cometdog said
Welcome Ella and Spirit!

What a special person you to foster a dog in need! 

I know your questions are directed at the immediate recovery mostly, but as one that had a tripawd from a puppy to the end (12 years), I can pass on a few long term tips...things I learned the hard way!

Ensure there aren't any slippery floors. Runners and throws are essential. (Walmart has a descent selection of matching ones in various sizes.  And Ross has a nice inexpensive selection too) This is so important for many reasons.  Taking spills is hard on them and also they can fall on their face and crack teeth.  (it's only took me 3 cracked teeth to finally figure out that harmless nose plants weren't humorous!) 

Raising the food and water bowl to the correct height is a great way to save their neck joints in the future.  Some tripawds like to lay down and eat, so it's mostly important for at least the water bowl to be raised.

Using a harness for walking/hopping also is better on their neck because of their need to go faster. They need momentum to hop. I liked using a retractable leash so Comet could go at her pace and not feel restricted but she was under 40lbs.

I hope that helps a little.

Keep us posted!!!

Thank you very much for this feedback! Wow, 12 years - that's fantastic. 

I really like the idea of the raised food and water bowls (our resident dog is a wee terrier tike, so we'll be taking a special trip to get some raised ones). We've got tile only in our kitchen, which is now outfitted with a runner and a doormat by the door to prevent slipping. The bathroom/bathtub is off limits at all times to the pets except for bath time....which does raise my next question - once stitches are out and she can be bathed, is there any way to make this as safe as possible?

We're definitely ordering a ruff wear harness for her right away, but I've been told that we need to wait a while before using it (not just until the stitches are out). Is this generally right? I don't want to irritate the stitches or the skin, but once stitches are out, do you find it is then ok to use the harness? I figure I need a game plan here in terms of short walks once she heals and whether I should attach the leash to collar or harness.

Thanks!

cometdog said
You are welcome!

Someone may have to jump in that knows better, but once the stitches are out, a bath should be okay...maybe a few days later.  When the vet takes the stitches out, have him confirm that. 

We put a towel in the bottom of the bathtub for baths.  Actually we still do it for our 4 legged terrier mix now too. (we have one of those too!) It works for us and no slipping.  We were lucky that our Comet loved water and loved being clean so, she was patient in the tub.

Keep in mind, when Comet was a puppy - we had no advice from anyone and so we played everything by ear. I never really even thought about her being three legged after about the 3rd day of having her.  So, we treated her like a regular dog. 

Here's a very vintage video of our Comet when she was probably around 3 years old.   Hopefully this will put your mind at ease.  She is the blond one tucking at the water hose!

I'm so sorry, I can't seem to load the video 🙁 But I bet she's darling!

Spirit is home at last after a very long road trip from the shelter. She's itching to bolt around but is still unsteady on three legs, so we're keeping her comfy and confined until her stitches are out later this week and we can try a little more exercise. In the meantime, doggy massage to get her oriented in her bionic little body and tons of frozen kongs with low sodium chicken broth.

I love her already, she's got this lovely deep brown gaze and melts her weight into you when you're giving her scratches under her chin. And she settles into her crate for the night like a champ. She's an all around great dog .... and ideal for people without cats. She is not ok with cats (even seeing one on TV made her growl). I'm not sure what slight the feline community has made but it's deeply ingrained in her.

Our resident cat is a no nonsense girl (never runs from dogs, struts right up to them) so I figure it's best if the two don't meet too often while we foster the lovely lab. Other than that, we're keeping her comfy and the rescue group appraised of her progress. So glad she made it out of that high-kill shelter! 

Thank you all very much for your feedback. We're looking forward to seeing her blossom!