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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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New Tripod Dog Owner
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Member Since:
14 July 2016
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14 July 2016 - 6:26 am
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Hello, I wanted to reach out and get some advice for bringing home my new dog.  My boyfriend and I are adopting  a 3 year old shepherd mix from our local shelter.  She came to the shelter in pretty bad shape where she was found to have her back right leg chewed pretty badly (its unclear by the rescuers if it was self inflicted or from the other dogs she was chained up with) and the vets that did her intake made the decision to amputate her leg.  It is still recent, from mid-June 2016, so not only is she coming from a stressful environment of the shelter to a home, shes also getting used to her missing limb.  I wanted to get advice and tips for bringing home a tripod pet and how to make the home as comfortable as possible for her.  

Also, despite the horrible situation she came from, she is in great health and up to date on her shots.  If there is anyone who can offer advice for vet visits and what extra care we should make sure we take with her health to keep her happy, healthy, and strong.  

On The Road


Member Since:
24 September 2009
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14 July 2016 - 10:10 am
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Hi and welcome. Thanks for joining, your future posts won't required approval so post away.

What a lucky girldog to have you come into her life! What's her name? Got pics? Here's a post about adding images to the Forums.

So it sounds like her start is very similar to our Wyatt Ray 's, and many shelter dogs here who lost a leg to neglect. They got a ruff start in life but thank dog they have smart people like you who are asking all the right questions and providing the best life pawsible.

The first place to begin your research is Jerry's Required Reading List . Obviously you can skip the posts about pre-surgery and recovery, but do jump ahead to ones that discuss life on three legs, about mobility and exercise. Our book, Loving Life On Three Legs , has even more, as do all of the Tripawds Featured Blogs like the Tripawds Gear Blog .

My three biggest tips are:

1) Monitor her activity level so she doesn't overdo things. It's up to the humans to make sure they don't play too hard or run too long. You want to make sure she is strong enough to engage in the activities she loves most, without compromising her precious joints and remaining limbs.

2) Core muscles are key. Strong abdominal provide the strength and stamina to remain injury free.

3) Keep her leaner than you think she needs to be. Every extra ounce of fat puts more stress on her body.

Because she came from a background of neglect, you might have your work cut out for you when it comes to building a bond and basic obedience. Find a reputable trainer by talking to Shepherd breeders in your area and look for a trainer who understands the mindset of a Shepherd.

I hope this helps. Stay tuned, more folks will chime in shortly OK? Thanks again for joining us, we can't wait to follow along with your adventures.

Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet

Virginia







Member Since:
22 February 2013
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14 July 2016 - 10:31 am
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THANK YOU for giving this sweet pup a home where she will be loved! She's been through so much, but your patience and love...and probably more patience....will help her heal every aspect of her life! 🙂

Jerry has given you great links and, as usual, excellent advice. As you read thru things she'll see a need for non slip scatter rugs for traction if you have hardwood floors.

Sometimes rear leggers have challenges going UP stairs, but handle going down fairly easily. If you have a lot.of stairs you'll want to be aware of that.

Some members use raised food bowls and water bowls to help reduce strain.

You will be absolutely amazed at how well your dog handles @ife on three legs! Once all her fur has grown in you won't even notice she has three!

Do you have a name for her yet? When will she be coming HOME? HOME! SHE HAS A FUREVER LOVING HOME! YAY!!

Looking forward to more updates AND pictures!

Love

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!

Livermore, CA




Member Since:
18 October 2009
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14 July 2016 - 10:31 am
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Hello and welcome!

I second Jerry's recommendation for a qualified, experienced trainer.  I can't speak to the Shepherd aspect, but I do know that dogs that did not get good socialization as puppies and/or had a traumatic event in their lives usually take extra TLC.  I adopted my quad pug Obie when he was 4 years old.  I don't think he was properly socialized and I know he was abused and neglected.  He has some life long issues as a result (he is almost 10 now) and still has difficulty in some situations. We did several classes with a certified trainer to help him be more confident.

My current Tripawd is a pug mix named Elly.  She was hit by a car at 7 months old and lost her right rear leg as a result.  I'm not sure about her socialization as a puppy but I know she has lingering effects from the accident.  We are taking our 4th class now to help with her confidence... she has made great strides since I adopted her at 10 months old last October.

As far as the tripawd part- I spend time with Elly every day working on core strength and balance.  We do obedience drills, use balance equipment, and do food puzzles.  In addition to building core strength all this work also boosts her confidence and has strengthened our bond.  Elly is very skittish and wary of strangers.  When she first came home she was understandably scared of cars and traffic noises.  In fact our first neighborhood walk resulted in her shaking in fear of the traffic noises (silly me- I picked Monday morning at commute time!).  With lots of patience and encouragement (and treats) she has become fine with normal car traffic in our neighborhood and rarely even looks at passing cars anymore.

Can't wait to see pictures when you get your girl 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

 

              Maggie's Story                  Amputation and Chemo

Member Since:
27 August 2014
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14 July 2016 - 11:31 am
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Congratulations on your new family member! Both of you are so wonderful for welcoming her into your home. 

My dog was also poorly socialized and had a tough start to life. A trainer is a great idea and I would also recommend taking everything very slowly at this stage. Looking back, I wish I had given my dog more time to get used to her new life, instead of giving her so many new experiences right away. I think I overwhelmed her and it took us several months to get on the right track. 

I don't know if she's frightened of new people or dogs, but if she is, something that has worked well for me is a leash sleeve like this one that says "I need space". People are always interested in Jack and want to pet her, but she finds it stressful unless she's had some time to get to know them.  The leash sleeve has been a great way of keeping most people at a distance and letting Jack focus on what she's really interested in - watching the world go by and sniffing the ground. 

San Francisco Bay Area
Member Since:
27 June 2016
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14 July 2016 - 11:45 am
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Congrats on the new family member!  In terms of traumatized shepherds, I highly recommend contacting a Shepherd-specific rescue (or two).  they work with SOOO many traumatized shepherds they're bound to know who the best trainers are in your area.  Also, your vet might have some suggestions, ours takes care of the local Police K9s, so the private trainers she works with are well versed with GSDs, police and pet.  Your local shelter might have a contract with a low-cost trainer as well, but in my experience, a few expensive sessions are well worth the price.  Our quad Buster was abused and tied out in a back yard, had severe ear infections and tapeworms when we got him.  Very fearful.  We consulted with a GSD breeder over the phone a couple times and it made a HUGE difference.  I think we got her name from our vet's office or NARF, I can't remember.  Good Luck, and there's a lot of us with shepherds who are living proof life on three legs is GRRREAT! 

Cynthia and Sheba

Right rear amputation 6/30/16 due to osteomyelitis of fungal origin (Aspergillus Penicillium). 
Final diagnosis - systemic Aspergilosis Penicilliosis, being treated with long term itraconazole.
8/15/16 - Probable spinal involvement, loss of appetite, neurology consult in the works.

We're blogging at: The Ongoing Adventures of Sheba

Member Since:
27 May 2016
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14 July 2016 - 12:55 pm
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I strongly recommend the Web Master harness . Sadie ended up a tripod because while I knew she was timid as a result of under socialization, I underestimated by how much. I had to board her, she panicked at the strange place and backed out of her martingale. I'd gotten the martingale because she (in theory) couldn't back out of it. In fact, the couple times she'd tried before, it held her nicely. This time, she somehow slipped loose. I will never not feel guilty for my failure to anticipate she might be able to do that. crying

The Web Master does multiple duty in my house. It lets me help her with mobility. It is escape proof short of her somehow managing to shred it off her body. And when she is fixated on a squirel and absolutely, positively is not going to keep going on her walk, there's a squirrel, dang it! I just grab the handle and use it to turn her away and get her moving.

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