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
We spent a lot of time explaining to her why it would be done and what he would look like afterwards but now that Morgan is home our 3 1/2 year old is scared of the way Morgan looks, more the shaved hair and staples than the lack of leg. Any advice or resources on helping her cope and adjust?
When our five year old grandson first saw Murphy, he wanted to know when the leg would grow back. Grandpa told him it wasn't going to, but that Murphy still had more legs than Turner did. That satisfied him. The eight year old said, "Well, at least he won't have to lift his leg to pee."
I think that with the amputation being so new, this is something that is going to take time. Perhaps telling your daughter that Morgan will still be able to run, but that right now the thing that's needed is lots of love. Three and a half year olds seem to have a lot of hugs in them. Hopefully Morgan is receptive to them.
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!
morgan7 said
Any advice or resources on helping her cope and adjust?
Have you searched the Tripawds Amazon Blog yet? You will find various reviews and recommended children's books to help kids cope with amputation for their pets.
A member once posts a video of her children crawling around on three to help them understand, it looked like they were having fun too! Can't recall which site, but you can search all Tripawds blogs here.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
PS: Have Morgan wear an old t-shirt to cover the incision site. Boxer shorts can be used on rear leggers, with the tail through the flap. More tips can be found in the Tripawds e-books and Jerry's Required Reading List .
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
My daughter was 6 when Bailey's hind leg was amputated. We explained to her that she was going to have the most unique dog out there and that she could help nurse him back to health with us. We would give her jobs that let her feel she was part of his recovery (such as watching him and letting us know if he was trying to get up, she helped me make a sling and she assist him ever so slightly if he needed a little helping hand). She and her friends all made him get well cards that we hung above his bed. To this day she tells everyone about her three legged 19 year old dog.
1 Guest(s)
