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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We have adopted a tripawd that had some sort of trauma post birth resulting in a below the knee, just above the ankle (?) amputation. This was done prior to us adopting her and her stump had fully healed when we got her. She is a 4 month old border collie mix and is very active per the breed. Since the stump is so long compared to most, she is using it to walk and run on and has developed road rash that tears open and bleeds every time she plays outside. We are in consultation with vets and a prosthetist, but since she is so young, we don't have a plan to adapt anything until she is over a year old and mostly done growing. My concern is protecting the stump in the meantime, since she uses it fully as a 4th leg. Does anyone have any ideas or tried and true solutions for protecting the stump. We are thinking some kind of boot/ knee brace harness combo, but hesitate to buy all these products without more info.
Hi HazelGrace! Your future posts won't need to wait for approval so post away.
I'm curious, have the prosthetist and the vets offered any suggestions? This is a very tough area to cover, especially in the rear. We've had some DIY stump protector attempts for front leggers pop up every now and then, but nothing for the rear. You might be able to get a customized protector by working with the company that's making the prosthetic. I would reach out to your prosthetist to ask. And keep us posted! This is a common issue for dogs needing help in that area, and we'd like to find out how a prostetician suggests resolving it.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Our vet suggested booties, but they just fall off as there's really not enough to strap down. We are going to try a longer protector like some of the cast covers. I have consulted the prosthetist, but haven't had an in person consultation yet since we're about 5 hours apart. We are trying to find a solution ASAP to keep her from being in pain (although she doesn't ever act like it hurts her). I will keep you posted!
Yes, I was totally thinking about a cast cover type of device. Ask the prosthetist for a Zoom consult asap. This is a big challenge when a prosthetic is in a pet's future. Let us know how it goes.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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