Here’s a cool harness mod for rear amputee Tripawd dogs. It’s for the Ruffwear Doubleback harness, which we have always found more useful for front-leg amputees.
Check out our original review to see what we mean about the issue with rear-leggers:
DoubleBack Harness Great for Front-Leg Tripawds
for less-active front-leg Tripawds who require rear-end hip support, the DoubleBack Harness by Ruffwear is the perfect fit . . . (but) the DoubleBack leg loops do not work well on a rear-leg Tripawd.
In the meantime however, we discovered a cool mod that might just be the answer for rear-leg Tripawds needing hip support. Amanda and her Tripawd Haiku (along with sister Cassie) shared this tip with us when they received the Doubleback as an Angel Exchange gift:
So far so good! Haiku’s nubbin appears to be enough to hold the back leg strap on (except occasionally when rolling around and playing with his siblings like crazy, which I wouldn’t expect it to). I found that by placing a carabiner or s-clip between the two leg straps, above the base of his tail, he was able to keep the leg strap on even when running all-out.
I was also able to try it out with helping him get into the back of my car, and it certainly made lifting nearly 80 pounds of labradorable dog much easier on me! Thank you so much to tripawds and angel Dolby for the harness. I anticipate many, many years of use out of the harness since Haiku is only 2.5! Thank you again so so much!
Keep in mind that if you try this, you must keep an eye on your dog when s/he is wearing it to make sure the carabiner doesn’t get caught on anything. Also, any permanent modifications made to a Ruffwear harness will invalidate the warranty it comes with. But we do think this is worth a shot if you want to try the Doubleback on your rear amputee dog.
Shop for all Ruffwear products in the Tripawds Gear Store.
I’m interested in the harness that the greyhound is wearing in these pictures. Is it a modified Web Master harness or is it something else? I have the Web Master for my front leg tripawd and it works great but it does tend to slip around. The one on the greyhound looks like it would hold still a lot better.
He is wearing the Doubleback, as described in the article. We realize the Webmaster will tend to rotate on front-leggers, but even the Doubleback would do it too. Without that extra front-leg to keep a harness leg loop in place, it’s just the way it is until some genius manufacturer comes up with a solution. The Convert Harness comes close if your pup doesn’t need a ton of support, check it out here.
I’m also interested in the one the greyhound is wearing, but very much doubt it is the double back. The greyhound looks like he’s missing front left leg but there is no hole where the leg is missing. Almost looks like it was custom designed. I really need something like this for my front right leg amputee who doesn’t walk right without compression on his left shoulder. Would you be able to get my in contact with Amanda?
We have no information about the patterned harness worn by the Greyhound in the photo. It is not a Ruffwear harness, and definitely looks home-tailored.
I’m looking for a harness that will help my 136lb. Great Dane. She’s not a tripod, but she has degenerative myelopathy. It’s currently only affecting one of her rear legs. I’m looking for something that will provide her more support to walk, as she drags her rear leg and tires very easily. Any suggestions would be great. Thanks!
See the gear.tripawds.com/shop/ page for all our best harness recommendations. The AST Get A Grip is designed specifically for helping giant breeds and less mobile dogs. Their Custom Pet Support Suit is custom tailored for extra large dogs.