Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Our greyhound is losing her front left leg next week and we’ll need a harness with a handle to help her get around. Lots of harnesses don’t fit her as well as other dogs because of her unique greyhound body shape. She’s 10 years old and otherwise moves pretty well, so our focus is on getting something that fits well for her body type and soon to be missing front limb. She’ll probably be wearing it all day at least to start. We’ve seen good reviews for the Webmaster and Flagline but can’t tell which would be better for us. Does anyone have a recommendation?
Hello and welcome, your future posts will not have to wait for approval.
I'm sorry you are dealing with amputation for Matilda- is that her name?
My little Tripawd lost a back leg to a car accident- she wears the Webmaster... I do have a Flagline but haven't used it much yet. I'm working on a transition now actually. She is a little sensitive to what is around her body so I'm going slowly.
The advantage to the Flagline , especially for front amps, is that there are buckles on both sides. And since there are buckles on both sides there are more adjustment points.
I will say that the Flagline does fit my little Pug-Mix better than the Webmaster. I've always had to modify the Webmaster by extending the straps for my small dogs because the size of harness that fits the length of their body is too small for their chests...maybe a little like a Grey?
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
Hi to you and Matilda! I'm sorry you have to join our club but glad you found us.
As Karen mentioned, the most success that front leg Tripawds have is with the Ruffwear Flagline harness . It's super easy to put on, stays put pretty well (keep in mind that all harnesses will slip a bit on front leg amputee dogs, but this one slips the least out of all we've tried). There are six adjustment points so you can get a good fit. And it's comfy enough for all day use. I think you'll be happy with it.
Keep us posted on how things are going. We are here to help!
I have been using ruffwear webmaster harnesses since I believe the first inception of them when they were made of neoprene. . My first greyhound had a neck injury so I couldn't use any of her beautiful collars on her anymore but she loved her webmaster.
Being a left leg amputation means the webmaster will be tricky because The webmaster attaches on the left side only so you have to get the right leg through the harness. Nixon was a right leg amp and it was simple.
The webmaster is a heavier fabric so if you spend a lot of time outside, the Flagline might be more comfortable.
I personally have thought the webmaster fits a greyhound a little bit better than the Flagline but the Flagline is a lot easier because it attaches on both sides. Both have lots of adjustment points. In your case, my vote is for the Flagline .
Do you have a place to try them on or do you have to do online ordering?
My dogs are mixed breeds and both wear RuffWear harnesses. Tempest's body type strongly resembles a whippet. Her measurements should put her in a small (and she technically can wear the small), but a medium sits better on her body. If you can afford to, maybe order two sizes and try them on your greyhound to see which fits her best?
Tempest has four legs and wears the Front Range harness
. Loki is a rear tri - I started her in the small Front Range since I already owned it and upgraded her to the Flagline harness
once I was sure she was done growing. The sizing is consistent between the different models.
I see the light weight of the Flagline often mentioned as one of it's benefits. However, I've noticed the lower chest portion tends to twist where it meets the strap. I've also seen the rounded top back edge fold under where the buckle is. These aren't enough of detractors to make me look for a different harness (yet). The Front Range is a thicker material and it's never twisted or folded in the 5+ years Tempest has been using her harness.
That is such great feedback @mischief! Please feel free to leave a review in the Tripawds Gear blog if you haven't already. We appreciate the info!
jerry said
That is such great feedback @mischief! Please feel free to leave a review in the Tripawds Gear blog if you haven't already. We appreciate the info!
Will do! I didn't know that was a thing (there is so much to discover as part of the Tripawds site). I'm opinionated and have ALOT of dog gear - you may regret asking me to do this haha.
LOL! No regrets at all, we want to know these things. Items in the Tripawds Gear shop are only there because they are tested by 3-legged dogs & cats. So thank you! Just saw it come in.
jerry said
LOL! No regrets at all, we want to know these things. Items in the Tripawds Gear shop are only there because they are tested by 3-legged dogs & cats. So thank you! Just saw it come in.
May I suggest adding Hurtta jackets to the gear shop? They slip on over the head and have a "belt" that goes around the chest to secure it. Very tripawd friendly! Hopefully there will be an image of Loki in her Hurtta jacket below.
[Image Can Not Be Found]
Ok, my images are uploaded to Shutterfly and they post fine to other forums. Not sure why they don't show up here.
mischief said
May I suggest adding Hurtta jackets to the gear shop? They slip on over the head and have a "belt" that goes around the chest to secure it. Very tripawd friendly! Hopefully there will be an image of Loki in her Hurtta jacket below.[Image Can Not Be Found]
Ok, my images are uploaded to Shutterfly and they post fine to other forums. Not sure why they don't show up here.
Oh those are nice! Yeah we could definitely consider them.
Sorry your pictures didn't show up. This is how adding images to the Forums works.
- Take your uploaded Shutterfly pics
- Right click and copy the Image URL or just copy the image if you’re on a phone
- Return here and paste the image URL (or the image itself) in your post. It should automatically appear.
If you’d like help figuring out the process let me know. I can't wait to see them!
jerry said
mischief said
May I suggest adding Hurtta jackets to the gear shop? They slip on over the head and have a "belt" that goes around the chest to secure it. Very tripawd friendly! Hopefully there will be an image of Loki in her Hurtta jacket below.
[Image Can Not Be Found]
Ok, my images are uploaded to Shutterfly and they post fine to other forums. Not sure why they don't show up here.
Oh those are nice! Yeah we could definitely consider them.
Sorry your pictures didn't show up. This is how adding images to the Forums works.
- Take your uploaded Shutterfly pics
- Right click and copy the Image URL or just copy the image if you’re on a phone
- Return here and paste the image URL (or the image itself) in your post. It should automatically appear.
If you’d like help figuring out the process let me know. I can't wait to see them!
That's exactly what I did (I work in tech - I know how this stuff works). This was the second post I've tried to add pictures to and they show up when I'm writing the post, but after submitting it shows as image not found. I'm also not motivated to find a different image host just to get images to work here, unfortunately.
mischief said
Not sure why they don't show up here...
Shutterfly does not support oEmbed and frowns on third-party embedding.
SimplePress requires image URLs to end in a valid image file format to be embedded in posts here.
To share images from your Shutterfly account, paste the share link in the post rather than trying to embed the image...
Like so: https://link.sh.....WXz6Ou1Erb
See the Adding Photos Tech Support topic for details about sharing Shutterfly photos.
admin said
mischief said
Not sure why they don't show up here...
Shutterfly does not support oEmbed and frowns on third-party embedding.
SimplePress requires image URLs to end in a valid image file format to be embedded in posts here.
I had a feeling it was something like this. I've never had a problem embedding images from Shutterfly on the other forum I frequen.
Anyhow, here's Loki in her Hurrta parka https://uniim1......1657715371
Reasons Hurtta makes my favorite dog jackets - point 3 is why I think they're great for tripawds in particular.
- Sizing is based on back length and every 2" is a new size. Most brands offer 4-6 sizes. Hurtta has over 20 sizes.
- Some sizes also have an "XL" and "XS" model for dogs with a short back but stout build (like French Bulldogs) or long, thin frames (like Whippets).
- Loki is modeling an 18XS in the photo above. If they offered a 20XS, it would be her ideal fit. Tempest wears a 20, but her jacket overwhelms Loki's narrow frame.
- My only complaint with Hurtta is the neck opening isn't super adjustable and it runs large. I think a Rottweiler could get it's head through Tempest's jacket. On particularly bitter cold days, Tempest wears a snood for extra coverage of her neck and chest.
- Length, girth, and neck opening are all adjustable for a customized fit.
- Most jackets slip on over the head and are secured with a single belt snap around the chest. No lifting of paws for our tris.
- The materials feel durable - especially the newer models I've ordered for Loki. I really like the feel of the materials.
- Jackets are well designed to provide full coverage, but also allow for freedom of movement. Other brands, IMO, sacrifice coverage for mobility. This is my main complaint with RuffWear's current winter jackets.
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