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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hello my name is Todd and my four legged , soon to be three ,brothers name is scooter .he is 11 and got a lump on his back leg . we had that removed but it came worse than before and wont stop growing .we went to the vet today and she said that the only real thing for scooter is amputation. iam devastated the thought had never crossed my mind , we are a very active pair ,and he sure runs and plays like a pup not a 11 year old.he goes in friday morning .vet gave me the name to these site today so here i am to learn as much as i can to get us though this . this is my first post in any forum site so iam sorry ahead op time for my three year old looking post i really have no clue what i am doing just know ill need some help to get my buddy though this. ....... we do concrete not computers
scotter said
...we do concrete not computers
Hey there, welcome to the club nobody ever wants to join! You figured out how to start a new forum topic so you already are on your way to discovering all the help Tripawds members have to offer. If you ever need help using these forums, watch this short tutorial video.
The vast majority of dogs cope with amputation much better than we silly humans do. You'll find plenty of success stories about senior Tripawds in the Size and Age Matters forum and many member Tripawds Blogs .
While you wait for comments from others, use the Advanced Search above to refine your forum search results with specific phrases, and you're sure to find lots of helpful feedback. You can also search all blogs here . Or, consider downloading the Tripawds e-books for fast answers to common concerns and feel free to call the toll-free Tripawds Helpline anytime!
Please keep us posted. Your future forum posts will not require moderation. Meanwhile, start here for help finding all the helpful Tripawds resources and assistance programs.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hello Todd and Scooter! You now have a whole group "Fans of Scooter" to help you navigate through this journey .
We all know how scary all this is and how it hit you like a ton of bricks.....or block of concrete! We also know that you are doing what needs ro be done to give Scooter a quality and pain free life!!
Go through the links the Admin Guy gave you. Lots of good info in there. The more you know about this, the more confident and reassured you will feel.
Recovery is no picnic for a couple of weeks. Every dog is different and every recovery is different. It IS MAJOR surgery and it takes a few days sometimes for a dog to get mobile.
Is the Vet doing the surgery an overnight staffed clinic? Most dogs sp3nd one night, sometimes more. Most dogs come home with Tramadol, Gabapentin, Rimadyl and an antibiotic. Managing the pain is crucial to healing. Sometimes it can take a little tweaking to get the right dosing .
If you jave hardwood floors, you'll want nonslip scatter rugs for traction . The first two weeks are all about rest, short potty breaks and more rest. Take things slow and easy and be patient. Recovery doesn't last furever!!
He may not be too hungry at first, but drinking and peeing are important. Poop may be delayed a few days due to all the meds.
And YES, Scooter will still be Scooter, but without a bum leg!!! You can still run and play and do all the same things, just with some tweaking. Rest stops more frequently, We can get into that later. Just take one step at a time for now.
STAY CONNECTED ! We're here for you and with you! You will be thrilled at how well Scooter does AFTER recovery.
BTW...love his avatar! He clearly owns the couch!
Hugs
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too
PS and I don't do computers either and I'm no good at typing. Loads of techie people here though who actually like computers (yes, one of those is the Admin Guy) amd tjey will help ypu with any computer stuff.
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!
Hi and welcome!
You've already been given wonderful advice, please stay tuned in and we will help you through your journey.
There is a light at the end of the tunnel... some journeys are easy, some tougher. Get yourself prepared to hang out at home for a bit to help through recovery.
Like Sally said, rest, eat, drink, eliminate, repeat.
Hugs,
Jackie and Huck ❤️
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry 
Todd and Scooter, welcome! We are so glad you joined us. Who is your vet? Please thank them for sending you to us, and I have to say that I'm quite impressed you posted in the Forums. I think you know more about computers than you believe!
So it sounds like your vet thinks Scooter will do fine on three legs? If so that is GREAT!
As you get ready for surgery morning, be sure to have your home ready too. Do your floors have slippery surfaces? If so, adding traction with carpet runners will help him tremendously. Also, be sure to raise his water and food bowls a bit, so that he doesn't have to bend over too far to eat.
Our What to Expect series of blog posts can prepare you for the big day. Please let us know what questions you have, we are here to help.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi, Todd and welcome. Glad you have come here. We are all rooting for Scooter.
Did the vet say what type of cancer tumor it is that Scooter has? Is it a soft tissue sarcoma of some sort?
My best advice to add to what has already been said is to make a chart of Scooter's pain meds so you can keep track of what you give him and at what times through his recovery!
Lisa, Minneapolis
On October 27, 2016, nearly 6 months after amputation, and 18 months since his cancer likely started, we lost Pofi to a recurrence of Soft Tissue Sarcoma in his spine quite suddenly. His canine sister also succumbed to cancer on March 1, 2019 - we lavished her with our love in the interim, but life was never quite the same without her only real canine friend. Cliff kitty had to leave us, too, suddenly, in August 2019. Lucia kitty grieved all these losses, but helped us welcome two new Lurchers into our home and our lives, Shae and Barley.
thank you so much for the help so soon .i have to say that this has been a real kick in the heart ,i never at any time thought of scooter losing his leg. he is taking it much better than i ,and thanks to my vet i ended up here .the things i have already learned has made the start of this less scary . and i thank my maker for this place.
the vet that will be do this is a small town but a very impressive place many other vets in the office and i feel very good with the place .indian head animal clinic here in saskatchewan canada . vet told me what it was but my brain at that time was not hearing what she said its is a tumor in the tissue , she tryied once to get it ,saying it could come back. but never said any thing bout amputation at the time . so when it started coming back this time i was put to ground with the news.
i am lucky that i am my own boss so i can take this time to get scooter though this. i have cleaand the place top to bottom with disinfectant,have a truck load of area rugs coming ,when i am done here ill put the new carpet down my stairs.i built a food water stand,picked up some shopping bags for slings set my calander up to chart life after. iam worried bout the stairs as my house is above my shop and there are 27 stairs up and down i have a deck off my kitchen and i saw a post where some one built a potty box on the roof deck so ill be doing that. but i worry bout getting him up the day he comes home .he will lit me carry him but he is a big dog and i it will be to much pain to get him up .
what kind of things should i get for wound care,this is the part that has me freaked out the most . i cant seem to get though that section yet with out a full on mental break down. any ways .
iam doing what i can to get our place ready as i read more i am sure there be more to do scooter and i thank you for being here and any advice is greatly welcome
Todd you are doing a GREAT job at researching what to expect for Scooter! I am so impressed at all of the steps you've taken to make recovery easier. I have all the confidence that you will both do fine.
We also lived above our office work space when our Jerry lost his amputation. He had 18 steps to go up and down, so recovery was a bit tricky when it came to taking him outside to go potty. Thankfully he only needed to outside to potty at most 3x a day during recovery. We tried carrying him for a while but at 36 kg it started to wear on my husband's back, so that's when we started helping him with the Ruffwear Webmaster harness . This video shows how we did it.
You can see how we helped him with the handle, and then how Jerry was capable of going down stairs by himself after a while. It's a bit scary to watch them give it a try, but you'll see how Jerry would lean on the wall for balance as he went down. For a rear leg amputee, they will have a harder time going up stairs than down, so that's where the harness handle will come in handy.
Don't worry too much about wound care. In most cases you just follow the vet's orders to leave it alone and just clean it with a warm wash cloth every so often. Usually all it needs is air and light to heal properly.
Ice and snow will probably be your biggest challenge, so I'm hoping our members who live in that kind of climate can share tips about dealing with it.
Hang in there, you are doing GREAT!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
OMD I LOVE that video!! Jerry was so awesome showing just how to master the stairs as a tripawd (papa was good too 
)
It sounds like Scooter has everything in order in preparation for his procedure!! You covered everything, way to go! Like Jerry said, they will instruct you on how to care for the incision. One of the important things will be to keep it safely away from being licked by Scooter. Some people will use a pair of boxer shorts to keep it covered... put them on backwards and you have the perfect place for him to keep his tail
pain management is super important also. Most dogs will come home with an nsaid, pain meds, and gabapentin. Antibiotics are also a possibility although some docs will give them a shot. It might be a good idea to speak with your doc and see what he will be coming home with. He may be loopy as all get out, that is ok. Some of the meds will make them not want to eat so well, so try to have some of his favorite foods, or even some healthy people food like chicken, beef, etc. He may not have a problem eating at all, but sometimes knowing some of these things early can help in the anxiety department. Stay tuned in and we will help you in any way that we can. If you expect the first couple of weeks to be bumpy, you will be pleasantly surprised if they go smooth. No two furbabies are the same, and they all handle it differently.
Sounds like Scooter boy has a pawsome family!
Jackie and Huck 
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry
Yes, an excellent job of preparation!!
You can maybe find some "puppy training pads" to put on your deck. They have a urine scent and dogs are drawn to them to pee on them...supposedly.
Don't even bother looking at the incision when you go to pick him up to take him home. Scooter isn't looking at it. He is looking at you though and watching your expressions. All he wants is to see your smiling face telling him what a good boy he is and he's going home! Now, I will tell you that Surgeons get quite clipper happy and shave a lot of fur!
The boxer shorts Jackie suggested can helpful avoid looking at the incision . You'll be fixated on how cute he looks in those shorts Hexk, you coulsnfetmhim some with Santa Claus on them! And we want pictures!
You and Scooter will get through this recovery and we'll be right by yoir side helping you through it! We understand how stressful getting to this point is. We understand the mini breakdowns , as well as the really big breakdowns! We also understand how happy you will be when Scooter is done with recovery and os being Scooter again, without that painful leg!
STAY CONNECTED !!
Hugs
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie 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!
Sending pawsitive energy your way. Fingers, toes, and tails crossed for Scooter 🐾💕💖💕🐾
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry
Surrounding Scooter with all sorts of Tripawd Pawsitive Energy! He's got this handled! He'll be high as a kite on some good drugs!
Can't remember , is it an overnight clinic or are you bringing him home late today?
Let us know when surgery is over so we can celebrate with you!
Hugs
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie 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!
Any news?
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry
scooter is home sleeping . has no clue , vet said he be out of it till morning . went real well vet says he a strong healthy dog and he will be just fine . she had to go real high into his groin so not much of if any stump , and he lost one testical . so he is now a 3 leg one ball half a tail dog. got his tail in a door years ago lost a good 6 inches.ill move over to the post op forum with pics soon i get that hammered out .the wound is not as scary as i thought . looks better than some stitches i have gotten .so far so good .. anti biotic s are cefaseptin 750 mg one twice daily .and pain meds deramaxx 75mg haif tab twice a day for 4 days than half tab once daily for 4 days ..scooter and i thank you all from the bottom of our hearts . today would not have gone so smooth with out the things i learned here
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