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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Hi guys-
I definitely can use some community help right now. My beautiful husky/shep mix Luna recently had her front leg amputated. She is 2 years old and a beauty! Her paw pad got cut one day (still dont know on what) and the vets sutured it closed. Being such an active pup, she found ways around her e-collar and bandages and chewing on them so many times that I had to devise contraptions to keep her away. 2 weeks after her surgery, the sutures were off and the vet told me they would have to heal by second intention.
During that time period, she must have gotten a very bad infection. I first noticed that her bandage was bleeding and she was very inactive and very still. I rushed her to the vet and she told me that her nails had fallen off and that an infection had begin (she was running a high fever). The vets assured me that she would be fine so I left her overnight at the vet so they could monitor her. I got a call the next day that her infection was unresponsive to antibiotics and I had to rush her to a specialty vet center. Long story short, her paw became necrotic and none of the antibiotics were working. She then got a horrible cellulitis up her forearm in a short span and the doctors recommended amputation. There was no question I would rather have her healthy than dead so that was an easy decision.
Upon seeing her after surgery (this was 6 days ago now), I broke down like I haven't broken down in years. My baby girl is only 2 and LOVED being active and running and being her goofy self. Here I was, a 26 year old 250 pound man (6'3) just crying his eyes out in front of his dog and the funny part was she was looking at me like "hey, what is wrong with you?? Im fine!". As if nothing happened.
Luna is my hero. She has taken all of this in stride. She was walking the day after the surgery and is dying to get after some squirrels in our yard. I have to make sure she's healed properly (vet told me sutures out in 2 weeks and fully healing in probably 6 weeks) but I'm at least happy to see her up and about.
I always wonder if there's anything I could have done better. I feel so guilty that she is suffering from something negligent that I did and its eating at me. The vet says she could have gotten the bacteria anywhere and theres no way I could have done anything but its such a hard feeling. I want Luna to live such a full and healthy life and I am willing to do ANYTHING for her.
Her paw is amputated all the way up to her scapula (or canine equivalent?) and it is her front right leg. I have so many questions like what can I do to support her leg, etc. I bought her an orthopedic bed for her kennel which she seems to love and give her regular ice to her wound 3x daily.
Thanks for this community and I look forward to contributing.... I just want my baby girl Luna to be happy!
Welcome! We're sorry to hear about Luna, but glad you found us. Your future forum posts will not require moderation.
As a young pup, Luna should adapt quickly and live a long healthy life on three legs. Most dogs cope much better than their people do. Be sure to bookmark Jerry's Required Reading List for lots of helpful links and consider downloading the Tripawds e-books for the best recovery and care tips.
Best wishes for Luna's speedy complete recovery. Please keep us posted.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Welcome Luna and Dad-
Glad you found the site. You will find a wealth of information on here to help you thru. Please don't feel guilty. It sounds like you followed through on everything and sometimes things happen. Luna seems to already be adapting well and being young she will think tripawd living is the norm.
As a front amp make sure and get her an elevated dish. That just makes everything so much easier. Lots of area rugs on hard surfaces are a must. Luna will take some tumbles along the way, but don't panic as they usually bounce back up. I think it is important to give a joint supplement like cosequin (there are others out there also). Mylast bit of advice is to be very careful about her jumping off things as that puts so much stress on the remaining leg. We built steps for the bed and the doggy door and it doesn't take long before they figure out it's easier to use the stairs. Now even my quad pawds use the stairs instead of jumping up and down.
Take a deep breath, Be More Dog and enjoy this next adventure with Luna.
Take care - Luanne and Spirit Shooter
Spirit Shooter was a Miniature Australian Shepherd who was diagnosed with a MCT and had a LF amp 1/28/13 at 13-1/2 years old.
Shooter crossed the Bridge on 8/28/13, his 7 month ampuversary and two weeks from his 14th birthday.
Hi Luna's Dad, we're glad you found us. Most of here have been through the amputation ordeal and know how ruff it can be. And no matter what situation causes the amputation, I don't think there is a pawrent here who hasn't beat themselves up thinking that they could've done something different to avoid it. So please don't be hard on yourself OK? You really did the best you could!
In fact, our own Wyatt Ray (who became a Tripawd at age 8 months) got a bacterial infection in his body last year and the vets at Texas A&M had no clue as to how he got it. Sometimes you just have to accept there will not be precise answers. I know as a human that's really hard to do. But as you can see, Luna isn't hung up on the past, she just wants to move on with life and go have fun!
Feel free to keep us posted and let us know how we can help make your transition easier OK? We'd love to see more pix, Luna looks really beautiful in that avatar photo!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hello to Luna and Pop--glad you found us!
The only no-no's here on the site are guilt and abuse. We don't like people who abuse their dogs or cats (or whatever) and we all know that guilt is useless. So there. It's not your fault, and you should actually pat yourself on the back for jumping on things as soon as you knew Luna had a problem. Lots of people think a 3-legged dog is impossible so they just euthanize. You didn't do that.
Shooter's mom Luanne gave you lots of good advice about a food dish and throw rugs and so forth. Other than that, just follow Luna's lead. Keep her on the lean side because too much weight is hard on a tripawd. Because she's got husky in her and she's young, she's probably insanely enthusiastic. Just watch out for the joints, but you know, we have videos here of agility dogs and frisbee dogs and there is nothing a dog like yours can't do. If you want to see proof, look up Bart and Kess. Watch their videos. Even with 3 legs they are 3 times faster than me.
Welcome again!
Shari
From abandoned puppy to Tripawd Warrior Dude, Dakota became one of the 2011 February Furballs due to STS. Our incredibly sweet friend lived with grace and dignity till he impulsively raced over the Bridge on 12-15-12.
Dakota's thoughtful and erudite blog is at http://shari.tr.....pawds.com/
Hi and welcome. You had me at "husky"! Our Zeus (a husky mix) lost his front right leg to osteosarcoma at the age of 11.5 years. As a senior dog, we worried about how he would adapt but all of our worry was for naught. He did fabulous on three legs. I actually think his husky heritage helped a bit in that their legs are already front oriented rather than out to the sides, so he didn't have quite as much adjusting to do in terms of centering the remaining leg for balance.
All advice above is spot-on. Good luck with the rest of recovery!
Lisa
Zeus was a Husky mix diagnosed with Osteosarcoma at age 11. A visible lung met and suspicious spot on his liver meant a poor prognosis-six weeks was our vet's best guess. We decided to fight for our boy and his right front leg was amputated on 12/1/11. We did six rounds of chemo, changed his diet and spoiled him completely rotten. We were blessed with 10 great months after diagnosis. Against the odds, the lung met remained a single met and grew very little over those months. A wonderful furbaby with the most gentle spirit, he fought with a strength that we never imagined he possessed. We have no regrets...
http://zeuspod......pawds.com/
What a sweet looking dog! YES! We wamt more pictures! Have to share the beauty!
DITTO to what everyone else has said! No more wasting energy n the "wudda, shudda' clouldda"......complete waste of your time (we've all been there and all u derstand)! NOW is the time to start relishing in your lofe together! She ks pain free.....well, except for the temporary pain from major surgery! Your dog does NOT have a dreaded disease and you two will have a long hapy life together!
Let Lu a be your role model. She doesn't want to feel the negative energy of guilt (completely unfounded by the way) and certainly doesn't want you feeling bady! She wants to be haph and see you hapy! She wants to enjoy all the loving and spoiling you can give! And it looks like she's already trained you how to do that just perfectly!
There is so much i formation n tn site, it's unbelievable! Search nutrition, rehab, supplements, etc. You'll find a lot of info. on joint supplements too!
Luna's already forgotten she even had a fourth leg! Like you said, she had no idea why you were upset! She KNOWS how uch you love her and you made a decision to save her life from a place of pure love!!
We really look forward to updates and ....did we mention photos?.....Yeah, 'think so!!
Thanks for joining us and know that we are here to support you and lovely luna!
Sally and Happy Hannah
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!
Here I was, a 26 year old 250 pound man (6'3) just crying his eyes out in front of his dog and the funny part was she was looking at me like "hey, what is wrong with you?? Im fine!". As if nothing happened.
.
You said, "I want Luna to live such a full and healthy life and I am willing to do ANYTHING for her." Well, she will! She will be able to do everything a dog with four legs can do. Being a Tripawd isn't a disability. I learned that when I adopted my Willow, who also lost a front leg. She was already a senior Tripawd when I adopted her, her amputation was due to cancer, and her cancer came back this past April and took her from me. I was concerned when I adopted that she would need a lot of help, but she didn't! She ran around the yard like such a tomboy, ran up and down the hills, chased lizards and squirrels, and even dug holes in the yard!
Luna will bounce back, and the two of you will continue having fun together!
Carol
Some advice:
Keep your dog leashed/calm for the next 3-4 weeks. Its hard, as she will want to play... but until the muscles build up in the other shoulder you don't want to pull/tear anything.. you're down to one good limb... baby it for at least 2-3 weeks. NO STEPS!! No jumping on/off stuff. If you can, a ramp is a great help.
Get the dog's weight down. Husky's are not as big Malamutes, but every extra pound adds to shoulder stress.
Have a supply of pain meds from your vet for those days when she overdoes it and is in pain. pain management is key and you have to speak up for your hound.
TJ is a little over 90 days post amp and only now is he back to normal. Its taken him that long to heal fully and learn how to really live on three legs. They can walk right after surgery... but will have to relearn steps, hopping up on the couch, standing to eat, pooping etc etc etc.
You've gotten such great advice already, that I'll just add one thing: while she's recovering and building new muscle and strength, why not give her some extra protein? Boiled chicken! Jackson, also part husky, got about 1/3c per meal of boiled chicken breasts for about the first 4-5 months post-amp. He's a rear amp and they usually take a little longer to bulk up than front amps. But boy, has he! I'm thankful we pumped him with some more protein while he was recovering.
Speedy recovery to your sweetie! She's a dear! I'm glad you found us. Keep us posted!
~ 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!
Luna and Daddy!! welcome to a great resource group that will help you out along Luna's journey if being one of the most gosh darn cutest tripawds around (don't tell the other Tripawd's I said that.. because all of them are just so damn cute!)
The only thing that Luna knows is...
she loves you
she's not in pain
those squirrels still need patrolling
i'm hungry
i'm thirsty
i need to go potty.... again
time for a nap
belly rubs.. are much easier now.. want to try it?
in other words.. everything is FINE in Luna's world... it is amazing how well they cope and get around..
But... it is true.. you do need to keep her not so active for the first 4 weeks or so to let all those blood vessels, etc time to heal. Don't want to rupture one of those..
And.. you don't have to deal with that nasty "C" word!!! Yupe.. CANCER!!! IT SUCKS.. big time!
We look forwad to following Luna's Journey... !!
Christine..... with Franklin in her heart ♥
Franklin, he was the Happiest Dog on Three Legs! Diagnosed 09/26/2012 with Osteosarcoma, amputated 12/4/2012. Had a wonderful 5 1/2 months painfree until he ran for the Bridge on 5/15/2013. Always in my heart, and always a guardian angel of my pack... You can follow his Tripawd Adventures, before and after, in my blog, Frank'n'Farter!
No more advice; it's all been said so well. Just more welcome and best wishes for Luna's recovery. When there's a stumble (and there will be a few) just take a deep breath and let it back out and it will all be better .... ok just a little advice... She's a beautiful girl who's very lucky to have someone giving all that love back to her - and I'll bet she knows it!
-Liz and Princess Roxie
I just want to chime in with encouragement. I had an older dog that had undergone an amputation due to osteosarcoma, but I also have a young pup who had an injury when she was 2 months old and underwent an amputation of her front left leg when she was 5 months old. So I have seen the differences in adaptation between the two age groups. My young one is a 40 pound husky. And she is a machine. She runs and jumps and plays and spins and tears through the woods as if she was always intended to be fully functional on three legs. Since your Luna is young, you will probably see an excellent adaptation. Give her time to heal of course, and take it one day at a time. Let her show you what she is ready for. She can still have an amazing and wonderful life.
Adelaide is a young tripawd Husky, from an injury. Her amp was on 10/1/12. She has 4 sisters, Aissa (a senior border collie/chow), Maggie May (a puppy Great Pyrenees), Mathilde and Morrigan and 1 baby brother, Bagheera. We are all watched over by our angel Brendol, who was dx with OSA 1/30/13, amp on 2/6/13, and left us on 8/20/13.
You can read their stories at http://adelaide.tripawds.com and http://brendol.tripawds.com
Thanks everyone!
Luna is doing FANTASTIC. I'm always smiling when shes out in the yard like a normal dog. Because she IS a normal dog.
Dogs are unreal and Luna is my hero..... she has pulled through like a champion. She still beats her sister Mia in a race, still tries to crawl up the dang trees to chase those squirrels and still loves chasing anything that darts past her.
The doc gave us the clearance to resume normal activity last week and she has been just that- perfectly normal! As if she was born without a leg. I am looking into becoming more involved with tripawds and special needs dogs in general because of this episode and thank all of you for your kind words!
More pics to follow...
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