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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Chloe's surgery is scheduled for 2/16. I asked the vet tech about a harness today for when we come home, but she said it's not common to need one, and if we do, they could order one for us. Is this true - that they often don't need one? I'd just rather be prepared than wait for something if we decide a day or two in that we truly should have one. I have such terrible anxiety about her amputation and I just want to do everything I can to prepare.
Not totally on topic for this post, but is there a list of helpful things to have/prepare? I can't seem to figure out how to search the site from my iPhone.
Anita - mom to two human kids and two dog kids.
Chloe the white boxer - tripawd on 2/16/16 at age 6.
Hello again,
You should look at The Required Reading List for lots of answers to frequently asked questions. If you want to have it more handy then consider downloading 3 Legs & a Spare from the Library.
As far as a harness goes- Chloe is losing a front leg, right? Many pups get around just fine without a harness. You might want to see how Chloe does before you invest in one. The vet should send you home with a sling, or you can make one out of a cloth shopping bag slit down the seams, the handles are built in. You can add a towel if she needs some padding. Some vets don't want a front amp wearing a harness while the sutures or staples are in, some say it is OK.
Here is a post on harnesses. Many here use the RuffWear Webmaster harness , including me for my small dogs. My first tripawd Maggie had one, she was a rear amp. I have used one for my quad pug Obie during recovery from two knee surgeries. And now I am using one for my second tripawd Elly, a small rear amp pug mix. Although my dogs are small I can help them walk when needed with a leash attached to the harness. And I find it really useful with Elly to get her in and out of my truck and to pick her up when I need too.
Last- I wanted to mention that we have a Hotline staffed by volunteers from this site, the number is 844-874-7293, if you would like to talk with someone.
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
krun15 said
Thank you, Karen. This is helpful!
Anita - mom to two human kids and two dog kids.
Chloe the white boxer - tripawd on 2/16/16 at age 6.
Hi and welcome.....we used the Ruffwear harness as well; our Dobe is a front amp, and we honestly couldn't have gotten along without it. He probably used it for the first 6 months, and we used it the night we picked him up from the vet. Some will say not to use one until the staples/stitches come out, but we used it immediately without any problems. We also had a sling ready from cloth grocery bags like Karen mentioned, but that didn't work so good for us for some reason. It is good to prepared, it will help things go smoother in a stressful time. Good luck and keep us posted.
Paula and Nitro
Nitro 11 1/2 yr old Doberman; right front amp June 2014. Had 6 doses carboplatin, followed by metronomic therapy. Rocked it on 3 legs for over 3 years! My Warrior beat cancer, but couldn't beat old age. He crossed the Bridge peacefully on July 25, 2017, with dignity and on his terms. Follow his blog entitled "Doberman's journey"
"Be good, mama loves you".....run free my beautiful Warrior
Karen offered some great links to check out. We also just added the Web Master Plus to the Triapwds Gear Shop. We haven't even published our review yet, but tried it on Wyatt and it is the best yet!
We're still working on the Forums Actions menu issue in iOS, sorry for the inconvenience. You can always search all blogs here .
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
I just bought the Brush Guard insert to add to our Ruffwear harness .....LOVE IT!
Paula and Nitro
Nitro 11 1/2 yr old Doberman; right front amp June 2014. Had 6 doses carboplatin, followed by metronomic therapy. Rocked it on 3 legs for over 3 years! My Warrior beat cancer, but couldn't beat old age. He crossed the Bridge peacefully on July 25, 2017, with dignity and on his terms. Follow his blog entitled "Doberman's journey"
"Be good, mama loves you".....run free my beautiful Warrior
CHLOE! Your avatar picture is adorable!!
Javing connection issues, but just wanted to give you a quick link to help you prepare your home for a tripawd.
Stay connected! We are right by your side! You are now family!
http://tripawds.....oof-house/
Love,
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!
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