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Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat

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Our Tripod a/k/a Whiskey the failed foster
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Member Since:
29 July 2015
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29 July 2015 - 9:55 am
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 Hello!  New to this forum and glad to have found a group of fellow tripod parents.   Whiskey was a stray of unknown age who was picked up and taken to a rural, high kill shelter.  I had just been approved to foster for Lab Rescue and I asked to foster him because he had the sweetest face and, for some reason, because he had a leg injury.  I thought we could help him heal and find a forever home.  We already had two lab rescues and a rescue cat.  

The transporter showed up with a silky black boy who was completely submissive and dragging his left front leg.  He would lie down every two steps when we walked him.  Finally, my son picked him up and carried him into the house.  I know, the wrong way to introduce a new animal but he would not get up off the ground.   It worked though, and within an hour, he was playing with our other two dogs and the cat.

I looked through his medical records and saw that he had no pain response in the leg.  He was falling over it.  I took him to the rescue vet, who immediately said that the leg needed to come off as all the nerves in the shoulder were severed from some kind of trauma.   The surgery was scheduled for the next week.  In the meanwhile, my three boys and husband had started lobbying to keep Whiskey.  The foster coordinator had warned me that most foster parents adopt at least one of their fosters.

I dropped him for surgery and they told me that he would need to stay for about three days.  The next morning, they texted me pictures of Whiskey attending their staff meeting and loving on everyone.  I picked him up that afternoon.  Apparently, because he had no feeling in the leg, he had no phantom leg pain and very little discomfort.  He healed very quickly and when cleared to go for a walk, he went three miles and begged for more.  He prefers running to walking, probably because it is easier for him.   This is fine with me, as I am a distance runner.  I never expected a three legged dog to outrun me and my other four legged running partner.

This was in April.  Needless to say, we could not part with him.  He has the sweetest disposition of any dog I have ever met.  People stop their cars to admire him and everyone wants to pet him.  I'd like to have him become a therapy dog.   He is like a blanket, just drapes himself on you.   He looks like a panther and I think he is a black lab/greyhound mix  He is about fifty pounds and slim. The vet thinks he is young, probably about a year old.   I am looking forward to learning more about tripods here.  So far, he is doing wonderfully but I want to educate myself about any potential health issues for him.

On The Road


Member Since:
24 September 2009
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29 July 2015 - 2:45 pm
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Welcome! And thanks for sharing Whiskey's story.

Your future forum posts will not require moderation.

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

Virginia







Member Since:
22 February 2013
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29 July 2015 - 3:28 pm
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Whiskey, you sure hit the puppy lottery with this failed foster!! Cannot wait to hear more about you AND see PHOTOS!

You have def come to the right place for information and suppprt! This site has tons of information from nutritional supplements, to the importance of raised food bowls to prevent straining, to core strength building exercises to help prevent joint damage. You can download some great books here, Jerry's Required Reading List , etc.

http://download.....-library1/

There is such a fine liine between letting your dog live his life to the fullest, and doing everything possible to protect his remaining legs. And yes, the momentum of moving at a faster pace helps a trilawd's mobility and balance on three legs. As you'll see from the downloads, walking further or runni g faster is not the best way to build their muscles and ptotecting their joints. Building their core muscles is far more effective and doesn't wear out their joints.

Whiskey can still run with you, ABSOLUTELY! He just needs to take some breaks and soak in the beauty of nature along the way. It's cathartic for human and dog!!

We do have a few tripawd therapy dogs here. I beLieve o e is named Shelby. I'll have to go back and see if I can find her blog a d give you the link.

Congratulations on giviing this sweet dog such a @loving forever home!!

Give him an extra hug for us tonight!

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!

Norene, TN
Member Since:
21 October 2014
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3 August 2015 - 12:02 pm
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Howdy and welcome!

I just loved reading your introduction of Whiskey and his (your) story. How lucky he is that you came to pick him up. I would LOVE to see pictures of this sweet boy. I've got a huge soft-spot in my heart for black labs.

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

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