Amputation: Any suggestions?

[Paula]

My husband and I just adopted a puppy (5 months old) who had to have his right back leg removed due to a break that was never tended to. He was a stray who wandered onto the property of one of the technicians at our vets office. She brought him in and our vet could not save the leg. I had an appointment for my cat and started to discuss adopting a dog, after having to put our 10 year old White German Shepherd down in October, and she told me that they had the puppy there.
As soon as I saw him I fell in love with him.
This is all new to us and we were wondering if anybody had any suggestions or tips that may help us with him. We have decided to name him Jack and we have a friend for him at home named Deuce.
Our biggest concern is that the majority of our floor at home is tile and it may take him some time to get used to that. Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Paula

[Carol T.]

First of all, bless you for adopting this little boy!!! Three legged dogs can usually get around just fine. Stephanie just posted an update on Missy, a tripod her family recently adopted. Tile floors might be a little difficult, but he might be able to learn to negotiate them. It's important to keep the nails short so the pads will make contact and provide some traction. From time to time someone on this board has suggested the use of some rubber mats that don't slip. I can't recall what kind they are; I only remember that they were purchased at Home Depot and weren't very expensive. Hopefully someone else will be along to offer more advice. Good luck with your new family member!!!

[Cody's Mom]

Hi Paula,

What a lucky pup to have found you!!! That's great you adopted him.

I just saw 6 x 8 pieces of rubber backed carpet pieces at Home Depot for $15 each. Maybe you could get a couple of those and place where he is the most.

Good Luck!!!

Love, Cody's FOREVER proud Mom

[FYI]

http://www.handicappedpets.com/books/in ... houtregret

[Stephanie]

Let me tell you how thrilled I am with our new dog, Missy, who is also a tripod. I was so taken by Missys picture that I knew I wanted her to live with us, but that does not mean that I was not nervous or that I didn’t have second thoughts and OF COURSE all of our friends here at Handicapped Pets, did not miss a beat in letting me know just how wonderful it would be to adopt her. We already have one handicapped German Shepherd who had a spinal stroke and he can walk and somewhat run again. We wanted another dog and my husband wanted another shepherd and then I saw Missy, who was a black shepherd and was also handicapped. She lost a front leg after being hit by a train. We drove three hours to get her and let me tell you, I’ll tell you exactly what everyone else on this forum told me, she gets around like she still has all four legs. That dog CAN MOVE!! Running is actually easier for her, she just bolts through the yard and she plays so well with our other dog, she is just so great. I don’t even notice the missing limb anymore and let me tell you that amazes me. My dad is missing a finger and I always seem to notice that, hahaha. Missy moves around incredibly well. Better than our other dog. So we have one dog with a good front end and another dog with a good hind end. The only trouble we have with her, she gets moving really fast and can't take corners too well, hahaha, but she is the best. I really did not have to change too much in my house. They get used to the surroundings, just like women get used to high heels. They are timid and easy at first, then pretty soon, they can run track, hahaha.

Stephanie, Tama and Missy

[Carol T.]

Hi Stephanie!
See? Now you can help others because of your experience!! How does Missy do on slick surfaces? One of Paula's concerns was how well her new pup could get around on their tile floors.
I'm still so glad you adopted Missy! What lucky pooches these two are!!!

[Stephanie]

Well, for one, Missy is missing her front leg, which makes it harder for her to stop from falling. However, she has adjusted. I really have not had any problems with her on any floor surface. Once in awhile, she will try to take a turn to quickly and she might wipe out, but that is not an occurance that happens allot. Once they fall a few times, they will learn to take it easy, they adjust and learn. It really is a learning experience, but not one that takes forever. Once they fall going too fast or from taking a corner too quickly on slick floors, they will learn to take it slow at those areas of the floor. Hahaha, poor Missy, she has wiped out less than a few times, but she learned to slow down.

Stephanie Tama and Missy

[Patsy]

My 10 year old "part" cocker just had his rear leg amputated due to cancer. When he came home from the vet he seemed good and got around real well, even going up and down the stairs, however about a week after surgery he realized he was missing a leg and just sat down ~ he is refusing to walk at all. For the last month I have been swimming with him several times a week for 15 minutes at a time and have been using a sling to walk him, we even travel to the local shopping center to walk outside for a variety of smells and things to intrest him ~ more often than not he just refuses! Now his good rear leg seems to be getting weaker, and it is harder to walk when he tries. Any ideas?

[critters]

Your message got lost down in the Lowlands. It sounds like you're doing everything right. Could you maybe "up the ante" a little as far as motivation goes, like a big box pet store or a dog park? I can't remember who it was, but somebody put a rope on her pupper's food dish and dragged it around the kitchen to make him move. Perhaps more swimming would strengthen his remaining limbs and make it easier when he does move.

[CarolC]

Hi Patsy,

Have you taken him back to the vet to check on it? I wonder if he is getting a sore hip in the remaining leg since it started doing extra work? They could do an x-ray to check for hip dysplasia or arthritis. He wouldn't want to walk if his hip hurts when he bears weight. If that's what it is, medication may help.