Tripawds Three Legged Dog & Cat Forum Archives

…many years ago I adopted an 11-week puppy who had a stump. She had a lot more than just that going on with her and was an amazing girl. She had a stump on the front and was constantly banging it. Covering it was impossible. One thing, I under evaluated at the time, was how much pain this was

…balance.

It is really wise to get him evaluated by a rehab therapist, so they can show you how to help him move better so that he doesn't drag the stump around as much. They will also show you how to keep him strong and injury free so that his body is healthy and without osteoarthritis for as long as…

…possible.

Covering the stump is tricky, if not impossible for most dogs. We've seen many folks try over the years, usually unsuccessfully. Here are forum topics about stump covers. I wish I could say there was a better solution. But the better route is to get him to a rehab therapist to find out why he is dragging and how to…

…the Tripawds Rehab Reimbursement program which can pay for your first rehab visit
. If you'd like help finding a therapist let me know.

A partial stump may mean that he is a good candidate for a prosthetic, which can be a game changer and delay osteoarthritis. Again, a rehab therapist is the best

…pictures, but just imagine a leg without a knee or food. 

He is overall healthy, fast little guy,  except from time to time his dragging his stump when he's running around and I cannot figure out how to get it covered. 

We took him to the vet but didn't get much information on this topic but

…t need to wait for approval so post away.

I'm curious, have the prosthetist and the vets offered any suggestions? This is a very tough area to cover, especially in the rear. We've had some DIY stump protector attempts for front leggers pop up every now and then, but nothing for the rear. You

…energetic and active animal who loves walks and chasing squirrels in the backyard; the problem is that she almost always ends up bleeding from her stump after every walk. She has been obsessed with exploring the back yard lately and I'm worried because her stump is starting to look more and more cut…

…m wondering what I should do to keep her from hurting herself every time she goes outside (and leaving blood stains around the house)? I've tried covering the stump a bunch of different ways, and nothing has worked. 

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…an orthopedic surgeon and several veterinarians, it was determined amputation was best.

Surgery was performed at 5 months of age. Following recovery, which went great. She continued to walk in the same manner as she had previously, in squat position, and with a sideways stride. I remained…

…patient that in time she would begin to walk and run in the same manner as many other 3 legged cats. We are nearly 2 months post recovery and she continues to walk and run in the same manner. I am concerned that she will cause muscle, bone, and joint irregularities with her other good…

…leg if this continues life long. Not to mention the pressure sores that may develop from "thumping" on her "stump".

I am seeking advice from anyone who may have an idea, or previous experience with this. I have been trying to help her change her walking by

…your leg, that must have hurt! I'm glad you got the care you needed. You live in Fiji? WOW!

So it sounds to me like you have quite a bit of stump left over? Is the area not healing or getting banged up when you run around? Can you post a photo so we can see you? Here are instructions for…

…adding images
. Let us know if you'd like help OK?

Many people have asked this question through the years. It's tricky to cover up a stump, and coming up with something in a hot climate like yours would be especially tricky 'cause I'll bet you wouldn't want to wear it all the time.
…

…Also see

https://tripawd.....-schnauzer

https://tripawd.....ons-needed

In short, the best thing to do is get rid of the remaining stump so that there is no risk of abrasion. I know that may be tough where you are. So really the best thing you can do right now is to manage her…

…activity so she doesn't overdo things to the point of her stump getting battered. Usually when a stump gets battered it's because a dog is going bonkers playing all day without any kind of breaks.

I know that is so hard to manage a Tripawd puppy!

…fore leg removed after a very bad break. We live in Fiji, so Vet services and aftercare products are nil. 

Has anybody had any luck making a cover to protect a stump?

…m sorry Arthur seems to be having a slow recovery. I have some thoughts I'd like to share with you.

First, try not to compare his with others. Arthur is his own dog, on his own timeline.

I…

…engage in any kind of fast, explosive activity. Repeatedly doing this will lead to muscle pulls and joint stress.

it happens and he’s crying his stump trembles (no other part of his body does) but whenever I rub it he settles down. 

The pain signals
Arthur is experiencing are probably not…

…directly related to his trembling stump. This is normal behavior for an amputee's stump, even years after surgery. Our Wyatt Ray
has a stump with a mind of its own. It is simply a disconnect of the nerves between the brain and the body. In some dogs its a sign of phantom pain
but that

…and welcome.

One place you might look is for something to protect the stump is DogLeggs.  You might also be able to design something yourself that attaches to a harness.  Unless the protection is attached to the body I don…

…something to protect her leg that she will keep on that would be great.  Maybe as she gets older she will slow down a bit and learn not to use the stump to the point of injury.  If you can't find a way to protect the leg then maybe you should revisit the idea of amputating the remaining leg so she…

…doesn't have to deal with the injury and recovery cycle.

If you do find something that works let us know.  Your efforts to help Peggy will help someone else down the road!

Karen and the

…Angel Eurydice who did not change one bit when she became 3 legged 😂

Have you tried a t-shirt or a "jacket" on her tying a knot on top and on the stump so it stays close to her body?

Of course, you did mention she tears boots or socks immediately but the t-shirt or jacket would cover her torso so

…of a loving family.

Long story short, they've only had Missy for two months, and about two weeks ago she developed a nasty pressure sore on her stump - the vet said that the pressure sore formed because when the original amputation was done when she was a puppy, too much bone was left - ideally…

…the leg should be amputated right up to the shoulder so that there's no stump left, it should be like there was never a leg there to begin with. So Missy went into surgery with aim of removing the stump - but the vet found…

…that the muscle around the bone had become too tough to cut, so he managed to remove some bone and make the stump a lot more manageable, but it's still there.

So now Missy's parents are worried about how they can protect her stump - she's very playful and…

…energetic and falls on her stump sometimes, and there's a real risk that she could put too much pressure on it again and get another pressure sore, which was awful for her - so they…

…harness' and would find plenty of options, but it looks like most tripod dog stuff is made for dogs where the amputation was done properly (ie. no stump left). What Missy really needs is something she can wear to protect her stump - something that would cover it maybe, leather or some thick

…gait, like arthritis and joint stress.

Unfortunately, there are two reasons why a prosthesis doesn't work in many animals. If there's not enough stump left to attach it to, it just won't stay on. Basically you need to have a lot of leg left below the elbow in order for it to work well. Not to say…

…. You can do lots of fun activities with her! These articles will give you some ideas:

Tips for Three-legged Cats During and After Amputation Recovery
I hope this helps! Be sure to post some photos of your kitten, we'd love to see them. Here's a post about adding images
to the Forums.

… move closer to the light, etc. I've seen her standing up while eating (for brief intervals) and even standing and scratching her head with her stump! 

She is somewhat nervous about being held, I think because it makes her feel unsteady and she flutters her little moth wings like crazy until she…

…. Can't see it too well here but she has 3 tiny toes with claws, 1 is at a right angle to her body and 2 point backwards and are fused together. Her stump is growing as fast as her other leg and seems healthy, except for some bruising from when she was still trying to walk on it.

3) Una today …

…(about 10 days old). Their wing feathers, tail feathers and coverts are coming in nicely. She was trying to dustbathe, because of the patterns on my quilts looking like dirt I guess. 

4) Una standing! It's

…life pain free for him & Friday he had his back right leg amputated. Post-op is so far so good. He could walk already: actually tried in recovery to walk away from us she we were trying to wake him. Now walking fine through the house & also outside to do his business. Just has to…

…remember not to lay on his stump. We are going through this with him step by step. Have had mostly good responses from people, except from 1 who wanted to know if dogs had to

…Do you have enough traction
on your floors? Is he perhaps getting too much activity right now? Preventing the falls would be easier than keeping a stump cover on I would think. 

…it was such a sudden decision to get her. It looks as if a deformed leg may have been somehow removed after birth, leaving her with a small little stump up to the elbow. It doesn't look infected currently, though it looks as though it has had a difficult time healing up from her maybe stumbling on…

…beneficial supplements to start her on, such as those for her bones/joints/etc.? And also maybe some type of ointment or sock/wrap of sorts to cover the problem area until she is seen by the vet? I want to prevent any sort of infection or problems until then. I plan on getting her a good harness

…s better for amputee pets? Let's take a look at partial versus full leg amputation for dogs and cats. We also discuss how pets with more stump are better candidates for pet prosthetics
. 

A Review of Partial Versus Full Leg Amputation for Pets 
Why is it that some Tripawd dogs…

…and cats have a stump when other don't? Is it better to leave part of the leg or take all of it? Should the leg and scapula go, or just the leg?

After talking to vets…

…taking all of the limb was the best idea.
The belief was that a partial limb would cause balance and gait problems if the animal tried to use the stump. But now that's not such an automatic decision.

How Limb Cancer Diagnosis Affects the Vet's Decision
A full limb amputation surgery on a dog…

….

If a partial limb amputation doesn't have adequate skin left at the incision area, complications can occur. As these Tripawd parents discovered, it can be tough to heal the thin-skinned incision area around a stump.

Several of our members with partial leg amputations have experienced…

…sometimes required to remove the rest of the limb.

“They Call it An Amputation Correction”
Our second tripawd, Biff, came to us with a small stump remaining of his left front leg. He has been with us now for almost two years, and the stump has become more of a problem. It has atrophied, and it…

…has a full leg, and that causes confusion in his gait. As you may or may not know, dogs put 60% of their weight on their front legs. Therefore, a stump in the back is not as much of a problem as a stump in the front.

"She should have had the scapula removal in the first place."
Vet Y said the…

…this "Non-Scapular vs. Scapular" discussion that their dog's partial limb amputation incision healed nicely:

We never had any issues with Sam’s stump–he was able to navigate in the house, up and down stairs, around corners, in the woods and underbrush, etc. fine. And he never had any problems

…he can still lick his wound with that cone, so we occasionally have to switch to a normal plastic one, that covers the length of his snout.

No idea how he lost his leg.  He did have a stump still when I got him.  We had that removed, as it was causing him…

…problems while laying down.  He'd constantly hit his stump on the ground.  Also the muscles that were still attached to the stump were constantly hard, and he would always try to stretch them out, ineffectively.  I spent many nights massaging those muscles to try and relax them…

….  In the end, the stump and shoulderblade were removed.

Here's a photobucket album with more pics of my buddy.

http://s701.pho.....y/bismarck

Thankfully only

…what I've seen in my years here a small stump on a rear amp is pretty normal, but leaving a stump in the front leads to trouble unless the plan is for a prosthetic.  Cora had to have a second surgery to remove her front stump, HERE are Chris'…

… posts- a couple are about the stump problem.  Chris posts as blackdogcompanion- you could send here a PM to get her input.

My little pug Maggie was a rear amp and had a mid…

…-femoral amputation.  It's a bit misleading as you couldn't see any stump, it was covered with the leg muscles.  You could see it move, actually see the skin and muscle move, and you could feel it.  It never caused her any problems,

…extended 'cuddle' session) with minimal help and no squeaking.  And tonight he's been very contented, which is so nice to see.

 

I've discovered a small, swollen tail of muscle just behind his withers.  It was very apparent in the pool today, and we think he's pulled it somehow.  This has…

…to use, and the hydrotherapist and I decided we'd get him to use it.  He had hold of Sid's collar to lead him up, and I had the idea to support his stump to keep him straight.  I had to place his front feet on the lower end, but once I'd taken some weight on the stump, he went up like a lamb!  He

…feel like I got my dog back.

We went away for a week, leaving the care of the dogs with a housesitter. When we returned on Wednesday, I saw her stump and to an extent, her entire back end twitched almost violently. She is stiff upon initially getting up, and now defecates almost sitting on the…

…either as mobility was limited for several weeks while we debated our course of action.

Anybody else had this much twitching? Otherwise her recovery has been nothing short of amazing, she has even figured out how to jump into the passenger seat of my Jeep again (needs help after our walks, she

…he thinks it is the remaining hind just been strained a little. But it is now clear there is also pain in the front leg/shoulder on the side of the stump. he is low and not himself, though eating and toileting normally. When he lies down and gets up he is stiff and wobbly. But if he is motivated…ie…

… though he is more tired afterwards than he was last week. We will be back at the vets next week, but is this a normal downer at this point in recover? In the past he has had downers bt this seems to be lasting longer…is it or can it be just a sign of the new stresses and strains he is putting on

…may just be a matter of him needing to regain strength. Rear-leggers tend to take a bit longer to rebuild muscle. But if he is damaging his stump, it definitely needs to be addressed.

Consider rehab work and strengthening exercises. Walks do not build strength, only stamina. And much

…fluid build up, more some days than others. He also has a lot of fluid in his groin area some days. I am thinking thta the tumbling onto his stump side aggravates teh healing and cause more inflammation.

Our vet has suggested that we do hydrotherapy- daily flusing with water. We've used…

…medi honey around the area and then covered the stickiness with a large band aid. It looks adorable- like we are trying to patch an amputation. There is some serum drainage and then

…able to handle a flight of stairs with only one front leg? I've heard 3 legged dogs do well, so can I expect him to become quite mobile once he recovers from the surgery? Without the burden of a permanently broken leg will he find movement easier than he does now?

The injury is below the elbow.…

…comfort and ease of movement when these things seem to be more difficult for him to achieve in the future or would the pressure on his poor little stump just cause soreness and pain?

Thanks for any advice anybody can offer. 🙂