Hi there, pitty mix mom 🙂 Welcome. I am from the Chicago area. That is great you adopted a tripawd puppy. You definitely came to the right place. Please feel free to PM me. We had Cadence a pair of boots especially made for her and she loves to wear them. She actually has more confidence with them on and gets around better on our granite and laminate floors. You can see them here in this photo:

Could you tell me more about her walk? Maybe why you think she might be in pain? The front and rear amps tend to have a different style in how they get around. Cadence uses her remaining back leg like a spring propelling her along. She can turn and twist on a dime with that leg too. Do you have any videos that you can post of your dog walking? Also, it would be good to watch other dogs with ampawtations getting around like Karen suggested. 

                                     Mom Says I'm such a Poser

Cadence's Mom

There's lots of Chicago folks (I'm further north, myself).  Check out the forum on Tripawd parties - the Chicagoans get together often   You could probably send a "pm" to anyone in those Chicago threads.  Most everyone who posts here is thrilled to be able to offer support for newcomers.

You might find it easier to invest in a bunch of rugs, rather than the booties (though those could come in handy for winter too - my roommate's pittie mix's feet bleed pretty easy in the winter, but maybe that's him).  I did at least.  Booties are just so much more difficult to get on my tripawd (and getting them on previous four-leggers was hard enough!).  

Gerry is actually my second tripawd.  My first, Yoda, was a front-leg amputee and he actually did almost perfectly on smooth surfaces, where as Gerry slips often, when excited, though rarely to the point of actually falling.  Rugs I bought after Yoda's amputation, before he came home from the vet, were a total waste.  He didn't need them at all.  They've since been handy for Gerry though.  I guess a pup (no matter which leg is missing) is more likely to be like Gerry than Yoda though, as she probably will be more likely to get overexcited and forget where her feet are going, like Gerry.  It'll probably take a little trial and error for you to figure out what'll work best for you and your new pup.

Welcome to the Tripawd Family.  Where are you in the Chicago-area??  They are many of us and we do love to get together, every month or so.  But now that the weather is getting cold and yucky, we are probably on leave until spring.

Ginger is a rear amp - almost 20 months post amp.  We tried booties with her but she refused to walk in them.  We got them on her feet and she would roll over on her back and play dead - refused to even move with them on.  So we found that non-slip rugs/mats work best for our kitchen floor and stairs to the back yard.  They are easy to wash and weren't very expensive.

A Tripawd walk/hop is something you have to get used to.  Ginger actually uses her remaining back leg as if a real tri-pod.  She puts it in the middle of her body to help her keep balance. 

What vet do you go to??  Our oncologist takes videos of new Tripawds walking to show others what to expect - so you might want to ask if they do the same.

What is your pups name and try to post some pics so we can "ooohh and aahhh."

Ginger's Mom - Annie

Welcome!  I'm in the Chicago area- feel free to PM me.  My Chili Dawg was a front amp.  He did really well- we had hard wood floors, but put runners down for him to help him get traction .  He was a golden retriever, so we also shaved his paws to help with traction as well.  He was able to do most things- stairs, run, wrestle with his brother, pretty much until his cancer returned 3.5 months after his amputation, so I can't tell you what to do in winter- since he was a tripawd from May to August of this year.  He was able to get up on the furniture, climb into bed with us, basically all the things he did as a quad-paw.  This is an awesome community, so ask away!

Jenna & Spirit Chili Dawg