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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Hello all,
I just joined this site and this is my first post ever, so please, any constructive criticism or feedback is welcome.
So, I adopted my new dog Lefty, from a local shelter about 2 weeks ago. She came home with me one week ago after her amputation surgery of her front right leg. Due to a very bad injury to her leg, that had healed improperly before she had made it into the shelter, the vet recommended this was the best option.
Lefty's energy skyrocketed after coming home from the surgery, compared to when I visited her in the shelter pre-op. As the days go by, she is becoming more and more active. She is very brave, she has never shown me any sign that she's in pain and she has adapted very quickly.
Does anyone have any personal experience to share, on when it is appropriate to allow a little extra activity? I'm not trying to take her for a run at the dog park or kayaking just yet, but it seems that an extra long walk and maybe some obedience training classes might keep her happy and stimulated and I would love to begin to build that sort of relationship with her. What's most important is that she is safe and healthy. Any experience with very active dogs right out of surgery? Any suggestions on safe activities that would be appropriate for Lefty one week post-op if any...?
Thanks for taking the time to read, I really look forward to being a part of the Tripawds forum and community!
Lefty and LG you are so pawesome! I just have to say that, because based on your post it seems to me that you are extremely conscientious about post-op care. I love that! You are a fabulous dog mom!
So for us, we took it little by little. As you've probably seen here, recoveries are all different depending on the dog. When we went through recovery with 8-year old Jerry it was much different than recovery with 8 month old Wyatt Ray . Both required us to observe and scale our activity level according to their needs.
Dogs will go and and go and go no matter what their age. You will have to take things verrrry slowly with Lefty since you don't really know her too well yet. Don't worry, she won't be mad if you cut her walks a bit too short for her needs. As long as she is with someone who cares about her that's all that matters.
Also remember, one week post op is VERY soon after surgery. Until she gets her stitches out, she should only be going for leashed potty walks. That's it. In the meantime you can do fun mind-centric activities with her like basic obedience routines that build bonds: sit, stay, come, heel, in very confined and short timeframes. Focus on building a bond while you satiate her need to be active and you'll do great. Make sense?
Thanks for registering as a member, welcome!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Welcome to the family!!! My dog was a senior (eek) when she had her amputation so I didn't really have to 'slow her down' but once we recovered ... she did move faster. It was her new gait. She was a rear amp. But others have had tripawds from younger years or non-cancer will surely chime in with lots of advice.
Congrats on your new baby and thank you for rescuing Lefty! It sounds like she's in for the best years of her life!!!
Hugs!
Alison with Spirit Shelby in her heart
Shelby Lynne; Jack Russell/Shiba Inu mix. Proud member of the April Angels of 2014.
October 15, 2000 to April 8, 2014
Our story: Broke rear leg in June 2013 - non-conclusive results for cancer so leg was plated and pinned. Enlarged spleen in September 2013 and had it removed and was diagnosed with Hemangiosarcoma and started chemotherapy. Became a Tripawd January 8th, 2014 and definitive Hemangiosarcoma diagnosis. Three major surgeries in 7 months and Shelby took them all like a champ only to lose her battle to cancer in her brain. We had 8 amazing extra months together and no regrets. #shelbystrong #loveofmylife
Hello and welcome.
Congratulations on your new addition! How old is Lefty? What kind of pup? How big?
Both of my tripawds are/were small rear amps. Maggie was 7.5 when she lost her left rear leg to cancer. She was a stubborn pug who hated change and my biggest issue with her energy level was getting her out of her bed! My current Tripawd, Elly, is a 1.5 year old pug mix who lost her right rear leg after being hit by a car at 7 months old. She came home with me at 10 months old and was raring to go!
Elly was 3 months post op when I got her but not very strong. She had all kinds of puppy energy (thank dog she is part pug- it slows her down a little) that I needed to channel. Luckily she is very interested in learning and is pretty smart. We gradually increased her walk distances, and worked every day on her core strength through food puzzles, games and obedience training. It's amazing how exercising her mind tires her out! We are on our 5th class right now and it really is a great way to bond. Elly is very skittish and slow to trust so I am working on her confidence as well as her strength.
At this point in recovery Lefty should not be doing too much. I know it is really hard when they have so much energy but it is best to channel it into games right now. Once the stitches are out then you can start to do more. I'm guessing that she feels so much better now that the painful leg is gone.
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
Lefty and Lonely Girl..... you rock! Thank you for adopting a tripaw!!! I am only recently in the tripaw group.. My sweet Ted had his left front leg amputated due to osteosarcoma on 8 August and he is doing really well. he is about 9 years old (rescue guy). And he normally "bounced" around the house and really life in general. I worry about him doing too much and was given a caution here about making sure he didn't do too much.. I took that advice and also thought about letting him monitor his level of activity.....and then thought well, he's a dog, and so I'm trying to protect him and love him and want to make sure he has a long happy life so, I am limiting some of the things he wants to do (but his is still bouncing!!!). That might be good or bad but.... it's my job and my love and so there it is. I'm not sure how old your sweet girl is but I'm sure she will do just fine with you! Again, thank you for taking a chance with a tripaw.
Thank you everyone for the replies! This really seems like such a helpful and positive community to be a part of, and it's really comforting to know there is support out there, because I have had so many worries about Lefty being a special needs pup and doing what is right for her.
She is 2 years old which is probably one reason she bounced back so quickly. She is a pitbull mix and was very underweight when she entered the shelter, she also had 4 puppies with her that were adopted very shortly after! So, she's been through some stuff. She's already gained some good weight, which I've definitely noticed while carrying her up and down stairs lol Her ideal is probably around 45 lbs. Her current favorite activity is just being by my side. Even when we go for walks, she never pulls. When I cook in the kitchen, she lays right outside of where the hardwood starts. She seems pretty new to toys, she is so gentle with her squeaky stuffed animal that she hardly ever makes it squeak. She's such a good girl. I visited her at the shelter until she could have her surgery and come home, when I first met her she was sweet, and very obedient, very much a people pleaser, but she was very quiet, skinny, her hair was falling out, and she looked so sad and always hung her head very low. I guess it's easy to forget she is still recovering because of how much better she is already doing. We visited the vet tech at the shelter and she was astounded by how she was moving around, said her coat looked so much better, and she seemed like a completely different dog.
I will have to visit the pet store tomorrow and see what fun puzzle games I might be able to find for her. She seems to be quite smart and very food motivated, she didn't know any commands and now she knows sit and go to bed (her crate) very well.
Thank you all so much for the support! It's so awesome to hear there are other pet parents out there going through the same sorts of things. You are all so amazing and your fur babies are very lucky to have such good parents! <3
jerry said
Also remember, one week post op is VERY soon after surgery. Until she gets her stitches out, she should only be going for leashed potty walks. That's it. In the meantime you can do fun mind-centric activities with her like basic obedience routines that build bonds: sit, stay, come, heel, in very confined and short timeframes. Focus on building a bond while you satiate her need to be active and you'll do great. Make sense?
One thing I am so confused about is that is that she doesn't appear to be sutured together with stitches at all! She had a bandage on for 3 days, then the vet took it off, and since the first time I saw her incision I couldn't see what was holding it together. She is going to have an exam at her new permanent vet within the next week, but nothing was scheduled for removal of stitches or anything like that. One of the vet techs at the shelter is really fond of Lefty and we are saying in touch, I guess I'll have to ask her exactly what's holding her together lol
"One thing I am so confused about is that is that she doesn't appear to be sutured together with stitches at all!"
Meg was the same, and I remember I was confused as well! Don't worry, it seems there are just different ways of closing the wound. Meg's stitches were internal and dissolved over time. There was nothing to see on the outside and nothing to remove. The wound healed really well, she was comfortable and had a straightforward recovery.
All best to you and Lefty!
Meg and Clare xx
Ruby, Staffy, born June 2022, became a Tripawd, 23 November 2023, adopted 12 January 2024.
Also Angel Tripawd Meg (aka The Megastar), who died in April 2023, aged 14, after seven glorious years on three, and Angel Staffies Pie and Bille. In the pawprints of giants...
Those with staples generally get them out at 10 days to two weeks - I would presume that you at least have a follow-up visit at about that time? I would stay with the short, leashed potty breaks, no jumping up, no stairs, etc. until then. Another important thing is to watch her weight. Many rescue dogs, if they have been deprived, will eat eat eat when they get to a real home. As a tripawd, maintaining Lefty at or just under her ideal weight is important to prevent problems down the road. For now, you also might consider some at home games - hiding treats under Dixie cups so she can find the treat, a Kong, etc. Congrats on providing Lefty with a wonderful, loving home.
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.
Lefty is one lucky girl - she has hit the lottery with a loving new parent like you!
Perhaps if you keep a journal of her activity every day it could help you pace it - step up just a little every few days for he next couple weeks and then allow her a more steady increase. You can also make note of how she seems to feel in the morning after each day - and be better able to judge if you have let her overdo it. We did start going to dog park for short outings about 2.5 weeks post amp, but they were much, much shorter than pre amp and shorter than our visits now at nearly 4 months post. I could tell in the early days if we had perhaps done too much as he would be much slower to get moving the next morning.
Lisa, Minneapolis
On October 27, 2016, nearly 6 months after amputation, and 18 months since his cancer likely started, we lost Pofi to a recurrence of Soft Tissue Sarcoma in his spine quite suddenly. His canine sister also succumbed to cancer on March 1, 2019 - we lavished her with our love in the interim, but life was never quite the same without her only real canine friend. Cliff kitty had to leave us, too, suddenly, in August 2019. Lucia kitty grieved all these losses, but helped us welcome two new Lurchers into our home and our lives, Shae and Barley.
Murphy never had visible stitches, either. In all of his eight surgeries the surgeon used something that looked to me like an "invisible ladder stitch". https://www.goo.....asEbdPM%3A
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!
Thanks for that info Kathi, you took the words right out of my mouth. Pawesome!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
With Otis, and especially in the early days, I also noted that when he was tired he got kind of sway backed. His normal posture is very erect, so this became a sign to me that he was overdoing it.
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.
Thanks for all of the suggestions and advice everybody! I'm feeling a lot more confident with my ability to be a good mom to my sweet girl. I seriously have so many questions, I could browse these forums for hours lol
Maybe her stitches were absorbable? Lefty had some post op care from the shelter vet that did her surgery, but she will be seeing her new, hopefully permanent vet, next week. She's adjusted really well to the schedule I have her on with meal times and potty breaks and medication. She actually has a tripod friend she can play with once she feels better, their mom works at the shelter she was at and said they would love to have play dates!
GEEZ! Just catching up! You've already gotten great advice and insight!
The picture looks like Lefty is healing nicely. Just take things slow and easy.
Lefty is soooooo lucky to have his furever home with you!!!!! Reading his story and seeing the connection you two have from the get go just melts my heart! He clearly had his name stamped on his heart from the daynhe was born
Looking forward to following the adventures of you and Left...with lots of pictures!!!
Thank yiu so much for taking Lefty into your heart!
Hugs!
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie 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!
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