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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Hello all!
New to the forum and just adopted a golden puppy (11 weeks) who is missing the knee and below on one of his hind legs. Im not new to a 3 legged dog, however, this is just such a different experience. He lost part of his limb naturally 2 weeks after birth from an umbilical cord being wrapped around it. Im not sure how to attach pictures, but just imagine a leg without a knee or food.
He is overall healthy, fast little guy, except from time to time his dragging his stump when he's running around and I cannot figure out how to get it covered.
We took him to the vet but didn't get much information on this topic but have 2 outcomes, as he gets older, the dragging will stop since the bottom growth plate is gone or surgery needed to bring it up. Which I hope surgery is not the answer while he is so young.
Hoping someone has been through this before and can give some tips or this there is another forum I should post on, let me know!
Hi Oscar and family, welcome! Thank you for adopting this sweet pup!
So what rehab therapists have told us is this; puppies have a bigger learning curve when it comes to getting around on three, because they have not developed enough motor skills to compensate the way a normal 3-legged dog does. Without rehab intervention, he will develop poor movement habits that are not conducive to healthy gait and balance.
It is really wise to get him evaluated by a rehab therapist, so they can show you how to help him move better so that he doesn't drag the stump around as much. They will also show you how to keep him strong and injury free so that his body is healthy and without osteoarthritis for as long as possible.
Covering the stump is tricky, if not impossible for most dogs. We've seen many folks try over the years, usually unsuccessfully. Here are forum topics about stump covers. I wish I could say there was a better solution. But the better route is to get him to a rehab therapist to find out why he is dragging and how to resolve it, hopefully without surgery.
Many veterinarians still aren't familiar with the benefits of rehab therapy for dogs, especially Tripawds. Please take advantage of the Tripawds Rehab Reimbursement program which can pay for your first rehab visit . If you'd like help finding a therapist let me know.
A partial stump may mean that he is a good candidate for a prosthetic, which can be a game changer and delay osteoarthritis. Again, a rehab therapist is the best person to evaluate for success.
Hopefully he will not need a full amputation which may or may not be a possibility. A rehab therapist who is closely working with an orthopedic vet can give you a good idea of whether or not that is even necessary.
If you'd like any help finding practitioners just let me know! Oh and do check out our Adopting a Tripawd articles for some more insight.
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