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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Hello all,
We will be new to the tripawd community on Monday. Our beloved Golden, Morgan, was hit by a car on Wednesday morning. His left front lower leg is crushed. After a trip to the vet and xrays, and consultations with the U of MN vet clinic Thurs and Fri, we have determined that pins or plates will not reconstruct this leg, and it must come off. But do we go above the knee,, or take the whole leg off? Vets have offered no real direction here. We have considered getting a prosthetic, but think maybe that would be more for our benefit than his. He won't hunt with my husband or run with me anymore, and we just want to give our family member the best quality of life.
He is 7 years old and a big dog-80-100 pounds. yet is very fit-he runs with me regularly 3-5 miles and is a hunter. He is just a REALLY big Golden! Long legs and uncoordinated. 
Thoughts?
Welcome, your future forum posts will not require moderation.
Too many times we hear from members who have put their dogs through multiple painful surgeries trying to save a leg. If your vet is recommending amputation, then that is the smart choice. If the surgeon is turning to you for recommendations, then it may be time to seek a second opinion. While many vets say they do amputations all the time, it really is best to have a specialist do the job. The fact that a vet is turning to a pet owner for direction regarding surgery is just scary.
We are not vets, but we have interviewed many. And certified rehab vet specialists have told us that if a dog has remaining limb left, he will try to use it. This can cause posture and spinal issues down the road, and we have heard from at least a couple members over the years who ended up amputating the remaining limb later on due to complications with healing.
As far as prosthetics for dogs go, most tripawd candidates we have met over the years manage much better on three legs than trying to adapt to an odd device attached where they just lost a limb.
Ultimately, this decision is up to you and your vet and it should be based solely on what is best for Morgan. We have had a number of members whose dogs still hunt on three legs. Just look at Bart, the recent cover dog for Gun Dog Magazine!
Best wishes for Morgan's speedy recover, whatever you decide.
PS: Here's a couple tripawd hunting heroes for you. You'll find others by searching the forums and blogs.
Bart – an extraordinary Vizsla
AKC Master Hunter & Vizsla Tripawd World Domination League Spokesdog
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thank you for your reply and links. The more I research and learn, the more manageable this is starting to feel.
Just wanted to say welcome to Morgan and family. We'll be thinking of Morgan during surgery on Monday and sending positive thoughts his way!
Good luck with the surgery.
You might want to check out Bart's blog for inspiration: http://bart.tripawds.com/
We have seen a couple other tripawd bird dogs here too. I'm not saying Morgan will be able to hunt like he used to, but there is still the possibility. The first couple weeks after surgery can be tough, so don't get discouraged. Let Morgan heal up and get used to his new normal, then see what he can do.
Karen and the pugapalooza
Good luck Monday! Will be sending pawsitive thoughts out to you and your pup.
Keep us posted,
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!
Hi there, it is my 12 yr olds, 4 month apuversary today, yay ! and he is doing great, running around, playing, spinning, leaping, etc !!! The vet opted to amputate at mid humeral level (just above the elbow joint) which leaves him with a 2-3 inch little stump. I was concerned at first that it would cause problems, but it healed up beatifully, and he finds it quite helpful for ballance when lying down, and other little things, he almost seems proud of his little stump, lol, and offers it to anyone who will take it, as a shake a stump gesture. If your vet doesnt feel taking the whole scapula is a good option, maybe mid humeral would be a good way to go, rather than just above knee, as he is never tempted to use it while in standing motion, as its just not long enough to even try. I have to admit, it doesnt look as clean, and to some maybe unappealing, but as an owner you become very attached to lil old stumpy !!!
Good luck !
My Doberman was my running buddy and I didn't think he would be able to run with me again...but boy was I wrong. He couldn't go very far on a leash but I started visiting different trails in the area. I would let him off his leash so he could go at his own pace. We were back to running 4-5 miles in 60 days after surgery. My poor guy also had cancer in his lungs which started to slow down the running...but having three legs was no problem for him! I hope you have some off leash areas to run where you are at. You'll have your running buddy back in no time!
Levi was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma 7-7-11
Ampuversary 10-14-11
Lung Mets Discovered 1-4-12. Chemo seemed to not be working so we switched to Artemisinin and other supplements. In May, Levi developed a sinus infection and started having seizures. The cancer had moved to his brain. We let him go 6-26-12.
Oh- and I now love trail running so much more than on the road. Thanks to my Levi I discovered a great new hobby 
Levi was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma 7-7-11
Ampuversary 10-14-11
Lung Mets Discovered 1-4-12. Chemo seemed to not be working so we switched to Artemisinin and other supplements. In May, Levi developed a sinus infection and started having seizures. The cancer had moved to his brain. We let him go 6-26-12.
Thinking of you today and wishing you the best!
Joan and Lily
Our beautiful Lily was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in her front leg on 12/14/11 at age 8 and had amp on 12/16/11. She completed 5 rounds of carbo. She was so brave and kicked cancer's butt daily! She lived life fully for 4 years, 3 months, and 15 days after her amp. My angel is a warrior princess. I miss her so much.
Ditto! We send all our best to you Morgan and hope that you're back on your three paws in no time! Keep us posted.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Sending good thoughts to you and Morgan today.
Shanna & Spirit Trouble ~ Trouble gained her wings 3/16/2011, a 27 1/2 month cancer survivor, tail wagging. RIP sweetheart, you are my heart and soul. Run free at Rainbow Bridge.
The November Five - Spirits Max, Cherry, Tika, Trouble & Nova. 11/2008 - 3/2013 An era ends as Queen Nova crossed the Bridge.
Hey! We are from Minnesota too (just passed WBL). Our dog Barrett is a German Shorthaired Pointer who jumped out of our car about two months ago and had his front left left amputated. His vet decided to remove his whole leg for his treatment.
Initially I thought things would be drastically different having a dog with 3 legs. But to be honest, he's the same pup as before. He probably gets himself into more trouble now than before 
The beginning will probably be difficult. Barrett had to deal with not only the amputation, but road rash wounds, and then ended up getting an infection due to the surgery. Hang in there, it gets better and once your bud gets better, it pays off. The first time we took him swimming post surgery, we were near tears. You will learn to appreciate the small things with your pup. As they relearn the things they did on a daily basis, it just warms your heart. My husband is working on training him to hunt and I hope to get him into running again. We had just started running shortly before his accident. I have no doubts he will be able to do it again considering he kept up with a 4 wheeler. I am sure your pup will continue to do the same things enjoyed before. If they want something, they will learn to adapt and do it.
Feel free to PM me with any questions. Hang in there! We are all here for you and your family!
i had to amputate my nordic breed's front left leg on august 6th of this year. she is getting around really well; however, i see that this is hard on her back (old injury is flaring up) and other legs. we amutated the complete leg--shoulder and all--and thus, cannot get a prostethic leg, which would help keep the rest of her orthopedically healthy in the long run. she was very active and now, longer walks and strolls in the woods are entirely out of the question. i really wish that we would have left part of the leg so that she could have a leg, if only part time, for exercise and enjoyment. for what it's worth, if you can keep a bit to strap something onto, you should. there are awesome products out there!
good luck!
Hi everyone!
Good news! Morgan did GREAT. They took above the "knee" but below the shoulder, leaving just a little stump. Vet was concerned that if they took the whole shoulder they would have to remove too much muscle. We're really happy with the result. The wound looks good and is healing nicely. His energy level is through the roof. Our biggest problem right now is just keeping him resting and not running around. He begged and begged to go outside and then hunted out his tennis ball in the bushes. When we refused to throw it for him, he started tossing it in the air himself and running it down. Crazy dog! And that was 24 hours post surgery.
He looks kinda sleepy right now, but I also gave him his meds an hour ago so I am sure he is seeing some pink elephants flying through the room. But as long as we heal okay, I think he will be back to his regular self in no time. He is navigating stairs like a pro and has figured out how to moderate his speed hop pretty well in the house. I couldn't be more releived.
Thanks everyone for your support! I never thought I would need a tripawd community, but I am so glad I found you all. This site gave me a lot of hope over the weekend as we approached a very frightening Monday morning, and I have so much optimism for his future with us, and more importantly his health and happiness.
I'll be around!
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