Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi all! Have any of y'all come across any studies or estimates of how much extra energy/how many more calories are needed for three vs. four legged movement? In brief searching so far I see a small number of studies re: metabolic cost for human amputees, but nothing on the veterinary side yet. I haven't gone deep; figured I'd ask here before spending too much time digging. Seems like it's rather challenging to study even with humans so perhaps not surprising, but also seems like there would be at least some estimates out there. (Perhaps separate for front vs. hind.)
I'm mostly curious since the typical formulae and doggy fitness tracker algorithms don't really line up. (My 3 year old tri-since-puppy heeler is super athletic so we come at this from a different angle than most of the older dogs.)
What a great question! I have not seen any studies like this and my guess is that it's because every 3-legged dog is so physiologically different that it would be really difficult to pin down a formula.
Those calorie counts on dog food bags and trackers etc. are a general ballpark and sometimes they are ridiculously way off, contributing to the pet obesity problem we have right now.
The rule of thumb with Tripawds is you want their weight to be so that they're leaner than before limb loss, and leaner than their breed counterparts. You want to be able to see a good waistline and very faint outline of ribs. With a Tripawd it's about watching carefully to make sure they haven't gained weight, and adjusting accordingly.
I know I was sometimes too aggressive with weight loss for our Wyatt Ray in order to keep him lean, and the same for our 3.5-legged Nellie. It's a real dance when it comes to staying on top of their weight!
The best bet is for you to work with your vet to come up with a caloric game plan. I know they are always happy to help in that area, since weight management is a real concern in the vet community these days. If you do, let us know what you find out!
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