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 firstly sorry if this post is in the wrong place im new.
Hello my little Jack Russel had his left leg amputated less than 2 weeks ago due to cancer on his paw. Its been hard really hard but hes doing so much better, hes amazing.
But know i have no idea what harness to get ive looked at so many and dont know which one to get plus i live in the UK so it makes it a little harder to get one.
So can anyone give me advise on what harness would be best or what one you have. Thank you
Hi Oddsockx (love your user name!). What's your dog's name? Glad he's doing well!
When it comes to harnesses the important question is to ask: how will you use it? Does he travel a lot with you? If so, then a harness comes in super handy. If he mostly stays at home, then he may not need one unless you have stairs he has to navigate. A harness can help you help him go up and down safely.
Here's an article that tells more about how harnesses can help;
What a Tripawd Harness Will (and Won’t) Do
If i t sounds like a harness will be beneficial, for smaller dogs we generally recommend the Ruffwear Webmaster harness or the Ruffwear Front Range. Both can be purchased through international dealers listed here.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hello Jerry and thank you ( its been my online name forever but has never been so appropriate than now ) my dog is a 12 year Jack and his name is Chocolate Face.
I mainly need the harness for walks so when his wound/stump heals i can help him on walks and so we can go on a little longer also noticed a support strap for his leg which looks good.
And thank you Jerry for your reply its very helpful thank you.
Murphy had a front leg removed, so a little different, but still. Most of us here love the Webmaster Ruffwear harness . It has a handle on the back, which is great for helping them in & out of the car, or wherever. It rides high enough for a rear legger to not bother their incision, so you can use it sooner. I'm sure that some of the others from the UK will chime in about where you can get a harness from.
Donna
Donna, Glenn & Murphy
Murphy had his right front leg amputated due to histiocytic sarcoma at 7 years old. He survived 4 years, 2 months & 1 week, only to be taken by hemangiosarcoma at 11 1/2 years 6/12/17
Read about Murphy's Life on Three Legs
Hello Donna and thank you for your post.
Yeah chocolate face ( my dogs name (: ) had his front left leg amputated and ive been swaying towards Ruffwear harnesses a lot, as they look amazingly well made for front legs amputees. And i think they have them on Amazon Uk.
Hi and welcome.
What kind of cancer does your boy have?
My current tripawd is a little rear amp pug mix named Elly. She was hit by a car at 7 months old and her leg could not be repaired. My first tripawd was also a rear amp, Tri-pug Maggie lost her leg to mast cell cancer.
I tried the Webmaster with Maggie and frankly she did not like it at all, she was weird about having anything around her torso. She was 7.5 and not hugely active at the time of her amp. I did get a stroller for her which allowed me to take her on longer walks with my other pug. I also used the Webmaster for quad pug Tani when she got older and had mobility issues.
Elly just turned 2 and is full of energy. We have taken lots of classes and I do take her with me when I can on errands around town. She wears her Webmaster when ever we leave the house. I use it to lift her in and out of my truck, and I can lift her if she gets into trouble. I can help her balance when needed with the handle, and I can slow her decent with her leash attached to the harness if she surprises me and tries to jump off of something.
My quad pug Obie wears the Front Range now and I really like it for him. I can't lift him with it as there is no handle but he does not go with me in the truck as often as Elly does. He is also not that adventurous and doesn't get himself into trouble, he is 10.5 years old and does not see well. Obie does have a Webmaster that I used to get him through his two knee surgeries- it worked great for that.
One word of caution on the WebMaster- I have had trouble fitting it on my pugs. The are short bodied but all have had very deep chests, even Elly who is a mix. The XXS size fits their torso but the middle strap has been to short. The XS straps are the right length but the harness itself was way too long on their bodies. I ended up modifying the straps on the XXL to fit them but that voids the warranty. I wouldn't feel comfortable modifying a harness for a heavier dog, but Maggie was the heaviest I had at 17 pounds- my sewing can stand up to that! It probably won't be an issue for you if Chocolate Face has a narrow chest like the JRT's I've seen.
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 there, my Meg lost her front leg ten months ago and we use the Ruffwear Webmaster too. We're in the UK, and ordered one on Amazon no problem. In fact, as I remember, it arrived the next day.
Meg, Clare and Elsie Pie
Ruby, Staffy, born June 2022, became a Tripawd, 23 November 2023, adopted 12 January 2024.
Also Angel Tripawd Meg (aka The Megastar), who died in April 2023, aged 14, after seven glorious years on three, and Angel Staffies Pie and Bille. In the pawprints of giants...
ODDSOCKX and CHOCOLATE FACE!!! Grrrrreat dog name and, as it turns out, very appropriate user name!!
My Happy Hannah didn't use/need a har ess, vut just wanted to say welcome to your new family!!
Look forward to following all the adventures of Chocolate Face...with poctures!! Jack Russell s are soooo cute and spunky!!
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!
Hi Chocolate Face & Oddsockx 🐾🐶
Love your dawg's name and just like Sally says, we need some pictures 📸
Eurydice is also a front legger and she uses a ruffwear harness which we bough in Amazon UK just like Meg's Mom did.
Speedy delivery too!
Lots of hugs and cuddles going your way 😘😘😘🐾🐶
Eurydice 77kg/170lb Great Dane limping end of April 2016, amputation (right front leg/osteosarcoma) 4 May 2016 6 courses of carboplatin followed by metronomic therapy, lung mets found 30 Nov 2016. 3 courses of doxorubicin, PET scan 26 Jan 2017 showed more mets so stopped chemo. Holistic route April 2017. Lung X-ray 5 May 2017 showed several tennis ball size mets, started cortisone and diuretics. Miss Cow earned her XXL silver wings 12 June 2017, 13 months and 1 week after amputation and 6 1/2 months after lung mets, she was the goofiest dawg ever and is now happily flying from cloud to cloud woof woofing away :-)
Also a fan of the Ruffwear Webmaster Plus harness. It worked great for walks - I clipped the lead to the back of the harness, and it kept it up and out of the way so I didn't have to worry about Otis getting tangled up in his own lead.
Otis - 106 pound lab/Dane mix, lost his right front leg to osteosarcoma on Febuary 9, 2016. Four rounds of carboplatin completed in April, 2016. Lung mets August 25, 2016. Said goodbye too soon on September 4, 2016. Lost his adopted sister, Tess, suddenly on October 9, 2016. likely due to hemangiosarcoma.
Wherever they are, they are together.
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