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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My dog was being watched by a family friend over the weekend but unfortunately got loose and was hit by a car. I’ve spent days and nights crying to the news that my beloved Daisy was going to lose a front leg. I have Googled and YouTubed Tripold dogs to hopefully find some peace. I can’t get past the fact that we had a healthy great dog just days ago. Now, not only is she hurt but she also lost a leg. I know many people says dogs don’t recognize these things and will easily adapt but I do worry a lot about her quality of life days ahead. The possibility of her developing arthritis, if she will be able to go on her normal walks (she loves to take long ones) or will she be confused that she has one less paw to grip on her bones. I am very greatful that she is still alive but it just hurts me greatly that she has to go through this. Any dog owners out there have any words of advice that would help turn this unfortunate situation positive?
Hello and welcome. We are so sorry about Daisy but glad she is going to make it. Of course you are in shock and worried, it's not something anyone ever expects to be dealing with. Yes, I do have some words of advice for ya.
First, remember that once she recovers she will still be a healthy and happy dog. Daisy will still be the dog you love, but she needs you to set the tone and be pawsitive. The more optimistic you can be about her recovery, the faster she will heal. Learn to Be More Dog and she will amaze you! No, she will not be confused, she will just be glad to be alive and feeling better once she's all healed up. Dogs don't have the same kinds of emotions we do, they live in the Now and move on much better than we do.
I also recommend Jerry's Required Reading List and our book Loving Life On Three Legs , both of which have tons of tips to help her have a great life. For example:
Yes she can still enjoy doing the things she loves, but you will need to modify them to make sure she doesn't injure herself or suffer from muscle or joint stress. Instead of a long walk with the pack, how about trying out a dog stroller? She will still get to go on those long walks, only now you are her chauffeur!
Many of the things she will experience are things that most dogs go through as they age, like arthritis. Many of the precautions you will need to take for her are things you would have had to do as she ages anyways, like adding traction to slippery floors and taking shorter, more frequent walks of 10-15 minutes each, instead of one big long one.
Yes, there is much to learn about having a Tripawd in the pack, and there are also many, many rewards too. You will fall in love with her all over again as you see how much stronger she is than you ever dreamed.
I hope this helps. Oh do tell us more about her, like what kind of dog is she? What are some of her favorite things to do other than walks?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hello and welcome. I'm sorry to hear about Daisy's accident.
Tell us more about Daisy...what type of dog? How big is she? How old?
Were there any other injuries from the accident?
OK- once she is healed up you still have a healthy dog- she is just more special now. My first Pug lost a rear leg to mast cell cancer- once she was healed up she hopped happily through life for almost 4 years. I did get a stroller for her since I had a younger Pug that need to walk farther than Maggie. There were a few things she couldn't do anymore like long walks, and long flights of stairs, but none of them affected her life quality. And she found ways to do pretty much anything she wanted.
Now I have a little Pug-mix named Elly. She was hit by a car when she was 7 months old and lost a rear leg as a result. I adopted her at 10 months old, she is now a little over 3.5 years old. Elly can do pretty much anything a dog her size and age can do, including stairs. I am careful with her activity level but that doesn't affect her quality of life. We play lots of food games and do food puzzles. We don't do really long walks and spend as much walking time as we can on soft surfaces. She has great core strength which is important to Tripawds- we do something every day to work on that. Games, puzzles, playing with her toys, obedience and trick training, and exercises. We also do K9 Nose Work which has turned out to be a great activity for her.
It's normal for us as humans to mourn the things our pups can't do anymore, but from my experience here dogs don't miss things, they spend their time figuring out what they want to do. Life will be a little different, but it doesn't have to be bad.
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Thank you for your caring words - they help tremendously. Daisy is a 5 year old 12 pound chihuahua. She loves to cuddle and be loved, she loves to sunbath on warm mornings, her ideal meal is chicken and rice. I have ran out of tricks to teach her as she quickly learned them all. I think she is more human than dog that is why this is so hard, she is a family member.
Daisy also sustained a rear right leg ankle fracture but that could be fixed with a pin; many people are saying their dogs often reject pins, I hope this is a normal/easy fix if it does happen but I guess I will cross that bridge when the time comes. Her bladder was also ruptured due to impact but seem to have healed itself over 2 nights; I guess this is normal if the leakage is small enough. Of course I’m still a little leery as I want to be as careful as possible and fix all that’s broken but I will have to just take the vet’s opinion for now. Her belly had a few open wounds as well, probably from hitting the pavement. She also has a broken toe and I was also told this would self heeled as well. The vet said she has been a fighter, way better than I ever could.
Daisy has a lot to deal with! Elly had some other minor injuries from her accident but no other breaks. She was fully healed when I got her 2.5 months post amp.
Elly weighs around 15 pounds and is about 20% chi.
Most pups here take 2 to 3 weeks to heal up from an amputation, Daisy will need more time to get back to herself. When was her surgery? Is she home? When Maggie had her amp our surgeon said she was only allowed short, leashed potty breaks for two weeks. Hopefully Daisy's other injuries will have a chance to heal up in that time.
Let us know how recovery is going and if you have any questions or concerns.
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
She is not home just yet. Hopefully this weekend. We went to see her last night after her last surgery and she was very anxious and wouldn’t stop whimpering, I was worried she was in pain but the tech assured me she was just confused after coming out of anesthesia.
Has Elly developed any joint/muscle issues? I’m concerned that Tripawds are at a disadvantage for development joint issues later on.
My biggest concern still is her quality of life afterwards, I just need to take everyone’s word for it that they will be just as happy as when they had all 4 legs. Once I see her all healed and be herself again, I’m sure it will be much better than right now.
Hey there I'm in the Tripawds Chat room right now if you want to talk.
Yes, she will have extra challenges for recovery as Karen mentioned. But being smaller, she should easily conquer them and be back to her old self pretty soon.
As for extra joint and muscle issues: yes, Tripawds are prone to arthritis at an earlier age. And impacts from activities like jumping off furniture put them at greater risk for injury. BUT, as her human, you can do lots to decrease the risk and help her live a healthy life. As I mentioned, our book Loving Life On Three Legs has lots of exercise tips, as does our Tripawds Gear blog .
Something you may want to consider is a consult with a canine rehab therapist. Since she is dealing with so much more than most dogs, a canine rehab therapist can help you create a plan to assist her in recovery. They are sooooo worth the time and effort, and the best part is the Tripawds Foundation may even pay for your first rehab visit ! If you don't know of any in your area let us know and we can help you find a practitioner.
We hope she can come home soon!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Elly hasn't developed any joint issues as of yet but as Jerry said Tripawds are more likely to develop joint issues earlier just because of their altered gait.
I work very hard with Elly to keep her fit and strong and I try and keep her on the light side weight wise. In addition to the games and such I mentioned above I have stairs or stools next to all the furniture on which Elly is allowed. She is pretty good about using them- but once in awhile she still jumps off when she gets excited. For Daisy it will be really important that you limit jumping down to reduce the stress on the one front leg. I live in a house with stairs and Elly does those just fine. In a perfect world I would help her up and down (especially up as a rear amp) but life isn't perfect! It's just not practical for me to help her so she does them on her own.
A rehab visit once Daisy is healed is a great idea. She has so much to overcome and getting her strong once she is healed up is really important. Even if you only go a couple times they should be able to get you started on a strengthening program you can continue at home.
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Geez!! What an ordeal!! Just catching up on the adorable and well loved Daisy!
You've gotten great advice, so I just want to add my love and best wishes for you and Daisy.
Continue with one step at time. She's just had major surgery and has additional "challenges" beyond the amputation. It will be a slow recovery and, most likely full of ups and downs for awhile. You aand Daisy WILL get throug rhis though!! She clearly is a fighter and has lots of inner strength!
I'm sure the Bet will send Daisy ho e woth si e good pain meds. Most here come home with Tramadol, Rimadyl, Gabapentin and an antibiotic. Some alao come home with a pain patch. Managing g rhe pajn can be a bit of trial and error, so stay in touch with your Vet.
She may not poop for several days and may not have much of an appetite for a few days. Try any yummy foods she will eat. Drinking and peeing are important though.
STAY CONNECTED! As you can see, YOU ARE NOT ALONE! We are here with you to help support you in any way we can.
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!
Every time I feel down, I go back on here to read all of the words of encouragement. Thank you again for all you do...
Daisy is home and we’re on our way to healing. With all of her injuries, the vet is saying 4 weeks of bandages on and recovery, we will talk stairs after 4 weeks.
I’m having a really hard time with her meds especially Tramadol, I’ve been trying to mask it with her favorite foods but she always knows. I also bought pill packets but success is inconsistent. Aside from literally forcing it down her throat, I am out of options. Since her pain meds have to be taken every 8 hours, I have to set my alarm at 2 in the morning for one of the doses. Is there a solution for this as well? I anticipate on asking the vet this but always forget when talking to her.
baoannabel said
Aside from literally forcing it down her throat, I am out of options...
That is actually one of the most effective ways, but you will find plenty of options in the Tripawds Featured Blogs...
How to Give a Dog Pills
How to Pill a Dog or Cat
Pill Taking Treats, Strategies and Secret Recipes
You can also search all blogs here .
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Tramadol is really, really bitter, one of the hardest meds to give.
It's important not to touch the pill with your fingers and then touch the food you are trying to hide it in- the taste and odor will transfer to the food. When I am giving tram I use tweezers to handle the pill, or if I am cutting the pills (I have small dogs) then I wash my hands really well before I handle their food.
I have found melted cheese a good way to get pills down. I put several small pieces of cheddar cheese (just enough to cover the pill) on a plate and microwave for a few seconds- just long enough for the cheese to get melty. Then I wrap the pill in one piece of cheese and keep it as small as possible so the dogs will more likely swallow without chewing. Melting the cheese makes the pill balls a little oily and help them slide down. I get the pup going with a 'blank' cheese ball or two- I find when they see I have several treats to give them they swallow pretty easily. Also, with two dogs I find that if I give them cheese balls side by side they also tend to swallow pretty quickly.
I'm glad Daisy is home! She has lots of healing to do so be sure and keep track of each little sparkle or glimpse of normal as the days go by to help you stay positive. She will get there!
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
So glad Daisy is hime!! I know she is too!
And yes, ditto Karen in not letting your hands touch the tramadol ot any part of food the pill is wrapped in. As she said, use tweezers to taken it out of the bottle. And reinforcing that technique again, maybe make a little slit in a cheese hot dog, or a spot in a ball of cream cheese and insert it in there. And "cover" it without any part of it exposed. Toss a couple of balls of cheese, or hot dog first without the pill...then the ine woth it... then quickly toss another without it.Let us know how it goes.
As far as staggering her dose so yoh don't have to wake up in the middle of the night, ask the Vet about maybe giving her a bit more pf rhe dose that she takes at bedtime to carry her through the night without getting up.
Stay connected and let us know how rhings are going. Goodness knows you have a challenging bit of recovery time coming up, but you and Daisy will get through it! She's already shown she is a strong fighter!
Can't wait to see pictures of this cutie!
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!
And just in case...(like me lol) keep something delicious for after to take that bad taste out of her mouth.
I had one batch of cbd that was like sucking on pine needles lol. I always taste before i give so i know what I'm dealing with. After that whole batch of cbd i gave him his favorite treat so he didn't have to deal with nasty in his mouth. Be it cheese, hot dogs, a snausage, whatever works so she always knows something good is coming...
❤️❤️
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry 
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