I’ve just gotta share this story about my friend Maruk, from Cincinnati, Ohio.
Last December, Maruk joined the Tripawd club because of bone cancer. He had chemo, and all was good until late February, when he let out a loud cough.
Sadly, X-rays showed “blurry flakes of snow on a gray and black background,” his Mama Karen said.
Karen says in her April 1st Forums post, “All we kept hearing was how quickly the cancer spreads once it is in the lungs. Panic set in. We didn’t want our buddy in pain, so we began discussing euthanasia.
Thank goodness we snapped out of panic mode! Occasionally, we hear “the Cough”, but he is nowhere near ready to give up on life.”
For more helpful products for your three legged dog visit the new Tripawds Gear Shop!
My people would like to thank the nice folks at Ruff Wear for sending me their new Webmaster harness to try out.
And they’d like to tell you that it is now available for purchase right here at tripawds.com! They’ve been using the Web Master to help me get around since I became a canine amputee. And we all agree the new harness has various improvements.
Keep reading to see our product review and the demonstration video we produced.
NOTICE:
Sizing information and pricing updated March 31, 2012. This 2009 review discusses the original Web Master harness. New review coming soon!
Nothing tugs heartstrings like watching a three-legged dog having a hard time getting around … never again with the Web Master harness! [ Order | Video | Sizing | FAQs ]
This durable yet lightweight harness provides support, comfort and full range of motion for your dog with fleece-lined, padded chest and belly straps.
The heavy-duty webbing and strong assistance handle help you lift your dog in and out of vehicles or out of harm’s way when assistance is needed.
A Ruffwear harness is the best solution for helping your three-legged friend go up and down stairs without putting extra force on remaining limbs. And with five adjustable fitting points to accommodate dogs of all sizes and shapes, the new Web Master is worn with padded comfort, secure fit, and a generous ergonomic cut.
It is your best alternative to a collar, allowing better distribution of pulling force to prevent choking. And with your leash attached to the centered aluminum V-ring, you have ultimate control over dogs who tend lunge, without pulling them off balance.
But if a picture is worth a thousand words, a video must be worth a million! Just check out this demonstration video for the Web Master featuring, yours truly …
The best news of all is that the Ruffwear Web Master harness is now available for purchase right here!
The Web Master comes in two colors and various sizes to meet the needs of all tripawds and their people.
Note: This harness has a Velcro tab inside the front strap which helps keep the padded chest strap from shifting around your dog’s body. Because of this new feature, we have found the best way to put the harness on a tripawd missing the front-left leg is to lift his right forelimb into the opening for that leg. Then, simply lift the harness over your dogs head as shown in the video above.
Harness Sizing:
For proper fit, simply measure your dog’s girth around the widest part of his/her rib cage. For in-between sizes, choose the smaller harness for an active, contoured fit.
Size
Dog Girth
XXS
13″-17″
33-43 cm
XS
17″-22″
43-56 cm
S
22″-27″
56-68 cm
M
27″-32″
68-81 cm
L/XL
32″-42″
81-106 cm
If girth measurement is in between sizes, Ruff Wear Recommends selecting smaller size for best fit.
On front leg amputees, the harness will tend to slip around the chest. Without the second leg to hold it in place, this is inevitable. It is, however, purely aesthetic. The harness can easily be adjusted and is still perfectly functional.
Get yours today, your tripawd will thank you!
Your cost of $48.95 includes shipping to anywhere in the continental U.S. via ground delivery (5-7 business days). Additional shipping fees will apply for Alaska and Hawaii. Estimates to be provided upon receipt of order.
PLEASE NOTE: No P.O. Boxes and No Military Addresses! Ruff Wear requires a physical delivery address and does not ship orders outside the U.S. Please consider these online retailers or visit ruffwear.com to find a store in your country.
Please provide your phone number upon checkout! It is required for prompt delivery.
RUFFWEAR SHIPPING POLICY: Physical United States shipping address required for all orders. No international orders and no P.O. Boxes or military addresses allowed.
NOTICE:
Sizing information and pricing updated March 31, 2012. This 2009 review discusses the original Web Master harness. New review coming soon!
Ruff Wear Webmaster: Originally designed to assist search-and-rescue dogs, this handy harness allows you to help your tripawd up and down stairs, in and out of a vehicle, or provide extra support.
DOES NOT INCLUDE PURCHASE PRICE!
NOTE: To expedite shipping, add this item to your cart in addition to purchasing product at left before checking out at PayPal.
Please Note: Your purchase indicates acceptance of Ruff Wear’s exchange policy and warranty terms as outlined below.
Please advise if any of these sites do not ship internationally. Note that some retailers may charge more for shipping outside the U.S. or have other international order shipping policies.
FAQs:
The video and pictures only show Jerry. Will this harness work on rear leg amputees?
Yes, many have purchased the Ruff Wear harness for their dogs missing a rear leg and have been completely satisfied. On rear leg tripawds, the harness will not slide around the chest which may happen on dogs missing a front leg. This is purely aesthetic since it is easily adjusted and still perfectly functional.
Is the harness adjustable?
Very. Two long straps under the chest and belly can be adjusted to fit dogs large and small. Straps meeting at the three-point adjustment clasp in front can also be extended. Harnesses ship pre-adjusted to tightest fit.
Does it come with a warranty?
The Ruff Wear product warranty will only cover defects in material or craftsmanship. Broken buckles may be replaced at the discretion of Ruff Wear, but chewed straps or other damaged induced by dogs is not covered. Please review their return/exchange ploicy for additional detail.
My dog’s girth is between sizes, what size should I get? Ruff Wear recommends you choose the smaller harness for an active, performance fit. It may look small but will provide ample support without having to trim the longer straps of a bigger size. (FYI: Doing so will void warranty and prohibit product return.) There are five separate adjustment points. It should be snug but not constricting.
Will this harness work on four-legged dogs? Yes! This Ruff Wear harness is not modified in any way specifically for canine amputees. It was originally designed for search and rescue dogs to assist them onto chair lifts and into helicopters. We discovered it provides excellent support for three-legged dogs going up/down stairs and getting into vehicles.
How quickly can I get my harness?
Your purchase price includes ground shipping which can take 3-5 days. You must request an estimate for additional delivery fees by providing a complete address before ordering. Please note that doing so may add at least a day to your order. Always provide a phone number to expedite shipping issues. Note: Read next question before requesting expedited shipping!
Why don’t you ship outside the U.S.?
This is Ruff Wear’s shipping policy, not ours. They drop ship all orders directly for us and we have no control over their policies. Please see the list of online retailers above for international orders. In Australia, please consider TopDogs Adventure Gear for Dogs.
How soon after surgery can I start using the harness?
We recommend not using the harness until the surgery has completely healed and stitches or staples are removed. We have heard of no specific cases where any harness has hampered healing, but we believe direct pressure from the straps may irritate the wound. Please consult your veterinarian with any concerns.
How can I help my dog get around immediately following surgery?
We suggest using a soft towel slung under the belly if additional support is required in the meantime. A reusable canvas shopping bag slit down the sides also makes a handy temporary sling. but most of all, dogs need rest for the first few days following amputation.
What credit cards do you accept?
We do no accept any credit cards directly. All payment is processed through PayPal where you can pay securely with Visa, Mastercard, Discover or American Express if you do not have an account. The seller attributed to Paypal transactions may be identified as Jim Nelson or Agreda Communications.
What if I need to return the harness?
Be sure to leave all tags on when fitting the harness. Please review the complete Ruff Wear return policy below before ordering.
Ruff Wear Products Refund/Exchange Information:
Only items returned within 30 days may receive credit.
Ruff Wear does not do direct product exchanges. A replacement harness may be ordered here at any time during the return process.
Refunds are given via PayPal only. Only cost of item can be credited. Original shipping & handling costs are non-refundable. Return shipping costs of item are the responsibility of the customer.
Packages must be insured when shipped, and a shipper’s tracking number must be provided to us via email. We cannot provide refunds or exchanges without a tracking number. All returns must be freight prepaid; no C.O.D. deliveries.
Returned items must be in new, resalable condition with all packaging intact to receive full credit. If any of these conditions is not met, a restocking fee may be assessed.
Please write the following information on the outer packaging, as well as in your enclosed note: RA #XXXXX; Customer: Job # XXX-XXXX Tripawds; name; return address; and daytime phone number. List Item(s) to be credited.
Send Returns And Exchanges To: Ruff Wear, Inc.; 354 SE Logsden St; Unit# 125 Bend, OR 97702
Please let us know as soon as you ship your harness back. Once we’ve confirmed it was received at Ruffwear, we will process your credit and notify you.
Please contact Jerry for a Return Authorization (RA) number and delivery instructions. As soon as the harness is verified as “received” at Ruff Wear, we will process your credit or exchange and notify you.
Why buy from Tripawds? Purchases made on this site help support our continuing efforts to raise awareness about canine cancer and amputation as a viable treatment option. Because we believe it is better to hop on three legs than to limp on four.
All transactions will be processed by PayPal in a new window for security reasons. Products will be shipped directly from Ruff Wear in Bend, OR. Thank you!
After finally receiving our new camera – long story – we are excited to present our review complete with demonstration video … and even more excited to announce that we have partnered with Bella’s so you can now save 10% on every purchase.
Read on for the complete review and to learn how you can save on some great products just by using our “TRIPAWDS” coupon code!
Many times, pawrents aren’t sure if they should go ahead with an amputation on their senior dog. Of course all situations are very different, and there are no right answers. Lots of things about the dog’s existing health issues need to be taken into consideration.
But when a senior dog with osteosarcoma is otherwise in fair health, amputation can immediately alleviate the pain from bone cancer. And despite surgery recovery time and a bit of a learning curve, living out life on three legs can be a true gift for older dogs.
“Its all about growing old together,” says my friend Sasha, dog mom of my special girl Lalla. “A senior dog needs gentle exercise . . . and a pain free life in the ‘golden years’ is the greatest gift you can give to your senior dog.”
When a dog goes on chemo, a lot of pawrents wonder if they have to use caution when touching or petting their beloved furry friend. My pawrents wondered if I would glow in the dark! Well, I’m here to tell you, fear not, dogs on chemo are nothing to be afraid of. Sure, you have to use a little care when handling those special chemo pills, but that’s about it. We aren’t radioactive, and we won’t cause your TV to act funny either!
When I was first diagnosed with osteosarcoma, my Mom and Dad didn’t want to put me through chemotherapy, mostly because it was a six hour drive to the hospital, and, since doctors said that I only had a few months left even with chemo, we didn’t want any of our precious time to be taken up with poking and prodding and long drives.
We took our chances, hit the road, and beat the odds, but now, fifteen months later, the cancer devil has paid us another visit. We are prepared to beat the odds again, only this time, we’re going to do it with the help of something called “The Metronomic Protocol.”
Treating Osteosarcoma with Chemotherapy
Most of you know that chemotherapy can help dogs beat cancer. Usually, chemotherapy drugs are given in high doses every couple of weeks, and administered in an injection of some sort. Most of us aren’t affected by chemo drugs like people are; if the drugs are given correctly. And if a dog does experience side effects, the oncologists can lessen the doses and lengthen the treatment time. Our friends at Bone Cancer Dogs have a lot of good information about traditional chemotherapy for osteosarcoma.
When I got the bad news a few weeks ago, my Mom and Dad couldn’t rest without trying something that might give me more time on this earth. Dad did some research on different chemo treatments, and learned about the Metronomic Protocol. It’s chemo in a pill, and it can be done anywhere . . . even in an RV, on the road! It seemed too good to be true. At home chemotherapy?
My oncologist, Dr. Mullins, went over a few options with us, including surgery to remove my affected lung. Surgery is good for dogs that have no more than two tumors that are affecting less than 50 percent of a lung. But there’s a good recovery time involved, and at my age and where I’m at in life, we decided to pass on this option.
We also discussed standard chemotherapy. But Dr. Mullins says that at this stage in my cancer, there is only a 5 to 15 percent chance that standard chemo will work on me. There’s a slight chance that it could work better than expected, because my cells have never been hit with a blast of chemo. Still, the odds are slim, so with such a little chance of success, Dr. Mullins suggested that we try the Metronomic Therapy.
How Does the Metronomic Therapy Work?
Metronomic Therapy will allow Mom and Dad to give me frequent, low doses of three drugs that, when used together, will help stop blood vessel development in my lung tumors. See, if you starve a tumor of their main food souce, blood, they can’t grow! This is called the “Anti-Angiogenic” effect.
Dr. Mullins wants us to keep in mind that this therapy is not a cure, but rather a way to stop the tumors from getting bigger, and keep them from spreading into more of my lungs.
What Chemotherapy Drugs Am I Taking?
There are three drugs that I am taking:
Cytoxan: a chemotherapy drug that I take every other day. At this low, constant dose, it’s been shown to inhibit blood vessel growth. Mom and Dad wear special gloves so they don’t get it on their skin, and they check my pee a lot to make sure it’s not causing trouble.
Metacam: a non-steroidal drug with potent COX-2 inhibiting properties. I take this every day. COX-2 is a receptor that’s been found to play a role in tumor development, by slowing them down. In one study, 77% of osteosarcoma expressed the COX-2 receptor (Mullins et al JVIM 2005. Other non-steroidal drugs include the name brands of Piroxicam,Rimadyl, and Previcox.
It’s great that Metacam is part of this protocol, because that’s what I’ve always taken for my arthritis. I tried Previcox in the past, but it made me very sick. Once that happened, my Mom really didn’t want to give me any of these drugs. But now, she says it’s a “risk / benefit” thing. My doctor says that not only will the Metacam help slow down the tumors, but it will keep my muscles feeling good by keeping any tissue damage or swelling down. If my muscles stay healthy, then my body is that much stronger and able to fight back. So Mom is willing to take the chance of giving me a lower dose of Metacam every day, if it will help me kick cancer’s butt.
Doxycycline: an antibiotic, just like the ones you people take when you get sick. When given at low doses, Doxycycline can prevent blood vessels from forming and feeding tumors. It does not affect the existing tumor(s) though. Like Metacam, I take this every day too.
K9 Immunity and My Cancer Therapy
These are the three main drugs of my chemo treatment. On top of that, I’m an especially lucky dog, Dr. Mullins’ clinic is participating in a K9 Immunity trial, and I qualified for it! Now, I’m taking K9 Immunity and K9 Transfer every day. The doctor says that her patients have done exceptionally well on K9 Immunity when taken with the Metronomic Therapy, so we are really, really excited about this. I’ll tell you all about it later on.
My New Diet
My diet and supplements have changed a little bit, and Mom has updated my Health Tips page. So far, I feel pretty great, like my usual self. I didn’t have any side effects, until just yesterday when Mom gave me a can of cooked mackerel for dinner, one of my favorite foods. It didn’t quite agree with me. Ick! I’m feeling better though, thanks to a big dose of pumpkin pulp last night.
The Metronomic Protocol is a relatively new kind of option for bone cancer dogs, and because studies are still out on it, Dr. Mullins can’t give a prognosis for how long the cancer can be kept far away, where it belongs! Still, she says that she has seen many dogs in her clinic do quite well on it, and I know that I’m going to be one of them!
Stay tuned, because in the near future, I’ll talk about:
Costs involved with different therapies for treating pulmonary metastasis
I don’t care much for big cities. But I was certainly glad to meet Arnie Costell – owner of Watson’s Pet Products – when we were in Los Angeles. Arnie loved his senior dog Watson so much, he developed the Bottom’s Up Leash to help him walk.
Watson was nearly 18 years old at the time and had developed a condition that seriously affected his mobility. The Bottom’s Up Leash enabled Arnie to walk Watson with ease for both of them.
I figured this could come in quite handy for rear leg amputees like my friend Sami. So we met with Arnie to learn about the leash, then hooked up with Sami to give it a try.
Oh, you humans and your silly ways of thinking. You’re always talking about the past and the future, but how many of you are experiencing the moment you and your dog are in right now?
All week long my Mom’s been saying dumb thinks like “I shouldda done this…or that..” She seems to think she did something wrong these last 14 and a half months, and that’s why my cancer came back. She was “shouldding” all over herself, until she got this story about coping with canine cancer, sent to her from my friend Moose‘s dad, Joel.
. . . 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.
If your pawrents are coping with your cancer, then you need to take them to Doug’s website. He has a lot of beautiful words there that will make them happy and sad, but most importantly, will get them to live every precious moment with you to the fullest, instead of acting like a silly human and fretting about your health. Good luck!
UPDATE: Since this post, Doug has published his helpful guide for coping with anticipatory grief, The Legacy of Beezer and Boomer.
Thank you everyone for all of your kind, loving and supportive words this past week. My Mom and Dad are so much happier these days thanks to you. They are also very optimistic, and are looking into ways to help me kick this tumor thing’s butt (do tumors have butts?). Just so you know; they have a plan.
A few nights ago, the three of us decided a few things. First, we decided that under no circumstances would I undergo any kind of surgery again. Eeew! Who wants that?! Second, we want to look at options for keeping me as healthy as can be.
As soon as we decided all this, we left my Grandma and Grandpa’s place in Los Angeles, and arrived in Santa Fe, New Mexico yesterday (we’ll be living nearby for the next couple of months). Tomorrow, we are going to meet Dr. Kelly at the Vet Cancer Care Clinic, to learn all about oral chemotherapy and maybe some other kind of easygoing treatment plan that we can do on the road.
Another vet visit isn’t my idea of fun; I’d rather be swimming! But if a few pokes and prods tomorrow means that I’ll get lots more play time later on, well then I guess I’ll go along with it!
Ever since my people started giving me the Synflex glucosamine supplement, I’ve been feeling great! They have even cut back on my Metacam nonsteroidal anti-inflamatory medicine since I started using it.
They noticed such an improvement in my mobility and endurance with Synflex that we went to the Synflex factory to pick up a few extra bottles back when we were in Florida. And the kind folks there were nice enough to donate a couple bottles which we raffled off at the 2 Dogs 2000 Mile cookout to support the Big Dog’s walk from Austin to Boston with Hudson and Murphy.
Whether you have three or four legs, I recommend Synflex for arthritis pain. Or even two legs … they make it for people too! OK, I guess they did that first and discovered it works so well on pets that they added a beef flavor!
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I’ve just gotta share this story about my friend Maruk, from Cincinnati, Ohio.
, I’ve been feeling great! They have even cut back on my Metacam nonsteroidal anti-inflamatory medicine since I started using it.
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