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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We have just adopted Meisie after a painful 4 weeks. she was taken into the rescue centre as a stray who had been hit by a car and broke her right hind leg. She had a cast put on by the wardens vet and was cage bound for 3 weeks. The first time we saw her we fell in love, and visited her every day. she got quieter and quieter, until she didnt even lift up her head when we arrived. After all that time another vet checked her. The leg had been fused in the wrong place and her skin had rotted. She had an open wound over 2inches long! The vet amputated her leg and we went to collect her two days later. she was up wagging her tail and i dont think it has stopped since!
1 week on she is doing great. she is playing with toys again running round the back garden and playing with other dogs. She is our special little girl and we will give her all the love her little heart can take.
There was no doubt in our heads that we were still going to adopt her, despite the amputation and sites like this really do help.
You may be able to help with a few questions though….
Shes only 7month old so not trained at all. We have taught her her name and she understands ' go to your bed'. She is also doing really well at going to the toilet outside (we thought this was going to be really hard as she had started pooping on her bed at the rescue centre) BUT we are having problems in other areas ......
she doesnt seem to like going out on walks – she never pulls but she stops all the time. at first i thought she was tired… so occasionally i picked her up and carried her home BUT when she gets home she runs round on the back garden like a loopy loo! any ideas? we also tried her on the lead in the back garden and she is completely different... she walks at the side of you nicely. She has only just started responding to toys and not really that bothered about treats. she just wants fuss and love and when she doesnt want to walk she wont even come for that all of the time! Any ideas?
How to teach her to sit? she doesnt seem to like it… should we bother? ive read how to teach the command sit on many web sites but with meisie its a little different as many of you know. Because of the way she stands her back leg is stretched out further to compensate for the one that is missing. So trying to use treats (that shes not really bothered about) and touching her bottom to try and put her in the sitting position isnt really working. She just moves to the side. It may be because she doesnt fully trust us, so may be a case of 'keep on trying' but wondered if any of you have any ideas?
Shes also having really strange dreams... her eyes open and pupils move all the way round. her ears twitch and she seems to bark (she doesnt even bark when shes awake) is this normal? should we wake her up or let her dream? i dont want her to be upset while shes sleeping.
Laura
Laura, do you have other dogs too? Meisie can learn how to SIT by watching what other dogs do. She might not be sitting as proper as others, but she would learn fast to know the posture, and would be able to adjust it accordingly when her remaining hind leg gets stronger. Praise her like crazy whenever she even attempt to SIT. Sounds like she can be motivated my praising instead of giving treats.
Her not willing to go for a walk is a mystery. It seems that she behaves differently with the leash on, and more so when walking outside. She might have a bad experience on neighbourhood streets? Or she does not like walking on concrete sidewalk, and prefer in the backyard (more sense of secure? or more cushiony lawn?)
It is fun to watch them having dreams. Yes, eyes semi-open, pupil moving fast back and forth, barking, woofing, paws paddling; and sometimes tail wagging. These are normal. Let her dream. She probably was chasing rabbits, or playing with other dogs.
Hi Laura,
Yoda is a front-leg amputee, so if being a rear-leg amputee is affecting the sitting process, I can't help there. But, if that's not a factor, my experience with teaching Yoda to sit might help. Yoda would do the same thing as Meisie, it sounds like. I would try to get him to sit the way the book I had described, by slowly raising a treat just above his head and back, but rather than bringing his rear down to reach up and back for the treat, he kept walking backwards. In that case, the book recommended positioning Yoda so that he had a wall or corner behind him so he couldn't back up, but then he'd just slide his butt across the wall. What finally worked for us was having my dad (who Yoda was familiar with by then) squat behind Yoda and put his hands on either side, but with little or no pressure ,(cause Yoda would just resist more then) while I tried the motion with the treat again. That kept Yoda from backing up or side stepping. And after just two or three times, he understood what motion I was asking for and so he didn't need a guide anymore.
If Meisie isn't treat-focused, this method may not work. Yoda could care less about dry treats/biscuits, but is very motivated by softer, meatier treats. So you might try experimenting with new and different treats for training, if you haven't already.
Meisie is lucky you found her!
Yoda&Mom united: 9/5/06 …….… Yoda&Leg separated: 6/5/09……… Yoda&Leg reunited: 10/14/09 ……… ……………….………….………….……. Yoda&Mom NEVER separated! …………………….….……....….…… Though Spirit Yoda currently free-lances as a rabbit hunting instructor for tripawds nationwide
My suggestion would be to get her into a puppy obedience class. Petsmart has classes , you can also check with your local Humane Society to help you find classes. Before you sign up for the class, talk to the teacher, explain your concerns and listen to their advise. If you can, watch one of the teachers classes and see how they work with the other dogs.
Classes are great for socialization and it's a really good bonding experience for you and your new best friend!
There's a place I've read about called Bark Busters that has teachers actually come to your home to train your dog in their own environment. This may be helpful since they can show you how to train her using items you already have available and she may be more comfortable as well. As Jack said, group puppy classes are GREAT for socialization, so it just depends on the kind of training you think she may need. Good luck guys!
Laura, thanks so much for joining us here. Bless you for adopting Meisie, she sounds completely adorable! What a wonderful parent you will be to her, and what a lucky girl to be able to have such a great life.
It's funny, she sounds a lot like me when I was a puppy. On my walks, I would do the same thing. Stop, throw myself on the ground, and refuse to go any farther. Mom and Dad couldn't figure out why, they thought maybe I was just being stubborn. They thought my walks were short enough, but later they learned that for a puppy, they were just way too long. Boy, they sure had a lot to learn!
Generally, you should only walk her until she shows signs of tiring. For some puppies that's a half mile, for others even less. It all depends on the dog. Also, keep in mind that our bones are very soft, and concrete can really be painful for us after a while. It's best to walk us on dirt or grass if you are able to. This may explain why Meisie runs around once she's at home, and once she's on leash in the yard. The sidewalks may just be too hard for her right now, especially since she just had surgery too.
As for not being motivated by food, I was the same way. It took some testing of different foods before I found the one that would work during my training sessions. Moist, meaty treats or plain old cheddar cheese did great for me. You might also want to try braunschwager meat too, that's yummy to us dogs!
When it came to training, I was such a social butterfly that my parents knew I wouldn't be able to focus on a training class with other dogs. So they had an instructor come to my house for just a few bones more. I did great in that setting. For socialization, Mom and Dad took me to daycare once a week.
Sounds like with time and patience, Meisie is going to make a GREAT dog! We'd love to see her photo, feel free to post one here when you can.
Thanks again for joining the tripawds community!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
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