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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I recently adopted a Rottweiler, Trey, that is approximately 1.5 years old. Aside from adjusting to being in a loving home with his new big sister, Trey also has a partial hind limb to worry about. He has most of his leg, but he keeps hitting his nub on stuff and damaging it. Toddler socks seem to help provide some cushion and are easier to take on and off than a typical bandage.
Has anyone had any luck on stopping the continued damage to the amputation site? We are working with our vet and are on a waiting list to get him into the vet rehab clinic at NC State, but I am concerned that continued damage will lead to infection or even more leg loss.
Besides being a tripawd, Trey is a 100% good boy even though he does not seem to understand how big or strong he is yet. I am working with a trainer to help me make him a little more manageable in public and he is making great progress. I’m very excited to have him and the opportunity to give him the life he deserves. We don’t know how he lost his foot, but he was an emergency pull from a kill shelter and he is currently undergoing heartworm treatment. Based on his behavior, I’d say he probably did not have the best humans before coming to us.
I guess I just wanted to introduce Trey and say how happy I am to have found this community.
Welcome to you and Rottie Trey! Yoir post has been approved and we are looking forward to following more of Trey's joirney.
Trey certainly hit the Puppy Lottery when you took him I to your home and your heart💖
Glad you are getting into a Rehabilitation program as they can be cery helpful in keeping Trey fit and strong on three.
Regrettably when a lot of limb is left we see situations like you have mentioned. While we always want to do what we can to keep limbs, sometimes amputation is an actual solution. He is young and will probably continue to try and use the limb which, as you already noted, can cause sores, pain and I infection.
How much of the limb is left? Sounds like enough that he iries to use it a lot.
One thing you can ask your Vet about woild be a prosthetic . Not sure of this would be an option for you to consider.
Thank you again for showing Trey what love feels like. Yoj are do an excellent job of providing him the care and u understanding he needs♥️
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!
Wow Trey is one lucky pup! Thank you for bringing him into your life and giving him such an amazing home!
You will both be in good hands at NC State, one of the best in the country! They should be able to tell you how to help him get strong and better balanced so that he doesn't bang up the nub so much. When a dog loses a leg at such a young age, they haven't developed all the motor skills necessary to stay balanced and walk with good form. The team might be able to reverse those bad habits, at least I hope.
Unfortunately we see stump problems quite a bit with dogs who have partial amputations. Some need to have an amputation correction, hopefully Trey will not.
If he has at least one joint he might be a prosthetic candidate. I'll be curious to see what the NC State team thinks about the possibility of prosthetics for him. I hope he can get in soon.
Here are some post about how members deal with partial amputations. One of our members even successfully made a DIY stump cover for her dog who also had a longer partial amputation. Over the years many have tried too, it's just a frustrating thing to manage and remember to put on. I'm glad you found the socks work.
Thank you! Trey has most of his hind limb. It was amputated right at the “ankle” joint, so I’m hoping he will be a good candidate for a prosthetic. He can actually stretch out that leg and ALMOST touch the ground when he is fully upright, so he does try to use it constantly.
I will definitely check out the resources you mentioned for stump management and protection. Right now he has a spot that keeps opening back up at the base of his stump, but I can’t stop him from trying to use it. He loves to run zoomies with my other dog and jump on everything. It’s impossible to keep a puppy like that down for too long lol.
Thanks again for the advice and support! I’m looking forward to learning all I can to give Trey the best life possible.
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