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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My name is Susan, my dogs name is Apollo. I bought Apollo from a breeder January of this year. The night we got him he threw up, but we just chalked it up to being nervous, our first appointment at the vet was the very next day after purchase, he told us to come back if Apollo kept getting sick. 3 1/2 days later he was VERY sick, brought him back to the vet and he was diagnosed with parvovirus. The seller of course wanted no responsibility, he spent 9 days at the vets office and the day of his discharge (2/4/2012) he had stopped using his back right paw. They think it is some neurological response, however even after trying acupuncture there is still no use of this back right paw. He had went from dragging it completely to now he mostly looks like he is walking on a knuckle. Apollo is a great dane my veterinarian who did his parvo treatment wants me to amputate up at the hip, which I do not want to do because he actually uses his leg it is basically just dead below the hock.
Has anyone else experienced a problem like this? Anyone's dog have a partial amputation?
I am currently saving up for Apollo's surgery.
hi susan, your posts will no longer require moderation, you are active!! so sorry to read this about apollo...parvo is such a scary diagnosis. normally, i'd suggest acupuncture, but you've said this didn't work. as for just amputating a portion of the leg, we usually don't see that done. it's better for the dog, to go to three legs, as using a short stump will twist the spine, and the stump usually remains raw and unhealed, since it's not a foot. when gayle lost her right front leg to cancer, her tumor was in her wrist - they took the whole leg and the scapula. she very quickly got used to having three legs, and the site healed well. as apollo is a puppy (and not dealing with cancer) he should recover very quickly and be quite the 'puppy terror' running around on three legs before you know it.
we have had many danes come through the site, and they do well as tripawds, just remember to keep the weight off, and take it a day at a time. hope this helps answer your question.
charon & spirit 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
Hi Susan and Apollo,
Wow, that is a ruff start to life, I am so very sorry you're coping with so much.
You mentioned that acupuncture didn't help. How many sessions did you give it? I've been told that acupuncture needs at least 5 sessions before it shows some improvement. See our video about acupuncture and rehab.
Because he's so young, if he's not in any pain, or it's manageable, you may want to give this more time after steady visits to a certified canine rehab specialist if this is an option for you. We've seen some remarkable recoveries that didn't require amputation after all, once a good rehab vet was located and a program devised for the dog. Rehab vets have told us that if a dog isn't in any pain and cancer isn't involved, pawrents should give a try at a consistent rehab program at least six months before deciding on amputation. These videos/news articles about canine rehab will tell you more.
As for partial amputations, we won't say they never work but we have a LOT of members here who started out that way, only to be put through a second surgery and full amputation, because either the original incision wouldn't heal, or they kept knocking their remaining bone around so much that it was causing problems. We aren't vets and we don't know your dog, but in our experience, most members have been unhappy with partial amps.
I hope this helps. Keep us posted, we look forward to hearing more about Apollo.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thank you for the quick replies, it certainly feels nice knowing that there are other people I can communicate with this. We did 4 sessions of acupuncture and every time we went it went from originally being 8 sessions, then to 10, then to 20. She said we would see results after 2 sessions. Financially these options are not viable I spent all of my savings on his parvo treatment which was about $1,500. I promised my children I would never take their dog away and then 3 1/2 days later was faced with the decision of putting him to sleep or footing the bill to save his life. Even if it wasn't a part of our family I could never look a sad pup in the face and end their lives without a fight. I guess I would never make a good veterinarian, unfortunately in my area there was no vet who would help or even accept payments. Thank you for the advice on taking it off completely, my vet had not told me why we would amputate the whole thing, but I do see with your explanations why it would be best to do so. At this point all I can really do is pray that his foot starts working out of no where during the time I am saving up for his amputation and to acquire the knowledge of caring for a tripawd.
One of my best girlfriends has a cocker spaniel who also contracted parvo as a puppy. When they brought her home from the vet, they noticed she was limping. Later that same day, they went out briefly and came home to find that Lady had chewed off her foot (can you imagine?) they think the bandage that held in the IV was too tight and it cut off the circulation to her foot, essentially killing it. Anyway, Lady amputated her own paw. She is now 6 (I think) and runs about just fine (no other amputation was done).
Bear in mind that Lady is a small dog, and you have a very large dog. I expect size makes a big difference, but I wanted to share Lady's story with you as it's somewhat similar.
Scout: January 31, 2002 to November 7, 2011
Scout's diagnosis was "poorly differentiated sarcoma"; amputation 1/11/2011. Scout enjoyed 9 fantastic years on 4 legs and 9 glorious months on 3 legs. If love alone could have saved you…
Welcome to you and Apollo. Sorry you had to find us here.
As the others have said, we haven't had many dogs here with partial amps. I don't really have any advice as we were dealing with bone cancer and had to amputate, but just wanted to welcome you to the site and say that I am sending positive thoughts out for Apollo.
(That breeder sounds like a real rat...)
Keep us posted.
Jackie, Angel Abby's mom
Abby: Aug 1, 2009 – Jan 10, 2012. Our beautiful rescue pup lived LARGE with osteosarcoma for 15 months – half her way-too-short life. I think our "halflistic" approach (mixing traditional meds + supplements) helped her thrive. (PM me for details. I'm happy to help.) She had lung mets for over a year. They took her from us in the end, but they cannot take her spirit! She will live forever in our hearts. She loved the beach and giving kisses and going to In-N-Out for a Flying Dutchman. Tripawds blog, and a more detailed blog here. Please also check out my novel, What the Dog Ate. Now also in paperback! Purchase it at Amazon via Tripawds and help support Tripawds!
What a rough start. Our girl Kayla broke her leg at the elbow and had to have the whole leg and shoulder blade amputated. The vet explained that as well as all the issues stated above, that the lack of proper/normal use can cause more problems and pain in the leg and shoulder later in life.
Hopefully that leg heals on it own but if it doesn't Apollo will do just fine on three legs 🙂
Good luck and keep us posted
Sarah
Thank you all for the warm welcome 🙂
What a terrible story Lady has 🙁 It has got me thinking that maybe they had cut the circulation off in his leg for keeping the iv taped down for so long. I tried to do some research in regards to dogs becoming paralyzed from parvovirus and have not found anything
As for the breeder she was terrible, when I told her my dog was sick she never offered a refund or to help in anyway in fact she did not believe me, she said he got it from my house, Apollo was the first of her litter to get sick after knowing that Apollo got sick 2 of the 4 remaining puppies died at home and had received no treatment. One of the 4 never got sick and the other got sick and she finally took it to a vet for treatment (tons more to that story if anyone else is interested) she got the dog back from the vet and plans to guess what... BREED HER!!
I will definitely be looking out for great dane ads in my area and try to steer people clear of her the best I can.
Oh geeze! What a terrible, terrible start to a new relationship. I hope you turned the breeder in! This is why breeders need to be monitored. I'm thankful Nevada has strict breeding laws and laws against not spaying and neutering.
I'm just so sorry about Apollo. But let's celebrate that he survived Parvo! YAY!
Do you have a neuro vet locally you can go to? It might cost $150 for a visit but it might be well worth it. Because it sounds like you need a neurologist to tell you what is really going on or perhaps what happened.
If it were me, I wouldn't be lobbing off the let just yet. I'd be getting another vet's opinion. And especially a neuro. It may come to that but if there is no obvious pain, I'd find the root of the problem first.
I'm not suggesting keeping the leg if it doesn't work but I did have a 4 legged dog with a whole, but deformed front leg. Long story as to why we didn't get it amputated but she lived with the leg attached all of her life which was over 12 years. There were many times I wished she didn't have it but becuase it was a deformed joint and shoulder blade, it didn't bend but it didn't drag either.
Keep us updated with Apollo!
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.
Welcome Apollo.
You already got good advice on full leg amputation if it comes to that. Tripug Maggie had her left rear leg removed near the hip. They left a little bit of the femur and wrapped muscle around it to cushion it. The surgeon explained to me that it was an easier surgery than trying to dis-articulate at the hip. It was just a tiny nub- you couldn't see it, but you could feel it. There was not enough there for her to get caught on anything, or for her to try and use it.
On the paw- quad pug Tani has arthritis and neurological problems, she is almost 12. She was diagnosed with hydrocephalus (fluid in the brain) when she was two. She has always had some issues with her back feet (the knuckling) but it has not been much of a problem for most of her life. Since last year we have seen a decline in the function of her back legs. Now we are seeing her not be able to make one of her back legs function occasionally. It usually happens after she has been laying on that leg for awhile. After a few min. of massage and her trying to walk it resolves. I have been massaging and squeezing her back feet as often as she will let me. This is supposed to trigger the brain to 'remember' where her feet are.
Have you checked out the rehab info Jerry suggested? Lots of stuff you can do at home if you don't have or can't access a rehab vet. Since you are saving for surgery seems like you have some time to try it out. I have been trying to do some stretching, massage and strengthening exercises with Tani, and I think it is helping. It is a good way to bond with Apollo too since he is so young.
Keep us posted.
Karen and the pugapalooza
Hello and Welcome To Tripawds!!! Apollo really did have a rough start and so did you. That is just awful that the breeder behaved in that manner and was unwilling to help you out. She should not be breeding at all!!!! Her actions are completely irresponsible and it makes me sick to my stomach to hear about someone doing those kind of things to innocent animals. I am just so happy that Apollo made it through and now he has you to take care of him. Apollo looks alot like my Great Dane Valentina. She passed away on Feb. 3rd. I agree that going ahead with amputating the entire leg is the best option. Most Dogs do just great having only 3 legs. They usually can run and play and do just about anything that a 4 legged Dog can do. They are simply amazing! I know that it is very scary to think about amputating your Dog's leg but after they are healed and back to theirselves you tend to forget that they are missing a leg. Since he is young he will probably do just wonderful. I know when you purchased him this isn't what you were expecting but he will bring you just as much joy as a Tripawd as he would if he had 4 legs. And maybe even more!! Tripawds have a way of teaching you things and making you look at life in a different way. I will be praying for Apollo and really hoping that while you are saving your money for his amputation that his leg does miraculously start working like normal again and that you don't even have to do the amputation. But if it doesn't everyone at Tripawds will be here to support you as you go on your journey with Apollo into Tripawdhood. Best of Luck to you!! You will be in my thoughts and prayers.
You are all so wonderful and kind here 🙂
What are some kind of rehab techniques we can try at home? He has absolutely no pain in his paw area he has no feeling in it at all. I do not know of any neurologists here that see animals? I have gotten a few opinions from different vets already, I think originally they had expected that he would start using it again a week or two after it had all happened, but he has not.
I could not turn the breeder in because in Florida the law for breeders is that they are only considered a breeder if they have more than 2 litters a year. This was her first litter ever and it was last year. I wonder if that means a 12 month time frame or a calendar year because if the youngest were to have puppies before October it would be within the 12 months and that would mean she had 2 litters in a year time frame. I think that is another reasons he blew me off completely was because she thought she did not have to be responsible at all. Even though it was still the right thing to do.
Sorry to hear about Valentina, is that the dane in your avatar? Great danes are by far my favorite breed, Apollo is our second dane. I know I did not anticipate this to happen to him I don't think anyone would I do not have much anxiety about him living with 3 legs, I think he would do fine and we would all love him just the same. My biggest problem is the fact that if I had more money I know I could do more for him and that the amputation might not be what we have to do. I have found someone who would take him and get him more acupuncture and even take him to a neurologist (She is a dentist) and then I almost went through with it until I talked to a friend who said he is a happy dog and he loves us and that he would do fine with 3 legs. I am just not sure I am doing the right thing and what is in his best interest. Is love really all a dog wants? He is in no pain, but like I said someone else could do much more for him.
My biggest problem is the fact that if I had more money I know I could do more for him and that the amputation might not be what we have to do. I have found someone who would take him and get him more acupuncture and even take him to a neurologist (She is a dentist) and then I almost went through with it until I talked to a friend who said he is a happy dog and he loves us and that he would do fine with 3 legs.
Oh gosh...I wouldn't want to say something out of line that sounds cruel but if a loving home with more financial resources presents itself, it may be worth considering. I don't say this to be cruel and unloving. I say this because of how much money I put into my Comet. Three-legged dogs are very expensive over the course of a lifetime. Very. I had 10's of thousands of dollars into Comet and I could have spent way more and probably should have (more rehab and therapy). Admittedly, Comet had a lot of maladies so not all of that was related to her being three legged.
Just some things to consider that will be a financial burden down the road and I tell you this because I never knew how expensive a 3-legged would be either:
The chances of a 3 legged dog blowing out a knee middle-aged are higher. If one blows out, the other one usually goes too. (I believe it's about 50%) The surgeries to repair the knees (for me in my area with a specialists) cost $3700 per knee. Comet blew the other one within a 1 1/2 of recovering from the first one. The recovery for this surgery since it's a bone surgery is about 8-12weeks. That means you can't let the dog move about and that also means you have a two legged dog for that time period. Comet was 38lbs so we could carry her but having a dog inactive no matter what size for that long is the toughest thing imaginable.
When a 3 legged dog ages, their mobility becomes a big issue due to arthritis and just general fatique to the body because of hoping on 3 legs. Comet either blew out a neck disc or had a neck disc infection when she was a senior (never got a straight diagnoses on that - but the pain got better). But there was a lot of wear and tear on her body.
Toward the end of her last years of life, we were going to vet all the time, mostly for mobility issues and because of her neck problems. When we took her to a neuro, they wanted to charge $6K for a CT and xrays. I didn't do it. I went to an orthopedic vet and he suggested therapy. We did water therapy for a few months which was about $500. We then got a blow up pool and did it at home. But again, Comet was fairly small and we could do this.
I'm grateful I was able to do what I did for Comet and I'm thankful I could. I don't regret any money I spent and would gladly do it over again. But it was expensive.
I know I am being Debbie Downer but I just feel a need to let people know that 3 legged dogs can be expensive over the course of lifetime. I just can't be Pollyanna about it. Any dog can be expensive as we've seen here with those facing cancer but the maintenance over the course of lifetime on a three legged dog tends to run high due to the wear and tear of the body.
-Debbie Downer signing off
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.
Hi Snoozie,
Don't beat yourself up for not having enough money to help him the way you want to. When it comes down to it, there is never enough money to do what we want to do for our dogs, whether they have physical ailments, cancer, or whatever.
Generally front legged Tripawds have more physical issues later in life than rear leggers. While nearly all dogs get some form of arthritis as they age (just like people!), we have been told by rehab vets that Tripawds' symptoms tend to be worse. With that said, I know of many senior Tripawds over the age of 10 who did/are doing just fine without their folks spending loads of cash on rehab and surgeries. Every dog is different.
Comet, you're not being a Debbie Downer, you're just sharing your experience. It's good to get all sides of how a Tripawd ages.
Yes, Snoozie, there are rehab exercises you can do at home but again, it's best to meet with a rehab expert at least a few times to make sure you are doing them properly. This video about rehab and Tripawds tells more.
I hope the breeder you got him from never, ever breeds another animal ever again. Because when it comes down to it, that's no a breeder, that's a puppy mill. Grrr.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hello Snoozie. Yes that's my Valentina on my avatar. I'm still getting used the her not being here.Today we went to my Mom's house for the day for Easter. When we came home, for a few seconds thoughts of Valentina meeting us at the door and being so excited to see us flashed through my mind but then I quickly remembered that she is not here. That happens all the time. Since I am a stay at home Mom and I am almost always home, whenever I do leave the Dogs they act like I've been gone for weeks or something. I go grocery shopping every Monday and whenever I would come home both Dogs would be so excited to see me. I had to stop and love on them first before I could even put the groceries away. I really really miss Valentina not being here when I come home from grocery shopping.
You are really in a very tough spot. I can totally see the pros and cons of both sides. I think there are some networks that can help with Dog's needing surgeries but I don't know what any of them are. Maybe Jerry can tell you. I don't know if that would be a way to go or not but I would continue checking into things a bit more before you make your decision. Sorry you couldn't find a vet that will help or take a payment plan. Also there still may be other things after that like the acupuncture and stuff. But I don't know if he would still need those things if he had the surgery. Or like you said he may need something other than an amputation. It's all really confusing. I really hope that you can figure out a way to keep Apollo. I know he is a wonderful Dog. Great Danes are my favorite breed for sure. I want to always have one. Right now I am waiting for my first foster Dane. I decided to be a foster Mom for homeless Great Danes for a while before I get a new one for myself. I want to help some deserving Danes find their forever homes.
If you cannot find a way to keep Apollo then I completely understand that he may be better off in another home that can care for him financially. I know if you have to make that decision that it will only be out of your love for Apollo. Good Luck. I will continue to pray for both of you in hopes of a miracle. Oh and I forgot to ask how old Apolllo is. He is very handsome!
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