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
I just adopted a 3 legged cattle dog mix, 7 years old. Her rear leg is amputated, and I have no idea why or when, just that she was surrendered to a shelter by her former owners. She is very healthy and moves very well. I've taken her on a few short hikes, and she did very well. My question is this--is it safe to take her on these short hikes? Are there any issues I need to be aware of since she's only walking on 3 legs? Thanks.
Welcome to Tripawds, your future posts will not have to wait for approval.
I hope you don't mind I moved your topic to beyond cancer. Many members here can give you advice on the amount of exercise works for them.
You should check out our Health Videos (click the link and scroll down to videos) and Ideas for Fitness in the Gear Blog.
While a Tripawd can do most of the things a 4 legger can do, it usually is in stamina that they have a hard time competing. Also, since you don't have a spare leg you want to be a bit more careful on what you allow your pup to do.
That being said, a friend of my uncle in Montana has a 3 legger that does cattle herding along with the rest of the working dogs. It is a balance between keeping your pup occupied and happy, and thinking long term about joint health.
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
Hi there,
We have three tripawd GSDs in our pack. They are all rear leg amps and are 5, 6, and 9 years old. Austin is only 5 but has arthritis in all his remaining limbs and can only do about .5 mile a day. Travis is 6 and very fit, he does 2 miles a day. Codie Rae is 9 and is down to one mile a day, and she sometimes even gets a day off and doesn't seem to mind.
Karen is right, a tripawds biggest limitation is endurance. Even if they are fit they just don't need as much exercise as their 4 legged counterparts. The important thing is just to learn how to read when your dog is getting tired. Obviously if a dog sits or lies down on a wlak they have had enough. Look for more subtle signs like an increase in panting or simply slowing down. Austin starts to drag his remaining rear foot when he gets tired.
It is recommended that you take your tripawd on one or several 10-15 minutes walks a day. That way they dont get over tired and do themselves an injury. It is also important to work on strengthening their core muscles to help with balance and overall conditioning. The Tripawds Required Reading List has sections on mobility and conditioning so check those out.
Hope this helps!
Martha and the Oaktown Pack
Woohoo! Tripawds Rule!
Regulator of the Oaktown Pack, Sheriff of the Oaktown Pawsse, Founding member and President of the Tripawd Girldogs With 2 Names ROCK Club, and ... Tripawd Girldog Extraordinaire!
Online
Just want to say WELCOME to the trilawd family!
How very sweet of you to adopt this precious soul! You will be amazed at her resilience and courage!
You've gotten great advice. Just want to add giving her glucosamine might be helpful too. Try not and let her jump up or down on or off things. And a good massage at the end of the day will nell with any sore muscles she may have.
Can't wait to see pictures!!
Take care .and thansks for caring!
Sally and Alumni 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!
alice8 said
...is it safe to take her on these short hikes?
"Short" is relative. How long are you talking? It is better to take more frequent shorter walks than longer hikes, but we have known many Tripawds like Bart who continued to run, hunt and hike after amputation. The trick is to work your way up and focus on building core strength with weight bearing and balance exercises. Walks don't build strength, only endurance.
Our best resource for rehab and exercise is Loving Life On Three Legs , available in the Tripawds e-books library. It is packed with professional tips, how-to lists and videos for keeping Tripawds fit and strong!
Thanks for asking!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
1 Guest(s)
