Welcome to Tripawds!  You rock!!!  What a lucky dawg.  Gerry still has his paws crossed (and I my fingers crossed) for a three-legged choc lab in our neck of the woods that is looking for a home.   I wish I could take her, but fortunately she does have a good foster home and isn't stuck in a kennel until she finds a permanent home.

My Gerry, who is about two and had his amputation due to an injury, takes a glucosamine supplement called Dasuquin that helps protects his joints.  It generally gets recommended when dogs get older and start having trouble, but for tripawds its generally considered a good idea as a preventative measure, since there's going to be some extra stress on the remaining limbs.  Gerry loves his Dasuquin.  It's chewable and tastes like liver.  There are a lot of treats out these days that advertise they have glucosamine for joint health.  Pam the vet though, as I recall, commented that the glucosamine in those treats isn't necessarily usable or good quality – something to that effect.  So they're probably not even worthwhile for that purpose and it's better to ask your vet about a supplement, if it works for your budget.

Smooth floors can be an issue.  My first tripawd (front-leg amputee) Yoda very rarely slipped on my wood floors (or any other smooth floors for that matter.  But some dogs persisently have troubles and Gerry (rear-leg amputee) definitely slips more often, but only when he gets over-excited and forgets about his balance.  Somehow he didn't have the same problem on the ice this winter!  I was the first one to go down.  Rugs or floor runners are often recommended on this site. 

Do others have tips about beds?  I was wondering about that myself the other day.  Gerry sleeps on the couch about 75% of the time.

No doubt others will chime in with more tips – if they haven't already!  But most of this info exists in the forums somewhere.  Try giving the search engine a try too.  You might find answers to questions you wouldn't have thought to ask along the way.

Raise the food dishes (esp. if a front tripawd), as it's harder to put their head down & balance with only the 3 legs.

As for beds, I like Harley to use his baby crib mattress ... I feel it just gives more support/comfort for him and his size (but this is my thinking, he doesn't seem to care if he's on the hard floor, his regular wal-mart type dog bed, the couch, the bed, the crib mattress, etc ...).  One thing I love about the crib mattress is it is easy change the sheet when it gets dirty.

http://www.dogf.....r.com/ is a website that was posted on the forums a few months ago that rates dog food.

Best of luck to you!!

Bless you for adopting!  What's your little one's name?  Is it a front or rear leg that is missing?

Comet has a left front leg that is deformed and doesn't function.  She is about 11 1/2 years old and I've had her since she was 4-5 months old.   She looks like a lab in a corgi body and weighs 38lbs.

We have a topic section regarding dogs that are missing legs from birth or accidents here: http://tripawds.....nd-cancer/

For sure you have to make sure your floors aren't slippery.  They fall and can crack their teeth (done it several times!).  Plus, they can blow out their back knees.  (done it twice!)  Keep in mind, I was the only one on earth that had a 3-legged dog so I didn't know any better and winged the first 10+ years of her life before finding this site! (or so I thought!)

 I have throw rugs and runners with the rubber backing were there is tile.  I found that Walmart had the same color and style in various sizes so that is what I have placed around.  It doesn't look so patch-worked since they all match. 

We have lots and lots of comfy beds in which she loves. And I am fanatical about keeping Comet's toenails short, too. 

Cheap therapy is swimming.  Comet has her own pool.  Walking too far is really a strain on them.    This model is around $100.

 You can buy one here: Intex Pool Info/Order Page

And doing muscle massages yourself will help the soreness they have from getting tense and sore. 

When Comet was younger she did everything any dog could do.  She'd jump on the bed, couch and in the car.  She still goes up/down the stairs in our house. 

I hope that helps!  Take a look around the site to get some good ideas on life with a tripawd.  It will help you a lot!

Best wishes,

Comet's mom

Hope the setback is temporary.  Heartworms is not good, but most time are treatable. I admire folks who will give a tripawd adoptee a chance.  You are special in my book!

Well what a handsome guy!  He almost looks like he has some Bernese Mtn dog mixed with Happy dog! 

Good luck on the health problems.  We'll keep our paws crossed there are no snafus! 

Go upload that handsome face so you will have a profile pic on him (we call it an avatar)

Here's how:

Click the "Profile" button on the top right of the forum page.  On the next page, you'll see this in small print:

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NOTE: Upload your member avatar picture by visiting your Tripawds User Dashboard. If you have a blog, click the Users -> Your Avatar tab. 

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Click the "your Tripawds User Dashboard" link.  The next page click the "Your Avatar" and follow the directions. 

Please note: the 'alternative upload' button seems to  work better for some users, including myself.  Do not to upload a gigantic picture either, it doesn't like that either.