Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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I have just joined the community today and I'm already feeling a lot more confident about my dogs up and coming surgery on Wednesday! I'm mentally preparing myself as well as trying to be as organised as I can for when he comes home from the vets. It may sound like a silly question but I'm concerned about how he will squat to go to the toilet, will he need help and support to balance and position himself in the early days and weeks post op? I should say he is loosing his right hind leg.
Zuki Wuggafer 30/09/06 - 11/11/16. Right hind tripawd due to Osteosarcoma. He had a strong 5 and half months as a tripawd but unfortunately a secondary issue with his spine ended our battle. He loved life, loved our family and was the best dog I could ever ask for. Truly my first love, forever in my thoughts and heart.
Read our story: http://zuki.tripawds.com/
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As Jerry's vet told us, when he needs to go, he'll go! Be prepared gor it to take a couple days due to constipation from pain meds. Every dog is different, but very few require (or want) assistance when doing their doody.
Please review Jerry's Required Reading List for lots of helpful links or download the Tripawds e-books for fast andwers to many common concerns like this.
Start here for more help using this site and a Tripawds Library coupon code.
Best wishes, pease keep us posted!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
He'll be fine. Otis is a front leg amp and really quickly discovered how to lean against the tree or fence so that he can pee like a boy. 
Otis - 106 pound lab/Dane mix, lost his right front leg to osteosarcoma on Febuary 9, 2016. Four rounds of carboplatin completed in April, 2016. Lung mets August 25, 2016. Said goodbye too soon on September 4, 2016. Lost his adopted sister, Tess, suddenly on October 9, 2016. likely due to hemangiosarcoma.
Wherever they are, they are together.
As Rene ( Jerry) says don't worry when they gotta go they go. At first our Max also a German Sheperd would kind of just stand and squirt but as he got stronger he could squat a little. As far as the other at first he kind of just stood there and out it came. Our Max was a rear legged amp so we got a RuffWear harness by webmaster where the handle was on top so we could grab it quickly if needed to keep him from going down. We ordered it off the site here. It didn't come near his incision so we were able to use it right away. It helped a lot in helping him up at first and saved on over stressing that remaining back leg at first until it got stronger. He didn't want any help beyond helping him up though so we learned quickly to back off and let him do things. I'll be keeping both you and your beautiful boy in my thoughts and prayers on Wednesday. Keep us posted on his journey and welcome. So sorry you find yourself here. But you're among many friends now. Hugs ((()))
Linda, Riley & Spirits Mighty Max & Ollie
Nothing to worry about, when the time is right he will know what to do.
Like Otis, Eurydice is a front leg amp and although I was unsure about what to do, a couple of days after we got home from amp and right in the middle of the night she woke me up with a look "mom I need a pooooooooooo !!!", she drag me out and did her job without any problems.
Sending you and your boy a kiss and cuddles 
Eurydice 77kg/170lb Great Dane limping end of April 2016, amputation (right front leg/osteosarcoma) 4 May 2016 6 courses of carboplatin followed by metronomic therapy, lung mets found 30 Nov 2016. 3 courses of doxorubicin, PET scan 26 Jan 2017 showed more mets so stopped chemo. Holistic route April 2017. Lung X-ray 5 May 2017 showed several tennis ball size mets, started cortisone and diuretics. Miss Cow earned her XXL silver wings 12 June 2017, 13 months and 1 week after amputation and 6 1/2 months after lung mets, she was the goofiest dawg ever and is now happily flying from cloud to cloud woof woofing away :-)
I am also a huge fan of the Ruffwear Webmaster Plus harness. You can find more info on the gear blog.
Otis - 106 pound lab/Dane mix, lost his right front leg to osteosarcoma on Febuary 9, 2016. Four rounds of carboplatin completed in April, 2016. Lung mets August 25, 2016. Said goodbye too soon on September 4, 2016. Lost his adopted sister, Tess, suddenly on October 9, 2016. likely due to hemangiosarcoma.
Wherever they are, they are together.
Bandit and I love his harness as well. It did not take him long to seek the out doors for relief. When you gotta go, you gotta go
We loved the Ruffwear Webmaster , too. Rear leggers like our Murphy and your pup very quickly learn how to position that remaining back leg so the stance is a triangle with the rear leg sort of centered with the front legs and one leg back further to compensate for the missing back one. It's amazing to see how they cope.
Kathi and the Turbotail April Angel...and the Labradork
Murphy is a five year old Lab/Chessie cross. He was hit by a car on 10/29/12 and became a Tripawd on 11/24/12. On 2/5/13, he had a total hip replacement on his remaining back leg. He has absolutely no idea that he has only three legs!
UPDATE: Murphy lived his life to the fullest, right up until an aggressive bone lesion took him across the Rainbow Bridge on April 9, 2015 and he gained his membership in the April Angels. Run free, my love. You deserve it!
As others have said they figure it out. Our dog Sunny lost his back left leg. It will be two weeks this Wednesday. He has been fine since coming home and with each passing day he's getting a little better at balancing himself. 😀
Thank you all its so comforting to have your reassurance and hear your individual experiences. This site and all its users are wonderful!! 🙂 I've always used a harness on Zuki that has a handle, mainly because he can be really strong when excited about heading to the beach or the water and the handle helps me be a little more in control! But the tummy support on the ruffwear looks really good, ill have to look to invest in one
Zuki Wuggafer 30/09/06 - 11/11/16. Right hind tripawd due to Osteosarcoma. He had a strong 5 and half months as a tripawd but unfortunately a secondary issue with his spine ended our battle. He loved life, loved our family and was the best dog I could ever ask for. Truly my first love, forever in my thoughts and heart.
Read our story: http://zuki.tripawds.com/
Hi and welcome.
Your question gives me the opportunity to share one my Tri-pug Maggie's stories about pooping! Mag lost her left rear leg to mast cell cancer. I'm feeling lazy so I am going to copy the story from Mag's blog:
She also had always spun in a circle before she would poop. I think that was one of the hardest things to watch after her amp- watching her try to spin and fall down. She would sit there and look at me with a pitiful, woe is me look on her face and I felt so bad. She didn’t poop for 5 or 6 days after her surgery. Conventional wisdom says that is because of the pain meds, but I know it was because without the centrifugal force from the spin nothing would come out. Luckily she kept her right back leg, and liked to spin to the right- so on about day 6 she figured out the spin and poop!
Good luck with the surgery tomorrow, post an update when you can.
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
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