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 all,
My dog puggers is due to have his front right leg amputated tommorow and i was just wondering if you had any advice that will help me as i'm really nervous. It's going to be weird seeing him with three legs and i'm not sure how i'm going to react.
is there anything i need to be prepared with , i.e do i need to make sure i have a first aid kit to hand and if so what should i include in it.
how long will it take for him to recover, i'm just a bit concerned as he is 12 yrs old and i've had him since he was six and a half months old , will he cope ok, what about balance.
i'm sure you've had plenty of worried pawrents before.
thankyou for reading this
puggersmum.
Hi and welcome, your future posts will not require moderation.
Sorry to hear you are dealing with amputation, why is he losing his leg? Is it a front or back leg?
You should read through Jerry's Required Reading List
: http://tripawds.....ding-list/, and you can download the ebook Three Legs and a Spare
. Both have good information from this site on what to expect from amputation and recovery.
We have had many 'mature' pups here do well after their amps. The first couple weeks after surgery can be full of ups and downs, so don't get discouraged. Most pups are doing pretty well at the end of two or three weeks- the turn around often happens when the meds are done and the staples or sutures come out. Some dogs sail right through, some take a little longer to come around.
Another thing you might do is look at some post- amp pictures so you know what to expect. Check out the photo gallery here, scroll down to the treatment pics.
Some basics are raised food dishes, and good traction . You can use rugs or yoga mats on slippery surfaces. If Puggers needs help hopping at first you can use a temporary sling- a re-useable shopping bag split down the sides works well.
Lots of support and experience to be found here. Good luck tomorrow, and keep us posted.
Karen
thankyou krun15 , i didn't know about the bag support, i'll go out and get one whilst he's having his op , also grab some bathroom mats from Argos as they have rubber backs.
puggersmum said
i was just wondering if you had any advice that will help me as i'm really nervous...
Welcome! Why the amputation?
Our best advice is to remain calm, Puggers needs a strong pack leader right now to show him everything is going to be OK. Most dogs handle this much better than their people!
For fast answers to the most common questions, consider downloading the Tripawds e-books, and be sure to bookmark the link Karen provided to Jerry's Required Reading List .
FYI: We've moved your topic here where it is more likely to be seen by many more members than in the Tech Support forum .
Best wishes for a speedy recovery! Please keep us posted.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Putters mom!! Yep! Scarey time and really glad you are here with us.....sorry for the circumstances though!!
Will Puggers be spendingnthenfirst night at the vet?
If you have stairs to the outside, a ramp is a great alterative.
Surgery is major and recovery isn't exactly fun......probably harder non you than Puggers 
That's where we really hope you'll reach out to us and let us help support you through this. There are very few challenges that someone here hasn'tt already experienced!
Puggers will get wall,king very quickly and will adjust so well he won't even remember why he had a fourth let to begin with!!
Some recover really fast and some need a little longer. When recovery kicks in consistently and the sparkle comes back full time you will be ecstatic with your decision:-) That's a promise!!
Stay connected toys...especially the next couple of weeks?
!We are walking by your side.
Now think of your baby's cute mug and smile:-)
Sending you strength and calm, Sally and Happy Hannah
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
Hope Puggers surgery went well. It can be a bit of a shock when you first see them, but then they look at you with those eyes and are so grateful you came back to get them that it just doesn't seem that important. Soon you will become proud to be a tripawd parent!!
The next couple of weeks are the hardest and a lot depends on their size. Shooter is on the small size so was up and going fairly quickly. Happy Hannah is one of our "plus size" models and it took her a little bit longer to get the hang of things, but now she is our resident diva!
If you get stressed and need release come on over. We've all had to do that numerous times and someone is always here or on the live chat to get you through.
Take care of yourself too!
Spirit Shooter was a Miniature Australian Shepherd who was diagnosed with a MCT and had a LF amp 1/28/13 at 13-1/2 years old.
Shooter crossed the Bridge on 8/28/13, his 7 month ampuversary and two weeks from his 14th birthday.
Sending good thoughts your way on how the surgery went! My boy Harley is 12 and had to have amp due to Osteosarcoma in rear left leg! The surgery went well and he is now almost 7 weeks post-amp! We have had a small amount of ups and downs...but the key thing is that Puggers will be fine! It will take some time to get the hopping down...we used a beach towel to help Harley at the start...let Puggers set the pace...but still put limits on him, because fun is fun...and dogs like fun!
Focus on the amazing things we take for granted on a daily basis...getting a bone to chew on...wanting to play with a baby...when those things start happening, you know you are on the right track...and the time frame is different for each dog!
We wish you hugs...and please let us know how everything went!
Ilene & Harley
heyyyyy.. I hope that everything went well today! We have all been in that same boat at one time or another. My main concern was getting throw rugs down so that my guy would not slip... and raising his food and water dish up high so that he did not have to bend down since he had his front left leg amputated. He was 14 at the time..
You would be amazed at how well they do.. we are the ones that have a hard time coping! When you pick up your furry kid from the hospital.. don't focus on he fact that he is missing a leg.. focus on the fact that he is just so darn happy to see you!!!!
My guy walked .. well.. hopped to the car a day and a half after his surgery.. he was so happy to be gong home!
let us know how everything went.. and is going!
Christine... with Franklin in her heart ♥
Franklin, he was the Happiest Dog on Three Legs! Diagnosed 09/26/2012 with Osteosarcoma, amputated 12/4/2012. Had a wonderful 5 1/2 months painfree until he ran for the Bridge on 5/15/2013. Always in my heart, and always a guardian angel of my pack... You can follow his Tripawd Adventures, before and after, in my blog, Frank'n'Farter!
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