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Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat

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Member Since:
24 May 2019
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24 May 2019 - 12:55 pm
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Hello! My name is Jessica and my amazing pug Charlie is almost 2 weeks post-amp surgery. He’s doing great! We have vinyl flooring throughout our house, which was proving to be way too slippery for him... so at the suggestion of our vet, we purchased PAWz boots! They are GREAT! Charlie is so much more confident walking now!

My question is, for anyone who has used these... any tips or tricks for long term use? They are obviously not breathable. How often do you take them off? Wash them? Throw them out? Thanks in advance!!

On The Road


Member Since:
24 September 2009
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24 May 2019 - 1:36 pm
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Hi Jessica and Charlie, welcome! We are so happy he is doing great on three legs.

I love that your vet recommended Pawz boots! There are a great temporary solution but honestly for long-term use, we think there are better ways to deal with traction problems in the home. Click on the "traction " link for details, but in short, carpet runners and even long yoga mats are far better for helping a dog with slippery floors. As an alternative, Dr. Buzby's Toe Grips are often helpful for many dogs, but you will need to glue them on for a Tripawd.

Nobody wants to cover their floors, but carpet runners are the best solution overall. Plus they are less hassle for you, because you won't need to remember to mess with Charlie's feet every day.

The reason we don't think any kind of boots aren't the best everyday, long term solution is that dogs really need to feel the ground in order to keep their senses finely tuned. Their paws also perspire, and as you astutely observed, boots don't often allow them to breathe. So while any boots are great for short term use, they may cause yeast build-up between the toes when used without breaks, over the long term. 

You just slip them over Charlie's feet, and peel off when it's time to remove them. Pawz can be re-used until Charlie's nails rip them or they fall apart. I wouldn't wash them unless you can be absolutely sure they are dry, or they may cause yeast. 

Make sure to give him a break at night, don't leave them on 24/7.

Why did Charlie lose a leg? 

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

Member Since:
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24 May 2019 - 2:27 pm
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YIKES - I just took the boots off Charlie, to let his feet breathe... and his paws are all a bit swollen! 🙁 does this mean the boots are too tight??

Thank you so much for your response? I’d been hoping to avoid carpet runners because I love my floors haha 🙈 but of course I’ll get them for my boy.

And Charlie lost his leg because of a mast cell tumor. It was partially wrapping around the bone so they didn’t feel they could removing without taking the whole leg. He’s 9 years old so this is a big adjustment! But I’m so proud of him!

Livermore, CA




Member Since:
18 October 2009
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24 May 2019 - 3:32 pm
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Hello and welcome.

Did Charlie lose a front or rear leg?

My Pug Maggie lost a back leg to a MCT.  You can read her story and about her amp and chemo if you are interested, the links are in my signature below.

Maggie would not tolerate anything on her feet so booties were a no-go for her.  I ended up with throw rugs on the tile floors to keep her upright although she could actually navigate tile with out too much trouble.  My quad Pug Tani had mobility issues most of her life and when she got to be 13 or so she couldn't stay upright on any indoor hard surface.  She even would slip on throw rugs so I went with yoga mats.  I also used Pawz Booties for her when we went to the vet since the floors there are supper slippery.  I never had her wear them for much more than an hour. 

Now I have a little Pug mix named Elly who lost a rear leg to a car accident.  I recently had carpet removed and installed vinyl flooring in all our upstairs rooms.  I live with my elderly father and his health issues lead to the carpet being removed.  We have throw rugs in each room but the hallway is open (again because of my father, too many throw rugs are a trip hazard for him).  The vinyl has some texture and Elly is able to navigate it just fine if she goes slow.  She's already learned that and rarely slips although she does occasionally.  We have tile floors on the middle and lower floors and she really is fine on that although she doesn't go fast there either.  Again we have throw rugs where we can.  I have not tried booties with Elly, she is pretty sensitive about her feet being touched.

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

 

              Maggie's Story                  Amputation and Chemo

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25 May 2019 - 7:48 am
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Charlie lost his front leg. 

Thank you for sharing your story, I’m going to go read Maggie’s whole story now!!

Im also going to do some rug shopping today, and I’m going to mess with the boots some more to see if I can get them to NOT make Charlie’s paws swell!

On The Road


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25 May 2019 - 10:13 am
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jmcginn said
YIKES - I just took the boots off Charlie, to let his feet breathe... and his paws are all a bit swollen! 🙁 does this mean the boots are too tight??

  

Yep, spot on, too tight. I would get the next size up if you want to continue using them. And if you'd like to donate yours to the Angel Exchange I'm sure there's someone out there that can use them.

I know what you mean about your floors. We had just refinished ours when Jerry lost his leg.

One thing I forgot to mention: I keep spare Pawz in our truck for Wyatt Ray . If I forget to apply Paw Friction to his feet, Pawz come in handy when we show up someplace with slippery floors. 

You are such a great parent to Charlie! 

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

Livermore, CA




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25 May 2019 - 1:25 pm
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I kind of remember snipping the top of the Pawz Booties open when I used them on Tani, not sure about that though.  With her little feet and the small size booties I do remember having a bit of trouble getting them on her, so I may have snipped them to help me with that.  We only ever used them for vet visits, and Tani was always moving pretty slow by that time so modifying the booties that way wasn't a problem for us.

I was at a Nose Work Trial a few months ago and saw someone putting PAWZ on their pup with a tool made just for that!  I didn't know about it back when Tani was using them and I've never tried it but you might be interested if you are going to use the booties regularly. 

It's called Jawz for Pawz, and they come in different sizes depending on what size bootie you use.  The lady I saw using it was able to put all four booties on her dog in less than a minute!

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

 

              Maggie's Story                  Amputation and Chemo

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28 May 2019 - 1:07 pm
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I am so thankful for this site and you guys! ❤️  

Question: I am looking at the Toe Grips and also Paw Friction! I’ve seen both reviews here on the site! Do you recommend one over the other?

On The Road


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28 May 2019 - 3:04 pm
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Aww that is wonderful to know, thank you for the kind words.

Well, I think Toe Grips are better for long-term use. When properly sized and applied with medical glue, they will last weeks and weeks. There is a learning curve when it comes to applying them, so it's best to work with your vet to help you out the first time.

Paw Friction is terrific but you need to reapply it every couple of days or so depending on how active your Tripawd is. The product was made for dogs with serious mobility issues, those who don't get around much. They are trying to come up with a long-term solution, we will let you know about it as soon as it's released.

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

Livermore, CA




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28 May 2019 - 4:09 pm
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I haven't used either of them so I can't help with that.

I did use Musher's Secret on Maggie's paws.  We live in the Bay Area in CA so not for snow or ice, but I found that it helped keep her pads soft and supple which helped with her traction .  It goes on a bit greasy so you have to make sure you get it rubbed in and I would wipe off any excess.

Another thing to do is to keep the fur trimmed short between his toes and pads, and keep the nails short.

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

 

              Maggie's Story                  Amputation and Chemo

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