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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My 14 year old Lurcher x German Shepherd had his hind leg amputated ten days ago after he fell in the garden whilst racing about and broke his leg so badly it couldbn't be fixed.
We have been advised to help him get about by using a towel as a sling and this seems to be working ok. My concern is that two days ago Ben started to get up on his own and take some steps totally unaided but since then, his mobilty seems to have gone down and he needs our help more than ever. Is this normal?
I'd love to hear from other people who have older, long legged dogs who have gone through this who could give me an idea as to how long it took for them to get their balance properly and any tips or advice that would help us get Ben back on his feet.
Many thanks. Lucy.
lupiloo78 said:
Is this normal?
Pretty much, recovery is a roller coaster ride with ups and downs. Ten days is still very early for Ben, make sure he doesn't overdo it. We have learned with Wyatt that rear-leggers tend to take longer to rebuild strength in the remaining leg.
Best wishes for a speedy recovery, your future forum posts will not require moderation.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi Lucy. We're glad your pup is getting through recovery. Do the vets know why his leg broke? That must have been awful! I can't imagine.
Hang in there. The most important thing you can do is not to compare his recovery to others. Remember your pup is different and he will heal at his own pace. However, if you suspect things are not right, do call your vet right away, that's what they're there for.
In the meantime, some other places to visit are our Required Reading List and/or our ebook, "Three Legs & a Spare". That's where I always recommend folks begin so you know what to expect in general.
Good luck! Please keep us posted.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
welcome to you and ben!! as rene and jim said, every dog is different... building up the muscles in the remaining leg takes time - we were 'front leggers', but it was easily a month in when i noticed how much more muscle was in the remaining leg, and how it learned to 'center' into it's tripawd position. patience, and lots of medicinal naps.....
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 Ben and family! What a sweet looking face!
So sorry to hear about the accident! Oh my!
Try not to worry, 10 days out from surgery is just too soon. He may have just tweaked it a bit from doing to much.
Lot of good wishes to you!
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 Ben and Lucy,
Welcome to Tripawds. Sorry to hear about Ben's accident.
I guess I am the opposite of what you are looking for, Maggie was 7.5 ta the time of her amp, and as a pug was not exactly long legged! But she does sound a bit like Ben in her recovery, she was also a rear amp. She was walking the day of surgery, and seemed to do fine for a few days, then became a real slug. I had to really encourage her to go out to potty. She took her time, but eventually was fine. It took her a few weeks to come back to herself, but she did.
If you are comfortable that nothing is medically wrong then Ben probably just needs a bit more time. The recovery period can be full of ups and downs, most pups seem to turn the corner when the sutures come out and all the meds are done. But some, like my Maggie, take a bit longer. All pups heal, and deal with the new normal, at their own pace.
Karen and the pugapalooza
Thank you everybody. Ben is going to the vets tomorrow to have a check up and have his staples out, he's still struggling but we'll just keep helping him and see what the vet says.He seems quite happy in himself though and is certainly enjoying his new found celebrity status in our neighbourhood!
His leg broke when he was playing in the garden. The xray showed that he had a tumour in the leg which had destroyed the bone so it couldn't be mended. Thankfully, the tumour hadn't spread to anywhere else in his body so I guess the broken leg was really a blessing in disguise.
xx
Hi. We are newbies. I am sorry to read about Ben but hope he has been recovering wonderfully. We came across your posting and was wondering if you would be able to share how Ben is doing. I have an older pup and almost 7 weeks since her surgery we are still having mobility issues.
Thanks,
Jean
sky's mom
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