Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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We are currently a family of two cats, a beagle and tomorrow we will be welcoming home two amstaff/lab pups, a male and female. Dante and Mina, they are 10 weeks old. According the shelter who has had them since they were a few days old, mom got excited and jumped on Dante. She broke his leg and when the vet wrapped it, they wrapped it too tightly and it died, and had to be amputated two weeks ago. He had his stitches out last Thursday.
He seems to be adjusting well, we have spent a lot of time with our new furbabies at the shelter, and other than his rolly polly puppy belly getting in the way of his mobility, he seems to be OK so far, and I'm sure he'll get better in time.
We saw these two and just couldn't leave them behind. The shelter said they had a lot of interest in the female pup, but none in our tripawed boy - I can't imagine why, he is adorable and sweet as can be!
I am here to find out more information on potential health issues, things we need to watch for, etc as we have a lot of dog experience, but so far he is our first who is missing a limb!
So, hello from the 5 furbabies, Coda, Zoey, Resin and soon to be Dante and Mina!
Hi Dante and Family
For starters, where in Canada do you live? There are tripawds scattered across the country, but so far not more than one in each major city so we haven't gotten to the stage of having tripawd parties yet. It is a long drive from Montreal to Winnipeg, let alone to Nova Scotia or BC!
Being a pup, I'm sure Dante will adjust fine and never know he is missing anything. We had that happen with a captive deer once. The mom was nervous and stepped on the fawn and broke the leg. While a vet operated and the fawn kept the leg, it was kind of gimpy.
You might want to check out Comet's thread from yesterday about dogs born with deformities. While Dante has no 'deformity', it probably has tips that would be useful for a pup growing up as a tripawd.
I'm sure you'll enjoy him. The only problem is that Mina will be jealous because Dante will command so much special attention!
You sound like an awesome family! Dante is sure to do great in such a wonderful pack!
One thing I've read here is that a joint supplement is important to help support the remaining limbs. We have Holly on glucosamine - you might want to ask your vet about joint supplements for puppies and what is recommended.
We can't wait to hear more about Dante and Mina!
Hugs,
Holly and Holly's mom
Holly joined the world of tripawds on 12/29/2009. She has a big little sister, Zuzu, who idolizes Holly and tries to make all of her toys into tripawds in Holly's honor. And she's enjoying life one hop at a time!
http://anyemery.....ipawds.com
Thanks for the warm welcome. I will be sure to check out comets thread (I have seen lots of reference to Comet being the expert on birth deformities in my readings!)
We live in Central Alberta - between Calgary And Edmonton.
I am sure Dante will do just fine - he seems to be doing great so far, he's full of spunk and energy.
We will definitely be asking the vet a ton of questions - I like to be over-informed as it is, never mind when it's something I don't know much about yet. They are getting their spay and neuter done today - and we will have them home around 3 pm, and I will likely over-load the internet with pictures of cuteness by 4 pm!
I plan to blog about them on here once they're settled and we know more about them. I think it will be interesting to watch how they grow and learn together, and see the differences (or similarities!) as they grow and learn commands, etc. So far Dante seems to be more curious and laid back, Mina is a total people suck and loves to please - she already knows how to sit! Dante is working on it, but it's obviously a little more difficult for him. He does try though!
Yipee! Another Tripawd finds a home! Bless you for adopting the siblings, they will bring so many blessings into your life. What an awesome pack you will have!
And welcome to Tripawds! We have some great pawrents here who can help you whenever you need it, although I'm betting you're not going to need much help once Dante is recuperated and feeling' great again (and with a puppy with a staff/lab mix, I'm sure that won't be long). Glad to hear you'll be starting a Tripawds Dog Blog too!
Our Beyond Cancer Forum for dogs who are three legged for reasons other than cancer, is where you'll find Comet's thread, "Tripawds with Deformities of the Leg". Besides Comet, there are lots of pups here who are Tripawds due to accidents and stuff, you're in good company.
Is Dante a front or rear leg Tripawd? You'll find that there really aren't many health issues to concern yourself over, but there are steps you can take to prevent injuries and muscle strain (which should be the case with any dog but especially Tripawds). We recently posted a three part series, "Canine Rehabilitation: Exercises and Stretches with CARE" that you should check out. Keeping weight down is hugey important too, especially with a Lab. Oh, and be sure to check out our Top Questions about Amputation. Although many have to do with cancer there are some other tips in there too:
What to Expect Part 1
What to Expect Part 2
Have a great time picking up Dante and Mina and introducing them to your pack! We can't wait to see pics. And again, thanks for joining us!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Ahh, another Albertan. Tai is near Calgary, looking for tripawd playmates, and Catie is currently the tripawd in Edmonton (and Spirit Genie of course). There were a couple (I think one named Finn) between the two cities so closer to you, but they just show up on the blogs every once in a while.
Have you seen the videos of Faith, the dog born with two legs? Videos of her walking around, just like a human or a kangaroo when moving fast, are all over the internet. Dante will get the hang of it. Looking forward to your pups' pictures.
Welcome to tripawds. The only thing I was going to suggest is joint supplements and that has been done. Later you may want to consider pet massage if Dante seems like he needs it. Enjoy your new puppies!
Debra
Debra & Emily, a five year old doberman mix, who was diagnosed with an osteosaecoma. She had a right rear leg amputation on May 19, 2009. On November 10, 2009 she earned her wings and regained her fourth leg.
Thanks for all the links! I've got lots of reading to do tonight!
You'd never know the pups were spayed and neutered today – they are full of energy!
Coda loves them, she and Mina are already playing like crazy. Dante has been a big suck – he gets tired a lot faster than Mina does, but otherwise he's good. He's a bit whiney too. It seems like the scabs from his amputation might be a bit itchy.
He's currently sleeping at my feet, Mina is on Coda's bed and Coda is sitting in the middle of the floor wondering what in the world just walked in her front door!
I will have pictures coming soon – unfortunately as I've learned with my all black cat, it's really difficult to take pictures of all black animals, especially when they're as energetic as these guys! Blurry black blobs in each picture right now.
Edit: Forgot to answer the question - Dante is a front leg amputee
Can't wait to see the pictures! Bless you for adopting!
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.
Good look at the pups when they first came home and my tripawed boy. All three dogs are now sleeping in the same bed all snuggled up!
I tried to get my blog to work and couldn't figure it out for the life of me – when I do, I will post more pics and update on how the pups are adjusting.
OH MY DOG! Those are seriously cute puppies!
It's is hard to shoot blackies for sure! Maybe some outside with sun pics?
I bet someone could help with the blog. I don't have to know.
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.
OMG! They are all so adorable!! 
How wonderful of you to have adopted Tripawd Dante!!! I look forward to reading (and seeing pictures and videos) all about Dante and the rest of your fur babies!!! The blogs are pretty easy once you've read all the instructions about posting pictures and videos on the tech support forums.
Puppies are so resilient... and adapt so quickly! Dante (and you) don't have to worry about dealing with cancer either... so I'm sure that Dante will recover quickly...
Angel Jake's Mom
Jake, 10yr old golden retriever (fractured his front right leg on 9/1, bone biopsy revealed osteosarcoma on 9/10, amputation on 9/17) and his family Marguerite, Jacques and Wolfie, 5yr old german shepherd and the newest addition to the family, Nala, a 7mth old Bengal mix kittie. Jake lost his battle on 11/9/2009, almost 8 weeks after his surgery. We will never forget our sweet golden angel… http://jakesjou.....ipawds.com ….. CANCER SUCKS!
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