Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Things were going great! 4 weeks and my tripawd had returned to his Bud-ness! Then my monkey butt dog brushed passed him. He shifted his wieght and fell down hard. I knew he was hurt and in pain. It was fri night so I gave him leftover previcox. I could not tell where he was hurt but I knew he had injured his remaining rear right leg. The next day, he could get up and stand but his leg would buckle underneath him after a few hops.
We went to the Dr today as soon as they were open. I was so afraid Bud had a ACL tear! After the initial exam the vet thought so too. There was swelling in the knee. He explained that if that was indeed the problem surgery was not an option for Bud. He did not want to introduce hardware and bacteria into Bud. He was fearful that a floating MRSA
cell would attatch itself . Bud would have to live in a knee brace all of the time and on pain meds.
Quality of life.... I knew that I could not allow Bud to live his remaining days in constant pain. Bud went in for X rays and I waited while tears fell. I could be leaving the office today without my family's dear companion.
So, the vet came in and said GOOD NEWS!!! What??? The knee had stretched but was still attached!
The injury had aggravated the arthritis in his hip. So Bud is on rest, pain and anti inflammatory meds. He recommended that as a prevenative measure we still get the leg brace.
The brace is called an A-Trac Dynamic Brace from woundwear.com. Do any fellow tripawds have and experience with knee braces? They are customed ordered so he asked that we wait while Bud is slimming down but order it in time for camping and boating season. I think we will probably try it out.
I'm so sorry Bud had this happen. I'm not familiar with the knee brace so can't comment on that, but maybe someone else knows about them. Do you think it's worth it to try to keep your dogs separated for awhile, until Bud builds up some strength in that rear leg? We did the doggie-shuffle for years with 2 of ours, so I know it isn't easy--but it's doable. We had baby gates set up for various rooms and the 2 battling dogs were shuffled around, taking turns so neither was ignored or neglected.
I don't know how long it takes rear amputee dogs to build up good strength in the remaining leg, but maybe it's worth separating them till he's stronger. What do you think?
Shari
From abandoned puppy to Tripawd Warrior Dude, Dakota became one of the 2011 February Furballs due to STS. Our incredibly sweet friend lived with grace and dignity till he impulsively raced over the Bridge on 12-15-12.
Dakota's thoughtful and erudite blog is at http://shari.tr.....pawds.com/
aw thanks Shari! We were keeping them seperate but he was doing so good and enjoyed the company so we let them be together while we were right there with them....obviously it didnt work out so well! Honestly, I think we were being to eager with Bud's recovery and we need to take it much easier and at a slower pace!!!! Thanks...hope all is well w Dakota!!!!
Oh those darn Monkeydogs! We're sorry this happened but glad that you and the vet figured out what was wrong. Stick to the rehab program and everything should get better. If you're at all a few pounds too large for your frame, you may want to use this time to lower your intake of calories too. A lighter Tripawd makes for a leaner and more balanced one.
Meanwhile, we don't have any experience with that knee brace but we would be interested in hearing ho it works, so please keep us posted here in this topic OK?
Take it easy Bud! You'll need your strength back to kick your Monkeydog's butt!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Glad it is not a ACL tear!!
My pug Maggie was a rear amp- and it was months before she returned to her full activity (reduced for her tripugness of course). Mag was good at regulating her activities- so I didn't have to worry about her overdoing.
While rear amps tend to have an easier time in the long run, it seems by what I read here that it takes longer for rear amps to build up strength and endurance.
You might want to read Fortis' blog. He was a rear amp that injured his remaining rear leg about 6 weeks after surgery. He was a big boy- a Cane Corso. While Brett had to help him around some Fortis had a great quality of life.
Karen and the pupapalooza
I knew it, I just knew it had to be caused by one of those *#@#$%& monkeybutt varmits, happens everytime they get together, they just can't stand to see a decent, respectful tripawd minding his/her own business and enjoying life to the fullest. this sounds like a job for Thelma, lets see that monkeybuster try and brush against her, she'll knock that monkeybutter clear into next year, %&$#@*& monkey varmits anyhow, but I'm glad to hear time will heal this show of disrespect. Hang in there, Paws up, Spirit Gus and Dan
My buddy Gus had a left front amputation on April 7, 2010 and lived a great life until July 26,2010
I'm sorry for your pup's injury but so happy it's NOT an ACL!!!! I've heard and looked at that brace back when Maggie was first MISdiagnosed for an ACL tear. My sister, a Vet Tech, has a bit of experience with them at her office. I would consider one if Maggie got issues with her remaining rear leg.
It's so tough...you want to protect them but yet want to them to lead a somewhat normal life. It's a balancing act! In my experience with my rear leg amputee, it has taken a long time to build her up. She actually did an hour walk yesterday..her LONGEST yet - and she was amputated in Oct 2009. But she's a tad tired and needs a rest before she tries walking that far again! But truth be known, she did run off 100 mph after some sort of wild animal scent! So, she's partly to blame for being tired 😉
How long has your dog been amputated? I'm sorry I haven't been around much lately on the forums, so have missed your story on your pup.
Tracy, Maggie's Mom
Maggie was amputated for soft tissue sarcoma 10-20-09
Maggie lost her battle with kidney disease on 8-24-13
Thanks everypawdy for your advice, words of encouragemnet and humor!
Bud is resting more comfortably since.
He is down from 103lbs to 87lbs but that Doctor says 75lbs. Poor kid, no more ammppuversary ribeye treats for him! Apples and carrots I guess! Well, at least the apples!!! 
Monkey butt sister Daisy said she is sorry and she misses him!
I read some on Fortis but I can tell that story is gonna be a heart breaker for me! 
Balancing normalcy...yep that is hard and we are new at figuring it out!
We will post after we get the brace and try it out!
Tripawd friends are wonderul!!!!
WOOHOO! So glad to hear!
Happy to hear about the weight loss, too! Trouble did green beans for treats! We liked cucumbers, celery and celery over here!
I have warned many times against the Monkeydogs! They may act sorry but ...........
Comet - 1999 to 2011
She departed us unexpectedly January 23, 2011 at the age of 12 1/2.
She was born with a deformed front leg and a tripawd all of her life.
Glad to hear Bud is doing better. I too had to slim down. My oncologist team called me "chunky monkey" and that motivated me to lose weight. I don't want to be called anything with "monkey" in it 
I was about 85 pounds at the time of surgery and am now under 70.
I hope Bud's recovery goes smoothly.
Thanks… the green beans are a hit!
And Ginger……you are such a pretty girl …..that silly doctor! Monkey no way!
Hey Bud,
We are happy to hear that it wasn't an ACL tear after all. You look like you have a sweet Golden face (like my Mackenzie) so anytime our Golden friends are injured, we take notice. Mackenzie's weight fluctated after her amputation and even gaining a pound or two noticably slowed her down. So it's good that you're working on your weight. Mackenzie loved mixed veggies (no salt) from the can and of course anything else she could possibly eat. Food, food and more food is a golden's middle name so we know how hard it is to resist. Here's to a speedy recovery! We'll be sending you lots of golden healing thoughts......
Kami, Angel Mackenzie and Kobe
My sweet golden Mackenzie. She became my angel on Dec 29, 2010 at the age of 8 1/2 although she was always my angel from the time we brought her home. She was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in Sept 2009 and officially became a tripawd (front leg) on Nov 5, 2009. She will be forever in my heart and now she's running free with all of our other tripawd heroes. I love you Mackenzie!
So sorry to hear Bud got hurt but like everyone else I am glad it isn't a ACL tear. It is hard to know what to do about if it is better to keep the dogs separate or let them be together. Emily and her lab brother, Bentley, were only six months apart in age so they were extremely close. Emily seemed very lonely without Bentley so we did not separate them and being a lab, Bentley was very careful and protective of Emily. Our other dog, a min pin Marley, was still a puppy so we kept him away from Emily when we were not there to monitor the little guys every step!
Good luck with the knee brace. I hope all goes well. Bud is so darn cute!
Debra & Emily, a five year old doberman mix, who was diagnosed with an osteosaecoma. She had a right rear leg amputation on May 19, 2009. On November 10, 2009 she earned her wings and regained her fourth leg.
SOOOOOO...we wont be getting the brace after all......
I tried to order it online today but had some computer glitches so I called. That turned out to be a blessing! After all the measurement hoopla she informed me that all sales are final but you can exchange....which could be a issue. They have fitted tripawds for these braces but not "no hip lil nub" tripawds. She suggested we ask the Dr who created the brace about Bud's situation. He called me personally which I thought was pretty neat....
Anyway he said that the brace was 90% effective in 4 legged dogs who had ACL tears. He said that he had sold the brace to about 20 tripawd dogs but really didnt have much feedback to go on. None of them being no hip, almost no nub tripawds. He asked all about Bud and seemed genuinely pretty horrified over Bud's situation as to how we got to this place. Which in an odd way, made me feel better!
The concern with the brace is the way the support system latches on to the dog, so that the knee brace is snug and doesnt slip down. The brace being custom made is quite spendy. It could be modified and he would help me with that but there was just no guarantees on how it would work/fit/latch for Bud and since it was just a "prevenative", all things should be considered.
So, I called my vet and we discussed it and decided to not order it now and wait to see if there are more knee issues and it's a "definate need to have" .
So, no pics to post or "test drive" to discuss. Maybe another tripawd out there will be a better canidate! Darn it! It seemed like a good idea!
sorry for Bud, hope he takes it easy and gets his strength back.
You definately answered my question about allowing Gunner to have any time with the other dogs, NOT! We're not taking any chances. Its not worth it. I was feeling bad for all the time passed without interaction and wondering how long to keep them separated. Just today our baby gal shepherd (Anja) was crying and whining to play with Gunner. He's been with her since she was eight weeks old but now she is a 9 month old jumpy monkey dog. Full of energy and baby antics. Reading your post convinces me it would not be a good idea!! They are meeting at the fence and baby gates for a while, maybe a long while. They always played nice together before but also rough at times, its not worth the potential problems right now. Gunner will be four weeks post amp Friday.
Thanks for the insight and sure hope Bud gets to feeling better!
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