Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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So my back door opens to a triangle, three steps down on the left, three of the right. Sadie is big enough that she takes them two at a time going down, but sometimes she jumps all three steps stright to the ground. Since she's a front amputee, I don't want her adding that kind of wear and tear to her front leg. Anyone had to teach their dog not to take those kind of shortcuts? What worked and didn't work?
You're pawesome to be thinking like that, because yep, that kind of force on a front leg is not a good thing.
Have you tried guiding Sadie as you descend the stairs together, by having her wear a harness and holding onto the handle as you take each step? That's about the only way we've been able to stop Jerry and then Wyatt from flying down steps.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
When we adopted Ollie, he would rush out the door as soon as it was opened, pushing aside anyone who was in his way. The first thing he had to learn was to sit and wait for one of us to go out the door before he could. I don't know if that would help with the jumping, but you might try making it something Sadie has to do. The only thing we found that was a negative with having him wait is that now he won't go out unless one of us goes first...whether or not we want to go out.
Kathi and the Turbotail April Angel...and the Labradork
Murphy is a five year old Lab/Chessie cross. He was hit by a car on 10/29/12 and became a Tripawd on 11/24/12. On 2/5/13, he had a total hip replacement on his remaining back leg. He has absolutely no idea that he has only three legs!
UPDATE: Murphy lived his life to the fullest, right up until an aggressive bone lesion took him across the Rainbow Bridge on April 9, 2015 and he gained his membership in the April Angels. Run free, my love. You deserve it!
That might work. Another possability is just a short leash and then take it off once we're down the stairs. the two at a time is fine -- it's a product of being big enough to span the steps, but the running leaps are going to give me a heart attack. There's a bit of supportive ironwork for the little roof over the door. Might try getting some wire and extending it so she's blocked from the corner where she jumps off as well.
I was going to suggest some type of baricade.
I had a little quad pug named Tani who was always quite reckless- she had mobility issues and arthritis but that didn't stop her from jumping off the back deck to the ground. Even frequent face plants didn't deter her. It was only about 2 steps in height, but it was taller than her. I had to arainge planters and pots around the deck to funnel her to the stairs.
I like Kathi's idea of wait. Maybe you can turn it into a game where she has to wait at the edge of the stairs for permission to descend and she gets a reward for waiting. Then she won't have any momentum and maybe will go down slower.
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
Looks like a barricade won't work. I tried standing at the spot she likes to jump from. No matter to her -- she just jumped all three steps in a broad leap. *sigh* She's just going to have to go out on a leash while I teach her to wait.
Otis has learned how to do a bunny hop type thing to go down stairs. It is very controlled and allows him to get his body on each step kind of sideways. It took him a while to come up with it - we were three months post amp before he tried the stairs. Maybe start with the short leash, and she might develop a similar strategy (although I can see how three steps would be tempting to just jump).
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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