Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi,
I have an adopted tripod named Mercedes. Mercedes is going on two years of age and has been an amputee (rear right leg) for about a year. She does fine with nearly everything....but recently I've noticed her struggling to clean her rearend.
Of course if she had both rear legs she'd plant one leg and her tail on the floor and use raise the other leg into the air to balance herself enough to expose the bits they want to clean. But without that balancing leg she turns herself into a ball trying to reach what she wants to clean. Doing it this way has limited effectiveness and she's ingesting a fair bit of whatever she's sitting on (grass, carpet, etc.)
I do clean her myself when she needs it but regardless of this fact she still tries to have a go herself.
I'm wondering if anyone has a tip or trick to try to help her lean back comfortably and safely.
Thank you,
Shelly
Hi Shelly, welcome. Thanks for adopting Mercedes! Why did she lose her leg? Just curious. Oh and what kind of doggie is she?
You ask a great question. Our Wyatt Ray is also a right rear legger and he's a long-bodied Shepherd, so he doesn't have a hard time with this grooming situation. I wish I could be more help, but I know others out there with smaller dogs will be able to offer tips. In the meantime, my gut instinct is that if whatever she's ingesting isn't affecting her somehow, then it's probably nothing to worry about. Are you noticing any health effects like constipation or gagging or anything like that?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
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