Acclimating Your Newly 3 Legged Companion To A Life Of Hopping Around
Written by Billie Johnson Sunday, 29 May 2011 09:07
Me and my wife just adopted a mutt from our local shelter. We don't know the exact breed, and we don't care. We saw him and knew that he needed a loving family, so we stepped up to the plate. He was just so friendly, without a hint of any aggression, and even though he only had three legs, he was begging for a good home so we obliged him.
Our poor dog has been rescued after he was badly injured in a car accident. And since one leg needed to be cut off, the poor dog had to be amputated at the thigh. My wife and I first weren't sure to adopt this guy since we don't have any experience dealing with a 3 legged dog. We weren't quite sure of how he should be taken care of; so we researched on the subject matter and asked our vet for hours so that we would know what to do.
The first question that kept coming up during our research was why do amputations happen in the first place? What we found was that dogs are rarely born this way. It's almost always the result of a disease or a violent accident. The most common disease that can lead to amputation is typically bone cancer. Bone cancer can be very painful, and amputation can be the only thing that will bring some relief to the dog. Even though the prospect of surgery and amputation can break a dog owners heart, more often then not it really is the best option for the dog.
The knowledge that your pet could undergo a surgery or possibly an amputation could make you feel very stressed out. There might be the thought that your dogs will never get used to his life. But what's gratifying to learn is that the dogs will be able to live happy lives still.
The period of rehabilitation will not eat up a long time since dogs cope faster than humans. They eventually move on and if they are just always healthy, they will live long lives.
Dogs are tougher and adapt better then humans. In general after a week your dog will be emotionally and mentally healed. Physically they might limp around, but it's obvious (to experienced dog owners at least) that they don't look at their limp and become despondent or depressed over it.
Don't worry too much about your dog who might get an amputation in the future, he will always remain the same happy dog you always knew.
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