Hi there. My name is Melinda and i volunteer with an ngo here in Malaysia known as Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better. I have been on this Tripawds page for awhile as I have two tripawds of my own, Scrappy Doo (4 yrs old) and Bam Bam Rumplethickskin (10 mths old). Found Scrappy in a public car park running around with his 2 siblings and mum when he was 4 months old, although he was the fastest among the three, he was running with a plastic bag attached to his leg. When I finally caught him and removed the bag I realized that it was tied to him on purpose to protect his disfigured paw. The vet confirmed that Scrappy was probably hit by a car and had no feeling at all in his leg right up to his shoulder. I foster him pending vaccinations and amputation. His two brothers were adopted and his mum now lives in Chicago, USA also adopted. After going through Scrappy operation and recovery followed by two other kneecap surgeries within the next one year, well lets just say I failed as a fosterer and adopted him 🙂
Bam Bam is a newcomer, mid 2015 MDDB was alerted to an abused pup which was beaten repeatedly until he lay motionless. We picked him up and rushed him to the vet where the doctor told us he had 3 broken legs and even the one unbroken leg had a hairline fracture. He also had multiple wounds all over his body including his head. The doctors managed to save three of his legs but within a few days one became infected and had to be amputated to prevent the spread. Bam Bam spent 60 days at the vet in a cage and once the doctors said he was good to go, I took him into foster care.
Anyhow, having some experience with tripawds other than these two, I know how “normal” they are despite their 3 legs instead of 4. Yes there are things to becareful about, they are more prone to injuries, we have to look out for their joint and bone health especially later in life but like any other dog, they like to play, run, love and enjoy life and more than anything deserve good furver homes with families that are willing to go the distance with them and love them unconditionally the very same way they will love you.
MDDB (Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better) among many other rescues have with us two beautiful young and vibrant tripawds. Leah a beautiful white female and Brad a hazel eyed brown male, both approximately 2 years old. Unfortunately, the community here in Malaysia though very supportive and compassionate, not many want a tripawd. There are a lot of oooos and aaaas and oh dear but no offers for homes for these kids. We at MDDB really want to find these two kids homes and are willing to finance their travel should there be an interested adopter abroad. For now it’s just Leah and Brad but being a rescue group I’m sure in time we’ll be trying out best to rehome more.
Leah was rescued when she was 3 months old, he walked with a funny limp but she was not in any pain, we waited, got her vaccinated and spayed. When she was old enough, we took her for an x-ray to be sure there was no damage. The x-ray showed that Leah did not have a femur bone in one leg hence it was shorted than the other three and she could not use it. Together with the doctors we decided that it would be best to amputate as the bigger she grew, they more weight it was for her to carry. Leah underwent her amputation about 6 months ago and now she’s looking for her furever home. For more pictures of Leah please click the link below.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1665021610434452.1073741910.1399297597006856&type=3
Brad was rescued at 4 months old, he was lying in a back alley and was not able to move. Both his hind legs were broken. One leg healed perfectly and the other not so much. He was discharged and the doctors said he’ll be better in time but over the course of the next year, Brad limped a lot and seemed to be in pain, several visits to the vet were made but they told us there was nothing to be done. He started losing weight and his mobility reduced, being only a year old, he hardly played with the rest and when he did, he needed to lay down soon after. We then took Brad for a second and third opinion and did various other tests and x-rays. It was found that his joints at the knee and the pelvis was not good and nerves were hitting sensitive areas causing him pain. Brad was amputated within the week and now is as happy as can be with a great appetite, speed and a healthy weight gain. For more pictures of Brad please click the link below :
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1572415406361740.1073741895.1399297597006856&type=3
If anyone out there reading this is interested to adopted either one of these two darlings please drop me a line. As mentioned above, we are willing to finance their travel anywhere if there is a promise of a loving furever home for these furkids. My email address is here.