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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Hi everyone!
It is really great to find a site like this for support and encouragement. Our little, 10 month old Nala, newfoundland and labrador mix pup was amputated yesterday. She had an infiltratiove lipoma on her left hind leg which grew quite big in a matter of days or weeks because when we noticed it it was already tennis ball size, and her entire leg was very swollen. After a biopsy and scan, it was so large it represented half of the volme of her leg, plus it went pretty far upwards the vet had to amputate a little higher than ususally.
Obviously it is not easy to accept this situation but we try to stay positive thinking it could have been worst, if the lipoma had infiltrated her pelvis area, there would have been great chances even the amputation would not have been enough.
While we were thinking about the possible outcomes, we researched online about three legged dog and found the website. It is very encouraging. Nala is small for her breed, only 45 pounds, so this should help her. She is also very agile and powerfull. She is an amazing dog, so sweet tempered and loving. We also have another older beagle and he doesnt like ther dogs much, but it accepted her and they even play sometimes, something the beagle hadnt done with another dog for years.
So after the surgery, the surgeon told us everything went well, we will go visit her today. I havent cried yet but I know when I actuelly see her it will probably come. I know I have to stay positive not to let her see or feel my emotions.
My biggest worry is for going up and down the stairs. At home our stairs are pretty steep and they are hard wood floors, so a little slippery. I also wounder about how she will be able to pee and poop and how she will adjust with all that. I would really apprecitate some advice.
Thank you all in advance
Melina
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welcome melina and nala - your future posts won't require moderation. you'll be surprised how quickly nala recovers, being a young girl is a plus for her. nala will figure out all of the peeing and pooping just fine. the first two weeks of healing can be rough, especially with a puppy that doesn't want to rest and be still. you might want to consider an ex-pen to keep her contained. many folks put a pair of little boy's boxer shorts over rear amps (with the tail coming through the fly) to keep it covered and to help keep them from licking... and trust us, non-skid rugs are a great idea to help with traction on wood and tile floors. many styles are available at walmart/target type stores and aren't too expensive..
we'd love to see some pictures of nala, and also of her monkeybrother beagle too!!
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
Welcome to Tripawds.
I'm glad you found us here- lots of experience and support to share.
We need to see pictures, Nala sounds beautiful!
As far as the stairs go- up will be more of a challenge than down for a rear amp. My little pug Maggie was a rear amp and could go down anything, but because she was so little up was quite a challenge for her. She could do 2 or 3 stairs, but not much more. She was only 12" at the shoulder so was trying to jump most of her body height for each stair! Since Nala is bigger I bet she will be able to do the stairs just fine once she is healed up. But you really need to put some kind of non-skid mats or rugs there. Maggie would do all the short stair flights around my house, but only if the rugs were down.
You can use a sling at first when she tries the stairs, a reusable shopping bag split down the sides works great. If you think she needs one a harness might also be useful. Some here use them, some don't. The Ruff Wear Web Master is popular.
Pee and poop will be no problem, she will figure out her tripawd stance and be fine. Maggie was one of those dogs that had to spin before pooping, she did it from the time I brought her home at 10 weeks old. One of the hardest things for me to watch after her amp was her falling down when she tried to spin. She was an obstinate pug and very easily discouraged at first. But... she still had her right rear leg, and always spun clock-wise. After 5 or 6 days she figured it out and was spinning again!
And remember when you first see her- what you took away from her was pain and problems, what you have given her is a chance at a long life!
Let us know how she is doing.
Karen and the pugapalooza
Meilina, welcome. We're glad you found us but so sorry that Nala had to have her leg amputated. Look at it this way though, she is so young that she will adapt fast, as if she never had that spare leg to begin with. Our own Wyatt Ray was 8 months old when he lost his leg and he acts like he was born a Tripawd now that he's 3.
So, my biggest recommendations are to start reading our Required Reading List. Then, look around your house and slip-proof your floors. You don't have to carpet everything, but throw rugs placed in an easy walking path around her favorite spots will help tremendously. Tripawds need traction to feel confident, otherwise walking on slipper floors is like ice skating for them and not good for their joints.
The stairs are tricky if they aren't carpeted or have traction strips on them. We had two sets of stairs in our old house, one set was slippery wood, and we never used those after amputation. The other set had traction strips, which was MUCH easier to navigate. Here's a video of how we used the Ruff Wear harness to get around:
I didn't always need that kind of help, just in the beginning. But again, I never used those slippery wooden steps.
As for peeing and pooping, you will be AMAZED at how fast she figures it out! Just be prepared for constipation, that happens to most tripawds immediately after surgery, pain meds do a number on our guts. But that's nothing to worry about and is quickly a non-issue after a week or so.
Good luck with her homecoming, let us know how we can help make recovery easier!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Welcome to Tripawds Melina and Nala!! I know all of this is scary and confusing but Tripawds will help you out every step of the way. We've been there and have all of the same questions and concerns that you do. From the way that you describe Nala and her being so young I know that she will enter into Tripawdhood with flying colors! She will absolutely amaze you and both of you will be able to get back to the happy lives you once enjoyed.
Things will be challenging at first but don't get discouraged. Most Dogs are getting back to normal in 2-3 weeks. The recovery period is the hardest part but once you make it through that, things will be great again. The first few nights you may not get much rest because you may be up with Nala kind of like a newborn baby. So try to get lots of rest before she comes home if you can. It will take some tries for her to figure out how to go potty and things like that and she may stumble or even fall a bit but it won't be long before she gets the hang of it all. You can use a sheet like a sling under her belly to help her along the first few days if you think she needs it especially down the steps to go outside. Just make sure that it doesn't go near her incision. It is a must to make sure that everywhere she walks that the floor is not slippery. You can buy carpet runners fairly cheap at Lowes or Home Depot and they work great. Just measure her usual pathways that she walks and get the pieces cut to fit. You can piece a bunch of rugs together too but for me it was much easier to just get the runners and they stay in place alot better than individual rugs do.
Good luck with everything and ask any and all questions that you need to. You will be so glad that this site is here for you. Praying that Nala makes a full fast recovery so the two of you can get back to all of the happy stuff! 
Welcome Nala and Melanie!
Poor baby Nala! I'm so sorry! But I know she'll be fine and hopefully you won't have to worry anymore once she heals from the surgery.
Feel free to ask any questions in the future!
Good wishes for a speedy recovery!
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 Nala & Melina. Welcome to the Tripawds Family. I don't know how I would have gotton through the initial shock of it all without the support of all these fine people. Looking forward to those pictures.
heather & spirit shadow
Hi and welcome. Sorry to hear about Nala's diagnosis but I hope the stories here have reassured you that dogs can do very well after amputation. I can't really make additional recommendations above what others have said, but I hope her recovery goes well.
Lisa
Zeus was a Husky mix diagnosed with Osteosarcoma at age 11. A visible lung met and suspicious spot on his liver meant a poor prognosis-six weeks was our vet's best guess. We decided to fight for our boy and his right front leg was amputated on 12/1/11. We did six rounds of chemo, changed his diet and spoiled him completely rotten. We were blessed with 10 great months after diagnosis. Against the odds, the lung met remained a single met and grew very little over those months. A wonderful furbaby with the most gentle spirit, he fought with a strength that we never imagined he possessed. We have no regrets...
http://zeuspod......pawds.com/
I don't have anything to add--just wanted to say "welcome" and I'm glad you found us. Nala is a youngster so she will adjust better than you will, I imagine! Dogs just live for the moment so as long as she's getting belly rubs, cookies and playtime with her brother she will be happy. When you have time to post pictures of Nala, please do. We can be a little nutty about pictures. 
Good luck and don't hesitate to post questions or bop into the chat room
.
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/
Welcome Melina & Nala,
I don't have much to add to the advice others have already given, but wanted to say hi. As others said, Nala should adjust well since she is so young. After about a 10-12 day recovery (generally once the meds are done and staples are out) she should be getting back to her old self. Don't be surprised if she seems "depressed" and not herself for a week or so. That's normal!
We're here if you have questions!
It's an awesome thing to be a Tripawd pawrent! Welcome to the club,
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!
Hi everyone and thank you for all the advice.
Nala juste came home and she is doing good. She was very happy to see us at the clinic, she gave us her belly for a rub. But at home she is very tired and needs to rest. She cried of pain a little while ago we dont know why, she was just turning around... She does seem a little sad since this little event. But i guess it should get better with time.
I dont know how to add pictures on the forum, can someone help me?
How do people react when you go out with your three legged dogs? It is a little intimidating for me.
Melina
nala said
I dont know how to add pictures on the forum, can someone help me?
Here are instructions for adding pictures to forum posts. If you don't already share photos somewhere online, the easiest way may be to start a blog so you can upload them to your media library.
How do people react when you go out with your three legged dogs? It is a little intimidating for me.
Here is a great discussion going on about what to say when people react to your Tripawd.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Yes, we've had many discussions here about how people react... Some say stupid things. Most are nice/curious.
With Abby, I did keep a t-shirt on her at first when we went out, at least until her scar was fully healed. I was afraid people would be a bit freaked out by the site of it. But once it was fully healed, it was no big deal. She was so fast at the beach, that most people would say, "Oh my gosh, I didn't realize she had 3 legs until she stopped running!'
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!
Hi everyone,
Nala has been with us since yesterday but she doesnt move much and when she does, she yells of pain. We have the hardest time ever giving her her medication. She salivates heavily trying to regurgitate and wont take it with any food. She takes everything on the tip of her toungue and spits it out before bitting it into several small pieces because she knows there will be something in it...
I am a little worried about her.
How were your dogs when they first came back?
Our neighboors saw her yesterday and everything went well. They were curious and polite. Good first experience.
Based on Nala's reaction to the pills (salivating heavily), I assume that's Tramadol. This drug will do that. It is incredibly bitter and therefore incredibly hard to hide. The best way most of us have found to hide it is in a ball or wad or something soft or squishy. Some things folks here have used successfully are:
balls of bread (soft, unhealthy bread with a pill squished in the center); squishy lunch meat (like liverwurst); a ball of canned dog food; cheese ball; cream cheese; peanut butter
It's really important to hide it in enough food so that she won't taste or smell it but not so big that it doesn't go down in a gulp. Smaller than a ping pong ball but bigger than a marble, whatever size that is, is what I use for Dakota. And he won't eat it in anything but a ball of bread.
Once you get the pain meds successfully down Nala, she should begin to act like she's feeling better and quit yelping and whining.
I'm not exaggerating the reaction of dogs taking many pain meds but especially Tramadol. Dakota will slobber for a good 15 minutes if he tastes any of it (and gobs and gobs of slobber) and he frequently vomits, too. One big gulp is what you need.
Try some of these ideas and see if she doesn't improve. If you get the meds down her and she's still yelping, call the vet. She likely would need a different drug or a different dose then.
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/
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