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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hi im new to all this so new that i havent even started yet .... lil tippy a chihuahua jack russel mix was born om may 11th she stilllives with her birth mom .ill be getting her by the end of june . she was born with her front right leg deformed its shorter then her other leg as well as kinda tucked up , i can straighten it out with no pain but it curls right back up . she crawls around now just like her other siblings but still kinda too young to walk . so my questions are now what do i get insurance on her can i even get it cuz she was born like this . should i leave it alone or have it amputated .im kinda thinking wait and see ..a vet did see her at a week old and said she will most likely walk on her elbow said i would have to use lambs wool to protect her skin but im worried about sores and infection. even though i dont have her yet i do love her already and want whats best for her . money is an issue as i do have other dogs on who has epilipsi but doing great . i said a prayer to god and asked if i was ment to have tippy to please make vet bills small . he thinks im the best person for her so i have faith all will work out lol . maybe your advice can help .thanks for reading my story ! 
Welcome to you and Lil Tippy (hee-hee). The perfect person for you to hear from is Cometdog, and I'm sure she'll chime in later. She had a dog w/ a deformed leg that sounds like what you describe for 12 years.
I would also be worried about sores if she uses the elbow, so would lean towards thinking amp is the best way to go, but maybe wait and see is a good approach - although I wouldn't wait tooooo long. A younger pup will recover more quickly from the surgery.
Not sure about the insurance - I supposed they wouldn't cover any future problems caused by the deformed leg since it's "pre-existing" or cover the cost to remove the leg either, but i'm not sure about that. We just got insurance for the first time recently, so I don't know that much about the ins and outs. Maybe someone else will have a better answer on that.
Well, I don't think I've been any help here... but wanted to say welcome and you are an angel for adopting this extra special little girl!
Jackie, Angel Abby's mom
Abby: Aug 1, 2009 – Jan 10, 2012. Our beautiful rescue pup lived LARGE with osteosarcoma for 15 months – half her way-too-short life. I think our "halflistic" approach (mixing traditional meds + supplements) helped her thrive. (PM me for details. I'm happy to help.) She had lung mets for over a year. They took her from us in the end, but they cannot take her spirit! She will live forever in our hearts. She loved the beach and giving kisses and going to In-N-Out for a Flying Dutchman. Tripawds blog, and a more detailed blog here. Please also check out my novel, What the Dog Ate. Now also in paperback! Purchase it at Amazon via Tripawds and help support Tripawds!
welcome!! sounds like getting rid of the leg via amputation might be the best way to keep the chance of sores and infections out of the equation... comet will definitely be the best to comment, as she was 12 years with a deformed leg. hopefully you can post some pictures of the pup - sounds like a cutie!!
charon & spirit gayle
Life is good, so very, very good!!! Gayle enjoyed each and every moment of each and every wonderful day (naps included). She left this world December 12, 2011 – off on a new adventure.
Love Never Ends
Comet's mom here! (the other deformed leg dog person)
First let me say how happy I am that you are considering taking Tippy. You are a hero in my book!
I got Comet at about 6 months old and she, too was born with a deformed front leg. Her's didn't have an elbow joint and her shoulder blade was tilted toward the front so the leg actually almost crossed her chest.
We left her leg on BUT had scheduled it to be amputated but she got kennel cough and pneumonia so it was cancelled. It took forever for here to get over that and so we chose to leave it alone. However, it would have been easier on us to have had it removed because it would have been one less thing to worry about. It didn't cause her problems but it had no feeling and I worried it would get hooked on something. It didn't but I still worried.
Comet lived a full and wonderful life for 12 years with me! And was so very normal in so many ways.
As far as Tippy, I would "wait and see". She's a baby. But you don't want her walking on her elbow and I think vet is wrong in saying she'll will. (besides Comet, I've seen many here) She's a baby so she hasn't figured it out yet to stand up. But you'll probably want to get the leg removed for Tippy's sake. And like Jackie said, do it while she is young.
But for now...don't worry about Tippy. She'll be a normal puppy. She'll be a normal dog. When you get her, please come back by and I'll be happy to answer any questions and then we all can help you decide what to do.
Comet - 1999 to 2011
She departed us unexpectedly January 23, 2011 at the age of 12 1/2.
She was born with a deformed front leg and a tripawd all of her life.
Admin - where is the generic tripawd avatar?
Comet - 1999 to 2011
She departed us unexpectedly January 23, 2011 at the age of 12 1/2.
She was born with a deformed front leg and a tripawd all of her life.
aww thank you guys for all the kind words and advice .im realy excited about tippy coming into our family and seeing what she can do .gonna try to post pics wish me luck lol
cant figure out how to add pics thought i did it on my avitar but its not showing on post please send simple help lol
you have to have pictures somewhere on the web, (so they have a url address) before you can post them to the forums. many of us have blogs here on tripawds (they are free) where we store pictures in the media section. if you have pictures on facebook or shutterfly, etc that works too. when you are writing a post, click on the little 'tree icon' on the menu bar, copy the picture's url address in the drop down box, and the picture will be imbedded in the post. hope this helps.
charon & spirit gayle
Life is good, so very, very good!!! Gayle enjoyed each and every moment of each and every wonderful day (naps included). She left this world December 12, 2011 – off on a new adventure.
Love Never Ends
such a cutie pie - that little leg really is twisted... thanks for posting pictures!!
charon & spirit gayle
Life is good, so very, very good!!! Gayle enjoyed each and every moment of each and every wonderful day (naps included). She left this world December 12, 2011 – off on a new adventure.
Love Never Ends
Oh, so cute! Love the photo with the little smile. She's a doll!
Jackie, Angel Abby's mom
Abby: Aug 1, 2009 – Jan 10, 2012. Our beautiful rescue pup lived LARGE with osteosarcoma for 15 months – half her way-too-short life. I think our "halflistic" approach (mixing traditional meds + supplements) helped her thrive. (PM me for details. I'm happy to help.) She had lung mets for over a year. They took her from us in the end, but they cannot take her spirit! She will live forever in our hearts. She loved the beach and giving kisses and going to In-N-Out for a Flying Dutchman. Tripawds blog, and a more detailed blog here. Please also check out my novel, What the Dog Ate. Now also in paperback! Purchase it at Amazon via Tripawds and help support Tripawds!
OH OH OH! What a cute little pumpkin pie baby!!!! So very, very cute!
I can't wait until you get Tippy (love the name, by the way).
Comet - 1999 to 2011
She departed us unexpectedly January 23, 2011 at the age of 12 1/2.
She was born with a deformed front leg and a tripawd all of her life.
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