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
I have a very social 13 mo. old border collie/red heeler mix (Remmi) who fractured his femur 6/19. Due to the severity of the fracture our vet suggested amputation, she referred us to another surgeon so I'll be honest I didn't get all post-op questions I have answered. He is a rear-leg amputee who had his surgery 6/21 & on 6/23 was opened back up because he had a bleeder. We just hit his 2 week post-surgery mark and staples were removed today. The Vet tech said the incision "healed beautifully" and sent us on our way. My questions are what is the normal heal time for dogs to start playing with their friends? How long do I wait before giving him a bath? Since the incision has healed and there are no more staples is it okay for him to lick? We also live in the third floor, is it too soon for him to attempt stairs? Thanks in advance!
Hi Remmi, welcome! How did you fracture your femur? ouch! Glad you're on the road to recovery. As a BC/heeler I have a feeling you will do GREAT and be unstoppable on 3 legs!
Iris I moved your post here since your questions are more general in nature and specifically about mobility. We try not to overload our generous volunteer vet with things that our community can answer so wonderfully, thanks for understanding.
So....to answer your questions:
what is the normal heal time for dogs to start playing with their friends?
You'll hear this a lot around here, but it's true: it depends on the dogs. For younger, hearty dogs like Remmi, generally that doesn't take too long. However, the big danger is allowing him to do too much, too soon. Start with leashed play dates of just a few minutes each. If Remmi is a dog park dog, take your time going back and when you do, make him take leashed breaks every few minutes. The typical explosive activity at dogs parks is incredibly hard on a new Tripawd who isn't quite fit on 3 legs yet.
How long do I wait before giving him a bath?
For most dogs it's as soon as the stitches are out. Gentle soap and warm water is usually fine.
Since the incision has healed and there are no more staples is it okay for him to lick?
If it's "normal" licking that's probably OK but if it's intense, "OUCH THIS THING BOTHERS ME!" non-stop all out licking, see your vet.
We also live in the third floor, is it too soon for him to attempt stairs?
Start slowly, very slowly. Stand by his side and gently use the Ruffwear Webmaster harness handle to guide him up and down. Use extreme care on uncarpeted surfaces.
A new Tripawd, although young, still has lots of strengthening to do. Check out our Tripawds Gear blog and our e-book, Loving Life On Three Legs , if you haven't already, to learn some great activities and fitness fun you can do to help him get there.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
My Otis, who is an older large dog, started with leashed 7 house walks just shy of 1 month. I opened the stairs at about month 3 - he just looked for a couple of days, then up he came. He handles stairs like a pro now, although I keep them closed off when no one is home so that he doesn't over exert. I don't recall exactly when he started playing with his sister, but he definitely does it now. We did 4 rounds of chemo, which may also have impacted on his desire to play - some nausea. But, as noted, every dog is different. I think Pofi was up the stairs in the first week.
Otis - 106 pound lab/Dane mix, lost his right front leg to osteosarcoma on Febuary 9, 2016. Four rounds of carboplatin completed in April, 2016. Lung mets August 25, 2016. Said goodbye too soon on September 4, 2016. Lost his adopted sister, Tess, suddenly on October 9, 2016. likely due to hemangiosarcoma.
Wherever they are, they are together.
Thank you Jerry, I was contemplating which thread to post to...I'm so glad I've come across this site, it's great to see all these sucess stories!
Remmi jumped out of the bed of the truck, his femur splintered off. During all the ruckus there wasn't much time to educate myself I just wanted the pain to stop for him. He has been doing great though, being the breed he is we have already had to limit the amount of activity that he wishes he could do. Your advice gives me the peace of mind that I'm doing the right thing by pacing him.
Yikes, I imagine there wasn't a lot of time to prepare or to ask questions with an injury like that. Poor Remmi and poor you. But it sounds like his recovery is going quite well!
My dog's amputation is due to a cancer and the leg had become unusable to him for the last few weeks - he was partially lame much longer than that. So he had the Tripawd thing worked out already. We'll just say he started using stairs much earlier than most, but still, even though he was pretty sure footed right away, I still was at his side or right behind him for going up for the first week or more. With a harness at first of course.
Even though the incision is healed, internally, tissues are still a little fragile, so you don't want rough housing yet, but on lead interaction or time with gentle playmates can start to happen. He's young - you will want to contain his exuberance a while longer.
Lisa, Minneapolis
On October 27, 2016, nearly 6 months after amputation, and 18 months since his cancer likely started, we lost Pofi to a recurrence of Soft Tissue Sarcoma in his spine quite suddenly. His canine sister also succumbed to cancer on March 1, 2019 - we lavished her with our love in the interim, but life was never quite the same without her only real canine friend. Cliff kitty had to leave us, too, suddenly, in August 2019. Lucia kitty grieved all these losses, but helped us welcome two new Lurchers into our home and our lives, Shae and Barley.
My four year old dobie, Sadie, lost her front leg to being hit by a car about 6 weeks ago. I've let her take the lead on amount of activity, but she tended to prefer small amounts of exercise more often even before the accident. I started letting her run around the yard as much as she wanted at two weeks and let her decide when she was ready to jump up on the couch, which she started just short of three weeks. Still haven't let her do more than the steps out the back door (three steps). Eventually, we will have to tackle that, because the place where I do obedience with my other dog has a flight of stairs from the parking lot to the door (it's set into a hill), and Sadie needs the attention and brain work of training.
The vet I saw said for exercise, start small and build. He recommended short 5-10 minute walks, a couple times of day, and adding a block each week. We've been doing this as the weather has allowed (it's summer, and the cement and asphalt heats up), and also giving her lots of run around the yard time when it's too hot to walk.
Thank y'all for your furry children's post surgery stories! I am sure tackling Cancer is rough for dogs but not only are your pups strong, but so are your families!
Luckily we have one more month of the stairs, we may just play it safe and keep chauffeuring him down. He seems to like being pampered.
We try to keep Remmi's walk time to 15 minutes 4/5 times a day. He's does well with them, but when we see our friends outside he gets excited and wants to play. He is all energy so he still puts up a little fight when it's time to go back upstairs.
Yikes what a traumatic situation for you all to go through Iris! I'm so glad he's OK.
Yep shorter more frequent walks are the way to go, just like Terri's vet said (love that vet!). You might also want to try mind games and interactive challenges to calm his wild boy brain, it really helps. See:
http://amazon.t.....ain-games/
Glad to hear you're on the slow track. The number one way we see injuries happen here with new Tripawds is because humans let them do too much, too soon. Remmi's a lucky pup to have you for a pack leader.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
1 Guest(s)
