Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi, My golden, Charlie, is 78 pounds and she had a right rear leg amputation last week due to a benign tumor that was eating away at the bone. She is doing okay but needs some assisting with lifting, etc. Which harness would be best for her and what size? We need a harness that will help us lift her, but mostly for walking.
Thanks!
Hello and welcome, your future posts will not have to wait for approval.
Many here, including me, use the RuffWear WebMaster harness. My Tripawd is a little pug mix and she never leaves the house without it. She doesn't need any help walking at this point (1.75 years post amp due to car accident) but it is great for getting her into and out of my truck, helping her balance on rough terrain, and I can pick her up and out of trouble when I need to 
Here is a new blog post on harnesses with a couple options. You can see more options in the gear blog.
In order to get the proper fit you will need to measure Charlie's girth, harness sizes are not based on weight. There are instructions for getting the proper measurements in the Gear Blog with the harness write-ups.
How old is Charlie? I'm sorry you had to go through amputation but great the tumor is benign! How is she doing with her recovery?
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
Karen pretty much nailedmit woth her reply!
Just want to add my welcome AND how very ADORABLE Charlie's avatar picture is! We woukd love to see more and hear more about her!
How is Charlie doing overall this early on? Right now it's just about rest, rest and more rest and short potty breaks. Recovery doesn't last forever and the sparkle DOES come back!
Hugs
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!
chrismc said
Which harness would be best for her and what size?
Find all our best recommendations in the Tripawds Gear Shop. It is your dog's girth measurement that determines the best fit, not breed or weight. Measure Charlie's chest using a cloth measuring tape, or wrap a string around, mark where it meets and measure that.
The Ruffwear Web Master harness is the most popular all purpose harness we recommend most. These posts should also help you decide which harness is best for you...
.../which-harness-is-right-for-my-dog/
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thank you for the warm welcome and the helpful advice! We will measure Charlie and order! Charlie is 7 and she is 12 days out from surgery. She gets her stitches out on Thursday! She is doing okay and seemed to get her "spark" back but the last couple of days she has been acting depressed and will only go outside a couple of times a day. She originally had a soaker catheter for numbing medicine that numbed her incision. She had that removed a week ago and since then she has yelped in pain a few times. My biggest worry with Charlie right now is that I worry about her remaining back leg. We had a golden before Charlie that needed 2 knee replacements, so we are always worried about that! I have been sleeping in our family room with her since the surgery and I am going to go out of town tomorrow for a couple of days and my husband will stay with her. I am worried about leaving her!
I am so thankful for this site! Thank you all for the advice! It helps a lot!
Chris
chrismc said
My biggest worry with Charlie right now is that I worry about her remaining back leg...
Remaining limb injuries are a valid concern, but there are many things you can do to keep Charlie fit and strong. That's exactly why we wrote Loving Life On Three Legs .
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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