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.
Join The Tripawds Community
Learn how to help three legged dogs and cats in the forums below. Browse and search as a guest or register for free and get full member benefits:
Instant post approval.
Private messages to members.
Subscribe to favorite topics.
Live Chat and much more!
Register
Log In
Members
Add Topic
Offline
Hello all -
Its been 2 weeks since Rileys amputation and she is doing great… except for sleeping that is….
She is only sleeping in 1 hour intervals before she has to get up and move around and then she lays back down and goes back to sleep….
Just wondering if this is normal…….or if I should get another type of dog bed now that she is Tripawd.
She lays on the fluffy ones we have from costco (she had them before surgery) - we tried the orthopedic kind with the memory foam but she refused to use it……
Any advise would be GREATLY appreciated…I really need some sleep!!!!!
Hi Rilley,
I think that restlessness is pretty normal, but a firmer mattress could make things better. It did for me. I used to use a Costco bed too. Once my pawrents settled on a thick foam mattress and nixed the bulky stuffing, and it made a lot of difference.
Here's some things that may help:
"The Perfect Bed for Your Tripawd"
Try Kuranda Beds for Support and Comfort
The Flophouse Dog Bed from Ruff Wear: For Recovery, or Recreation!
Hope you both start to get some sleep soon!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Miss Riley said:
Hello all -
Its been 2 weeks since Rileys amputation and she is doing great... except for sleeping that is....
She is only sleeping in 1 hour intervals before has to get up and move around and then lays down and goes back to sleep....
Just wondering if this is normal.......or if I should get another type of dog bed now that she is Tripawd.
She lays on the fluffy ones we have from costco (she had them before surgery) - we tried the orthopedic kind with the memory foam but she refused to use it......
Any advise would be GREATLY appreciated...I really need some sleep!!!!!
You say Riley is getting up and moving around and going back to sleep, she may need a new bed but perhaps she is just getting use to her new body. Do you still have your vigilant post surgery "mom" ears on? I still hear Daisy get up in the middle of the night and turn over. When I get out of bed and look, she is usually sound asleep. I think, just like people, every dog has a different preference in bedding and that may change post surgery. Hope you get some rest!
Daisy earned her wings on Oct 22, 2011 at 14 years old
She is now the official greeter at the rainbow bridge
Everyone is guaranteed a welcome sniff and Dalmatian smile
I knew Dakota would need a different bed, especially a larger one, but I also didn't want to spend a couple of hundred bucks on it. Then, like you, I was concerned about the rejection factor. I compromised and made a bed. I bought 2 egg crate mattress pads and cut each in half. I nested the 4 pieces on top of each other and then covered the whole thing with his usual dog throw/blanket thing that he's used to. Since he's sleeping on a blanket that is his and smells like he's used to, he was willing to climb aboard. It's cushioned, but he doesn't sink down into it--what I was trying to avoid. I have several blankets and throws he's used to, so I can always have one for him when the other one is being washed. The egg crate is nice because it gives, but it doesn't feel "diifferent" like the memory foam can.
Now, in spite of all that, he'd rather sleep on the throw rug on the hardwood entry, or the doorway to the kitchen. Another reason not to spend a ton.
From abandoned puppy to Tripawd Warrior Dude, Dakota became one of the 2011 February Furballs due to STS. Our incredibly sweet friend lived with grace and dignity till he impulsively raced over the Bridge on 12-15-12.
Dakota's thoughtful and erudite blog is at http://shari.tr.....pawds.com/
I'm happy to hear Riley is doing so well. Isabelle has 9 beds. The 2 she loved before, were softer & fluffier. She will choose the floor over them. She never uses them now & they have been taken over by the lazy cats.
The ones she used most, just after her amputation, are, a travel bed, which is basically, a fleece cover over a few inches off eggcrate and the ones I bought at Target, with recycled, scrap medical grade foam. They are firmer than memory foam, which I think is too soft. She used to like these when her arthritis was painful too. She also has 2 large moderately firm, orthopedic beds, from Oh My Dog Supplies. They are pretty reasonably priced for ortho beds & you can get a discount by signing up for their mailing list...not sure if you can get to them through Tripawds... They do not have memory foam, I'm not even sure if it's medical grade or what, but are definitely as comfortable as my own mattress. She uses them all equally now.
I agree with Jerry & think they just need a firmer surface, I was waking up every hour when my mattress was uncomfortable & was always tired. As soon as it was replaced, that problem was solved. This is often a topic of discussion at our rehab facility. Almost all of the dogs prefer a firmer surface. None of them are sleeping on their old soft beds. A few people are using a crib mattress, recommended by their ortho surgeons, & the dogs seem to love it. I don't know if this is a less expensive option?
Good Luck,
Cynthia
Cynthia, the crib mattress is a good idea too, it's a lot like the one mentioned in the article we posted.
As for the beds at OhMyDog....at first glance it looks like they carry a lot of the same ones that our affiliate vendors do in our Gear blog , just search for "beds" when you go there 🙂
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
I shouldn't talk before I look…They don'teven have the same bed we have anymore. This one was made in the USA & I recall they were having problems with materials when I needed to replace the cover after the cat chewed it. Our was only $129. I'm sure there are better options on the Gear Blog.
I got Boomie a Kuranda bed when we brought him home from the shelter almost 9 years ago. It has held up very well, and still provides good support for his tired old body. I have a folded quilt as a bit of a mattress on top.
Cindy and Boomie
Boomie's leg was amputated due to osteosarcoma on May 15, 2008. He enjoyed over two and a half years of life after that, one day at a time. He died on Feb. 21, 2011.
Leave it to Maggie to be different- she wouldn't sleep in anything BUT her regular soft snuggle ball bed. She had trouble getting into it at first after her amp- but she figured out how to hop in and get comfortable. In the picture (Maggie on the right) she is laying on her 'good' side. But she actually spent most of her tri-pug life sleeping on her amp side. Maybe she was OK with her old bed because she was small, or a rear amp... or just because she was an obstinate pug who did not like change 
.
Maybe Riley just needs a bit more time to get comfortable.
Karen and the pugapalooza
Sammy loves his raised dog bed. It gives in a way that helps with this missing limb. He didn't have his scapula taken out, so he has a bone that is prominent. The raised bed is kind of like a hammock, it allows the right amount of give so with padding it is perfect for whatever side he decides to lay on.
I think I have pictures of him on it in his blog 🙂
Good luck,
Elizabeth and Sammy
Diagnosed with osteosarcoma in the right front leg 8/23/10,
leg fractured 8/27/10,
leg amputated 8/30/10
http://sammyand.....pawds.com/
I couldn't begin to say how special Sammy is to us. Living and laughing with and loving this wonderful boy is priceless.
I was thinking more about the firm vs soft bed thing last night- and it might be a rear amp vs a front amp thing.
Maggie could get into the snuggle bed and use her rear as a pivot point to turn around and get comfortable. And when she wanted to get out she could easily get to a sitting position on her two front legs and step out. It seems like it would be harder for a front amp dog to do those things in a soft bed.
Karen and the pugapalooza
Isabelle's a rear amp. She used to love her soft, donut bed, but just isn't comfortable in it anymore. Her outside bed is also soft & she stopped using it immediately & preferred to lay on the deck instead...she would never do that before. There doesn't seem to be a difference between front & rear amps at our rehab. They all seem to need a firmer surface. All of the dogs, except one are larger, though. The small dog has been an front amp since she was a puppy & her feet rarely hit the floor, so I don't know what her preference might be!
Mack has always had his big soft round bed but it began to get kind of flat so we picked up a crib mattress at a yard sale ($3) and his "grandma" made him a nice cover for it, plus he has a baby comfoter on it.
He really likes the crib matress but sometimes will sleep on his old flat one too, and of course when we let him he is up on our bed which would be his coice every time:-) But yes the crib matress works great if you can find a used one they are super cheap and they are covered in plastic so it is very easy to clean too!
Thanks for all the responses…..Riley is a front left amp. so maybe soft vs. firm does make a difference….She also had her scapula removed which also may make a difference….
Over the weekend, I bought a memory foam mattress topper and cut it in half and stuffed it into one of the costco beds (on top of the fluffy stuff) that didn't work either….thus the reason for my post yesterday 
I had gotten her the orthopedic bed last summer when the vet told me she had arthritis in her shoulder (which turned out to be a tumor in her leg) but after it collected dust for a couple of months I gave it away…..
Yesterday after I read a few of the posts about the egg crate bed, I made a run to Petco and got one…It helped a bit last night, not has much as I had hoped but she slept for 3 hours and then she was up and down for the rest of the night.
The Kuranda bed looks really interesting…..but my hesitation is Riley likes to dig herself a hole, turn around and around and around, dig some more etc. so do you think it would hold up to that or should I stick with the mattress type?
P.S. My mom ears are still on – and thats probably why I am not sleeping either…..I think I am listening for her…
Miss Riley said:
The Kuranda bed looks really interesting…..but my hesitation is Riley likes to dig herself a hole, turn around and around and around, dig some more etc. so do you think it would hold up to that or should I stick with the mattress type?
They're pretty durable, and come with a one year "chew proof" guarantee. You gotta figure that if a dog's gonna destroy their bed it would happen soon after getting it. I hear they're pretty pawesome and get a "paws up" from those who have them.
Glad you both got some sleep. Whatever works!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
1 Guest(s)
