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
My Grammy says I am fantastic so she will forgive me for this. She has forgiven me for worse things, so its all good!
Yesterday I went to the vet and had all my stitches removed. Some of them were a little more difficult to get out, I only whined a little. The vet's assistant totally fell in love with me, what can I say I am pretty magnificent! The vet likes me too but not like head over heels or anything.
I could not wait to get out of the vets office, the assistant was saying something about how she just wanted to take me home with her! I had to be sure that I escaped with my mom, I hate when she has to leave me behind. She hates it too and worries the whole time we are apart. We are the bestest of friends.
I REALLY REALLY REALLY want to get up and walk I have a house full of loved ones to take care of. I can get up and walk around for a bit if I am already on my bed because my butt is a little higher and I can kind of launch myself, but I haven't been able to get my back leg to heave my butt off the floor very often. Mom has reprimanded her brother for feeding me too much and ordered him to feed me less (gosh darn it! I might have to work extra hard to get treats from grammy & grampy to keep me from absolutely STARVING!).
Mom says I am being kind of whiny but it is just when I want to move to another part of the room, which I guess seems to be a lot for the person helping me but I just need someone to pick up my butt for me I pretty much got the rest, except for the ramp to the backyard, that is still a little scary. Its hard for my mom to do it as often as I want her to cause she gets super sore and then needs to rest for a while. She has not been getting a lot of work done the past couple days.
The vet was telling my mom about this product called 'Dr Busby's Toe Grips'. They are supposed to help dogs get a grip on floors. Grammy is gonna pick some up on Saturday for me to try, but I was just wondering if anyone has tried them and what they think of them. Any information would be great.
Thanks a whole bunch!
Whisper the one eyed wonder dog ... Oh wait thats my old nick name.
Whisper the one eyed, three legged, wonder dog! (Klamur calls me a three legged Cyclops....brothers can be so annoying)
Your post makes me smile!!! Yaay! Great strides being made! Thank you for this post because I think next week I will have to refer back to it for our Max to make me smile some more!! I can only hope and pray Max patterns his recovery after you. I think I will read this to him before his surgery. He's quite competitive and hopefully can stay up with you. I am sooooo happy for your good news. You'll be getting up off that floor in no time at all. You little "pro" you!
And I'm smiling over here too!! Such a delightful update!! Whisper, you are a one eyed, three legged AND Handsome AND charming WONDER DOG!!
You know how to charm the heck out of everybody! You have so much spoiling coming your way you won't know what ro do with it all! Royalty certainly has its advantages!!
As far as vooties, etc., check out the tripawds gear blog. There is a harness called "Help 'em Up Harness" that is a great tool in aiding a dog from a sitting or laying position to help get him going. Some members also use booties called Pawz to help stability. They slip over the paw sort of like a rubber balloon. I have not tried toe grips, but I thinks others have had issue with them staying on...not sure though.
You might try gentle massaging snd gentle stretching before Whisper tries to stand. Hell get the hang of it. His muscles are probably a little sore realigning himself. Also, vets say it takes about thirty days for mobility issues to be worked out.
One thing you might try with the ramp if you haven't already done so, is to put some type of railing down the side. Dogs need that secure feeling that they won't fall.off. there's some famcy word for it, but their depth perception is a little off when they are on ramps.
And Whisper, I never was able to abstain from giving my Happy Hannah treats either! It's nust soooooo hard ot giving you adorable tripawds a anything you want!!
Thanks for making my day with this splendid update! Still grinning over here!!
Love and hugs!
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!
Fantastic you is right! Aww you sweetie! What a hoppy update, it's so good to hear from you and know that you're doing pretty darn good.
Now, I hate to say it, but yeah, you gotta stay svelte or those extra pounds really make it hard to get around. A Tripawd needs to be slimmer than most dogs, we just can't afford to carry extra weight. Maybe your people can give you things like crunchy carrots or snap peas or watermelon, good stuff like that!
Sally's suggestions are great except we recommend the Webmaster harness in the Tripawds Gear blog for most dogs in your situation. And here is a link to the PawZ dog booties, those are helpful too. Do your people have carpet runners down? Don't forget those too, they really help.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Whisper you are gorgeous! Just a word of caution with the Pawz boots.....they really grip good, but seem to be tight around the ankle. I put them on Nitro early in his recovery, and his foot swelled so bad from the tightness it didn't even look like a foot. Maybe I left it on too long (while I was gone to work), but I never used them again. The harness Rene mentioned is the best money we've ever spent....it was a life saver for us, and made getting around with him so much easier.
Also, it is still early in your recovery, your muscles need time to adapt and grow stronger. Keep up the good work, you've got this!
paula and nitro
Nitro 11 1/2 yr old Doberman; right front amp June 2014. Had 6 doses carboplatin, followed by metronomic therapy. Rocked it on 3 legs for over 3 years! My Warrior beat cancer, but couldn't beat old age. He crossed the Bridge peacefully on July 25, 2017, with dignity and on his terms. Follow his blog entitled "Doberman's journey"
"Be good, mama loves you".....run free my beautiful Warrior
Good point Paula! Yes, I wouldn't leave them on all day like that until you know for sure they don't cut off circulation. Scary! I'm glad Nitro was OK from that.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Why Hello! It's Whisper here again,
The other day I found out why Grammy randomly shouts out “STUPID COMPUTER!” There is actually nothing neurologically wrong with her, she really does have a “STUPID … COMPUTER!” I wrote up a fabulous post and when I submitted it, it just disappeared right before my very eye!
Max I was wondering when your surgery is scheduled so I can send healing and strengthening thoughts to you during your surgery and then I can send silly thoughts to you when you are all doped up on pain meds and anesthetic afterwards. It will be fun! And then when you are back home recovering, encouraging and motivational thoughts will come your way!
Grammy and I hold computers in the same low regard! They dislike me and I dislike them!! And Whisper, tell your Grammy that the site has been having issues due to something called migration servers...or something like that. Anyway, a lot of us have experienced typing replies only to have them go poof!
Whisper, every time I see your avatw picture it makes me smile. You are so cute!
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!
Whisper here again. Hope everyone had a happy International Dog Day!
I have been feeling a little better everyday, don;t need as many pain meds as before but I am still having problems getting my butt off of the ground. I have been trying to get to the water dish and over to my special place beside moms desk, but some days I need a lot more help than others. Mom has ordered a harness to help with that, but she is getting a little worried that I have not progressed much further. Mom is getting behind on her work because I am bored and whiny. Once grammy gets home she gets a lot more work done because grammy takes over.
Grammy picked up some of those toe grip thingys for me and they seem to be working pretty good for helping me get a grip on the floor. It's a good thing too because Grammy noticed that the bottoms of my paws seem to be a little raw, she thinks it looks like I am getting rug burn from trying to get myself up and is thinking that might be one of the reasons I have been a little reluctant to get up on my feet the past couple of days.
Grammy is gonna look around the website more to see if there is something for my tender paws, but if anyone has any suggestions to help them heal that would be great! booties won't work cause I won't leave them on my feet.
Time for me and Grammy to go to sleep so mom can get some work done.
Whisper! the fantastic, handsome, charming, gorgeous, svelte-ish, one eyed, three legged
WONDER DOG!
Hey Whisper, happy dog day to you! I'm glad each day is getting a little better for you and your humans. Don't get discouraged, recovery can be one step (or hop) forward and two back. It may not feel like it, but it is still early in your journey. Every dog has their own pace, so give it time. I think you will really like your harness; it will be a huge help. Good luck, and keep us updated.
paula and nitro
Nitro 11 1/2 yr old Doberman; right front amp June 2014. Had 6 doses carboplatin, followed by metronomic therapy. Rocked it on 3 legs for over 3 years! My Warrior beat cancer, but couldn't beat old age. He crossed the Bridge peacefully on July 25, 2017, with dignity and on his terms. Follow his blog entitled "Doberman's journey"
"Be good, mama loves you".....run free my beautiful Warrior
Hi Whisper,
I'm glad you're overall pretty good and I'll bet you're making more pawgress than it seems Sorry to hear about your paws. What kind of surface are you laying on? I'm wondering why they are raw. Is it in one place only, like a pressure sore? Ouch. Has your Momma tried putting any kind of paw salve on you? There's lots to choose from out there, our traction link here has links to some idea like Musher's Secret.
Is there any pawsibility that your people can talk to a certified canine rehab expert (someone with CCRT or CCRP designation)? It really pays to see one at least once to get a consult about how you can get stronger. Canine fitness experts are in more places than you think, here's a directory to find one. I hope you can. Or tell us where you are and maybe we can help find one for you.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Whisper I'll bet the harness is going to help you a lot! Especially if your paws are sore. No wonder you want to be a couch or floor potato. I'll bet once your paws feel better you'll want to get a lot more active too. Believe me Whisper I will let you know if my son proceeds with surgery for Max so you can be his cheerleader!! Never can have too many healing thoughts and sometimes humor greatly adds to the worst situations. You just lighten my mood Whisper. You have a "gift"! Recovery is tough but you are nailing it!! Take care of those paws and show Mom and Grammy what you can do!
Good advice from everyone for you Mr. Whisper!
Those little tender paws may be impeding your mobility a little bit. Does Whisper seem to move around okay once you help him up,? Does he seem in pain at all when he tries to stand, or more like week muscles? I know it seems like forever sense your surgery to your humans, but it is still early in recovery from major surgery. Generally the recovery period from the surgery itself is approximately two weeks. It takes about one month for dogs to work out mobility issues, muscle adjustments, etc. Does Whisper appear to move around okay once you help him up?
Something you might try...and I know this is a little farfetched. Have a neighbor come over and knock loudly on the door and see if Whisper gets all excited and tries to get up on his own. Of course, if he has sore paws that may not help much.
Whisper will get the hang of things. The main thing is his painful leg is gone. Slowly but surely, youll get stronger and stronger seeet boy. We're all cheering for you!
Hugs!
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!
Just checking in on Whisper! How are those paws healing? You able to getnyour butt up on your own yet or still making your humans help?
Sending @ove!
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!
Why Hello! I am doing pretty good. My mom thinks that my paws got sore cause I am trying so hard to get around that I was pulling myself around with my two front legs, and she figures I got a little bit of road rash on my paws from that.
I still can't get all the way up by myself I can only get my butt a couple/few inches off the ground, but I am starting use my back leg a little bit. Grammy says it kind of looks like I am doing a bunny hop, but she is happy I am not dragging myself around anymore. She says she was worried I would get slivers, but I think she may have been worried because she would have to be the one to pull the slivers out.
1 Guest(s)
