Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi all,
I recently adopted a rear-leg amputee girl named Peppermint Patty and she's such a joy! She's about a year old and has tons of energy, and recently I've noticed the bottom of her leg "nub" getting a bit roughed up. Its been looking red slightly scabby in places, and has lost a bit of hair. I believe this happens when she roughhouses with our other dogs and drags it along the ground, and possibly when she sits on rougher surfaces. Are there any ways I can prevent this, or any sort of cover I can make or buy to protect it?
Thanks in advance 🙂
Welcome! Your future forum posts will not require moderation.
Did Patty not get a full amputation? If not, she may be a candidate for prosthetics . Search the forums above for DIY alternatives and other solutions from members, or search all blogs here .
The best thing you can do is to help Patty builder up her strength so she doesn't drag that stump. Find lots of tips in th Tripawds Gear blog and News Blog or download Loving Life On Three Legs for direct links to articles, videos, and podcasts to help keep her fit and strong. Also consider visiting a certified rehab vet for a consultation, the Tripawds Foundation may even reimburse you for your first consultation.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hello and welcome!
How much of a 'nub' is there? Could you post a picture (if you can keep her still long enough)? Here is how you add a picture.
My first Tripawd Maggie was a rear amp- she had a 'mid-femoral' amputation which means they left a little of the femur. The muscle was wrapped around it and you couldn't really see it unless she moved it. It did not hang down at all.
My current Tripawd Elly has no femur at all, she was hit by a car and the bone was shattered.
If PP has a portion of her leg left then she is probably going to have ongoing problems like you describe. I can't think of a specific product out there for this issue, you might have to make something.
You might look at a company called DogLeggs. They make products to cover abrasions and hygromas. I think they mostly make stuff for front legs but they do make products for amputees, and they do customize.
You could also look at HandicappedPets. They have a variety of things that you might be able to put together to make something that covers the nub and stays on during play.
And congratulations on the adoption! My girl Elly is a small pug mix but full of energy at 15 months old.
Good luck!
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
thanks for the replies and resources! 
here's a couple pictures of her back legs. The first was taken shortly after she first came home, and the second was taken just today. I'm honestly rather worried about it as it seems to be pretty red and irritated. Any other suggestions regarding helping her heal/preventing this in the future would be highly appreciated!
Ouch!
Does she drag her end a lot? Maybe what she really needs is to build some strength in that one back leg. A normal tripawd won't drag their butt on the ground.
I spend time every day working with Elly on her core strength and leg strength.
In order to get it to heal you might try some boxer shorts to keep it covered, her tail goes through the fly. You might need to attach them to a harness to keep them on.
Check out the Gear Blog for some ideas on Fitness and Exercise if you think that would help.
Karen
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
thanks for the input! Boxer shorts sound like a great idea, actually 🙂
as far as I can tell, she's actually pretty strong considering her amputation was only about 3 months ago. She's built up quite a bit of muscle even since we adopted her, and she's even started jumping and standing up on one leg to try to reach items on tables, etc. (despite our best efforts to stop her!)
from what I've noticed, it seems that she's dragging her leg mostly when she plays tug with other dogs (she sits down for better support and then gets dragged along by the other dog), or when she gets up very quickly from a sitting or laying position (to chase a toy or go greet someone at the door for example)
I'll definitely check out the fitness ideas as building her core strength definitely can't hurt!
Peppermint Patty is adorable! Adorable and beautiful!! She sounds like a delightful doggy with tons of personality!
Thank you for giving this sweetie such a loving furever home!
Just curious if the area is swollen at all? Can't really tell from the photo.
Wish I could think of some cream or slray thst would help with the "symptoms" of the rash. Hopefully the boxer shorts will help. I can only imagine how your other dogs will love pulling at those when the rumble and tumble!
More poctures of Peppermint Patty and pack!
Hugs to all!
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie 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!
She's definitely got spunk! We haven't had a young dog in the house for quite some time (our two others are currently 6 and 15 years old) so sometimes I forget how energetic they are!
The area isn't swollen or hot at all. If it was we would definitely bring her in for a vet visit as that would be cause for quite a bit of concern! It doesn't even seem to bother her when its touched, although she seems to have a pretty high pain tolerance (despite being a total baby about rain and snow--go figure!).
I dabble a bit in making "lotions & potions" so I might start researching doggy-safe salves so I can maybe whip something up to help her heal.
I'll definitely be taking plenty of pics of her in her new shorts soon!
Everyone has been so helpful so far! thank you all so much 🙂 this is such a wonderful community
She's definitely got spunk! We haven't had a young dog in the house for quite some time (our two others are currently 6 and 15 years old) so sometimes I forget how energetic they are!
I am with you there! I adopted Elly when she was 10 months old...I figured out it had been around 16 years since I had such a youngster! Thank Dog she is part pug so I can keep up with her energy and just all around activeness!
The being dragged during tug play makes sense to me, Elly ends up on her butt whenever she loses her balance. Quad pug Obie doesn't play with toys so I am Elly's tug partner. It's a good balance exercise for her but I'm sure I don't pull as hard has PP's tug partner!
Karen
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Oh my gosh, she's adorable!!!! Love the name!!
Howdy and welcome!!
pam
Harmony became a Tripawd on 10/21/14 (MCT). She left us way too soon on 11/1/14.
"We miss you so much; our love, our heart, our Harmony."
- Pam, Ron and Melody, Meesha, Doublestuff and Mariah Carey
So another thing to consider: what is her weight like? If she is overweight at all, even by a pound, it will make getting up off the floor more difficult. Many dogs find that dragging themselves gets to be easier. I think if she needs to lose weight, once you can help her do so, that will make a big difference, especially when you combine it with rehab therapy. A good consult with a rehab therapist will reveal a lot about the cause of her inability to not drag her butt. The Tripawds Foundation will even pay for the first rehab therapy visit so why not take advantage of it?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
jerry said
what is her weight like? If she is overweight at all, even by a pound, it will make getting up off the floor more difficult.
We had her weighed at the vet very recently (she has a small benign growth on her back that will be getting removed soon), and she weighed in at 52-53 pounds. She's an American Bulldog/Pit Bull mix from what we can figure, and the vet said this was a normal weight for her age and breed. She got a pretty squat, muscly bully frame but she is otherwise very lean.
We've been keeping her away from our neighbors' larger dogs that tend to play a bit rough, and her back leg seems to be improving already, so I think it may have been a case of her playing too hard on unsuitable surfaces. We're going to be moderating their play even more closely in the future to make sure she doesn't overtax herself.
I will definitely look into physical therapy for her in the near future, though. This is the first time I've had a tripawd so I could definitely use some professional input!
Oh glad to hear her weight is vet-approved. Many vets also recommend keeping a Tripawd leaner than the average size for the breed, so it may help just to have her drop a pound.
I think you're doing great, you're observing all of the right things. I'll bet with more monitoring and core-conditioning exercises this issue will disappear. Yes, rehab is great, you can learn so much from it!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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