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 tripawd, Peggy (the peg leg), is an amazing little girl who is just a ball of energy. She is a hound/beagle/who knows what mix. She was born with 3 regular legs but her front right one just ends at the elbow, so I guess technically she has 3.5 legs. She did not have to go through that much of a learning curve because she has only known life this way. Vets said they saw no advantage to fully amputate so she has a little chicken wing. I love how energetic and playful she is, but she always goes overboard. If she is playing with the neighborhood dogs, she will use her stub, the same as her other legs when they wrestle which usually leads to a bloody stump because she digs it into the ground to brace herself. When she gets the zoomies in the house, she always manages to get rug burn or tears open her stump. I am stocked with styptic powders, antibacterial spray, liquid bandages, bootie bandages for little dogs which happens to be the same size as her stump, pre-wrap, and a ton of other things. I have tried to get her to wear a sock or a boot, but she just tears it off immediately. Every time I have to bandage her, she gets mad at me because I have to cone her (at least it is a soft fabric one, not the plastic ones). I want to find some means of prevention, but I am at a loss. I do not want to discourage her excitement and vigor for life but I also do not want her to be in pain/injured all the time. Any ideas? Any one have a solution that has worked for them?
Hi Peggy and family, welcome! You ask such important questions and are wise for seeking answers. We can help!
I apologize for the brief reply but I’m on my phone and hitting the hay. I’ll be back on my computer tomorrow so until then here is an article about helping young Tripawds stay injury free:
https://gear.tr.....pawd-dogs/
It’s a little more focused on recovery but the advice is similar: it’s up to us to focus on activities that tire their brains before their bodies to help them avoid injury.
Stay tuned for more feedback and I will check back here tomorrow!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Oh my ... Peggy is a ball of energy in 3 1/2 legs alrighty ☄️💨💨
Most of my dogs were (and are) like that but luckily they were on 4 legs, expect Angel Eurydice who did not change one bit when she became 3 legged 😂
Have you tried a t-shirt or a "jacket" on her tying a knot on top and on the stump so it stays close to her body?
Of course, you did mention she tears boots or socks immediately but the t-shirt or jacket would cover her torso so maybe she will give up when she sees it cannot be removed?
How about getting her swimming to burst out energy without any risk of injury?
Others will have more suggestions, stay tuned!
Good luck with your mini torpedo 🚀
Hugs and cuddles 😘🐮💫✨🌟🌹
Eurydice 77kg/170lb Great Dane limping end of April 2016, amputation (right front leg/osteosarcoma) 4 May 2016 6 courses of carboplatin followed by metronomic therapy, lung mets found 30 Nov 2016. 3 courses of doxorubicin, PET scan 26 Jan 2017 showed more mets so stopped chemo. Holistic route April 2017. Lung X-ray 5 May 2017 showed several tennis ball size mets, started cortisone and diuretics. Miss Cow earned her XXL silver wings 12 June 2017, 13 months and 1 week after amputation and 6 1/2 months after lung mets, she was the goofiest dawg ever and is now happily flying from cloud to cloud woof woofing away :-)
Hello and welcome.
One place you might look is for something to protect the stump is DogLeggs. You might also be able to design something yourself that attaches to a harness. Unless the protection is attached to the body I don't think you are going to get anything to stay on an active pup.
I have seen several dogs here who have a partial front leg left and unless it's tucked close to the body (the case I can remember was a deformity) there are ongoing problems with injury as you are seeing, especially if they try and use it to walk or push off. You might consult with an orthopedic vet to see what they think.
Here is a Blog Post on Partial vs. Full Amputation. I know the limb issue is congenital, but there is some discussion in the post about addressing partial limb issues.
If you can find something to protect her leg that she will keep on that would be great. Maybe as she gets older she will slow down a bit and learn not to use the stump to the point of injury. If you can't find a way to protect the leg then maybe you should revisit the idea of amputating the remaining leg so she doesn't have to deal with the injury and recovery cycle.
If you do find something that works let us know. Your efforts to help Peggy will help someone else down the road!
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
Thanks for the welcome Jerry! That article is great and very helpful!
Ah the t-shirt is a great idea! I am going to try that for sure!
Swimming works about half a year since I am in CT... winter swimming would not be fun. 🙂 And she is still working up the courage to go in the water that is passed where she can touch the bottom. Mainly she just walks in and blows bubbles and walks out...such a strange little creature!
Another thought: Is there any chance you would be interested in having her evaluated for a prosthesis? When a dog has a "chicken wing" (even prostheticians call them that!) they can often wear an artificial limb. See our interviews with OrthoPets for more information:
https://tripawd.....orthopets/
So yeah as I was saying, it's up to us to monitor our dogs' activity levels. They will not do it themselves, until they are so exhausted they cannot go on anymore and by then, it's too late. You want to prevent her from getting to that point. It's one of our greatest responsibilities as a Tripawd parent. If you can do that, you will save yourself a ton of vet bills and heartache as she ages. We've seen many Tripawds who were allowed to go overboard their entire lives, only to reach age 7 or 8 and have serious orthopedic issues .
Your best bet is to focus on brain games and interactive training that help tire the mind over the body. It's just as effective and a lot less stressful on her joints.
One way to learn what she is and isn't capable of doing is to have her evaluated by a rehabilitation therapist. The best part is, the Tripawds Foundation may even pay for your first rehab visit ! We hope you'll give it a whirl.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
First! The t-shirt is working amazingly! Her stump has started really healing finally. And I have it tied just to the point that it is slightly immobilizing her chicken wing, without restricting anything important, so she has been focusing on using the one leg instead which is the ultimate goal anyways!
I took a look at the DogLeggs site and there are a few things I am going to send to her vet to see what she thinks. Thanks for that recommendation!
I spent some time today on Chewy and Amazon and I ordered a few of the pupper brain games to try with the little nugget, so fingers crossed that those slow her little self down. Thats such a smart recommendation!
On the more vet related side, conveniently in my hometown is Cornell University Veterinary Specialists, and I have met with Dr. Hart (she specializes in canine rehabilitation and small animal accupuncture) there who is incredible a few months ago. Because of how developed the majority of the leg is, she would prefer that we avoid amputation if possible. She is having me come back now that Peggy is finally full grown. She is already working with Orthopets to see what they think would work best with the situation she has, orthosis vs prosthesis vs what ever else they have up their sleeve. Our appointment is in 2 weeks. She said she always amputates when the whole leg is underdeveloped, but because it is half it is a more dangerous surgery.
I am so glad I reached out to this site, you guys have amazing ideas. And I should have realized a lot earlier on that I should find a group like this with the collective knowledge and experiences! Much much appreciation! I cannot wait to bring you all of my questions and milestones! 🙂
I'm excited to hear how the consult goes in two weeks! Neither of my rear amp Tripawds were or are able to use a prosthetic. Maggie lost her leg to cancer so most all of the femur had to go. I adopted Elly as a Tripawd and she has no femur at all.
And I'm glad Jerry recommended the food toys and puzzles- they are used pretty much daily around here. They make Elly work on her strength and balance, they challenge her mind and they tire her out without too much stress on her body. And she LOVES them!
We also found the sport of Nose Work about 2 years ago. I started her on NW to help with her fear issues and she turned out to be very good at it, we are actually competing now. Another great way to work her mind and tire her out! You don't need to compete either- we play a game at home where I hide treats around a room while she sits and waits in another room (obedience practice too!) and then she searches for them.
Just be sure you subtract the calories for all the treats from the daily total. Elly's meals are a bit smaller than my quad-Pug boy since we spend so much time on training and games.
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
Oh, so glad to hear the t-shirt worked, wooohoooo !
Look super forward to hearing how your appointment goes, in two weeks.
Great she may be able to wear a prosthesis!
Sending you love and cuddles 😘🐮💫✨🌟🌹
Eurydice 77kg/170lb Great Dane limping end of April 2016, amputation (right front leg/osteosarcoma) 4 May 2016 6 courses of carboplatin followed by metronomic therapy, lung mets found 30 Nov 2016. 3 courses of doxorubicin, PET scan 26 Jan 2017 showed more mets so stopped chemo. Holistic route April 2017. Lung X-ray 5 May 2017 showed several tennis ball size mets, started cortisone and diuretics. Miss Cow earned her XXL silver wings 12 June 2017, 13 months and 1 week after amputation and 6 1/2 months after lung mets, she was the goofiest dawg ever and is now happily flying from cloud to cloud woof woofing away :-)
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