Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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All critters were and are chipped at our house. There is so much out there that may contribute to cancer and other sicknesses in dogs (and humans), heredity, diet, environmental exposures such as lawn fertilizers, squeeky toys or treats made in China or elsewhere, household cleaners, old water pipes, air fresheners or other aerosol sprays...lets face it everything is suspect. I guess I would rather have my dog back then have them picked up and taken to a shelter and then euthanized before I could find them.
We just took Samson and Repeat offender Miss Perdy 
to the lake today, 20 miles from home..we opened up the hatchback and the little ingrate bolted out of the back and beelined through the parking lot and down the road...we did manage to tackle her but if she had made it much further we may not have found her before sunset...scary but I know if she was picked up they could have traced her back to us.
Spirit Samson was Spirit Tripawd Daisys four legged "brother" and ruled as the self proclaimed head of the Monkeybutt Federations East Coast Division. Lady Chunky Monkey stayed from Oct 2011 and left for the bridge in Apr 2012. Miss Perdy is left and has some big pawprints to fill.
Do you have what it takes to be a Monkeybutt? Find out more at the Monkeybutt Federation
I sometimes listen to Animal Talk Naturally's podcast, and came across this recent episode about microchipping. Haven't had a chance to listen yet but I thought you guys might be interested in checking it out:
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Adding a chip is so important. I have never heard of it causing cancer but I am a huge advocate of it. There are so many advantages, something my friend sent me when I was on the fence: https://www.pet.....-your-dog/
I am surprised this is even open for discussion to be honest. Over here it's mandatory. Even horses nowadays are chipped and sometimes instead of being branded.Â
I have never heard of a cancer connection but every foreign object inside of a body is difficult I guess. What I do know is that the chips sometimes travel in the body and I know of cases where it got lodged in, i. e. , the spine and cause paralysis.Â
We have a European Pet Passport that every dog is supposed to have which includes the chip number and all vaccinations. You need that here because different countries have different rules regarding vaccination and due to the smallish size of Europe we tend to travel a bit in between countries.Â
I have not updated Manni's vaccination so I can't take him to Denmark for example now. However, the chip I see as an absolute must. Just the amount of times that my darling dog took after rabbits...Â
also, it kind of prevents people from just getting rid of their dogs by letting them loose somewhere. Not a fool-proof system but it helps.Â
TinaÂ
Guardian of Manni the Wonderdog. -Or was it the other way around?
Osteo and amputation in Dec 2015. Second, inoperable, primary osteosarcoma found in June 2017.
The end of our adventures came Dec 10, 2017. 2 years to the day.
Oh, and kind of funny if you share my warped sense of humor: I just heard from a few German tripawd owners that they found out, after surgery, that their dogs no longer had a chip because it was apparently in the leg they lost.Â
Being in bureaucratic Germany they then had to go and get a special permission to leave their dogs as is and carry their pet passports with them... 😊
Guardian of Manni the Wonderdog. -Or was it the other way around?
Osteo and amputation in Dec 2015. Second, inoperable, primary osteosarcoma found in June 2017.
The end of our adventures came Dec 10, 2017. 2 years to the day.
We got Ollie from the shelter almost two years ago. He came into the shelter as a stray. He was not chipped. Nobody claimed him, and he eventually became ours. The second day we had him, he had an appointment with our vet, got a clean bill of health, got a chip and was signed up for health insurance. We wouldn't have it any other way.
Kathi and the Turbotail April Angel...and the Labradork
Murphy is a five year old Lab/Chessie cross. He was hit by a car on 10/29/12 and became a Tripawd on 11/24/12. On 2/5/13, he had a total hip replacement on his remaining back leg. He has absolutely no idea that he has only three legs!
UPDATE: Murphy lived his life to the fullest, right up until an aggressive bone lesion took him across the Rainbow Bridge on April 9, 2015 and he gained his membership in the April Angels. Run free, my love. You deserve it!
tinsch said
I am surprised this is even open for discussion to be honest. Over here it's mandatory. Even horses nowadays are chipped and sometimes instead of being branded.
It's a rare discussion among pet parents I personally know. This topic originated several years ago, I think most people have decided the pros outweigh any suspected (and so far unproven) cancer connection. Our one and only Dr. Pam wrote this post a while back to clarify the urban myth surrounding chips and cancer.
I'm all for chipping, wouldn't have it any other way.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Jasper was chipped when I got her and I wouldn't have it any other way. Shelby got chipped when we moved to Los Angeles and by no means do I think that contributed to her cancer. I believe - since both my dogs did/have a tendency to run off and not come when called - that chipping was necessary.Â
I don't know the cause of Shelby's cancer ... we will never know. Was it living by the airport? The food she ate? The vaccines? I'll never have those answers but I know that if she had ever taken off, she would have been recovered and brought back to because of her chip!
And LOL Â Tina @ no longer chipped because of the removal of the leg. Both my girls chips were / are in the neck region. They must do it different abroad!Â
Shelby Lynne; Jack Russell/Shiba Inu mix. Proud member of the April Angels of 2014.
October 15, 2000 to April 8, 2014
Our story: Broke rear leg in June 2013 - non-conclusive results for cancer so leg was plated and pinned. Enlarged spleen in September 2013 and had it removed and was diagnosed with Hemangiosarcoma and started chemotherapy. Became a Tripawd January 8th, 2014 and definitive Hemangiosarcoma diagnosis. Three major surgeries in 7 months and Shelby took them all like a champ only to lose her battle to cancer in her brain. We had 8 amazing extra months together and no regrets. #shelbystrong #loveofmylife
All my dogs were/are microchipped.  I know Sassy's cancer had nothing to do with the Microchip. I have my suspicions where it came from just no proof.Â
Sassy is a proud member of the Winter Warriors. Live long, & strong Winter Warriors.
sassysugarbear.tripawds.com
07/26/2006 - Sassy earned her wings 08/20/2013
05/04/2006 -Â Bosch, Sassy's pal, earned his wings 03/29/19Â fought cancer for 4 months.
"You aren't doing it TO her, you are doing it FOR her. Give her a chance at life."
It's a legal requirement in the UK, as of just a few months ago, and personally I think that's a good thing. It obviously helps reunite lost dogs with their family, and as Tina says, may make them less likely to be abandoned. Elsie and Meg have really cool chips, which contain a tiny thermometer, so the vet/nurse etc. can scan them and get an immediate temperature reading.
Ruby, Staffy, born June 2022, became a Tripawd, 23 November 2023, adopted 12 January 2024.
Also Angel Tripawd Meg (aka The Megastar), who died in April 2023, aged 14, after seven glorious years on three, and Angel Staffies Pie and Bille. In the pawprints of giants...
Tina, that is a very funny aside indeed! But then we at DaBear HQ have warped senses of humor. And pet passports: I can just see the nightmare of getting a passport photo that is acceptable ( much like us complaining about our driver license photo)..." So, Manni, could you not blink and tilt your head to the right? Manni, smile and sit still....Manni....MANNI!!!!!" ( Kidding, but besides the upcoming mutt mugshots that WILL happen at the Pawrty of the Century....well, you know...)Â
And are Meg and Elsie Pie's passports Brexited?!? Or would that be Pawxited? Why did they not get a vote in this?!? On the other hand, we at DaBear HQ expect nothing less than the 007 microchip from the country that gave us, well, 007.Â
One DaBear came microchipped, the other DaBear came from a kill shelter but have no idea if microchipped, and Ruby Roo says " You gotta be kidding." She can only dream of them getting lost.Â
Although rare, cats have been known to get microchip-associated sarcoma from a microchip application. They even found the microchip in the tumour.
Maybe it's a cancer myth with dogs but it's not a myth with cats, although very rare.
Kerren, Chipless Mona, and Eli who likes spicy chips
Thanks for the input Karen!! Scary!
BTW...love how Mona and Eli "signed off" on the post 🙂
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
Gosh, I wasn't aware of that, Kerren. Scarey, I agree. Though I guess it needs to be balanced against the number who go missing and are found because of the chip. To be clear, the new UK law applies only to dogs, not cats, unless you're taking them to mainland Europe, in which case they need a pet passport, which does require a chip.
Ruby, Staffy, born June 2022, became a Tripawd, 23 November 2023, adopted 12 January 2024.
Also Angel Tripawd Meg (aka The Megastar), who died in April 2023, aged 14, after seven glorious years on three, and Angel Staffies Pie and Bille. In the pawprints of giants...
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