I live with an awesome 3 legged dog called Shania. The name Shania is of Native American origin, and it means “on my way”. I thought this name was especially appropriate because Shania is a very active dog, who is always on her way to doing something fun and exciting.
She is a 3 legged dog but she does not let that slow her down one whit.
One of the first things that people say when they meet Shania is, “What a happy dog!”. And indeed she is. In fact, she even kept her spirits up while we were trying to straighten her leg, and she had to go through multiple surgeries. The surgeon, nurses, doctors, receptionists, and even other patients in the hospital loved her to bits.
Recently, Shania just turned three. She is my second dog and I have learned a lot from her. I am very glad that I get to share my life with such an awesome dog. This article summarizes some recent lessons that I didn’t get to in my earlier 3 legged dog care article.
1. No Getting on Furniture
3 legged dogs, especially young 3 legged dogs are very energetic. If not properly supervised, they will get themselves into trouble.
One common trouble spot for a 3 legged dog is jumping up on furniture. Husky Shania has no problems getting up on furniture. Getting down, however, is a totally different matter.
Often, Shania will jump or climb up onto raised surfaces and have problems getting down. We really do not want our dog to jump down on her own, especially if she is missing one of her front legs. This could cause her to injure one of her other legs which would be really bad news.
Therefore, it is best to institute a strict no getting on furniture rule.
When Shania gets up on furniture, I no-mark her (Ack Ack) and carry her down right away. Then, I prevent her from going up again. It is best to catch her and no-mark her before she actually jumps up. In this way, I can give her an alternate command and reward her for doing a Down on the floor.
From this, she learns that …
Jump on furniture = Get carried down right away, but
Rest nicely next to the couch = Nice rewards and affection.
2. Every Dog Needs a Good Scratch
3 legged dogs may have difficulty getting to certain parts of their body.
Shania has a difficult time getting to her ears and to the back regions of her body. Whenever I notice her scratching, I try to give her a helping hand and scratch the target area and surrounding regions.
Sometimes she scratches because there is some grass seed or other organic material stuck in her fur. These organic materials can be very sharp and may cause puncture wounds in her body. While helping her scratch, I can also locate and remove these nasty weeds.
In fact, it is a good idea to keep our 3 legged dog well brushed and free of organic materials that may poke at her skin and cause her to itch.
Another thing I have noticed about Shania is that she tends to scratch her ears very rigorously, because she does not have as good balance as other dogs. In the beginning, this has led to bleeding and some infection in one of her ears.
Now, I step in and do ear scratching for her when she needs it. I also regularly clean her ears to help prevent ear scratching and infection.
3. No Kibble Balls
3 legged dogs have more trouble with certain toys. In particular, it is difficult for Shania to work on kibble balls because she has to follow the balls and move at a slow pace. This forces her to hop/stop and hop/stop which is difficult, slow, and places more strain on her single front leg.
Because of their missing limb, three legged dogs have a different gait than regular dogs. For example, Shania is more comfortable moving at a faster pace. When she is running fast, there is no hopping and one does not even notice that she is missing a leg. It is only when she is walking slowly that her limp is most pronounced.
Shania does best with interactive toys that she can work on from a fixed position. She enjoys chewing on rubber Kongs, rubber tires, and bully sticks. She also likes working on the Premier Twist and Turn toy. She has figured out that the easiest way to get food out, is not to roll it, but simply to bite on the rubber top and temporarily deform it. This creates a bigger hole at the side of the toy for the kibble to flow out.
Shania also likes opening cardboard boxes. She steps on one end of the box to stop it from moving and tears at the bottom where the food is.
4. Keep Things Dry
3 legged dogs do not have as good balance as other dogs. It is very important to keep things as non-slippery as possible.
Sometimes, Shania plays with my other dog (Shiba Inu Sephy) inside the house. There is a lot of running, turning, and bumping, so I make sure to put carpets all over my tiled or wooden floors.
During the rainy season, Shania’s paws become wet and more slippery. Even if she steps partially on the tiled floor, she can slip and fall. Wet paws can also make her slip on the carpet.
Now, I always dry her paws on a towel when she first comes into the house. This makes it much safer for her to run around at high speeds, without slipping and losing her balance.
5. Safety and Fun
Sometimes, it can be difficult to walk the line between safety and fun for a 3 legged dog. I try, as much as I can, to divert Shania’s energy towards supervised activity that is fun and safe.
Some of Shania’s favorite activities include –
- Hiking in the hills where she can pounce and dig for critters. I only walk her on-leash because if she sees a deer, she will be gone in the blink of an eye.
- Playing with her partner in crime, Shiba Inu Sephy.
- Meeting people around the neighborhood.
- Working on food toys.
- Resting on the sidewalk and watching cars and people.
- Playing the flirt pole game.
- Hunting for squirrels and other critters in the backyard. We left a section of the backyard without grass so that she can dig whenever she wants to.
We are bringing home a dog from a shelter tomorrow. He was rescued from a kill shelter. He recently has had a back leg removed due to injury. He is a border collie/mix. We lost our lab last month due to age. We like to think she would be proud of us adopting this dog into our home. We have spent time with him, he seems like such a happy dog, he is about 2. We are eager to give him a great life. Your advice has been helpful
I have boxer that I found the other day on the side of the road that was dropped off on the road and hit by a car. I just got off of the phone with my local vet and he is in surgery right now 🙂 I cant wait to get him home and take care of him all of your all tips are very helpful.
This was every helpful because i just got back form the vet where my dog will be gettin his left front leg cut off. He think he is just like my husband big hog dog we have and a hog got him yesterday and done to much damage to try and save the leg
My dog just had a hemipelvectomy and amputation of her re
Hind leg to remove soft tissue cancer. Wondering if anyone out there has any post op advice for getting around the first couple of wkd. She’s in a lot of pain and I would love some advice if anyone else has been through this
I really appreciated the advice about the toys. My dog has leg cancer and is about to become a three legged dog. I was really worried at first about how he will do after the surgery but after seeing that your dog seems to be perfectly happy makes the decision a lot easier. Thank you!
We are considering adopting a male samoyed puppy that the breeder’s vet has advised have its rear leg amputated. (He has a birth defect and doesn’t use the leg. It sticks out now and, we’re told, will become a bigger problem as he grows as it will bump into things and generally make life more difficult for him.) I have been looking forward to the health benefits of having to walk a dog but am concerned that, with a 3-legged dog, walking him all the time might be causing undue wear and tear on him. Should I be concerned about this?
Thank you all for sharing your 3 legged dog stories with us. A big WOOF WOOF to all your awesome dogs!
If you have links to pictures of your 3 legged dogs, please share them with us as well.
Thanks for the great info. My newest foster puppy is a 4 week old blue pit that just had one of his back legs amputated. Someone just dumped this poor pup at animal control with his leg so mangled that they had to remove it. This is my first time working with an amputee and any advice is helpfull
Great site! I am the proud owner of two rescued tripods. One is a full miniature schnauzer and the other is schnauzer/chinese crested mix. Both are missing a front leg. I love my tripod boys! They are so active and energetic and can do anything my other two four legged dogs can do. Nothing slows my tripods down! They are the love of my life and there is something very special about them. thanks for putting this info out there, very informative and shows how great tripods are!
this site was more useful than the one pushing for joint supplements…..I have gotten a tripawd in March…I saw this cute little boy who lived with cats and he was for me…and the 3 cats…he is a sweetie…I have not thought about a raised bowl…will consider it now. ty.