of great advice from other folks here so stay tuned. We have our Tripawd Spokesdog Wyatt Ray who also started out as a three-legged puppy, and he's now almost five and doing great so if you follow these tips and then some, Lego will grow up strong and healthy! We can't wait to follow along with your adventures.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Welcome! And congrats on such a cute addition to the family!
Unfortunately, my story of owning a tripawd was due to that nasty "C" word... Cancer., So, I am not well versed in dealing with amputations for young pups or dogs.. but this site, and people on it can offer you advice and tips that will help you immensely!!
Throw rugs are a must.. you don't want them to slip and fall..
another thing I found helpful was raising their water and food bowls so that they didn't strain their backs or necks while eating or drinking
the exercises that are listed are a great thing to do to help strengthen up the remaining three legs.
I look forwad to following Lego's journey!!
Christine..... with Franklin in her heart♥
Franklin, he was the Happiest Dog on Three Legs! Diagnosed 09/26/2012 with Osteosarcoma, amputated 12/4/2012. Had a wonderful 5 1/2 months painfree until he ran for the Bridge on 5/15/2013. Always in my heart, and always a guardian angel of my pack... You can follow his Tripawd Adventures, before and after, in my blog, Frank'n'Farter!
Hi!
We have a 6 months old tripawd that we got at 12 weeks. We also have 2 other dogs (no kids). I have some pictures posted somewhere on the site of Chance. Our dogs already feed from elevated feeders so we bought one of the ones specifically for puppies, where you can frequently change the height as the puppy grows (we found a good one at Petsmart, if you didn't know, they will price match everything in the store to online pricing if the online price is better, just print it out and take it to the store). We have all hardwood/marble tile floors, so we have added some non-skid carpets in areas where they tend to run (and Chance can skid) like to and from the door to go into the back yard. We fully intend on getting a Tripawd harness (for a front leg amputee) once he is closer to his full grown size. In the mean time, we have been slowly upgrading the size of his harnesses (buying whatever is on sale at the local pet stores and strategically "fixing" them using carabiners and the leash). We already have a couple orthopedic beds (our one GSD has bad hips) if you don't have any, Overstock is a good place to order from - when they have them, they have good prices.
Let me know if you ahve other questions, happy to share anything we have learned.
Lego is SO cute! Welcome, Tripawd Lego!
I've got no more advice than what Jerry said AND directing you to the Three Legs and Spare book. TONS of resources in there. Enjoy! I'm excited for you!!!
~ Katy & Jackson
ACL tear in right hind leg 12/5/12 and scheduled ACL repair surgery 12/21/12. Pre-op xrays revealed osteosarcoma. Amputation 12/28/12. Chemo (carboplatin) started Jan 10, 2013 and ended on April 5, for a total of 5 doses. He handled carbo like a champ! No side effects. We started metronomic therapy at his third chemo and have been also doing some holistic treatments. He's a lively, playful 10 year old huskie-boarder collie and a very proud member of the Winter Warriors! Our love. Our funny little guy!
Congrats, Lego looks precious. Sounds like so far your on a good road of info. Keep us posted. He's a lucky little fellow and your a good Mom.
Esther and Snoop
Hi,
Lego is very cute- I love the name! It sounds like his story is somewhat similar to my adopted tripod, Otto. I have a rear amp pup that was found as a stray with a bad break. I adopted him about 4 months after his surgery (he was ~11 months when I got him). When I first got Otto, he could walk and even run, but he accidentally knocked himself over pretty often, refused to use stairs, and wouldn't jump at all. I had to lift him into the car, onto the couch, etc.
Within a few months he had adapted incredibly well and a little over a year later, there is nothing that a four-legged dog could do that Otto can't. His remaining back leg has gotten very strong. He's a furball so you can't tell, but he has gotten lean and muscular, which helps his mobility tremendously.
I think each dog is going to have a slightly different experience with amputation, but it does seem like the advantage to having a dog who lost their leg early in life is that they are going to adapt more easily. It's almost like learning a new language- I think it is easier to adjust from four to three legs as a young dog. The flip side of this is more years of their life with the added strain on the joint.
For three-legged dog owners, it is a delicate balance between doing all you can to protect your tripod from injury and unnecessary wear and tear, and still letting them be a dog. My dog just happens to be a very active, happy, playful kind of dog by his nature. He loves to go hiking or go to the dog park, wrestle with his friend Riley or go swimming, and while I know that he does tire out faster than he would with four legs, it still takes quite a bit.
Best of luck with Lego!
ottobonsociety said
For three-legged dog owners, it is a delicate balance between doing all you can to protect your tripod from injury and unnecessary wear and tear, and still letting them be a dog.
Well said!
Welcome to Tripawds, we are so glad you joined us. I hope you'll share more about Otto in his own topic, he seems like such a sweetie. Thank you for giving him a great home, and for jumping in here to help others with their own Tripawd journey.
Oh, your future posts won't require approval.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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