Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi!
My partner and I adopted a one-year-old GSD three days ago. When he was just a tiny baby he was hit by a car and lost his front left leg. Our other dog is not a tripod, so, we are new to this.
The first two days we had our new pup, he bounded around and played with our other dog, we went on walks, etc. (his foster said they were walking around 1.5 miles, but he's barely made it .8-.9 with us). Today he seems to be moving much, much slower and sinking/collapsing much lower with each step/hop forward. He isn't whining, lethargic, or upset, just less energetic/mobile.
So, I'm coming here for advice/insight on how much to worry about this. It's likely that we just overdid it (distance, pace, play, etc.; not to mention that we're in a 100+-degree-day streak here right now), but I'm already finding myself a bit worried about how to gauge when cadence shifts indicate tire/overuse and when they indicate strain/injury...we just already love this guy and want him to get adequate exercise without pushing too hard.
Thanks!
Hi @smd22, I'm in the Tripawds Chat right now if you want to talk.
Thank you for registering as a member and joining us. We are so glad you did! And you're speaking my language, since our former Tripawds Spokesdog Wyatt Ray was also adopted by us as an 8 month old pup who lost his leg to neglect by a bad human.
I know exactly what you mean by the sinking. It's definitely a sign that he is overdoing things, and needs to slow way, way down. A 1.5 mile walk is too far for most Tripawds his age, based on what rehab therapists tell us. Keeping him busy and engaged without those long walks will be challenging since he's a young guy full of energy. But managing his activity is imperative if you want him to live a strong, hoppy life. So, how do you do that?
Well first, get him evaluated by a canine rehab therapist. This is crucial. We are such fanatics about the benefits of rehab therapy, that Tripawds Foundation can pay for your first rehab visit ! Yes! It's that's important. Why? Because that's the best way to find out what his unique needs are, how to help him get strong and stay that way, and manage the effects of being on 3 legs as he gets older. Because as much as he thinks he can do anything now, and he will certainly try, he will eventually pay the price of an altered gait. All Tripawds do. So please please please get him evaluated OK?
Our Wyatt lived a good long life to age 12. But it was a constant balance of making sure he didn't overdo activity, and managing his weight to help him be more mobile.
Since you have another dog, of course you will want to go on walks together. That can be done by getting a dog stroller (yes they even make them for large dogs). You can let your pup ride a little, and walk a little, get out, have fun, and get back in. They are amazing to improve a Tripawd's engagement with the world, especially when the senior years roll around. We got one for Wyatt when he was 11 and wish we had gotten one much earlier in his life.
I hope this helps. Please check out the Tripawds e-books library for awesome tips, and our Tripawds Gear blog reviews too. We are here to answer any questions so fire away. And oh, what's his name? And here's how adding images to the forums works. Can't wait to see him!
Talk to you soon!
I can relate to alot of what you're saying. I also have a one year old tripawd, Loki, who lost a leg very young due to being hit by a car. I also have an older quad-pawd.
I was fortunate to find this site before Loki came home and was able to read up on caring for a tripawd. The rescue and foster told me she could keep up with other dogs, didn't fatigue easily, etc. I took it slow once Loki came home. She didn't meet Tempest for a few days. We took very short walks and slowly increased her distance. If I left it up to Loki, she'd run, run, run all day long - she's half Siberian, so running is in her DNA! But that wouldn't be very good for keeping her remaining limbs healthy for the long term.
My preferred walking route is 0.75 miles. Loki was doing the whole thing over the winter/spring. Now that the weather is warmer and the prey critters are out and about, she's burning more energy more quickly. So we're doing shorter walks. When we're out in the yard, I keep a leash on me so I can enforce breaks periodically.
I have my eye on a stroller for her so I can get her out into the world beyond our neighborhood.
Admittedly, I'm pretty strict with setting limits for my tripawd. If she lost a limb later in life, I might be more lax. Loki is going to spend her entire life on three legs. It's my job to protect those remaining limbs so she can have a high quality of life for as long as possible.
mischief said
Admittedly, I'm pretty strict with setting limits for my tripawd. If she lost a limb later in life, I might be more lax. Loki is going to spend her entire life on three legs. It's my job to protect those remaining limbs so she can have a high quality of life for as long as possible.
Bravo!!!! 
I think rescues have their hearts in the right places when it comes to adopting out Tripawds. They don't want potential adopters to be afraid of adopting a three-legged dog or cat, so they do their best to show folks that these critters can do anything four leggers can do. And for a long time the thinking was "just let them be a dog" and go have fun. But the more that vetmed learns about their biomechanics and the gradual joint breakdown that occurs, the better we can all be at protecting and strengthening our Tripawds for a long quality of life. Great job at doing that for Loki!
Hello and welcome.
Congrats on adopting a Tripawd!
My current Tripawd, Elly, lost a back leg at 7 months old to a car accident. I adopted her when she was 10 months old so she was fully healed from surgery but not very strong. Not only did her foster mom have several other dogs but she broke her leg about a month after getting Elly! In fact she was still on crutches when I got Elly so at least she didn't over walk Elly 
.
Since Elly is my second Tri, and I've been around this site for a few years I knew what I needed to do. I introduced her to the stroller right away and began strength exercises. Even though she is part Pug she was quite an active puppy when I got her. Zooming around the house, and worst of all jumping on and off furniture without using steps or stools. I should mention that Elly is small- about 14.5 pounds. It was a challenge to burn off energy safely but through games and training we made progress.
Elly has fear and anxiety issues which are much more challenging to deal with than being on three, but I do have to factor in how much energy she burns with those issues when planning daily activities. For example- during covid I couldn't go into the vet with her for appointments. After one vet visit she mostly slept for a day and a half!
I do take the dogs out almost every day for some type of walk although I do one or two 'rest' days every week depending on what else we have been doing. On rest days from walking I usually add in an extra session of food games or puzzles.
I consider we have gone on the perfect outing when the first thing she does when we get back is go get a toy! That way I know I haven't exhausted her, she still has some energy.
Elly is now 7.5 years old and will have been on three for seven years in August- I have figured out activity levels over the course of the years. That's not to say we don't over do sometimes- we went exploring a couple months ago and the trail didn't go where I thought it did, so she walked way to far (I didn't have the stroller with me). But that's one of the reasons we work so hard on core and leg strength- so she doesn't get hurt when she does too much.
My other dog isn't a 'too much activity' factor anymore- he is a Pug who will be 16 in a month!
I also do a sport called Nose Work with her which I highly recommend. Here is a post about NW including some info on Elly and me- we've earned several more titles since then.
Here is a video I made of some of the food games and puzzles we play. Great for balance and strength as well as challenging her brain.
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
"jerry," "mischief," and Karen,
Thank you so much for your responses. They were both informative and comforting.
While I think it will take us a while to find the balance between tripawd physical activity and puppy energy (he has a lot of it!), I can already see more stability and consistency in Fennec's energy level and cadence since slowing things down after reading your posts.
That's his name, Fennec, after Fennec foxes. And, if I'm doing this correctly, here is a picture of him: https://www.ins.....GTuJLkTo0/
I'm so grateful for your gracious responses of stories, experiences, links, and general insights. And, Karen, thanks for the info and video on NW! I will definitely be doing some of that with mine! Elly is so smart!
Sara
Yep it'll be a fine line you walk every day, gauging when is enough and when he needs just a smidge more activity to keep him hoppy. interactive brain games are sooo helpful when you know he's not done playing physically, and they actually help tire him out just as much by tiring his mind.
Your situation reminds me so much of when we brought Wyatt home at 8 months. I wrote this post about 3 years after we brought him home:
Why Longer Walks Won’t Strengthen a Tripawd’s Leg Muscles
In that post you can see photos of how much work he needed to get strong. There was so much we didn't know back then, and are still learning even after he got his wings. Some videos of him I cringe when I watch now, because we let him overdo his activity. We are so lucky he was never injured.
Time, and a good effort at regulating your GSD's activity and choosing the right kind will help Fennec grow up to be a strong, healthy 3-legger. We look forward to following along.
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