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.
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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
I am wondering when, if ever, my dog will be ready to climb our stairs, which are quite long and steep.
2 or 3 days after the amputation, I quickly snuck upstairs to fetch something while she was (supposedly) taking a nap.
I was up there for only seconds when I heard the approaching sound of nails clicking on the steps! She was nearly halfway up - and so quickly! I panicked, rushed forward and yelled at her to turn around and go back.
Her beautiful face - enclosed in the cone of shame
- was so confused, because in the past I had always encouraged her to climb 
Now there are chairs blocking the staircase 24/7, just in case she gets any crazy ideas! I'm so scared that she'll lose her balance and tumble down!
Honestly I still cringe whenever Wyatt Ray does stairs and it's been 7 years! When Jerry was around, we had a lot of stairs (18) to go inside and out of the house, and I always tried to be there to help him go down. Going up, no problem, but going down without that front leg, he was more apt to fall. He never had any bad spills but we weren't there more than 6 months after he lost his leg, we sold the house. Amazingly he learned to lean against the side of the staircase and use it for balance as he descended, but I always had a Webmaster harness on him and walked alongside while he went downstairs.
I realize you can't always be there even after she gets used to being on three legs, so adding those traction decals to your stairs will help a lot.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Just a few days post-amp, our Ellie pushed past the barricades we had erected and tried to climb up to her favorite perch on the landing. She got stuck half-way up. Her legs just wouldn't let her go up any more and she had no idea how to get down. She froze and both Bill and I rushed to her. We couldn't turn her, so we just sort of hoisted her up all the way to the second floor. She was so traumatized, she promptly vomited on the second floor hall. Which of course traumatized us! That was one of our worst recovery days by far.
But, after she recovered, she went both up and down stairs without a hitch. She still went up 2 at a time, just like when she had all four legs. We do have carpet on our stairs though. I don't think I would have trusted un-carpeted stairs at all. You may find having a baby gate lets you control when she goes up or down so you can be there to help her.
Denise, Bill and Angel Ellie
Active 10+ Pyr mix suddenly came up lame with ACL tear in left rear leg. Scheduled for a TPLO but final pre-op x-rays indicated a small suspicious area, possibly OSA, which could have caused the ACL tear. Surgeon opened the knee for TPLO but found soft bone. Biopsy came back positive for OSA. Became a Tripawd 9/18/14. Carbo6 with Cerenia and Fluids. Pain free and living in the moment. Crossed the Bridge on 7/12/15 after probable spread of cancer to her cervical spine. A whole lifetime of memories squeezed into 10 months. Here's her story: Eloise
Just ordered the harness for Otis. He is getting around the first floor really well. I have the stairs barricaded, but would love to be able to sleep in my bedroom. The stairs are obstacle 1, but once he gets upstairs, he will want to jump up in bed. He gets on and off the sofa easily, but I don't want him to injure himself. Any thoughts? I thought we would keep the stairs barricaded during the day, so it is just one controlled up and down each night. Or am I kidding myself about the concept of control?
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.
Christine thanks so much for ordering the Webmaster Plus from us! Otis is going to look so nice in red! You'll love it as well, it will make you feel so much better when he's going up and down the stairs.
We too had Jerry's stair movements controlled for the first few months, baby gates are a lifesaver. If your stairs are slick like ours were, it's a smart thing to do. No, you're not kidding yourself. It can take some adjusting to make changes in your routine like that but the peace of mind is worth it.
How high is your sofa/bed from the floor? Would it be possible for someone to make you a set of carpeted pet stairs? Odds are that Otis will learn to use them, many Tripawds do with just a little coaxing and treats.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi Christine and Otis.....we got around the bed issue in a strange way. We put out bed on the floor! It's a high platform bed that is now about 6 inches off the floor. I didn't want Nitro to jump off it and possibly hurt his remaining front leg. We're going on 2 years sleeping this way - great for him, a little inconvenient for us, but what can you do?
You will LOVE the harness - it pretty much saved our lives the first 6 months or so.
Paula and Nitro
Nitro 11 1/2 yr old Doberman; right front amp June 2014. Had 6 doses carboplatin, followed by metronomic therapy. Rocked it on 3 legs for over 3 years! My Warrior beat cancer, but couldn't beat old age. He crossed the Bridge peacefully on July 25, 2017, with dignity and on his terms. Follow his blog entitled "Doberman's journey"
"Be good, mama loves you".....run free my beautiful Warrior
What a great idea! I moved the box spring downstairs. It's on the floor instead of a frame, which puts it about 5 inches lower. We'll see how it works. I had just moved back into my bedroom last October after six months on the mattress for Tess' cruciate repair, and I need to start getting better sleep.
We tried the dog bed stairs after the cruciate repair surgery and neither dog used them.
Interestingly, the baby gate was down while we moved the box spring and Otis watched, but had no interest in going up. Maybe that is part of the answer to my question - he might not be ready. We'll see how he feels about it with the harness.
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.
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