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We adopted a Lab puppy with 2 right front legs. He was evaluated by Lone Tree Veterinary Medical Center, just south of Denver, and it decided to remove the 2 appendages. That was 6 months ago. He has no problems getting around, running, or stairs. Now that he's 55 lbs, I'm wondering if his shoulder will eventually give him problems due to the added stress. Does anyone have experience with older dogs with 3 legs and some problems Ace might eventually have to deal with.
We once had a great dog/family member-- who was missing a rear leg> due to an accident in puppyhood. That gal could run as fast, if not faster, than any other four paw dog around!
She never seemed to have any related physical/health problems. She lived to her 10th year, and died from intentional anti-freeze poisoning. <<<Crazy, arse hole neighbor!
There is someone in our neighborhood who has a three legged dog, missing a front leg. It's a german shepherd, much bigger dog than yours. They take it for long walks twice a day. That's much more walking than my dogs have ever gotten in their lives. I've wondered how his shoulder will hold up to the constant blows of pogo-sticking up and down on it. He seems to be doing good. He's not young, about 7 or 8, but I don't know how long he has been three legged. I can understand your concern. I think the most important thing is that your dog has a happy life for however long he can hop around. Keeping him from doing things would hinder his happiness.
I had a Rottie mix who lost a front leg to osteosarcoma and she actually got along pretty well. I will say - she was very large, about 110 lbs., and very (exceptionally) deep chested, which made her exhausted by the end of the day because most of her weight was on the front. I think she would have done better if it had been a rear leg or her chest hadn't been so deep. I lost her relatively quickly to the cancer but we were amazed at how well she adapted, even initially after the amputation. But when she got tired, she simply rested. I'm thinking Ace will pace himself and do just fine.
Your Ace is a beautiful boy - he looks very sturdy and very happy - I hope you have many, many years together and Ace continues to thrive!
I have a three legged Beagle....she was around 1 year old when she was in an accident as a stray.....her front leg was pretty mangled and the vet said he would have to amputate or put her down. (This happened before we adopted her.) She is smaller than your dog. She is a very happy girl who can go up and down stairs, jumps on furniture....and goes on walks with us. She does get more tired than our other dog.....and will make it clear when she wants to rest. She just lies down and won't budge until she's ready.
The vet advised us to try to keep her weight down....(she loves to eat and has a tendency to put on weight). I have seen tri-pods who lost a back leg....they seem to manage long walks and runs better than our little girl. On occasion our little girl will seem to forget she doesnt have that leg and sort of stumbles forward when she tries to put it down. This doesnt phase her in any way.
Our little girl is a joy....her quality of life is totally unimpared....and she adds immeasurably to ours.
Thanks for all the replies. Because he didn't use the right legs much from birth, he actually moved better after surgery. I tried to load video, but was unsuccessful.
Last edited by vfrpilot; 10-20-2012 at 05:16 PM..
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the largest 3 legged dog ive ever worked with was an english mastif, he was a monster but he never even gave us any hints that he was having any issues missing a leg, even at 8 yrs old he was runnign around with the puppies like he had a jet pack strapped to his back...the only downside we saw with him was he had less traction on slippery floors and wouldnt willingly walk across slick tile/marble type surfaces. it was also funny to watchhim run like a bat out of hell untill he got to a corner where hed slam on the breaks turn then speed back up again lol.
given labs can be prone to joint problems as they age anyway id 1: start a glucosamine and chondroitin upliment, 2: make sure to keep him LEAN...(i prefer to keep dogsa little on the "skinny" side anyway but in the cae of a breed prone to bad joints and putting any extra train on the 1 shoulder not having to worry about the extra lbs will help keep that shoulder and elbow in good woring order.
given labs can be prone to joint problems as they age anyway id 1: start a glucosamine and chondroitin upliment, 2: make sure to keep him LEAN...(i prefer to keep dogsa little on the "skinny" side anyway but in the cae of a breed prone to bad joints and putting any extra train on the 1 shoulder not having to worry about the extra lbs will help keep that shoulder and elbow in good woring order.
He is Lab/Pointer mix, so we're hoping he will stay on the slim side. I will look into the glucosamine/chondroitin supplement.
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What a sweet face on your dog!! He looks happy and he looks like he doesn't know that he has a disability !
I wonder if other dogs look at him and think "that dog only has 3 legs"
People ask what happened to him and we get some weird looks when we tell them that he had 2 legs removed and that left him with 3.
Last edited by vfrpilot; 10-20-2012 at 08:42 PM..
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