We’ve received 32 surveys so far. The comments have been enlightening, and will serve future Tripawd pawrents well. Some of the heartfelt details pawrents shared included things like:
“I went through “anticipatory grief” where I felt like he was dead even though he was perfectly fine. I think I cried every day for about a month . . . I no longer worry and know he will let me know when he is ready to move forward.”
“he did really well, so i did well, for me it was hell making the decision to amputate because it felt like i was meeting my needs not his”
“Day to do I didn’t worry but as soon as anything seemed ‘different’ I worried. A lot.”
We’ll continue taking responses indefinitely. Stay tuned for our findings from your answers, here in Jerry’s blog and his three legged dog discussion forums. Thanks for taking time out to help us with this impawtant research.
Many thanks to everyone who sent in their responses for Part I of our 2010 Tripawds Treatment and Recovery Survey about Canine Amputation and Cancer Care. Now, here’s Part II, which focuses on canine bone cancer and alternative medicine.
To be entered in the drawing, just fill out Part II of the survey below (and Part I if you haven’t already done so), no later than Monday, March 22 at 12 midnight, Pacific Time.
We’ll continue taking responses indefinitely. Stay tuned for our findings from your answers, here in Jerry’s blog and his three legged dog discussion forums. Thanks for taking time out to help us with this impawtant research.
Ginger will be receiving $10 in Café Cash to spend toward anything she wants in the all new – and much improved – Tripawds Gift Shop!
Thank you to everyone who submitted answers! We’ve received 62 responses so far, but we’d love more, so remember you can submit your answers anytime you’d like.
Meanwhile, Admin is working on Part II of this impawtant survey, which focuses on cancer care, holistic therapies and metastasis. When it goes live soon, we’ll have a second drawing for another $10 winner for the new Tripawds Gift Shop.
Stay tuned for preliminary findings from the Part 1 survey results, and new questions coming soon in Part 2. And be sure to drop by Ginger’s blog to leave a comment with congratulations for Ginger & Randy!
Here at last, the first ever comprehensive treatment and recovery survey about canine amputation and cancer care. Many thanks to our Tripawds members who contributed to the creation of this important ongoing project.
Please take a moment to complete Part One below. Submit it by midnight on Sunday, February 21st and you’ll be entered into a drawing where one lucky pawrent will get a $10 Café Cash gift certificate valid for any Café Press items including Tripawds apparel and gifts!
When your dog joins the Tripawd community, one of the most helpful things you can do is ensure that the floors in your home are slip-proof. Even if you are just able to create a path throughout the house for your Tripawd to follow, this will give your pup tremendous confidence with his new body structure.
When I became a Tripawd, one of the first things my pawrents did for our home was to cover the hardwood floors with pre-made carpet floor runners. They covered our hallways and my favorite parts of the house. But this wasn’t cheap, and since then they’ve discovered other ways in which pawrents can affordably slip-proof floors.
Do you have a favorite no-slip floor solution for your three legged dog? If so, please share it below in our Comments section or in this Discussion Forum Topic.
Can anyone guess what the most common fear among Tripawd pawrents is?
Most pawrents fear that their Tripawd will lose the use of another limb.
What if a rear-leg amputee grows old, and hip displaysia takes it’s toll? Or a front-leg Tripawd takes a bad fall and severely injures the remaining leg?
What would you do if your Tripawd lost the use of another leg?
As much as it hurts to think about it, it never hurts to be prepared, just in case.
That’s why we talked to the good people at Doggon Wheels in Bozeman, Montana.
Since 1994, Doggon Wheels has been one of the world’s top creators of mobility aids like wheelchairs, for physically challenged animals.
We asked Doggon co-founder Lori, a few questions about how Tripawds can benefit from wheelchairs, and here’s what she had to say:
Can wheelchairs work with Tripawd dogs?
“Yes- we do make wheelchairs for amputees. They are most commonly used by older amputee’s who are starting to have difficulties compensating for the missing limb (front or rear), or for pets with birth defects. We also make wheelchairs for pets with double amputations.
Generally they do really well with using wheels and appreciate being able to go for longer walks or on more varied/difficult terrain.”
The biggest fear some Tripawd pawrents have is for their dog to lose function of their remaining rear or front leg. We know of one Tripawd who needs a hip replacement, yet he is also a rear-leg amputee. Would a wheelchair help?
“This is legitimate concern and why we recommend that you take into consideration putting the remaining rear leg up in the stirrup during periods of intense exercise. Generally the dogs using amputee wheelchairs are doing so because the other limb is overly stressed or arthritic. Putting the remaining limb into a suspended position allows it to rest during the most stressful periods of exercise.
Owners who do this find that their dogs are able to get around easier on their own the rest of the time, when not in wheels. A wheelchair for the pet above would be useful for both long term use to avoid stressing the remaining limb post surgery, or if the humans opt not have his hip replaced.”
How do you measure a Tripawd for a wheelchair?
The measurements are the same for all of our chairs, except for a Tripawd we need to know:
Is s/he a left or right amputee?
Does the dog have any part of her leg remaining? Is the amputation site partial or flush? Most amputations are flush, however if there is enough leg remaining that you can measure the circumference around it, a different support might be needed, other than our amputee support.
This powerful essay, written by Denver lawyer Doug Koktavy, helped Mom and Dad by finally convincing them that blame, fear, anger and guilt are a waste of precious time when living with cancer.
“. . . I realized my fear of the disease was the fuel that was being used against me. Devilishly clever, my biggest enemy was not the disease, but me. I was the power source being used to generate the very negative energy destroying my own being and wasting a special day with my beloved dog.
This paradoxical contradiction was glaring. I had thought the growing presence of disease was causing my mounting fear. In fact, just the opposite was occurring. My daily increasing fear was causing the disease to grow and become more powerful. I decided it was high time to start working for me and the Beez, not against us.”
Doug’s story brought tears to my pawrents eyes, and his straightforward coping pointers gave them the motivation they needed to get on with life.
His essay is one of the most powerful tools around for coping with serious illness in our animal friends.
“Not only is it so well written that you become a bystander observing the story from within, but the compassion for the vital connection we share with this wonderful kingdom oozes out of and between the lines.”
–Martin Goldstein, DVM, author, The Nature of Animal Healing, and host, Ask Martha’s Vet, Martha Stewart Living Radio
Proceeds Benefit the Tripawds Community
With this book, big-hearted Doug has set out to accomplish two impawtant things:
Help you cope with your best friend’s terminal illness, and
Help companion animal groups by donating forty percent of the proceeds for each book sold.
For every copy of “The Legacy of Beezer and Boomer,” purchased here, Doug will donate $10 to Tripawds! We are so excited about his generous offer to help us maintain this community.
We recently had the opportunity to talk with Doug about his book and this is what he had to say about The Legacy of Beezer and Boomer. Check out our video interview above, then be sure to head on over to BeezerAndBoomer.com, and get your copy today!
At Tripawds, many of us are three legged dogs because we are battling cancer. Sometimes it seems like we go through periods of time in the Tripawds Discussion Forums, when all we hear is sad news about our friends’ cancer battles.
We all know that life has its ups and downs. We would not exist without both good and bad. Life and death are the yin and yang of the Universe. We dogs try not to focus too much on this though, and strive for that perfect balance of living in the moment.
But humans, on the other hand, don’t often see life like we do. Many struggle with the conflict at Nature’s core. Occasionally we hear from Tripawd pawrents who feel guilty about sharing the good news they have, when there’s a glut of “bad news” in the Forums. When the current mood of discussions is somewhat somber, these kind pawrents feel as if they shouldn’t shine a light on their own tripawds who are doing well.
Silly humans, don’t you know we need your pawsitive energy and happy thoughts here all the time? And when tears are being shed and it seems like life can’t get any darker, that’s when we need your pawsitivity most!
Try to be more Dog and remember, life is too short to walk around with angst and feelings of guilt. Share all your experiences and thoughts, whether you view them as good and bad, happy or sad. Please spread the love as much as pawsible, there will always be someone looking for uplifting inspiration.
One of our Tripawd members, Chuy, does swim therapy sessions to help him recover from a major surgery on one of his good legs.
Many dogs are feeling better thanks to swim therapy. We thought we would ask one expert in New York about how post-surgery Tripawds can benefit from swim therapy.
Introducing, K9 C.A.R.E.,Inc.
Based in Spencerport, New York, K9 C.A.R.E.’s owner Jill says “Swimming is awesome at any time in a dogs life but, it is especially helpful in the all important time just after surgery. Not only for the body, but for the mind. A dog’s mental health is also important to assist in their speedy recovery.”
“Swimming makes them whole. They can move in the water like they cannot on land. With swimming being non weight bearing, it helps condition muscles without any impact. Some paralyzed dogs can actually move their limbs when they get in the water!”
We asked Jill if she had suggestions for Tripawds who have never done swim therapy before.
“My advice is find a pool and get in!”
But, she adds, that the pool should be a proper doggie pool. “Water temperature is so important, and this applies to any injury or recuperative situation. For effective therapy, optimum water temp. is between 92 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit. There is almost no risk of further muscle injury with warm water, unlike cold water.
Jill says that pawrents can actually do more damage swimming a recuperating dog in a lake or backyard pool, unless it’s at the right temperature. Once a Tripawd is fully recovered from surgery and rehabilitated, then cold water swimming should be fine.
A World Class Facility
“Everything we have done we did with the dogs in mind. We have a salt water generator that purifies the water using salt. There are no added chemicals, no bromine, no chlorine.
We have non-slip, heated porcelain floors because the warmth is wonderful for joints. Unlike a concrete floor, if dogs lay down on it to rest, their bodies are not drained of heat. Also, porcelain is non porous and will not transfer any disease (unlike ceramic floors). These are just a couple of the lengths we went to, to ensure all was as it should be.”
K9 C.A.R.E.’s 60 minute sessions are just $25.00 each (many other swim therapy facilities run upwards of $85 an hour). A first visit is $35.00, and includes a 90 minute orientation, to ensure the dog is relaxed and comfortable with the facility and instructors.
Jill says they believe in keeping their cost affordable because “we want to ensure that all dogs are able to benefit, especially those whose pawrents have just spent thousands on surgery. Financial difficulty should not inhibit the dogs ability to enjoy a speedy recovery.”
Pawrents can call K9 C.A.R.E. at (585) 352-SWIM, or visit their Flick’r site. K9 Care is located in Spencerport New York, just outside of Rochester.
As you know, Tripawds get around great in life. And although we can do anything a four-legger can, we tend to just do it with shorter bursts of energy.
Sometimes after surgery our stamina can decrease, especially if we are coping with cancer. Our walks may become much shorter, and our people may get sad that we can no longer go as far as we once did.
But now our people don’t need to be sad about those shorter walks! We just heard from a tripawd named Xena, who gets around all of Manhattan with a Strollit dog stroller. Her dad Brian says:
“Xena has had surgery on both cruciates. In addition to that, she had a tumor that ruptured her spleen in 2007. She had to have her spleen removed. Shortly after that she had bloat which required emergency surgery. So to say she’s been “through the mill” is an understatement. The scariest thing by far was her being diagnosed with osteosarcoma and having to make the decision to amputate her leg.
Now a year later, after the surgery and the chemotherapy, she is still with us. She stays as active as she can given her ailments and her age. We still take her for walks in the city, and she even has her own “carriage” to get in when she gets too tired.
I highly recommend the product to anyone. We get tons of people asking about it when we walk through NYC. It is well built, folds down for transport or storage and the company’s customer service is very helpful.
Xena loves riding in it. As you can see, even at 94 pounds, she fits in it comfortably. It also allows us to go places with her that we normally could not. We took her right inside the mall with it.”
We think this dog stroller by SolvIt is fabulous. If you get one for your Tripawd, just remember to introduce him to it slowly. There are lots of ways to get a dog used to being carted on wheels, much like crate training, so that the stroller becomes a comfortable place of refuge for your Tripawd.
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Wyatt Ray Dawg
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