TRIPAWDS: Home to 22974 Members and 2152 Blogs.
HOME » NEWS » BLOGS » FORUMS » CHAT » YOUR PRIVACY » RANDOM BLOG

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.

JUMP TO FORUMS

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!

Please consider registering
Guest
Search
Forum Scope


Match



Forum Options



Minimum search word length is 3 characters - maximum search word length is 84 characters
Register Lost password?
sp_Feed sp_PrintTopic sp_TopicIcon-c
Need advice on new puppy
sp_NewTopic Add Topic

Member Since:
31 March 2016
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
1
9 April 2016 - 5:04 pm
sp_Permalink sp_Print sp_QuotePost

I am new to this site, but I am looking for some advice.  My husband and I just adopted a Newfoundland puppy.  Hope was born without a bone in her right front leg so she is not a true amputee but has no use of her right front leg.  We expected some challenges when we adopted her, but I was unprepared for her troubles.  She is not putting much weight on her good front leg and is having a lot of trouble getting any traction on the front when she does try to use it.  I know puppies can be clumsy anyway, but she will only move a few feet and then just lay down.  I know it takes more energy for her to do everything, but I feel like she should be able to move more than she does.  I have looked at pictures and videos of tripod dogs and they all seem to be up and running without much issue.  What can I do to help her?  We will be taking her to our vet soon, but in the meantime, I would love to help her become more mobile.  Thanks!

On The Road


Member Since:
24 September 2009
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
2
9 April 2016 - 6:33 pm
sp_Permalink sp_Print sp_QuotePost

Hi Hope and family, welcome. Your future posts won't require moderation to post away.

That is SO cool you adopted Hope knowing she was a Tripawd (and she definitely is, we have many members join us here with similar birth defects).

Now, I'm not a vet so take this for what it's worth. Based on what we've seen here with dogs like Leo, her challenges sound normal for a Tripawd puppy. Very young dogs often have challenges on three because they haven't developed motor skills that adult dogs already have when they lose a leg. That's why the videos you see of dogs getting around pretty good after surgery ... they have the advantage of already developed motor skills. As an aside, please don't compare her with any other Tripawds you see here.. all situations, health status, physical needs, etc., are different so it will only get you down if you try to compare her with a really fit dog who lost a leg, know what I mean?

Young dogs do need time to adapt, and they do much better if they have a parent taking them to dedicated rehab therapy. Check out Spree's story as an example.The best way you can ensure she has a long happy life on three legs is to consult with a certified rehab therapist. We have LOTS of info about rehab throughout our community and the Tripawds Foundation will even pay for the first consult to a certified rehab vet. See: http://tripawds.....-tripawds/

Because rehab therapy is such a new veterinary field, many general practitioner vets aren't aware of its benefits so if your vet seems to be out of the loop, I would still get Hope to a rehab vet etc. She's growing fast I'm sure and the quicker you can get her strong on 3 legs the healthier and stronger she'll be as an adult.

Thanks again for joining. Stay tuned, more from this great community will chime in.

Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet

Livermore, CA




Member Since:
18 October 2009
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
3
9 April 2016 - 7:45 pm
sp_Permalink sp_Print sp_QuotePost

Hi and welcome,

Conrats on your new pack member!  I have a soft spot for Newfies- I had a newfie mix when I was younger and he was the smartest, most loyal dog I've ever met.

How old is Hope?  What was her activity level like before you adopted her (if you know)?.  Does her bad leg swing or otherwise hinder her attempts at hopping?

When you say she can't get traction - what are your floors like?  If you have any slippery floors you will need to put down throw rugs or yoga mats.  You can also try trimming the fur short between her toes and pads.  One other idea is a bootie on the front foot, but that might make things worse for a clumsy puppy.

I recently adopted a small rear amp puppy, a pug mix I named Elly.  She was hit by a car when she was 7 months old and lost her right rear leg because the femur was shattered.  I adopted her when she was 10 month old, she is now almost 16 months old.  She wasn't too strong when I got her but she seemed to be past the worst of the clumsiness.  She sat down a lot when I first got her but now she is much stronger and more agile that when she joined my little pack.

Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls

Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.

1999 to 2010

 

              Maggie's Story                  Amputation and Chemo

Member Since:
22 January 2013
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
4
9 April 2016 - 10:07 pm
sp_Permalink sp_Print sp_QuotePost

Hi,

Thank you for adopting your special puppy. You've already gotten some good replies by some really special, smart people. I am going to ask you a few questions and then tell you about my pup.

Questions-
I know you plan to take her to the vet. Do you have records/info from previous vet visits?
Do her back legs have similar "traction " issues as her front leg?
Does she seem to try to use her deformed front leg?
Could she be in pain or frightened?
If you ignore the deformed front leg issue, does there seem to be anything else odd about your pup?

About Cora, my special dog. I adopted Cora when she was just a couple months old. She had just had her right front leg amputated because it was deformed. They felt the leg was hindering her ability to walk. She still had staples in when I got her. She was also blind. That's all I knew but it turns out the blindness was a result of significant brain damage. The brain damage causes her weakness on her left side. For her, it's the back leg that often seems to lose traction and it's because of the weakness. The brain damage caused her other issues too. Also, when they amputated, they left a stump which is a bad idea on a front leg amputee (unless you are trying for a prosthetic). What is a bad idea for a normal front leg amputee was a nightmare for Cora. And after falling and banging that stump around, we ended up getting it amputated. It turns out the stump had been a source of pain the whole time.

As well as the second amputation, I worked with veterinary specialists- behavioral, neurologist and rehab. Cora was considered a lost cause at first but she proved everyone wrong. She needed the help and the time to figure things out. Your pup will probably not need as much help as Cora, but the same basic principal is there. I will try to find a video of Cora really early on and a recent one and post it.

Before Cora, I had a newfie mix who had very severe epilepsy that cause brain damage. He also had coordination issues. What these special dogs have taught me is to forget about "shoulds". It does no good to compare to other dogs (tripawds or not) or humans. Your newfie is going to figure it out, in her own unique way. If you compare her to other dogs, even tripawds, it will make you a little crazy. Also, our dogs are usually way more resilient than us humans. Let your dog be your guide. Both my epi dog and Cora fall. By most people's standards they fall a lot. Once I stopped freaking out and worrying about the falls and slips and stumbles, I realized how much they enjoy life. I'd be fretting over some fall and thinking deep serious thoughts about quality of life and totally miss the fact that my pup had bounced up and was playing, or was laying there happily smelling the wind. 

Another thing to keep in mind is that newfies are even more clumsy than the stereotypical puppy. They've got all this growing to do and they tend to be oafs for a long time. 

<on a tangent, my new computer hates me and this is attempt number 3 to reply. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR>

I may not post the videos tonight as I've had such a fight with the idiot computer but I will come back. Feel free to PM me too if you want.


Member Since:
31 March 2016
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
5
10 April 2016 - 6:03 am
sp_Permalink sp_Print sp_QuotePost

blackdogcompanion said
Hi,

Thank you for adopting your special puppy. You've already gotten some good replies by some really special, smart people. I am going to ask you a few questions and then tell you about my pup.

Questions-
I know you plan to take her to the vet. Do you have records/info from previous vet visits?
Do her back legs have similar "traction " issues as her front leg?
Does she seem to try to use her deformed front leg?
Could she be in pain or frightened?
If you ignore the deformed front leg issue, does there seem to be anything else odd about your pup?

About Cora, my special dog. I adopted Cora when she was just a couple months old. She had just had her right front leg amputated because it was deformed. They felt the leg was hindering her ability to walk. She still had staples in when I got her. She was also blind. That's all I knew but it turns out the blindness was a result of significant brain damage. The brain damage causes her weakness on her left side. For her, it's the back leg that often seems to lose traction and it's because of the weakness. The brain damage caused her other issues too. Also, when they amputated, they left a stump which is a bad idea on a front leg amputee (unless you are trying for a prosthetic). What is a bad idea for a normal front leg amputee was a nightmare for Cora. And after falling and banging that stump around, we ended up getting it amputated. It turns out the stump had been a source of pain the whole time.

As well as the second amputation, I worked with veterinary specialists- behavioral, neurologist and rehab. Cora was considered a lost cause at first but she proved everyone wrong. She needed the help and the time to figure things out. Your pup will probably not need as much help as Cora, but the same basic principal is there. I will try to find a video of Cora really early on and a recent one and post it.

Before Cora, I had a newfie mix who had very severe epilepsy that cause brain damage. He also had coordination issues. What these special dogs have taught me is to forget about "shoulds". It does no good to compare to other dogs (tripawds or not) or humans. Your newfie is going to figure it out, in her own unique way. If you compare her to other dogs, even tripawds, it will make you a little crazy. Also, our dogs are usually way more resilient than us humans. Let your dog be your guide. Both my epi dog and Cora fall. By most people's standards they fall a lot. Once I stopped freaking out and worrying about the falls and slips and stumbles, I realized how much they enjoy life. I'd be fretting over some fall and thinking deep serious thoughts about quality of life and totally miss the fact that my pup had bounced up and was playing, or was laying there happily smelling the wind. 

Another thing to keep in mind is that newfies are even more clumsy than the stereotypical puppy. They've got all this growing to do and they tend to be oafs for a long time. 

I may not post the videos tonight as I've had such a fight with the idiot computer but I will come back. Feel free to PM me too if you want.

Thank you so much for taking the time to give me some advice!  

We have info from birth on.  The breeder has been really open about everything with her.  She has seen a vet, ortho specialist, and chiropractor.  According to the docs, everything is perfect except her front leg. She does have some traction issues with her back legs too but she can get them going ok and then she hops forward.  Most of the time, she scoots the front part of her body around with her butt up in the air and propels herself forward with her back legs.  She does move the deformed front leg but it isn't usable. It is smaller than the others and she keeps it up against her side most of the time.  I don't know if she is in pain, she doesn't whine or yip or anything when she moves around.  The only other thing that I have noticed is that she turns her good front leg when trying to stand up and puts a lot of pressure on the side of her paw.  I am not sure if she just needs to build up strength in her good legs or what.  I really just want what is best for her.  She is such a sweet dog, but feisty, and I can't wait to watch her grow.  I am trying to relax and not worry about every fall and bump and let her figure things out.  Man is that hard!  I just want to protect her 😊

Member Since:
22 January 2013
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
6
10 April 2016 - 12:24 pm
sp_Permalink sp_Print sp_QuotePost

That's really good news. I definitely think rehab might be good for her. Cora's left front leg is weak and she does something similar to what I think you are describing. She tends to use her back legs as the powerhouse and pushes herself around. Sometimes she just plants her front leg in front of her. I couldn't find the early video I was looking for but I found one that shows the butt up front leg down activity.I can't seem to make the video work so you'll have to click on the link for this one. By the way, looking through those old videos was a lot of fun.

https://www.fac.....347665931/

And here's a more current video of Cora, at the old age of 4. A lot of her stumbles in this one are because she's blind, so another tripawd isn't going to have the same issue

And yes, it's hard to watch them fall. I have had to look away sometimes because I just couldn't watch. It's letting them struggle through, when they want to, that let's them learn and adapt and it is hard! You and her can do this though, and watching her grow and overcome is such a wonderful reward. 

Norene, TN
Member Since:
21 October 2014
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
7
13 April 2016 - 8:44 am
sp_Permalink sp_Print sp_QuotePost

Can't wait to see pictures of your new pup!!

Howdy and welcome! doG bless you for opening your heart and home to a puppy Tripawd.

pam

Harmony became a Tripawd on 10/21/14 (MCT). She left us way too soon on 11/1/14.

"We miss you so much; our love, our heart, our Harmony."

- Pam, Ron and Melody, Meesha, Doublestuff and Mariah Carey

Forum Timezone: America/Denver
Most Users Ever Online: 946
Currently Online:
Guest(s) 257
Currently Browsing this Page:
1 Guest(s)
Member Stats:
Guest Posters: 1268
Members: 17740
Moderators: 6
Admins: 3
Forum Stats:
Groups: 4
Forums: 24
Topics: 18610
Posts: 256811
Administrators: admin, jerry, Tripawds
Tripawds is brought to you by Tripawds.
HOME » NEWS » BLOGS » FORUMS » CHAT » YOUR PRIVACY » RANDOM BLOG