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 there from South Wales, UK.
I decided to foster a dog for Hope Rescue as I didn't feel ready to take on another dog after losing my greyhound las year so thought fostering would be a way to have a dog in my life without the full responsibility of owning one. I collected Craig from kennels early in June and he made himself at home very quickly! He had a limp so he had an X-ray within a few days and this showed an old fracture of his hock. Arrangements were made for him to have this repaired with pins but after 4 weeks the pins failed and a second operation was carried out with external fixators stabilising the fracture. Unfortunately, despite after almost total rest, this did not work and the decision was made to amputate his left rear leg.
That at was early in September and since then he has made an amazing recovery and he is very much a failed foster now. Reading some of the other stories on here! It makes me realise just how well he has done, no doubt some of this is because he was already coping with a leg he could not use properly. The evening of his op I went to visit him and he stood up totally unaided as soon as he saw me, although getting back down was a bit more of a problem. He was able to walk to go outside to do what a dog has to do from that first night and wolfed a dish of food within hours of his operation. I knew then that he was going to surprise us all with his recovery.
He came home the next day and we had a few difficult days when he was getting uncomfortable as he could only lie on his 'good' side and we made sure someone was with him at all times for reassurance and just in case he needed any help.His pain was pretty well controlled with onsior and tramadol and although there was one overnight re admission when he stopped drinking and was clearly getting distressed he has continued to amaze me. He was managing short walks outside after the first few days and we have gradually increased these and now we are having to stop him doing too much. Thanks to to what I have learned from your website, he has started hydrotherapy and he is on joint supplements to help keep his remaining limbs strong.
For Craig, amputation really has given him a new lease of life and sad as I was that he ended up losing his leg after all he had been through, it hasn't stopped him in any way!
Welcome to Tripawds, your future posts will not have to wait for approval.
Thanks so much for joining and sharing Craig's story, and congratulations on your 'failure'!
We love pictures around here- so if you have a chance to share Here Are Instructions for Adding Photos to the Forums.
I look forward to following Craig's adventures!
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
Wales! WOW! Welcome!!
Such an uplifting story! Thank you soooo much for sharing Craig's "failed foster" with us! Looks like Craig knew exactly what he was doing when he picked you! I'm pretty sure your Greyhound guided Craig to you too. He/she wa ted to give you a "distraction" from your heartache so I guess your Greyhound thought Craig would be a great choice!
As you've already seen, there is a ton of information and support here.
Can't wait to see pictures and follow him on his journey. His avatar picture js very handsome. We'd love to hear more about your Grey too.
Thank you for showing Craig what love feels like.
Hugs to all.
Sally and Alumni 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!
Ohhhh we are so glad you shared Craig's inspawrational story, thank you! And yes, we have got to see some photos. Lurchers are such great dogs, we don't see too many of them here so we can't wait for pictures.
Thanks for giving him such a great home, it's clear how much you care for this sweetie. Congratulations!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
From what I can see from his avatar picture, he looks like a really cool looking dog. Love the name Craig... Did he arrive with it? Just wondering as I have one named Daryl, a Lab, not a Lurcher. People laugh at his name. Hey, he came with the name, what can U do. I am glad to hear he is doing so well. Pictures please, we love pictures here. Lori, Ty & gang
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.
Once I work out how I will get some pictures on here! I use an iPad - I've loaded pictures into photo-bucket but can't seem to get them onto here so will keep working on it.
You're almost there!
- In photo bucket, you will see a "Direct Image URL" box on the right side of the page.
- Copy and paste that URL
- Return here to your forum post, hit Reply
- Choose the Picture Icon from your editing toolbar
- Paste the URL into the popup box that appears, and your photo should load.
Make sense? If that doesn't work just paste the Image URL right into your forum post.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Here's Craig the day I picked up my foster dog from the kennels. He made himself at home very quickly!!
What a beauty!!!!
Harmony became a Tripawd on 10/21/14 (MCT). She left us way too soon on 11/1/14.
"We miss you so much; our love, our heart, our Harmony."
- Pam, Ron and Melody, Meesha, Doublestuff and Mariah Carey
A few days later an X-ray showed his limp was due to an old fracture of his left hock. A few days later he had an operation to pun it and here he is the day he came home. I'd forgotten what a bag of bones he was back then!
Here he is home after the next op with external fixators. This did freak me out -I was terrified he would get something caught between the bars and his leg and then panic and do terrible damage to himself 😩.
Neither of the operations worked so amputation was the only option. Here's Craig a day or two after his operation and between painkillers so quite alert.
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