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 a 6 month old lab retriever mix who was struck by a car last night and his right front leg was severely damaged. He underwent surgery this afternoon and will be staying at our vets office for at least the next two days. This is all new to me so I am a little unsure of what to expect when we get him home, it all happened so fast that we really are just now able to take a breathe and deal with the reality of what is happening to our family now. I have four children the oldest is 11 and the youngest is 4 and advice in helping them to understand the process would be GREATLY appreciated.
Ryder is the bravest strongest pup I know. He was let outside in our fenced yard and unfortunately the gate was not locked it was simply pulled shut. Since he is still a pup he has this awful habit of going to the end of our driveway and drinking from the water puddles and it doesn't matter if he just drank 3 gallons of water inside he would still do the same. My 8 yr old daughter let our other dog outside and noticed the gate was slightly cracked she instantly started yelling that Ryder was gone and the gate was open as she ran inside. I reminded her that the other dog needed to come inside if that's the case so she went to the door to let her in and there was Ryder. We are assuming he heard her yelling his name that he was gone and walked back to the door inside the fence. My daughter let them both in and at this point didn't notice anything wrong. They proceeded to come up stairs and he went straight to his water and food bowl which is when my daughter finally noticed he was bleeding. I instantly turned around to see his leg was in terrible shape I could actually see inside of it, well when my daughter screamed he was bleeding it scared him and he turned around and went back down the stairs to our landing and proceeded to try and go to our basement which was unsuccessful and he fell down the stairs. My husband ran down after him and he was sitting at the bottom of our stairs he had lost alot of blood and I thought for sure we were going to loose him right then, however he proved us wrong. Long story short we got him to a vet hospital where they wrapped it and gave him some antibiotics and pain meds. He was on a leash in the back and the doc said if he didn't have a bandage on his leg you wouldn't know anything was wrong. He was hobbling around on his other three legs, wagging his tail, giving everyone kisses and trying to play. It was as if nothing was wrong, I brought him home for the night and found a vet that was capable to do the amputation first thing this morning. He is a very lucky puppy that his leg was the only injury and we were so blessed to find wonderful doctors that took such great care of him now we just wait for him to heal enough to come home in a couple days. I am very concerned on how to help my children I did take them with me this morning to the vet when he took him for surgery and they have all been informed of what is going to happen both by me and the doctor. My daughter that found him is very upset still but I am more worried about my 10 yr old son who is blaming himself for letting Ryder out and not checking the gate. He could not even bring himself to look at Ryder with the bandage on or go to the vet with us this morning. He does know what is happening and has asked how hes doing when we call the vet for check ups but after seeing pictures of what we may find when we pick him up I am not only concerned for my son but for Ryder as well. They truely are best buds and if my son cant look at him and is scared how will that effect both him and Ryder. Any and all advice at this point is much appreciated and desperately needed
Hello Ryder and pack,
Welcome to Tripawds. Your future posts will not require moderation.
Wow, you have had quite a traumatic day. I'm sorry Ryder got hurt, but as a young pup I bet he will heal and cope just fine.
To help you and your husband you might check out Jerry's Required Reading list, or download the ebook Three Legs and a Spare. Both have lots of information on what to expect with amputation and recovery.
As far as the kids go... if you are worried about them seeing the incision you might call the vet and ask if the amp site will be bandaged- many front amps come home bandaged, but not all. If not you can put a tee shirt on Ryder. It will hide the incision and help keep the site clean.
Perhaps you can tell your 10 year old that it was an accident- no ones fault that the gate was left open. And although Ryder got hurt and is going to lose a leg he will be OK. A bad thing happened, but the worst thing didn't happen. And it is really important for everyone in the family to be strong and positive when Ryder gets home. If all of you are acting like nothing is wrong- then Ryder will know everything will be OK. Maybe even have your 10 year old interact a little with Ryder (when he is feeling himself) so he can see that Ryder is not mad at him- dogs don't hold grudges. Ryder will still love your son (and all of you!). Since they are best buds tell your son that now Ryder really needs him, best buds are always there for each other. They can help each other heal.
And for all the kids this is a chance to show how you overcome obstacles and how you don't let problems hold you back. After the recovery period Ryder will amaze you all with how he just gets on with his life. The recovery period can be tough- two or three weeks while he is on meds and relearning his balance. We have seen here that sometimes the younger pups sail through recovery- but don't get discouraged if he is not himself for awhile.
There are lots of videos to look at here- You can check out the Video Tab. Maybe some other members can post some videos- that way you and the kids can look at some happy 3 leggers getting around and playing just fine.
Karen and the pugapalooza
Not having any kids of my own, I can't say for sure how much it would help, but I sure enjoyed the kid's book "Annie Loses Her Leg, But Finds Her Way," by Sandra J. Philipson. It was at my local library. But Karen's suggestion to check out the videos might be all you need to reassure the kids that Ryder will be okay. I agree that Ryder himself will probably do the most to help the kids get past the emotional trauma and any guilt over the event.
So sorry this happened to you all! It will be okay though, really!!!
Gerry has been a tripawd since 12/16/2009.
He was a shelter dog with a mysterious past and an irrepairable knee injury.
Videos and pics of Gerry's pawesomeness can be found at: http://gerry.tripawds.com
gagefamily said:
...children the oldest is 11 and the youngest is 4 and advice in helping them to understand the process would be GREATLY appreciated.
You'll find a number of books in the Amazon blog for helping kids understand dog cancer and amputation. Putting a t-shirt on Ryder can help limit any shock of seeing the incision, but it may be best to show some of the photos from Jerry's galleries followed by an amazing video or two! Good luck and keep us posted.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Ohhh my gosh that must have been so traumatic for everyone.
What a resilient pup he is! You can start by explaining to your son that dogs see the world differently from us. They don't feel guilt, remorse, or anger at people or situations....they just want to live and have a good time. Ryder's ability to move on and make the most of a bad situation is proof that dogs are so much stronger than we give them credit for!
Also, if you search Forum tags here for "kids" "children" and "siblings" you'll see other topics that describe how people with kids have explained the situation.
Finally, remember that you set the pace of how they will cope and react to him. Generally what we've noticed in our unscientific observations is that kids who don't think twice about their tripawd pup tend to have pawrents who have taught them that being a 3-legger is no reason to feel sorry for them (and they also point out the dog's strengths, not weaknesses). On the other hand, kids who shy away or look scared, generally have parents who reflect those behaviors.
Be strong. You can do it!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
What a terrible tragedy! I'm so, so sorry! And your poor children. Beautiful advice that Karen gave you! It is true, accidents do happen.
Ryder will do great! I know it's scary but it will be fine. I had a tripawd for 12 years (deformed leg) and when she was a puppy, she was "just a puppy". She never missed a beat!
Speaking as a person who grew up with a brother who had a disability (and obviously I had a disabled dog), I can tell you that it teaches children the importance of looking beyond a disability and seeing what is in someone's heart. It's a wonderful life lesson for a child! So, try to turn this terrible incident into a positive!
Loads and load of good wishes coming your way.
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.
Welcome Ryder and family! I cannot weigh in on the issue of kids dealing, but the suggestions above seem excellent. Zeus had his amputation about six weeks ago and I thought I would offer a suggestion. Once the kids have been introduced to the new and improved Ryder, you might want to make sure that he has a quite place away from them to rest when he needs it. This is a major surgery and requires down time for proper healing, to avoid opening the incision, etc. With the energy of a six month old pup who most likely will get very wound-up by four active children, he might tend to "overdo" it and have some set-backs. I know that Zeus slept ALOT the first few days. Of course, he is 11 and wasn't the most active dog even pre-amp, but Ryder will still need to be kept pretty still at first. From everything I have read in other posts, the young dogs tend to bounce back very quickly, so hopefully your son will see how great he does and some of that guilt will melt away!
Wishing you the best of luck!
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/
Welcome to Ryder and his pack. I'm sorry you had to find us here, but you won't find a better support group anywhere in the interwebs.
I agree with Cometdog - what has started as a tragedy will turn into an amazing experience where your kids will see how dogs deal with adversity and a "handicap". I know it must seem so hard right now, but it is amazing to be a tripawd pawrent. Our Abby was only 15 months at the time of her amp and she did almost all the same things she did before. She would run so fast and play with such agility, people would often stop us and say, "I didn't realize she had 3 legs until she stood still!"
Hang in there. Keep us posted. Be sure to come here when you have questions or just need some support. (Or a laugh - we do laugh a lot here too!)
All the best,
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!
Thank you all so much just reading your post to the children have helped them and my 10 yr old Dylan even sat with me last night and watched some videos and is staring to cope much better. We spoke with the vet this morning and Ryder is doing amazingly well they took his iv out this morning and he is eating and drinking. They also said he is up walking around and wants to play with everyone constantly wagging his tail and kissing everyone. The vet said he is adjusting very well to being a tripawd and should be able to come home Monday morning. Me and the children our wondering if there are any special revisions we should maybe make to get our home ready for our extra special puppy(thats what we call him now). We have mostly hard wood floors and we live in michigan and of course got hit with a snow storm so worry about him going outside as well. I am confident that the vet will answer alot of our questions when we pick him up but we just want to be as prepared as possible and can't wait til he comes home 
This is a picture of our Ryder just before we took him for surgery
gagefamily said:
We have mostly hard wood floors and... just want to be as prepared as possible...
Ryder is beautiful! Be sure to review Jerry's best traction tips for Tripawds. Hardwood floors can be tricky for new amputees. Consider putting down non-slip runners or getting some traction socks to avoid a fall. Elevated dog bowls can also help make feeding time easier. And it's good to see Ryder is crate trained. Confinement is key to a safe recovery.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
sorry to hear about all of this happening to your family, but it sounds like ryder is doing well post-surgery and will recover and be a happy puppy for a long time to come. accidents are just that, accidents. best to not dwell on the past, but live in the moment and prepare for the extra special puppy's return home.
we found that putting some rubberized throw rugs (like bathroom rugs) down will help him get some traction on the hardwood floors. several of our tripawd family have said they used yoga mats on the floors and stairs, and that helped with the traction as well. also, a raised food bowl (or set your bowls on a milk crate or similar) help so he can eat standing up and get a drink standing up. if you have a large crate or an exercise pen, it might help to keep ryder from getting too active. many other good ideas from folks will no-doubt be posted. good luck, you are starting a wonderful adventure with a great pup!!
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
We also have hardwood floors - with very long hallways. It would have taken me so many rugs to make paths for Abby through our house. She actually really did not have problems with traction until later in her journey when her cancer got worse and her agility was affected, but when did start to have troubles, I found Musher's Secret to be a big help. I would just rub a little on her pads each morning. I found it to be much easier than trying to carpet the house. And I knew Abby would refuse to wear booties and try to chew them off if I made her wear them.
We got the Musher's Secret from Karen & the pugapalooza. It was Angel Maggie's. She had not used much, and unfortunately we did not mange to use much of it either. It will also help out in the snow - although I didn't really look into how it does that since it wasn't an issue for us (living in So. Cal.). If you want, I can send you the mostly new jar. It has a lot of good "juju" in it from Angel Tripug Maggie and Angel Abby. If you would like it, send me a PM w/ your mailing address.
Hope Ryder heals up quickly. Sounds like he is doing great. He sure is a handsome pup!
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!
What a beautiful dog, sounds like a really rough few days for you all!!
Our pup kayla got her front leg removed after she broke it very badly and we also have kids who had trouble dealing with it but now they are very protective and proud of their three legged buddy. We dont have too many slippery floors just the kitchen mainly but you have to go through there to get inside, we just use mats to make a path for Kayla, not that she has too many problems with traction except when she gets hyper and is playing 🙂
Cant help with the snow but sure someone else will be able too. Good luck with Ryders recovery i hope its uneventful for you all. I was amazed how quickly they get on with life after the amputation, the day we got Kayla home she took off chasing our cat! then four days later started digging in the garden again which was rather amusing to watch. We still had our sad moments though full of, if onlys, and what ifs, but you soon forget about them 🙂
Sarah - Kaylas Mum
So I thought I would take a minute and let everyone know that the kids are doing very well today and are all anxiously awaiting Ryder's return home. I have been reading them all your posts and advice and they said "You know what mom these people are so nice to help us get ready for Ryder and even Abbys mom who is going to give us something so he doesn't get hurt again wow it's like a miracle mom" They are deffinately doing their part to prepare for his homecoming. My younger son(who is 4)even took it upon himself to hand wash all his toys cuz Ryder needs clean toys he says. They have washed his crate and all his bedding so theres no germs and each of them has donated a t-shirt to Ryder's pile for him to wear until his stitches come out and yes even Dylan the 10 yr old has joined in. I figured not only would it help with them not being scared but it would help keep him warm since it is in the single digits here now. Our whole family is so grateful to have found this group and for all of your helpful advice so from the WHOLE Gage family we would like to say THANK YOU.
I'm sorry to hear about Ryder's accident, but it sounds like you are doing all the right things to prepare your kids. Still, it's a bit upsetting when you see your dog hopping around with only three legs, it just is and you can't be ready for it. Just remind them to look Ryder in the eyes, don't look at where his leg was! And pain meds tend to make a lot of pups a little flaky, maybe panting a lot or even anti-social - don't take it personally, he still loves you all, he just doesn't feel so great right now.
I feel bad for Dylan, 10 years old is pretty young to have consequences like this for such a little mistake. But we all make mistakes, we all make mistakes with our beloved dogs and there are consequences and we feel terrible. But that's the best thing about dogs, they love you no matter what and they never hold a grudge. We are always telling each other around here, "Be More Dog !" We should all be more like our dogs!
http://tate.tripawds.com/
August 16, 2006 to November 28, 2011
TATE ~ Forever in our hearts.
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