Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hey all. I recently watched the video of Golden Retriever Rox before and after surgery in Tripawd Movies, Just Before and After Surgery and she was doing amazing! I also noticed their hardwood floors and how much the traction boots really seemed to help her, she didn't slide at all! We also have all hardwood floors and we do have rugs everywhere for Domino, but we can't cover the entire floor in rugs (though we've tried lol). He always manages to find that gap in the rugs and wipe out. It's worst when he knows we're going out and he does his crazy Aussie wiggle butt dance, and spins in circles and jumps and whines. Almost daily he slips on the hardwood in a bare spot. I guess my biggest question is are the boots worth the hassle? It's not really something I can leave on him all the time, and should he wear them outside? Or is it something I'd have to put on before we get ready to go out, then take back off at the door to the backyard? In my opinion it would be easier to carry him lol. They seem to be working amazing for Rox, and I'm willing to try anything to avoid future boo boos and injury. I'll have to try and get a video of his wiggle butt dance. We're slowly trying to add rugs to his problem areas, but I feel like boots would be cheaper.
Cassie and Domino
“A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.”
Domino had his left front leg amputate on May 13th 2014 after being hit by a car. He's now living a happy healthy life on three legs :)
Hey Cassie!
That Golden was my girl, Rox ^_^
We are still debating the best options for our girl. The socks work pretty well, but on her they slip off pretty easily, even with the tighter fit. They required pretty regular adjustment. I bought her a pair of Pawz, rubber boots, to give those a go, and should get them tonight. I'll let you know how they work.
Her pink socks, which are ready to be washed, aren't really meant for outside, but we put them on her so that she can make it to the backdoor. So she wears them out there. It would be better if they had the little grippy area all over the sock, rather than in one location. They have been sliding off, and causing tripping problems for her though. For the time being her socks have been helpful, but last night I noticed that as she gets used to them, she also gets used to how they slip off. She knows now that if they are slipping, she slips, so she has started walking funny at times. So I would like to move on to another solution.
I also don't leave them on her for too long, as I don't like the idea of the tight band around her ankle, possibly causing her feet to fall asleep / circuation issues. I'll need to deal with the same thing with these rubber replacements too. By the way, those are 12 in 1 pack, so thats 4 pairs for us!
We have hesitated to get full runners for that long hallway, mainly because we would also need to get reliable non-slip things for them, because right now we have to secure all rugs in some manner. So free standing runners would slip and cause falling hazards. I'll keep you update though!
Aimee & Rox
foayasha said
Hey Cassie!That Golden was my girl, Rox ^_^
We are still debating the best options for our girl. The socks work pretty well, but on her they slip off pretty easily, even with the tighter fit. They required pretty regular adjustment. I bought her a pair of Pawz, rubber boots, to give those a go, and should get them tonight. I'll let you know how they work.
Her pink socks, which are ready to be washed, aren't really meant for outside, but we put them on her so that she can make it to the backdoor. So she wears them out there. It would be better if they had the little grippy area all over the sock, rather than in one location. They have been sliding off, and causing tripping problems for her though. For the time being her socks have been helpful, but last night I noticed that as she gets used to them, she also gets used to how they slip off. She knows now that if they are slipping, she slips, so she has started walking funny at times. So I would like to move on to another solution.
I also don't leave them on her for too long, as I don't like the idea of the tight band around her ankle, possibly causing her feet to fall asleep / circuation issues. I'll need to deal with the same thing with these rubber replacements too. By the way, those are 12 in 1 pack, so thats 4 pairs for us!
We have hesitated to get full runners for that long hallway, mainly because we would also need to get reliable non-slip things for them, because right now we have to secure all rugs in some manner. So free standing runners would slip and cause falling hazards. I'll keep you update though!
Aimee & Rox
Thanks!! Yea, the Pawz rubber boots is what I was looking into. I'm having the same problem, securing rugs is a nightmare! And we have a full flight of stairs that Dom has to go down to go to the bathroom and they are hardwood, luckily he's learned to slow down on those, but the hallway is terrible. Let me know what you think of the Pawz when they come in!
Cassie and Domino
“A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.”
Domino had his left front leg amputate on May 13th 2014 after being hit by a car. He's now living a happy healthy life on three legs :)
HEY CASSIE AND AIMEE! And, of course, Rox and Domino too!!
BTW, I loved the recovery after surgery videos you both posted. UPLIFTING!
Just wanted to say that I found runner rugs and scatter rugs at Target in there "rug section" that had bathroom mats and kitchen mats. They were sturdy enough that they didn't need any additional taping, etc. And my Happy Hannah was quite a "fluffy" girl and each step was planted with "force"
Of course, to borrow from a quote here someone made.....with all the colors and different sizes, my floors looked like a clown vomited on them!
Don't have any insight on the booties. Aimee, good point about the circulation...good insight!
Cassie I'm sure you've already thought of those "do it yourselfz" carpet squares that stick to the floor.....they maybe the answer to the stairs. LOWE's or Home Depot maybe?
Sending the best to you both!!!!!
Sally and Happy Hannah and My Pal Merry Myrtle
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!
Hey Benny! Yeah, I have a few bathroom rugs that we've been using, that I really like because they are non-slip. I would get more of them, but enough to make use on my floors would cost me too much right now. I am going to be look around though, I really think rugs might need to be the long term solution.
Speak of the devil! These just arrived. Though I know that these have been talked about a lot, I wanted to share a picture, because I had not see the top of the boot.
As many have said, it is very similar to balloon material, and even in shape. The opening on the Large size is about that of a quarter. So it is pretty small. The boot was large enough for me to slip my own hand into it, and it wasn't uncomfortable. The material gripped pretty easily onto my desk, so there wouldn't be issues of traction at all. Skin may slip within the boot, but the boot itself will grip. I used a pair of sheers for size reference.
WOW! Thanks for the great visual and description. Really looks like this could be the solution
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!
My tripug Maggie would not tolerate anything on her feet! She never really had trouble with traction though, I had good luck keeping the fur between her toes trimmed short and I used Musher's Secret to keep her pads supple which I think helped her.
My quad pug Tani is having much more trouble with traction than Maggie ever did. She has several medical conditions contributing to her problems. She is 14 now and not very strong so when she slips she can't right herself. I do have a rug trail through the house, I've even had to put rugs on the back deck and build a ramp for the two stairs. I tried the sock type booties but like Aimee I found that they slipped off pretty easily, or rotated so the grippy part wasn't on the floor which made things worse instead of better. I've also tried a harder boot type but that didn't work for her either, although the sound she made walking in them was hilarious!
I've been using PawZ for a couple months and they work the best for Tani. I usually only put them on when I take her to my parents house or the vet where there are slippery floors without rugs. One word of caution- since the boogie is grippy on all surfaces if your Tripawd drags a foot at all they might trip. Tani also has trouble backing up- the rear booties grip and she falls into a sit. Another thing hard for her is walking in grass, again because the whole boogie surface is grippy.
Again Tani is 14 and pretty weak, she also is quite small weighing just 15 pounds. She drags her feet and crosses her back feet- so her issues might not be a problem for a bigger, stronger Tripawd. I've also had luck cutting the ring at the top of the boogie without the whole thing ripping. The size that fits her foot seems really tight at the top, and were impossible to get on. She has very small booties and I have arthritis in my fingers. I also found that a tiny amount of foot powder makes them go on easier, but don't use too much or they fall off
I also wouldn't leave them on for an extended time because they don't breathe, after a couple hours when I take them off her feet are damp.
Good luck!
Karen
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Le us know how she likes them. I had bought grippy socks( kids) for Ty, but when I put them on him, he just stood there like he could not move. My Corgi, Lucy hates the rain. I am learning that this is a Corgi trait. So I bought her a raincoat and a pack of these balloon boots. When I tried to put them on her, she shrieked like I was killing her. Flopped her foot around and yelped. Sui a drama queen!
TY GUY, Best Black Lab ever! Diagnosed and had amp in January, 2014. Kicked MRSA's butt. Earned his angel wings on April 16, 2014. Run Free my boy and don't forget a shoe. Ty is a proud member of the " April Angels". Ty sent us Daryl, a Tripawd rescue in Sept. of 2016. Daryl is 5 +or -. We are also Pawrents to Chandler, a Border Collie mix who is 15 and 1/2, Lucy, a Corgi who is 7, 2 minis, 2 horses, and a feisty cat named Zoe. Zoe had a non skeletal Osteosarcoma removed in July 2015. No Chemo, she was at least 16. She is going strong although she is now completely blind. She is now close to 20 and her hobbies are eating and sleeping in front of her personal heater.
Aww, my other puppy is a Corgi! He isn't really a drama queen, more of a guard dog who barks at the wind. As for the boots, Rox liked them pretty well. They didn't slip at all, but there was about 1/2 of space that flopped at the end of the toe. I could see that being a tripping hazard, but it didn't seem to bother her at all. She wore them outside, and then came back in without issue.
Putting them on was pretty easy, for her, since she is a very mellow dog. I could see a dog with feet anxiety might be a bit more difficult (like my corgi). Once she put them on, it was clearly easier for her to get up and move around. I think it was a pretty positive expeierence. I would agree that they shouldn't stay on for extended periods of time, but I was happy to see that the boot seemed to wrap around her leg in a more broad way, rather than one very tight, small area. I'll take a picture and maybe a video later tonight when I put them back on.
I would say, so far, so good.
Here is a quick video of Rox using her pawz. I also included a picture to show what the constriction on the ankle looks like. These are much more useful than the cloth socks I bought her. However, they do have downsides. A bit of tripping, and she can't wear them for hours on end. However, they do serve a purpose. I'm happy with them.
You might want to mute me, my voice was particually shrill in this video. XD
http://youtu.be.....yeKLYAXEok
Thanks for the feedback, and video!!!
Anypawdy interested can get more details and purchase PAWz in the Tripawds Gear Blog ...
gear: pawz-to-consider-these-dog-booties
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
GOOD GIRL ROX! Can't stop cheering for you
I could barely focus on how wel l you were getting around...I was too busy looking at your SWEET.....OMD....SOOOOOOO. SWEET FACE!!!! Such a gentle soul!
Great feedback everybody. My Happy Hannah never needed booties...each punding paw carried a lot of "tonage"!!! I thin k that helped keep her feet steady (and scatter rugs).
I wish I'd thought of these for my seniors back when they were hav i ng trouble walking....good idea for.seniors too! Thanks Karen.
Sending the best!
Sally and Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle 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 SO pretty! And she's a quick pee'er, too. Love that! She's perfect.
Happy hoppin'
~ Katy & Jackson
ACL tear in right hind leg 12/5/12 and scheduled ACL repair surgery 12/21/12. Pre-op xrays revealed osteosarcoma. Amputation 12/28/12. Chemo (carboplatin) started Jan 10, 2013 and ended on April 5, for a total of 5 doses. He handled carbo like a champ! No side effects. We started metronomic therapy at his third chemo and have been also doing some holistic treatments. He's a lively, playful 10 year old huskie-boarder collie and a very proud member of the Winter Warriors! Our love. Our funny little guy!
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