Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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A few days ago my partner and I took in a 2 year old tripawd husky rescue from Lebanon (we live in Quebec, Canada). He is missing his right back leg and we have no idea what led to the amputation. We will be fostering him for the next month, and possibly adopting him depending on how he adapts to our living environment and whether a better home (ideally with a backyard...) has been found for him during this time. I may list him in the rescue portion of this site once I get better photos of him, but for the moment I have some questions about all of his walking. He has been quite agitated since coming to us (not surprisingly...he arrived in Canada only 1 month ago and so everything is foreign to him) and desperate to get outside and walk or run. Unfortunately we do not have a backyard and he is reactive towards other dogs so we have limited opportunities for him to play off leash. We are walking with him around 4 hours a day at the moment (an hour in the morning, 1-2 hours mid-day, an hour in the late afternoon and 30-45 before bed). This seems somewhat normal for an energetic husky who is not getting to run around, but I am worried that we are doing damage to his body with all this walking. He shows no signs of slowing down on these walks and sometimes resists coming inside and wants to keep walking. Can anyone on this forum advise us as to whether it's ok for a tripawd husky to be doing this much walking, or what else we could try? Thanks!
blue4 said
We are walking with him around 4 hours a day...
When was the surgery? And is Blue his name?
If amputation was recent, he is getting way to much walking in right now. That amount may be okay if he has been healed up for a while and is fit and strong. It is also very important to work in core strengthening exercise, balance work, and muscle-building. FYI: Walks do not build strength, only endurance.
Check out the starter exercises , and consider consulting with a CCRT or CCRP for a professional evaluation and exercises you can do at home to develop strength and proprioception . the Maggie Moo Fund for Tripawd Rehab can even pay for your first visit.
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Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thanks for your quick reply @admin. His name is actually Sky. He's all white with light blue eyes. Unfortunately I currently have absolutely no details about his prior life and he ended up at the rescue in Lebanon with his leg already amputated so we don't know why or when it happened. His hair is very long around the amputated leg and it doesn't appear to be sensitive to touch when we bathe him (lots of walking in Montreal at this time of year means multiple showers a day!). I'm going to call a vet clinic in town tomorrow that appears to have a good rehab program and see if we can get him assessed. I'll add more info once he's seen a vet and I have a better idea of his fitness level.
Very kind of you to foster Aky and do whatever it takes to give him a good quality life , either with humor someone else. Yes, Husky are very smart and very high energy dogs. We've actually had some tripawd hisky dogs who are sled dogs and have done short monitored runs!
Check out some of rhe mind games puzzles available to dogs. It helps to a degree to keep them occupied and not be so bored. Nose work is another way to keep them stimulated without overdoing it.
A visit with a Rehab Specialist as Admin suggested will help determine where he is in his recovery and how much walking he can do. It sounds. like with all his fur back he's at least a couple of months post op. And by all means, depending on what the Rehab says, you can certainly take him hiking and in long walks,, etc. You just have to include rest stops. He can chase calls and chase frisbees....just avoid sharp turns and sudden stops and throw the frisbee close to the ground so he doesn't jump high and land hard.
Thanks again for helping Sky finding out what love and joy feel like.❤
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!
blue4 said
I'll add more info once he's seen a vet...
Ask to consult with a CCRT or CCRP for best results. Ask for a referral or check the Tripawds Resources page for directories to find a certified therapist if they don't have on one staff. Look into the Maggie Moo Fund for more information, and please do keep us posted.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
We've gotten him an appointment with a CCRP for Saturday, so it'll be a few more days before anyone sees him. We've also asked a trainer who works out of that same clinic to come by tonight to assess his behaviour and maybe he'll be able to give us some tips. I'll keep you posted! In the meantime we've ordered him a Ruffwear Webmaster harness hoping that this will be useful for when he needs a bit of help. He seems mildly reluctant to get out of the car (although he does get out just fine) but I'm guessing he could use a bit of assistance. He has also slipped on the ice a couple of times and that's scary but I'm not sure how to assist with this issue (everything here will be shifting between extremely cold (it's -18 celsius with the wind chill this morning) and icy to mild and slushy on and off for the next 2 months). I don't think booties are an option, at least for now, because of his negative reaction when we try to lift his paws to wipe them after walks. If anyone has suggestions on how to help with icy conditions on walks, please pass them on.
This is completely off-topic, but I need to find him a good quality bed asap and I've looked at the Big Barker beds online but they are very pricey. Are they worth it, or is there another brand of bed that can provide equally good support for a larger dog? He ways 60 pounds, and he is a big sprawler...
Thanks again for the support and advice. This is all completely new to us (we've never had a dog before, let alone a tripawd, and this guy needs a lot of support since he's a rescue) so we're a bit overwhelmed!
If anyone has suggestions on how to help with icy conditions on walks, please pass them on.
You did great by ordering a Webmaster. The handle on back will allow you to assist him as you walk alongside him (you may have to step up your pace of course). Walking on the amputated side with your hand gently underneath the handle, not holding too firm but just being there in case he slips, will help. I'm not an expert on icy conditions so I hope others from cold climates will give more pointers.
This is completely off-topic, but I need to find him a good quality bed asap and I’ve looked at the Big Barker beds online but they are very pricey. Are they worth it, or is there another brand of bed that can provide equally good support for a larger dog? He ways 60 pounds, and he is a big sprawler…
That's OK. Yes they are pricey but members who buy them do say they are worth the price (the link goes to reviews). I like the Ruffwear Urban Sprawl as an alternative, followed by the Komfy K9. Let us know what you decide and keep us posted on the rehab appointment. That's wonderful you got him in!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thought I'd post a quick update about Sky...he saw the CCRP (who is an amazing and very kind vet - we really lucked out) and apparently he's got the straightest back of any tripawd she has seen and he is very strong. She said that he can definitely walk 4+ hours a day and also run (starting off with shorter runs and building up endurance). We're still fostering him for at least another couple of weeks so during this time I'm taking him twice weekly to the clinic for one-on-one exercise therapy. He's working with balance balls etc. and he started using the underwater treadmill yesterday. It's a great experience for him to do something fun, focused and challenging in a vet clinic setting and to be exposed to some other dogs (through a glass wall) while he's there.
I haven't received the webmaster harness yet but in the meantime I randomly came across an interesting looking harness at an outdoor shop and picked it up. It's a "Canadian Canine Gear mesa harness" which has a handle on the back and it seems to be a pretty great harness so far. You can't pick up the whole dog with it but you can provide support as needed and lift up his front half. It's also got a hook on the front (chest) and on the back for a leash. Could be an interesting option for others who are looking for Tripawd harnesses with a handle but that are relatively small and not full-body lift assist harnesses.
Sky still hasn't found a "forever" home and I'm not sure that we can keep him here in our apartment because I think he needs a yard to play around in off-leash (he can't go to dog parks due to some reactivity issues around other dogs at the moment), but he's becoming more relaxed and trusting of us and we're making lots of progress together. At any rate, on the health front I'm very relieved that we haven't been harming him with all the walking...!
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