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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Pearl is a 3 year old very ambitious Alaskan Husky. Both of her parents do 1000 mile races to give you an idea of the energy and drive of this dog.
She was born with a genetic deformity in her right rear leg and after 3 years of managing her condition and balancing running in harness with rest (she is honestly happiest when running and pulling), her leg was dislocating from the cartilage wearing out so we decided on amputation. While waiting for the surgery, she still insisted on running and pulling (we did bikejoring together so I could keep up with her and reduce how much she was pulling - my vet approved as they see a lot of sled dogs and know how hard it is for them to go without exercise).
We're on day 4 of recovery and she was already running up and down our lane (leashed with me running behind her) on day 1. As much as she's heavily sedated, she is very very alert and frustrated with me for keeping her inside so much. She does have a seroma (no signs of infection) and I understand it will heal better with rest. The seroma does seem to be getting smaller already and there has been no leakage.
Any advice for going through recovery with a high energy dog? She's eating well, peeing and pooping, handling the pain well for the most part and, despite being heavily sedated, she seems to be back to her old self. I'm currently running about 600m with her three times a day and wouldn't feel comfortable with much more. When we get to the halfway point, she starts pulling really hard because she wants to keep going but I hold the boundary firm. Doing my best to keep her mentally stimulated as well. I understand that her recovery is going to look different from a calmer breed's and I just want to find a balance of letting her push her limits a bit and also letting her body heal. Thank you for your time.
Hi Pearl and family, welcome! It's so nice to have another sled dog join us, they are such an awesome kind of breed! Sorry you had to join us though, we are the club nopawdy wants to join.
We know what you mean about trying to help a high energy dog stay mellow enough to recover without making the rest of the pack insane. Alaskan huskies are one of the most high energy breeds there is! We were introduced to the pack many many years ago when Tripawds just began as a community. Our friend TC joined with her racing dog, Calpurnia. That's when we learned all about the breed, their needs and what it's like to have a 3-legged sled dog! Calpurnia is an angel now but her people are still in touch with us and I would be happy to connect you two. I will ping her to see if she can come and offer her suggestions here in the meantime.
You are on the right track by asking these great questions and trying hard to keep her activity curtailed while she heals. When it comes to helping a high energy dog recover from amputation surgery, interactive brain games are one activity that can help. You can make up games with things around the house, or buy pre-made doggie brain games, but anything you can do to keep her mind busy while her body heals will be helpful.
As for physical activity, right now she should only be going on short, leashed walks for potty breaks. I know it will be hard to keep her from wanting to do more. With this breed, she may just need to do more than the average dog and that's OK as long as you carefully monitor her activity. A dog's fitness level as a lot to do with how much they should do after amputation surgery, and my guess is that her fitness level was pretty high right? If so, you can probably keep her physical activity level a little higher than the average dog until stitches are out. You just want to be careful about the incision so that she doesn't develop a seroma or tear the staples/sutures out.
If you are able to consult with a canine rehabilitation therapist, that is the ideal solution to figure out how to handle her recovery activities and life on three legs afterward. The Tripawds Foundation can even pay for your first rehab visit ! If you're up on the tundra in AK however, you can still work with a therapist online, like Wizard of Paws.
I hope this helps! Be sure to post photos of Pearl, we would love to see her amazing life on the trail!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hello and welcome, Pearl sounds like quite a handful!
What did your surgeon say about activity level after surgery? Our surgeon said only short, leashed potty breaks for the first two weeks. Of course I was dealing with a 7.5 year old Pug, it was all I could do to get her out of bed at all those first few weeks 
.
My current Tripawd came to me at 10 months old after losing her back leg to a car accident at 7 months old. Elly is little, and not a sled dog, but was still full of puppy energy. She was healed from amp surgery but not at all strong. We spend lots of time on training tricks and obedience, core strength and balance exercises and on food games and puzzles. We also found the sport of Nose Work which really challenges her brain and is a low impact 'game' she really loves and it's amazing how it tires her out.
Optimally Pearl would be resting for the first two weeks but that may not be possible. If she is going to hurt herself or get into trouble when you try to restrict her activity then I would discuss with the surgeon what level of activity they would allow.
She is so young and will spend the rest of her life on three legs so now is the time to find activities for her that will burn off energy but protect her other legs. The surgeon might be OK with some time in harness but I would think pulling on that one back leg will take a toll so if she had some other activities she liked it would give her body a break.
These are very hard decisions when you are dealing with a young dog who has years ahead of them on three. My Elly is now almost 6 and I do restrict some activities with her long term health in mind but I make sure she has lots of fun and engaging things to do and let her just be a dog.
My uncle is a cattle rancher in Montana and a Cowboy friend of his had a dog that lived for moving cattle. After the dog lost a rear leg in an accident he chose to let her keep moving cows. He had to put the dog down when she was only 8 or 9 because the wear and tear of pushing cows on three legs caught up to her. I don't judge someone else's choices, that dog may have lived longer without pushing cows but may have been miserable.
It can be a tricky balance between completely letting a dog be a dog and moderating activities with an eye on the future.
But what we do see here is that the wear and tear of life on three takes a toll on a Tripawds body- they tend to develop arthritis earlier than other dogs and can injure their backs or one or more of their remaining limbs. So you have to take that into account when deciding on what activities you let your Tripawd participate in.
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Thank you so much for the detailed responses. I was unable to connect with the vet and the vet tech just told me to keep her as calm as possible even though she knows it must be hard. She wasn't able to offer insight into distances, etc.
Our pee distance seems good for her. Would be far for a lot of breeds but she was used to so much more. Her remaining back leg doesn't seem to get too tired unless she also poops. She only fell once today and it was inside the cabin when she was trying to wiggle into a tight space. She barely noticed and just got right back up.
I am keen to take this time to focus on learning new games and such. Thank you for the links!
After recovery, I am keen to allow Pearl to do modified pulling activities if she wants to. I adopted her knowing that she was disabled so her running in harness has always been modified with her best interests at heart. She will continue to be on Cartrophen injections and CBD oil to help preserve her remaining joints. Fortunately, she has a really smooth and forward driven gait so that will help with the wear and tear as well. She's always been allowed to "slack off" when I have her in a team (she can just run along without pulling) and she runs in lead so she doesn't have to pull as hard as the dogs in the back. I truly believe that Pearl would rather burn out than fade away but I'd like to help her find that happy medium!
I'm in the Yukon but would love to be connected with Calpurnia's humans! I will also be looking to sign up for virtual rehab for her.
Really really appreciate all the information and community support here. This has massively helped me to adapt and adjust to what needed to be done.
https://pearlyw.....press.com/
You can view a few photos of Pearl at the above link. And I sent an email requesting a consult with the rehab therapist that you recommended. Thanks again!
You might notice that her remaining leg looks naked... It is. Despite me marking the leg and verbally relating this to the surgeon, the vet tech shaved the wrong leg. Really grateful that the surgeon was paying attention and that there were redundancies in place.
She is beautiful.
The link Jerry gave you titled 'interactive brain games has a link to Nose Work Tips from a Tripawd Champ with some of the videos I have of me and Elly at Nose Work Trials. It's my first foray into dog sports and my first experience since I was a kid with a dog who has some type of drive. Elly loves to find the source of the odor- in fact I let her search too long according to some judges, but I just love watching her work. It's a great game to play even if you don't ever intend to compete. I've used her drive to find the odor source to help get her over some of her fears and become a more confident dog.
I also made a video of Elly playing some of her games and toys. You can really see how engaged she is and how much it works on her balance although I don't think balance is an issue for Pearl! I'll post it here- maybe there is something there you can do or modify to entertain Pearl.
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Your Elly is absolutely precious! Thank you for that - so many good ideas. I tired mine out with toilet paper rolls and Kongs and new squeaky toys this evening but they're gonna need me to up my game 😁.
The canine rehab therapist and I are just working out the soonest date to start. Looking forward to having her guidance and some exercises to work on!
Hey Pearl (and family)- Just got word of your post thru Rene (sorry - we have been out on some training runs, away from the computer). Happy to help answer any questions and give our experiences with both Calpurnia and Mr. BP (our current tripawd sled dog). As a reference for you, BP is a rear-leg amputee, 2 years post surgery, and he is running 8 miles in lead currently. (If you asked him, he says he could go further, but we have deep, punchy snow right now, and I don't want to over-do things.) Recovery is the hard part, and we did end up having to use some vared sedatives with Cali just to keep her calm after the surgery. You might ask your vet for other sedative options.
Best way to get a hold of us is by email - Rene can give it to you!
TC and the Pack
Oh I'm totally in love with Pearl! What a gorgeous girl. And very fit. She is a great example of how a small percentage of very fit Tripawd dogs can handle more rigorous post-op activity than most, because they were very fit to begin with. I love that you are so conscientious about her activity level and future life on three legs. And YAY for working with Dr. Torrica! She was one of the founders of canine rehab therapy, literally writing the book for the credential programs now in existence. I can't wait to hear how she helps so please keep us posted on how things are going.
I'm private messaging you Calpurnia's people's email address now. You will like them! And duh I spaced and totally forgot they have BP the Tripawd Sled Dog! Another 3-legged racing hero!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thank you so much everyone!
Yes Pearl and her ancestors were bred to endure in difficult conditions so it's fitting that she would handle recovery so well. Proud of her though!
I'm so excited to start rehab with Dr. Torraca! So important to set our dogs up for success no matter what they are going through.
A little late to rhe welcome....but WELCOME PEARL and her hoomans! Love the pictures of her...she's beautiful!
So glad to hear from Calpurnia's strong, determined and devoted hoomans. I've had the privilege of getting to know some of her pack over the years and have been in awe of the resilience and stamina of all pf them, especially the Tripawds and seniors! I know you'll get great insight from her experience.
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!
Thank you for the welcome!
We had our first rehab session with Dr. Torraca today and she was really impressed with Pearl's progress. I'm so happy to be armed with massage and stretching techniques and information on how to care for her stump /scar. She also helped me to better understand how to ease Pearl back into her regular activities safely and we will check in in a few weeks to make sure she's still on track.
Four more days until Pearl's staples come out and I can ease up a bit on her restricted activities. It's going to be a relief for both of us as much as it's only just another stage of her healing journey.
YEAH! That's so awesome, I'm thrilled you got to meet her. At some point if you're interested and willing to take some photos, I'd love to do a Tripawds News blog post about her PT and how you're doing with it. Message me if so.
You are such a great parent to Pearl (and all your other dogs too!). It's such a joy to know that even way up on the tundra, dogs can get such terrific PT guidance after amputation surgery. Technology is awesome.
Four more days? You're almost there!!!!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
So glad you had such a good appointment. Equally glad Pearl is healing so well. Onward and upward!👏👏👏
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!
Wanted to update everyone and let you know that through toys, making treat puzzles and balancing exercise and sedatives, we made it through the first two weeks of recovery. Pearl learned the important skill of resting and giving in to the pain instead of always trying to power through (I must admit this is a skill that took me personally far too long to learn 😁 so I'm proud of her and totally understand).
We got her staples out yesterday and did our first (short) run in harness today with me running behind her (Canicross). She fell over when we were putting the harness on and when she was sliding her muzzle in the snow to cool off but jumped back up, happy and eager to learn how to do it better next time with her new body.
It's been a challenging week with all the snow I've been getting at the cabin and the usual off grid winter realities so I haven't been updating much but I'll message Jerry and we can get something together so that others can see her progress (and fall in love with her too).
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