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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Looks like everypawdy is giving you great advice! It's ok to worry! I did but seeing how much better Bud felt without that broken leg that wouldnt heal made the worry less!
The only thing I have to add is that Bud's amp hadnt been planned for so when we got home I had to rearrange furniture and add rugs to make it easier for him. I also had to come up with a sling (sewn towel) to help his mobility.You probably already thought about those things..... but just in case. I had a long night after we traveled home!
Hope tomorrow goes well for Maddie and that old pain from that leg has vanished for her! Glad she found her forever home!
Kelly,
I am one month down the road ahead of you. Cocoa was a stray I took to the vet with a broken back right leg. It was amputation or euthansia. Thanks to a very generous vet, she is alive today!
I went to see Cocoa at the vet the evening post surgery. I was very, very shocked at what I saw and welled up in tears. But she laid there and thumped her tail at me. I promised her right then and there that I would make sure she'd have the best life ever.
Cocoa came home with two pain meds and never acted like she was hurting. She was also used to the bum leg, so if anything I think she was relieved to have it gone. This site has been a wonderful reference for me. I am so thankful I found it.
I first had just blankets on the floor (I literally met her Monday and brought her home Wednesday). I was lucky enough to find a reasonably priced crate to keep her in while I was away. A friend sent some larger, cushy dog beds, but she seemed to have a hard time with her balance. I ordered a Kuranda bed and she loves it. It keeps her off the ground in a hammock kind of way. I made sure to order a size that fits inside the crate.
I have hardwood floors, so I have old yoga mats all over the house to help with her traction . They really help. She squats to potty well and is getting better laying down (it's either standing or laying down for a time).
We're in the still getting-to-know you phase, but she is an absolute joy (except when she acts like the pre-teen she is). I highly recommend you read everything you can on the site. Again, it's been a huge help to me (matter of fact, I'm off to post a question myself!).
Good luck tomorrow and keep us posted.
Susan
Kelly,
In case Ralph doesn't come back for awhile- yes the dark GSD in the video is 3 weeks post amp. That is Wyatt Ray Dawg, the current spokes-pup for this site.
There are lots of videos of Wyatt- check the video menu. The most recent video has Wyatt from last November when we had a tripawd meet up here in Livermore. In this case- the other three legged GSD is Travis Ray- another of Ralph's tripawd GSDs.
Don't worry about being confused about all the tripawd GSDs with two (or three) names... hang around awhile- you'll get to know everyone.
And those two black quad pugs wondering around in the first video are the pugapalooza!
Karen
The more names the better. I am South Dakota Watson. But you can call me Dakota or D-Dawg. Although I'm thinking of adding "Ray" in there somewhere since it's what the cool dawgs go by.
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/
Well then I guess so far Maddie is off to a good start here since she already has 2 names 🙂
Dropped her off at the Vet this morning and I was told her surgery will be in the early afternoon.
So, I wait and wait.....
How long does this type of surgery generally take?
Seems like most of these take a couple of hours. But don't freak out if it seems longer. Honestly, they should tell us nothing first. Instead, they say "we'll probably start around noon," and then when 2 pm rolls around our guts start to churn. But sometimes they get emergencies that mean long delays, or other things they can't control.
Is Maddie having this done at your local vet practice? You can always call if it's been many hours. (Oh, did you go with your smiley face on?)
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/
yes I did.
She was all relaxed and chillin'. Of course, she didn't know what I know, so it was easier for her...
This will be good for her, I know. I'll probably see an even spunkier side to her when she has that bad leg and the pain that surely it was causing out of the way!
By the way. On the blogs, how do you attach video? Or do you just use a link to youtube? I have a LOT to learn and it seems like so little time to learn it...lol
Mr. Admin Guy just bumped this up the other day and I saw it: http://tripawds.....orum-post/
On the tech support forum, there are several things related to media so you might to peruse the topics. You might find something there you didn't know you wanted to know about!
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/
kellyr2011 said:
By the way. On the blogs, how do you attach video?
Thanks to Dakota for the link, but that is for embedding videos in Forum posts.
To add a video to your Blog posts, simply paste the YouTube view page URL on a line by itself with no linking and the video will automatically embed in your post. As a Tripawds Supporter , you can also use the Viper's Video Tags plugin buttons for enhanced embedding options and posting videos from many other sharing sites.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi Kelly
Sorry to hear about the amputation, but she'll be getting around fine in no time.
I saw you were planning on using a crate, my dog kess was also a rear leg amputee and between that and a head collkar it was hard for her to get in and out of her crate at first, and since they are narrow, it's hard to help them. If you have an x-pen or know someone you could borrow one from I highly recommend it. The top is open and they are larger than a crate. I had a big one 4'x4' . I could easily walk in to it with Kess and help her get situated, and if she was restless at night I could stay next to her. She was on 3 different pain medications and I had to wake up several times a night to administer them, so I ended up on the couch next to the pen.
Kess came home the day after the surgery and needed help walking and squatting to pee the first day and a half or so. I would just stand on her 1 leg side so she could lean against me. By the morning of day two she was able to navigate out of the house and down 3 stairs to go potty.
Here's some video of Kess playing frisbee 4 weeks post-op
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