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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Thanks for all the support and advice. He is sleeping more and limping a little more too. I took him off Tramadol after one week post op but kept him on Deramaxx. Still goes on about a 20 minute walk every day and he would not be happy without it. Lots of stops to sniff and mark on the way. Stitches come out Friday. Bought a Ruffwear harness for him to wear after he heals. Suggest they provide clasps on both sides for front amputees - its hard to get in under his right leg when the clasp is on the left.
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good to hear mac is doing so well, nothing like 'marking' the neighborhood to pep a guy up!! we were a right front amp, so wrapping the harness around wasn't an issue...but i always wondered if it was harder for 'lefties'....
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
Okay, so here are some pictures of what happened to Mac
Original injury after emergency vet - July 17
5-1/2 months later and still not healed after 5 surgeries and months of honey and antibiotics
One day post op. All swelling and redness soon went. Looks very good now.
Oh, sweet baby! Heal quickly, you beautiful pup you!
Love the avatar w/ him in his tshirt.
All the best. Come here if you have questions while he heals or just need some support. Best support community on the interwebs!
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!
I'm not the most tactful member here, so I apologize in advance, but what the hell happened to Mac? You said it happened with an emergency vet and never should have occurred...so what was it? It looks very painful in the second photo. And even though I wish he could have kept his leg, the last photo with him shaved and his big ruff around his neck looks so much like a black and white lion!
You can give details here. We even have a forum for vets to avoid and veterinary horror stories.
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/
Thank you for purchasing a harness through Tripawds 🙂
You're right, I know firsthand that it can be challenging for front left Tripawds to get dressed with it. Good suggestion, we'll be sure to pass it along to Ruff Wear.
Keep in mind that if walking shorter distances doesn't wear out his mind enough, there are lots of other fun games you can play with him that will do that without taking too much of a toll on his recovering body. The Dog Twister wears out Wyatt Ray in minutes!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Oh my dog! He is so cute! I love him!
Jenna & Spirit Chili Dawg
Diagnosed with OSA: 5/2/2011 Ampuversary: 5/11/2011 OSA returned in hip: 8/26/2011
Chili Dawg crossed the Rainbow Bridge on 8/30/2011 & is now pain free. He was my heart dog, and I miss him every day.
We wondered that about Tate, too! He loved to swim but somehow he could still swim straight or whatever direction he wanted.
He's beautiful.
http://tate.tripawds.com/
August 16, 2006 to November 28, 2011
TATE ~ Forever in our hearts.
Mac said:
Cant wait to be swimming again. Will I swim in circles?
hahaha! Are you kiddin? Look at meeeee!
Mac, my folks always thought that I was part Border Collie. Lookin' at you, now they know for sure. We have so many of the same markings!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Love to see the video but it wont play. Im using Chrome now instead of IE so it should work. Can you reload the URL please? It says error when I try playing.
Mac said:
Love to see the video but it wont play.
Silly Jerry, we fixed his video link above. You can see many more movies of him swimming on the Tripawds Videos page, or check out his Three Legged Dogs Swimming playlist on the Tripawds YouTube Channel:
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
We were worried that Sammy couldn't swim after losing his front right leg. He really loved to swim. We dragged an expensive and somewhat heavy flotation harness half a mile to the dog beach in Florida, only to have him rush past us into the water and swim like a champ! He still beat all the other dogs to the ball — except for one equally obsessed black lab. That really hurt his feelings, but he finally knew how those other dogs felt when he stole their balls!
Smilin' Sammy, March 16, 2004 – Dec. 5, 2011
Golden retriever, diagnosed with osteosarcoma in September 2010 — right front leg amputated November 2010. He fought valiantly to stay with us; but a second diagnosis of osteosarcoma, this time in his left front leg, was more than our golden warrior could overcome. He loved his pack — and everyone else he met.
We loved him even more.
Thanks for the pennies, Sammy. They helped.
Mac is back! Running and romping in the snow last weekend got his mojo going again. Now he wants to play all of the time and he is smiling again. How amazing after only three weeks. Thanks for all of the support and advice.
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