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, I’m really glad I found this place, there’s so much info here that I really need now!
Anyway, Brie, my 7-year-old boxer/husky/whatever mix, 60 lbs, is having her left rear leg amputated on Thurs. (July 15th) due to circle-cell tumors and I have a question about her first few days back.
The bedroom is upstairs, and she usually sleeps on the floor next to the bed, although she’s allowed on the bed if she wants.
What do I do for the first few days? She’s too heavy for me to carry. Will I be able to use a padded sling to get her upstairs the first night or two, or would that be too much? If I leave her in a crate downstairs I won’t be able to check on her or hear her if there’s a problem. I’d like her upstairs with me, obviously, but would that be pushing it her first night? Or should I try to sleep on the couch?
I have so many other questions, and I’m finding the answers here, but I haven’t found this one. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!
Hi Brie and family, welcome! We are glad you found us (sorry you needed to though!). You ask great questions, and hopefully we can help.
What do I do for the first few days? She’s too heavy for me to carry. Will I be able to use a padded sling to get her upstairs the first night or two, or would that be too much?
This is a common scenario for many people It's best if she doesn't do any stairs until her stitches are out. If there is any way you can both sleep downstairs that would be ideal. Many people do that after surgery. If sleeping downstairs is not an option, you can use a Ruffwear Flagline or Webmaster harness to assist her up and down stairs. The handle on top is awesome for helping a Tripawd do stairs, it's perfectly placed to give you leverage where she needs it to help her up and down. Keep in mind that a rear-legged amputee dog will have a harder time going up stairs than down. Your assistance will be necessary for a while, and if your stairs are slippery and don't have traction , please consider getting runners or traction strips for safety. You will also want to get a baby gate to block the stairs so she doesn't try to tackle them herself.
I hope this helps. Be sure to check out Jerry's Required Reading List , our What to Expect articles , and our Tripawds e-books for more info. And stay tuned for feedback from others! Keep us posted on how she is doing.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thanks for your reply.
I”ll try sleeping on the couch. I might not get much sleep (bad back) but I don’t want to leave her alone all night either.
Woild love to see pics of Brie when you get a chance. Her lineage sounfs adorable! Here a link to help. adding images
As Jerry said, if at all possible try and make arrangements to sleep downstairs WITHOUT antagonizing your back! If you know if anyone who maybe has a small twin or bunk bed mattress you could borrow to put in the floor? If you're like most of us, money is an issue, but Amazon and some of those bed in a box products and some discount stores do have some fairly inexpensive options. It might serve your back better than the couch.
Sounds like you've been searching around here, plus Jerry gave you some good links for information, but let us know if we can help in anyway, okay?
Recovery is no picnic for a couple of weeks and getting the right pain management locked down can be tricky sometimes. But once recovery takes place and you see Brie get to be a pain free Brie again you both will be so happy!
Hugs
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
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!
Thanks benny, will try to post some pics soon.
Anyway, I just ordered an inflatable bed. It may not be the most comfortable in the world, but it’ll do and I can stay with Brie.
i stlii have to get her up 7 steps into the house when we get home, but there’s nothing I can do about that and I do have a nice sling arriving tomorrow.
I appreciate the good wishes.
Oh we'd love to see pics! Let us know if you need help.
How is the rest of your home? Are you set with traction and raised feeder bowls etc?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Yes, I have those. Or I will, anyway I have throw rugs, and I bought traction pads which are supposed to arrive tomorrow. I think I'm pretty well set, except for fresh chicken, special treats, etc.
She'll be spending Thurs. night in the hospital, so I thought I'd do my last minute shopping and houseproofing Thursday so everything will be normal when she leaves the house and everything will be setup when we get back.
I do have a couple of pics to post, but the link to instructions doesn't work and I couldn't find it in the forum index. If you can give me a link to posting picture instructions I'll put some up.
Youre doing a good job at prepping for her homecoming and recovery. 👍
Glad she's spending the night st the clinic. That's in her best interest, and yours too! She'll be on some strong pain meds and probably seeing a few pink elephants. You can use that time to try and get a good night's sleep. It's physically and mentally exhausting getting to this point.
Some dogs come home pretty zonked out. Some come home whin and restless. Some come home and are mobile right away. Every dog is different and every recovery is different.
One of our techies will com along and help with the photos. In the meantime, see if this makes sense
- Upload pics to a photo sharing site like imgur.com or your own Tripawds blog (https://tripawd…../supporter). Pictures and video have to be hosted (live) somewhere other than in the forums.
- Once the photo is uploaded somewhere, right click and copy the Image URL or just copy the image if you’re on a phone
- Return to your Tripawds Forum post and paste the image URL (or the image itself) in your post. It should automatically appear.
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!
Here are a couple of pics.
I got her from a shelter when she was already 4, and the staff said they believe she has some husky because of her blue eye and curved tail. They also thinks she's part boxer, and maybe some pit and Jack Russel thrown in, but they're not sure and neither am I. She was adopted from the shelter once, then they brought her back for some reason and I'm the second one to adopt her. I've had her for 3 years, and I've alwys wondered what her first 4 years were like. I can't imagine anyone giving up a sweet girl like this.
OMD!!! Brie is BEAUTIFUL! My heart is melting and I am so jn love. I love her markings. She definitely has that sweet "Pittie smile", good bone structure, the Husky eye and some Terrier and Boxer. I think the shelter was spot on in iden6 her "heritage".
Whatever happened before she found you, was exactly what had to happen so she could finally be with the hooman she was meant to be with. So glad you found each other💖
Thanks so much for sharing her with us. Her photos have put a non stop smile on my face today😁
Hugs
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
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!
Thanks for your kind comment.
She definitely has a lot of terrier in her, she spends all her time outside hunting. She’ll go after anything, from rabbits to groundhog, to deer, but she spends most of her time looking for moles or mice.
Well, I appreciate the suggestions, and I’ll be sleeping downstairs with her.
if anything else comes up I’ll be sure to ask. This is a great community!
Oh I'm in love! What a gorgeous girl!
Thanks for sharing photo instructions, Sally Tech Support Queen 🙂
So it sounds like your home is Tripawd-proofed. Good job!
Since you mention that she's a very active dog, it may be challenging to keep her mellow during recovery. interactive brain games are one of the best ways to help Tripawds stay occupied while healing, and a fun way to bond with your dog too. Channel her prey drive into something a little more low-key while she rests and gets strong.
We're so glad you found us! Post with any other questions or more adorable photos anytime!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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