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Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat

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How to protect a tripawd's stump from pressure sores - any ideas please?
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Member Since:
10 February 2017
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10 February 2017 - 12:49 am
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Hi 🙂 I'm looking for some suggestions for my darling goddaughter/dogdaughter, a tripaw called Missy who's had a rather traumatic past few weeks. 

Missy lost her front left leg as a puppy while at a foster home. She was adopted by some friends of mine recently and was doing great, finally part of a loving family.

Long story short, they've only had Missy for two months, and about two weeks ago she developed a nasty pressure sore on her stump - the vet said that the pressure sore formed because when the original amputation was done when she was a puppy, too much bone was left - ideally the leg should be amputated right up to the shoulder so that there's no stump left, it should be like there was never a leg there to begin with. So Missy went into surgery with aim of removing the stump - but the vet found that the muscle around the bone had become too tough to cut, so he managed to remove some bone and make the stump a lot more manageable, but it's still there.

So now Missy's parents are worried about how they can protect her stump - she's very playful and energetic and falls on her stump sometimes, and there's a real risk that she could put too much pressure on it again and get another pressure sore, which was awful for her - so they are looking for something they can put on her to protect her during walkies and playtime. I was sure I could just google 'tripod dog harness' and would find plenty of options, but it looks like most tripod dog stuff is made for dogs where the amputation was done properly (ie. no stump left). What Missy really needs is something she can wear to protect her stump - something that would cover it maybe, leather or some thick material would be good maybe... and I think this forum filled with tripod dog lovers is probably my best chance of finding of where I might buy something like that!

Does any one know of any products, manufacturers, tips etc? Any ideas would be so appreciatedheart

Germany
Member Since:
14 December 2016
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21 February 2017 - 5:22 am
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Hello!

I'm not sure how your post got lost here, but I'll just try and answer, maybe someone will chime in. I found this thread:

http://tripawds.....nd/stumps/

maybe there's something there that will help you. My dog, as most here, had the whole shoulder taken off so there's not all that much I can contribute otherwise but I hope this helps!

tina & Manni

Guardian of Manni the Wonderdog. -Or was it the other way around?
Osteo and amputation in Dec 2015. Second, inoperable, primary osteosarcoma found in June 2017.
The end of our adventures came Dec 10, 2017. 2 years to the day.

Manni's blog -dogblog-

On The Road


Member Since:
24 September 2009
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21 February 2017 - 12:08 pm
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Oh my gosh Tina THANK YOU for pointing out this topic, we totally missed it somehow! Missy and family, I apologize.

That's great she now has a new modified stump, it should help her tremendously. We've had many members here who went through the same ordeal and all were helped by getting the amputation done properly. Even with Missy's partial stump, it sounds like it will be better than before.

There is a "chest protector" vest that one member found for her front-legger who kept getting pressure sores. See:

Chest Protector Dog Jacket Helps Sensitive Front Leg Tripawds

MaverickJacket-150x150.jpg

In the meantime, have Missy's people consulted with a canine rehabilitation therapist? A professional can evaluate Missy to find out where here strengths and weaknesses are, and show her people how to help get her strong. That will greatly improve her balance and movement during activity and minimize her falls.

I hope this helps. Again, my apologies for not finding your post sooner. We hope to hear from you!

Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet

Member Since:
11 November 2016
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23 February 2017 - 9:29 am
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Have you tried adding a padded section to a harness? A bit of old padded coat or suchlike? You could even make it removable with poppers or Velcro so you wash it when it got stinky.

Something which might be ideal is a piece from an old gel/prolite saddlepad. Excellent at dispersing pressure as that is their purpose. 

Member Since:
27 August 2014
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23 February 2017 - 10:29 am
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How big is Missy? I have the Ruffwear Cloud Chaser jacket in a medium (I believe). I sewed up the front left leg hole for my dog right after surgery. I never use it and you're welcome to have it if it's the right size. You could probably sew in some padding if the existing structure doesn't offer enough protection. 

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