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
Hello All!!
I have a question....have looked back several pages, but don't see the exact topic. Pegz and I sure appreciate any advice you can give us.
We live in Buffalo and needless to say, winters are wacky. Our tripawd warrior princess, Pegz has only been here since May. She hails from the deep South and was fostered (in Buffalo) until we adopted her in September. To say that she LOVES, LOVES, LOVES to be outside and to go for walks is an understatement. She is a fabulous senior girl, front left amputee --even if she denies it --and we are planning on a cart/wheelchair ASAP. We don't know how or why she came to be a tripawd.
The challenge is that we are likely to have 6 feet of snow on the ground any day now and it will last until April. LOL! (seriously...it's not that much of an exaggeration). So I am thinking that maybe a SLED might be a better option for now. We also have a 4 legged Black Lab rescue and they LOVE to do the neighborhood stroll together. A wheelchair type device will NOT work in the amount of snow that we get here.
Has anyone tried something like this (sled), or have any opinions? We realize a small sled is no big financial commitment and a lot depends on whether she is willing to go along. I just don't want to deprive her of time outside in the winter. But winter where we live is no minor thing...and I worry about how dangerous it could be for her. All thoughts are welcome.
We LOVE this website!! Thanks for being our friends and being such a great resource!! <3
Pegz and KViz
Welcome! And bless you for adopting this sweet girl! You are WONDERFUL.
Ok, so my folks tried putting me in a wagon, and that was a big no-no. Have you ever had her in anything moving like that? She may not dig it. If you try it, go very, very slow. Put some treats around the wagon, get her used to it before even moving it or it may freak her out like it did to me. Some dogs, however, do just fine in wagons or strollers.
As for wheelchairs…why do you think she needs one? Or even a sled for that matter? Many dogs get around just fine in snow, and wheelchairs are not a necessity for most Tripawds unless there's an underlying medical condition. Check out this blog post about wheelchairs for Tripawd dogs before you rush out and buy one.
We're glad you like this site! Thanks for joining, and do tell us more about your pup when you get a chance.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
shelby, a california tripawd on the site, has a little red wagon she rides in... maybe you could get a kid's wagon at toy's are us or somewhere, ditch the wheels and axles, and attach the wagon part to a 'rosebud sled'... whatever you come up with, please try to post some pictures - always great to see how ingenius our members are.
charon & gayle
Life is good, so very, very good!!! Gayle enjoyed each and every moment of each and every wonderful day (naps included). She left this world December 12, 2011 – off on a new adventure.
Love Never Ends
Welcome Pegz and family!
We so admire you for rescuing!
A "Rosebud" sled would so cool like "etgayle" said!!! I think you should do it just so we can see pictures!
But who knows, with this crazy weather - it may 90 degrees this winter in the northeast! I'm still wearing shorts here in the southwest!
Comet - 1999 to 2011
She departed us unexpectedly January 23, 2011 at the age of 12 1/2.
She was born with a deformed front leg and a tripawd all of her life.
Apologize if this is a double post...
Thanks for all the feedback!!
We were thinking of a wheel chair because it seems like such an effort for her with one front leg and because of her age. I want her to enjoy being out, but not at the cost of stressing her. Maybe I am just projecting?? I will check out the link recommended on the topic.
I think we will at least give the sled a shot. Our snow falls in feet here (not inches) and it is often difficult for even the Four Legs to get around. We will take pics and keep you posted.
Thanks to all again!
Hello,
Be sure you log in before you post- otherwise your posts have to wait for moderation.
Before you invest too much money in anything I would see how she does- having a sled back up for winter is probably a good idea. I didn't think my pug would ever be able to walk too far (she was a rear amp) but she worked back up to walking a mile on her own.
Of course no snow to worry about here, but I can picture the problem. My uncle in Montana had a pug named Bert. In the fall when the snow was only about 6 or 8 inches deep he could plow through. When it got deeper he would 'high center' and get stuck.... it was hard not to laugh 
.
I know some members here had to shovel a potty area for their front amp tripawds last year when the snow was deep.
Karen and the pupapalooza
Omgosh....that was going to be my next search....how funny! Thanks Karen !
The other (bigger) challenge will be potty in 6 feet of snow!
I also keep forgetting to mention that her back leg on the left (amp side) is very damaged...can support some weight but has limited role in her mobility...another reason why we are considering wheel chairs, sleds, etc
Hello again- Are you remembering to log in before you post? You are showing up as a guest again. If you are logging in then we should have admin guy check out your account.
If your pup has issues with other legs then looking into a 'ride' is wise in my opinion. Maggie did have a stroller which we used a lot right after her amp, and then later in her journey when she started to age and have other health issues that made her less mobile. Of course she only weighed 17 lbs and was about 12" at the shoulder so wasn't too hard to push around.
Karen and the pugapalooza
Thanks Karen. My screen was showing me that I never logged out...but to be sure, I just logged out and logged back in. So I will see what happens after I post this repsonse.
Thanks again to all for the feedback!
Hello. Welcome to this site. What kind of Dog is Pegz? I can't really think of anything to help you but I sure hope you figure out something that works really well for Pegz. We don't have alot of snow where I live in Maryland but sometimes we have had a couple of feet and that was a struggle for my Chihuahua. We definitely had to shovel out a potty area for him.As for my Great Dane and Doberman we shoveled out a potty area for them and they just barreled through it and went boinging all over the yard like two Tiggers lol. Pegz is so lucky to have you for her Mom. I know you'll figure something out so she can have a fun and happy winter! Good Luck!! 
1 Guest(s)
