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.
Join The Tripawds Community
Learn how to help three legged dogs and cats in the forums below. Browse and search as a guest or register for free and get full member benefits:
Instant post approval.
Private messages to members.
Subscribe to favorite topics.
Live Chat and much more!
Register
Log In
Members
Add Topic
Offline
Hi, my dog Oscar had one of his rear legs amputated aged 11. He's now 14 and he's done really well.
He's a border collie and he's very active. We have another dog called Freddie who is a HUGE golden lab.
Freddie is very clumsy and doesn't realise his own size and strength. They play a lot but I fear that it's causing Oscar injury.
Recently Oscar has started to drag his remaining back leg a bit. I brought him to the vet and he prescribed anti-inflammatories and rest.
My aunt took him to her house for "intensive care" 🙂 away from Freddie where he could rest for few week.
When I brought Oscar back to the vet he said that there was a big improvement. Being a collie, his head overrides his body when it comes to activity and he does things that he shouldn't.
He walks fine on grass and carpet but has started to struggle on tiles or wooden floors and drags the leg from time to time. I'm worried he will damage the back leg even more. Sometimes the leg sort of splays out to the side and he loses his balance.
I'm looking for advice on what to do. Would a wheelchair be beneficial or is he too old? His health is good. I'm based in Ireland.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Boskie & Oscar, thank you for sharing your story. 14 is amazing! How come he lost his leg way back?
To answer your questions: I know it's SO hard to keep even a 14 year old Border Collie calm and resting, but it's gotta be done especially for Tripawds. As pawrents it's up to us to monitor their activity and make sure they don't overdo it, because no dog will do it themselves. Ok, maybe there's one out there, but not a border collie I'm sure! 🙂
It sounds like the R&R at your aunt's house was really helpful. Is there any way that you can maybe take your other pup to day care to wear him out a little so when he and Oscar are together they aren't so crazy?
As for tiles and slippery floors, there's one word for that question: traction . Click on the link for suggestions, but what it comes down to is that for any older dog, especially for Tripawds, strategically placed carpet runners in the home are so beneficial. They will keep him upright and safe from injury, which happens a lot on slippery floors.
Ok when it comes to wheelchairs, no dog is ever too old and if he'll have it it can be very beneficial. But do not attempt it on your own, it's so important to work with a rehab vet for proper measurements, fitting and training. Lots of people try a DIY approach and it can cause more harm than good. Click on the link for wheelchair for articles about how to get started with one OK?
Thanks again for sharing, welcome from all the way in Ireland! We would love to see photos of Oscar, Freddie and your life over there!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Oscar and Freddie sound like a delightful pair! I love that they play and just ignore "age"! Age is just a number in Oscar's world, that's for sure!
I like Jerry's idea of figuring out a way to tire out Feddie some. That way Freddie and Oscar won't jave to be separated more than several hours. It's such a fine line letting Oscar love out his senior years in the way he enjoys, and yet trying to monitor his activities for his own good!
Ppssibly booties could help too. You'll probably find them in the link Jerry gave you. Some harnesses are designed as unobtrusive slings for their rear end so you can help lift him when he splats.
Can't wait to see pictures!
Keep us posted and we look forward to hearing more aboutOscar and Freddie!
Hugs to all!
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle 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!
Hello! It's me again.
Oscar has been doing relatively well.
However last week he started really dragging his back leg and couldn't walk at all.
i took him back to the vet and he checked him but could find nothing out of place or obviously wrong. He reckons he might have had a knock or a fall. That combined with the ageing process and perhaps a little arthritis. He gave Oskie an injection and put him on Karprieve anti inflammatories/painkillers.
The next day he was back on 3 legs again. But I need to be careful with him. We have carpet runners for him and we keep him away from Fred.
One thing I noticed is that the claws on his remaining back leg are worn down to the quick.
What would help here? He's mainly on grass when he's outside.
is this common with tripawds?
I was wondering about a harness too because he find it hard to get up sometimes and / or loses his balance.
boskie said
...the claws on his remaining back leg are worn down...What would help here?
I was wondering about a harness too...
The Ruffwear Webmaster is the most popular harness we recommend for most Tripawds, it's very helpful and comfortable enough to be left on all day. The AST Get A Grip harness is recommended for larger or less mobile dogs requiring more assistance. this post will help you decide Which Harness is Best for My Dog.
You'll find lots of traction solutions in the Tripawds Gear blog too. Boots can certainly help, but the most important thing to focus on is moderation of exercise and regular conditioning to strengthen core and limb muscles with balance work, stretching and weight bearing exercises. Consider consulting with a CCRT or CCRP (canine rehab certification) or download Loving Life On Three Legs for lots of professional tips, tutorials and how-to videos.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thanks for all the info - especially the "which harness" post.
Sometimes i don't know where to start, there is so much gear- and I'm not in the US so harder to get the items, not really any specialist vets where I live (Ireland)
boskie said
Sometimes i don't know where to start...
Coincidentally, regarding this site, we just now published this new page to help new members and visitors:
Start Here
Haven't even announced it yet, so you're one of the first to see it!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
1 Guest(s)
