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.
Join The Tripawds Community
Learn how to help three legged dogs and cats in the forums below. Browse and search as a guest or register for free and get full member benefits:
Instant post approval.
Private messages to members.
Subscribe to favorite topics.
Live Chat and much more!
Register
Log In
Members
Add Topic
Offline
Hi, I adopted a beautiful 18 mo Great Pyrenees/Kuvasz last week. I was able to bring him home as soon as his staples came out. We don't know his history for sure but believe he lost his rear leg due to a severe fracture that happened about a year ago and was never fixed. By the time he was dropped at a shelter 3 weeks ago, he was in terrible pain and there was no way to save the leg. He is a very, very sweet but somewhat timid boy and weighs in at 120 lbs post-op. Because of his size as well as the fact that he has been locked in a small kennel with very little exercise for the past year and is very weak, I wanted to start doing some core exercises ASAP. He has had almost no type of obedience training though, so our walks have been a bit of the battle of the wills. He's scared to death of losing his balance on any type of uneven surface, stairs or slick surface. I think sitting is still uncomfortable and due to what I'm attributing to a lot of recent stress, he has almost no interest in any kind of toys. I would love any kind of recommendation on how to get started with him on some strengthening exercises. I have him signed up for a basic obedience class starting in about 2 weeks but at the rate he's going, I really hope he'll be able to be ready by then. Thanks in advance!
beyondbarriers said
I would love any kind of recommendation on how to get started with him on some strengthening exercises.
Welcome, and thank you for asking! Your future forum posts will not require approval.
Rehab, conditioning, core strengthening, stretches, and massage are all very important to help Tripawds get and remain strong, healthy and confident. Searche the Tripawds Featured Blogs and bookmark Jerry's Required Reading List for lots of helpful posts and videos.
Loving Life On Three Legs is a filled with direct lengths and more helpful rehab information, how-to videos, articles, and podcasts. That is available in the Tripawds e-books library, and offers the fastests answers to such concerns, and much more—diet, supplements, acupuncture, hydrotherapy...
We also strongly recommend consulting with a certified rehab vet tech CCRT or CCRP for a professional opinion and prescribed exercises you can continue at home. Check out the Maggie Moo Fund for Tripawd Rehab, you may even be eligible for reimbursement.
Best wishes, please keep us posted!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi and welcome.
Traction is huge for Tripawds, especially new ones. You should get some throw rugs or yoga mats to put on any slippery floors that your boy traverses.
What's his name?
I adopted my second Tripawd about 7 months ago. Elly is a small pug mix who was hit by a car when she was 7 months old and lost her right rear leg as a result. She came to us when she was about 10 months old and 2.5 months post amp, she will be 1.5 years old at the end of June.
She had no type of formal rehab and didn't have much chance to walk. No slam on rescue/foster mom...she saved her life! When she joined my little pack I started her on core strength and walking. Walking long distances is not necessarily the best thing for Tripawds, but Elly could only go a few blocks without tiring. I work on her core through food puzzles, games and practicing obedience and tricks.
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
What a beautiful boy, and I love your user name. You have done a wonderful thing by adopting him!
Sounds like you also need to build his confidence. Start slow, and let him take the lead. I wouldn't push leash walking too much, but instead let him get comfortable moving through your house and in your yard. A harness might help - we love the Ruffwear Webmaster Plus (you can see it in the Gear Blog ). Otis took his time in resuming activity - in week 3, for example, he jumped up on the sofa. He didn't really try the stairs until close to month 3, and now handles them like a pro. Some days we walk (started at about 1 month), some days we just putter around in the side yard so that he can explore a bit. We also just sit outside a lot. I don't push, and let him decide when he is ready. I bet you will see improvement as he gets to know you and realizes that he has a home now.
In terms of toys, is your guy food motivated at all? If so, perhaps a kong with peanut butter? Someone also had an idea of hiding a treat under Solo cups and having him find it.
My Tess, by the way, is a rescue. One of her legs was broken in two places and never set by a vet. It healed crooked, but strong. That family returned her to the shelter when she was about 2 claiming that she could not be house trained. Her first night with us, she followed Otis right outside and did her business without any problem. I cannot believe that some people are so heartless.
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.
Thank you for your links and thank you for this site! I did physical therapy for 11 years and now own a gym for people with disabilities so I have plenty of experience with humans who have had to overcome losing one, two and even three limbs but this is my first experience with the four-legged (now three-legged), furry version and it's proving to be a completely different experience. I so appreciate your knowledge and expertise. I'm planning to download the e-book. My new baby's name is Hudson and he's been more "people driven" than food driven although the more comfortable he gets in his forever home, the more his appetite has increased. I really love the Solo cup idea and I'm definitely going to be trying that and the kong idea. I also appreciate the yoga mat suggestion. I have put throw rugs around the house but with the amount of weight he has behind him, he can make the rugs slide easily so I'm hoping that the yoga mats may give a little more traction . And... since I have a gym, I have plenty of those ;). I'm going to find a harness for him to see if it will help him with balance since he tries to lean against whoever is closest to maintain balance and since I don't outweigh him by much, that about knocks me over. I also appreciate you all saying to take it easy and not to rush things. I'm prone to wanting to "fix things" but I know I need to let him do things at his pace. Thank you all and bless you guys for what you've done for these amazing family members who deserve the world!!
Otis leans too sometimes, usually when he's tired. I gave him his first post-amp bath on Sunday and he leaned against me most of the time. You might consider whether the leaning is a good sign that it is time to sit? Otis has also learned to lean against trees or fences to pee like a boy, which I consider good.
I think one of the biggest differences you will find between Hudson and your human patients is that dogs do not think about the missing leg, the concept of disability really doesn't cross their minds - they just figure out new ways to do whatever they want to do. If you begin working through the "rescue" issues with Hudson, I bet everything else follows. He has had a tough life and will need to learn that he now has a home and a family. Sounds like lots of petting and loving should do the trick. Being a Tripawd is almost secondary right now.
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.
I am a huge proponent of rehab. Our Murphy not only lost one of his back legs, but had a total hip replacement on the other side. He did many, many weeks of rehab once he was cleared after the THR. In total, he was restricted to a leash for seven months after his accident, but came through with flying colors. I posted several of his rehab videos on his YouTube channel, Murphy the Three Legged Dog, if you are interested in seeing them.
Kathi and the Turbotail April Angel...and the Labradork
Murphy is a five year old Lab/Chessie cross. He was hit by a car on 10/29/12 and became a Tripawd on 11/24/12. On 2/5/13, he had a total hip replacement on his remaining back leg. He has absolutely no idea that he has only three legs!
UPDATE: Murphy lived his life to the fullest, right up until an aggressive bone lesion took him across the Rainbow Bridge on April 9, 2015 and he gained his membership in the April Angels. Run free, my love. You deserve it!
One of the things you might want to consider for Hudson when he goes to obedience class are the Pawz boots that you can get on Amazon http://gear.tri.....om/?s=Pawz They are sort of like balloons, you stretch them out, put them over their feet & there you go! They are not insulated, so don't help in the winter or on the sidewalks (some reviews have complained that they wear out on the cement). But I have used them for Murphy a couple of times when we've gone to the vet & they are very helpful on the tile floors. You just can't leave them on all day because they will be a little tight at the top.
He's a beautiful boy, and so lucky that you found him! I'm sure with patience he will come around.
Donna
Donna, Glenn & Murphy
Murphy had his right front leg amputated due to histiocytic sarcoma at 7 years old. He survived 4 years, 2 months & 1 week, only to be taken by hemangiosarcoma at 11 1/2 years 6/12/17
Read about Murphy's Life on Three Legs
Oh my dog you are the perfect candidate to become a certified rehab therapist! Do you know about the Canine Rehab Institute?
Hudson is so lucky to have you, I can tell you'll both do great.
As for harnesses, be sure to hop over the Tripawds Gear Blog for lots of suggestions. The best all purpose one we love is the Webmaster.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thank you all for your help. I hadn't heard about the Canine Rehab Institute until you mentioned it. I've been researching it ever since and I'm thinking it may be a good compliment to what I'm currently doing. Not to mention that there seems to be a shortage of certified therapists in my immediate area. Hudson is doing amazing!! I have him working on balance discs, jumping onto small platforms, the Solo cup challenge and lots of stairs and hills including sit and shake on uneven surface. He went fishing with us for the Memorial Day weekend and spent the entire weekend running, being a dog and getting muddy. Last weekend he went horseback riding with us, a short distance but still kept up very well. He has no problem at this point going up and down full flights of stairs and will sometimes do them 8-10 times in a row following my son and his friends from the bedroom to the playroom. He starts obedience training on Monday and I'm excited to see the kind of progress he can make.
Awesome I'm so glad we could help. Post some action shots (here's info about adding images ), we'd love to see Hudson and his fun adventures in fitness and the outdoors! What a great life!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Sounds like Hudson is making great progress! How about his confidence?
We are still working on confidence and dog interactions with Elly, she is still pretty skittish. We have done 3 classes now, a basic obedience and two Strength, Balance and Body Awareness classes. We will be taking more when I am done with my summer theater commitments.
Here is a blog post showing a little of what we do in the SB&BA classes. Those classes really helped her confidence. I am very pleased with Elly's strength and balance, I am always looking for new ways to challenge her.
Can't wait to hear a report on how Hudson does in class.
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
It sounds like you are making great progress with Hudson! Keep up the wonderful work! 
Donna
Donna, Glenn & Murphy
Murphy had his right front leg amputated due to histiocytic sarcoma at 7 years old. He survived 4 years, 2 months & 1 week, only to be taken by hemangiosarcoma at 11 1/2 years 6/12/17
Read about Murphy's Life on Three Legs
Update on Hudson: So due to a slight setback with some phantom pains and difficulty with balance during obedience training, we decided to postpone his obedience training until the next class which starts on Monday, Sep 15th. We also decided that would be a good decision since he will be able to go through the class with a wheelchair bound client of mine who is taking her new service dog (Hudson's newest buddy from work, Baxter) through the class for some tune ups. That way, I can also help my client with any mobility issues. He's still doing well although due to the pain in his residual limb, he's had some trouble eating and has dropped some weight. We've switched his diet to include wet food to entice him to eat more, increased the glucosamine slightly as well as doing nightly massages and compression wraps. He's still coming to work with me and is a huge hit with my clients. I had to cut down on the rehab for right now since he is such an active boy and the weight loss was worrying me a little, I wanted him to take it a little bit easier. I was also afraid the amount of work he was doing was contributing to the phantom pain . I'll definitely post some more when we get going in the class. I started a blog so I could upload some photos of Hudson. Due to maintaining client privacy, I won't post any pictures of Hudson at work but I think my phone is almost completely full of Hudson during our down times. Thanks again to all of you for your input.
Beautiful dog, and what a privilege to have him assisting you in such meaningful work.
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.
1 Guest(s)
