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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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Newly amputated Bugg -- Need Advice!!
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Member Since:
5 May 2012
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1
5 May 2012 - 2:24 pm
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Hey,

 

I am new to this and looking for any and all advice.  Thursday our Boston/Pug mix broke her elbow and we had to have her front right leg amputated.  She just came home today (very dopey) and we are trying to change our house to fit her needs, just not sure what all those may be.  We elevated her food and are building a ramp for the steps out our back door to the yard.  What else should we be doing?  I am also looking for any advice on nutrition, we feed a very premium dog food but I am assuming she will need more supplements to keep her only front leg now healthy and avoid arthritis and injuries, and suggestions? 🙂

 

Thanks a ton!

 

Margo

knoxville, tn
Member Since:
12 February 2010
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5 May 2012 - 2:48 pm
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hi margo - further posts won't require moderation!!  what is your pup's name??

welcome to the site, sorry you are having to join our group, but fortunately you are not dealing with an amputation and cancer too.  Jerry's Required Reading List http://tripawds.....ding-list/   is a great starting point. 

if you have tile or hardwood floors, we recommend rubber bottomed rugs for traction .  walmart or target type stores have a great selection, and they aren't too expensive.  raised food/water bowls are also helpful, but i'm guessing your little pup wouldn't need them raised too much.  i built a backyard ramp for gayle, and it was very helpful and have her a chance to be self-reliant without being risky. 

karen, one of our other moderators will be a great resource for you - she had a tri-pug, and now has two other pugs in her family.  i'm sure she'll jump in to the conversation before long.

we'd love some pictures, and don't hesitate to ask questions and jump into the forums!!

 

charon & spirit gayle

Life is good, so very, very good!!! Gayle enjoyed each and every moment of each and every wonderful day (naps included).  She left this world December 12, 2011 – off on a new adventure.

Love Never Ends

http://etgayle

Leicester, NY
Member Since:
11 February 2011
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5 May 2012 - 4:23 pm
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Welcome Margo and Bugg pug (is Bugg her name??)

Spirit Samson was Spirit Tripawd Daisys four legged "brother" and ruled as the self proclaimed head of the Monkeybutt Federations East Coast Division. Lady Chunky Monkey stayed from Oct 2011 and left for the bridge in Apr 2012. Miss Perdy is left and has some big pawprints to fill.
Do you have what it takes to be a Monkeybutt? Find out more at the Monkeybutt Federation

Member Since:
5 May 2012
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5 May 2012 - 5:07 pm
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Thank you all!  Her name is Maggie, I will try to figure out how to post photos soon!  She just came home today and we temporarily raised her food and water on small boxes just to help.  She seems to be having a hard time trying to squat to pee, fell down the first time. 🙁  Otherwise she is just sleeping a lot thanks to the meds. We also moved all the rubber backed rugs around in the house to cover the whole kitchen floor, thankfully it is the only tiled area in the house.  My dad is thankfully building us a ramp for the back yard as the patio is concrete and we want to avoid any injuries.  I am concerned about supplements and making sure we help her out as much as possible.  This is a wonderful website though with lots of information that is super helpful and has helped us prepare to help her be the best she can be! 

 

I think the hardest part is on me, as I'm sure she will bounce back quickly and learn to compensate.  It does create a great feeling of helplessness though as we were unable to protect her or prevent this, but I guess acceptance is the first step.

 

Thank you for all and any information and support!

Member Since:
5 May 2012
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5 May 2012 - 5:09 pm
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@ samson007 -- Her name is Maggie, sorry about that!  She's a boston terrier/pug mix (Bugg for short) 🙂

Leicester, NY
Member Since:
11 February 2011
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5 May 2012 - 5:11 pm
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Sorry Maggie! I can be a bit slow.

Spirit Samson was Spirit Tripawd Daisys four legged "brother" and ruled as the self proclaimed head of the Monkeybutt Federations East Coast Division. Lady Chunky Monkey stayed from Oct 2011 and left for the bridge in Apr 2012. Miss Perdy is left and has some big pawprints to fill.
Do you have what it takes to be a Monkeybutt? Find out more at the Monkeybutt Federation

Member Since:
5 May 2012
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5 May 2012 - 6:40 pm
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Not at all! I'm new to the whole forum thing, never really had a reason to join one until now. 🙁

krun15
8
5 May 2012 - 10:45 pm
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Hi Margo,
Welcome to Tripawds. My Tri-pug was also named Maggie, that is her in the avatar. Her nickname was Spud!
How old is your Maggie? How big? Mine was about 17.5 pounds and a rear amp.
Mag was able to do a few stairs, up is harder for rear amps, down is harder for front amps. Mag was able to go in and out of the dog door, and up and down a couple of steps. She could actually go down almost anything, including lots of stairs. But because she was so little, and a rear amp, going up more than three or four stairs was not possible for her.
Mag was one of those pugs that had to spin before she could poop. The first few times she tried to spin she fell down, sat and stared at me, and wouldn't try again. I felt really bad, and that was just one of the reasons that I thought I had done the wrong thing by choosing amputation. She was one stubborn pug who took her time getting used to her new normal- at least 4 weeks. But she did come around- and was her obstinate self for almost 4 years. Oh, and she did figure out how to spin before a poop!
Check out our nutrition blog- http://nutritio.....pawds.com/, there are lots of ideas on diet and supplememts. Maggie was 7.5 at the time of her amp, and already on a glucosime/chondroitin supplement because she already had some joint pains.
If you are interested you can read Maggie's story in her blog here: http://maggiesj.....ies-story/. There are several tabs you can look at.
Don't get discouraged- the recovery period can be difficult. Your Maggie will come around and get back to being Bugg!

Karen and the pugapalooza

Member Since:
25 March 2012
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7 May 2012 - 7:30 am
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Hi Maggie and Mom Margo!  We were all new to this forum thing at one time.

 

Heather & Spirit Shadow

On The Road


Member Since:
24 September 2009
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7 May 2012 - 8:50 am
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Hi Maggie, Margo and Family!

Wow, how did Maggie break her elbow? Ouch! We're so sorry that you found yourself here, but you'll see that a small TriPug will go GREAT on three legs.

Our biggest piece of advice is to watch her weight, make sure she keeps a lean figure and monitor her activity to make sure she doesn't overdo things and put excess stress on her joints (although something tells me that you won't have to worry too much about that with a TriPug! Some good videos for you to watch include:

Amputation & Recovery Advice

Pain Med & Supplement Tips

You didn't mention her age, how old/young is she? 

And you're right, it's always harder on the humans than it is on the dogs. She will be herself soon, you'll see. Keep in mind the pain meds may make her lose her appetite and also become constipated, but that too will subside. If she can't go potty try adding pumpkin pulp, metamucil or even olive oil to her food to move things along.

Let us know how we can help! Oh and if you want to learn how to add images to your forum post, read this.

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

Member Since:
5 May 2012
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7 May 2012 - 8:17 pm
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Thank you all for your support!

 

She is doing much better, a little each day.  Today was the first day she made her way all around the yard.  Sadly we aren't exactly sure how she broke it, somehow lost her footing on the tile in the kitchen and landed wrong.  One second she was fine and healthy and the next screaming in pain 🙁  She broke it just above the elbow so removing the leg was the only good option for her, though a super hard decision!  She just turned 1 year old in March, which from what I hear should help her recover faster? 

 

She is 15 pounds and a front amp.  Karen your Maggie was adorable!! She has many nicknames but mainly Monkey and Maggie Mae.  🙂 

The hardest thing we have seen so far for her is shaking which with the body bandage she seems to want to do every time she stands up. 

She still has not gone to the bathroom but I will definitely add some of the things you suggested to help her along!  Thankfully her life has always been ruled by food.  She really did get lucky with the mix and seems to have a Boston metabolism and a Pug appetite. lol She has bounced back with the food and we actually found that pills are the hardest cause her mouth is so small so liverwurst will be around until the pain pills are gone.  It actually works really well because it balls up so you can surround the pill and she doesn't taste it.  Tramadol apparently tastes really bad. 🙁

 

Slowly but surely though, she is much more resilient than we are! lol Looking forward to Wednesday when we get to go have her body bandage taken off. More updates to come!  Getting the food dishes and ramp done first and then onto supplements and harnesses as she heals!

 

Margo

Las Vegas, Nevada
Member Since:
14 August 2009
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7 May 2012 - 11:34 pm
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Welcome Maggie and Margo!

So sorry to hear about the leg!  But as you noticed, being three legged isn't as bad as you imagine.  I had one for 12 years.  It was all good!  (if you don't count the 3 nervous breakdowns from worry I had over the course of 12 years! laughing

 

It sounds like Maggie is a wonderful little love "bugg"!!

Sending you lots and lots of good thoughts for a quick healing period!

 

p.s.

Did someone say "monkey"!????  No, no, no, no...not now!   Monkeydogs (the 4 legger siblings) are at war for attention with the tripawds!

Her Retired AvatarComet - 1999 to 2011

She departed us unexpectedly  January 23, 2011 at the age of 12 1/2.

She was born with a deformed front leg and a tripawd all of her life.

Houston, Texas
Member Since:
20 March 2012
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13
9 May 2012 - 6:21 am
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Hi Margo, I have a large Golden named Maggie Mae.  She had a front right amp on March 22nd of this year because of osteosarcoma.  No comparison in size between our two girls but the leaning experiences will be similar.  Be aware of the possibility that she may go through ( what I call ) a "Funk" after several days post surgery.  This will last for a few days when they try to adjust to living withh just three legs.  But she will get over it and will be her happy Maggie once again.  One other tip I can share.  If you can find small tee shirts for her, they work really wiell with front amps in protecting the wound area while healing.

Good luck and keeps us posted.  Don't hesitate to ask any and all for help.  This is a great site to share your thoughts and concerns.

Silver

On The Road


Member Since:
24 September 2009
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14
9 May 2012 - 10:03 am
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Hey Maggie have ya gone potty yet? Just wonderin.

Hope that each day is better than the last!

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

San Diego, CA
Member Since:
29 October 2010
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9 May 2012 - 5:21 pm
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Hi Maggie and Margo, Sorry to hear about Maggie's broken leg, but you've come to the right place. If she is only a year she definitely should adapt quickly. Our girl was only 15 months when she had her amp. She was still a crazy puppy once she fully recovered. Unfortunately, she was a tripawd due to osteosarcoma, so a very different situation, but it is wonderful to be a tripawd pawrent. They teach us so much about how to handle adversity and how to live in the moment.

Welcome to the club!
Jackie, Angel Abby's mom

Abby: Aug 1, 2009 – Jan 10, 2012. Our beautiful rescue pup lived LARGE with osteosarcoma for 15 months – half her way-too-short life. I think our "halflistic" approach (mixing traditional meds + supplements) helped her thrive. (PM me for details. I'm happy to help.) She had lung mets for over a year. They took her from us in the end, but they cannot take her spirit! She will live forever in our hearts. She loved the beach and giving kisses and going to In-N-Out for a Flying Dutchman. Tripawds blog, and a more detailed blog here. Please also check out my novel, What the Dog Ate. Now also in paperback! Purchase it at Amazon via Tripawds and help support Tripawds!

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