Hi Ashley, you ask a great question. How much of a stump does Avalon have left? Can you share a photo? Here are instructions for adding images to the Forums.

Unfortunately this is a tough problem to solve and I am unaware of anyone who has. How much exercise does he get when he runs around? How long and how far are his runs? Are they off leash?

 The key might be curtailing his activity so that he doesn't go wild enough to do damage. I know that's hard, but as a young dog you will do him a huge favor by protecting his joints when he gets old. Perhaps doing short bursts of activity on a 20-foot training lead is the answer, as well as keeping his mind busy with lots of interactive brain games .

That is how we would exercise Wyatt Ray in his younger days. He developed a callous on his stump over time because he banged it around in a similar way.

He's got such pretty fur! Thanks for sharing the photos.

So is there bone all the way up to the end of the stump? If so, that may be contributing to the problem. Check out our blog post about Partial Versus Full Limb Amputations. Many people whose dog had a partial amputation have experienced the same issues, but sometimes much worse (as in the bone pokes through eventually from the area getting so beat up...ugh!).

Regarding the dog park trips...as much fun as they are for you and him, the problem with dogs who become "weekend warriors" is that the impact of those sudden bursts of activity take a great toll on the body (even for four-legged dogs and people too!).

Rehab therapists have told us that it's far better to give your Tripawd consistent, equal amounts of activity throughout the week, rather than let the dog go wild on the weekend when you have more time to play. Many injuries happen this way, the body just isn't conditioned enough to handle the sudden impact of hard play just once or twice a week). My guess is that if you 1) beef up his core strengthening activities throughout the week, and 2) shorten those trips to the dog park by at least half the amount of time you're there, you'll find that he isn't beating up the area nearly as much.

It really pays to see a canine rehabilitation therapist to help our Tripawds stay injury-free. The best part is, the Tripawds Foundation may even pay for your first rehab visit ! We hope you'll take advantage of the program 🙂