Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
Tripawds is your home to learn how to care for a three legged dog or cat, with answers about dog leg amputation, and cat amputation recovery from many years of member experiences.
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I didn't realize that this was a separate category until we did the "Ask the Vet" chat last night. I certainly don't mind answering anyone's vet questions, and it is easier for me to find them here than in the other forum threads. I also think it would be great for other vets to chime in!
Pam and Tazzie
We are glad you found it, we probably should have announced it in a bigger way. We just put it there recently. Thanks so much for checking it out and your kind offer to answer questions.
And yes, we would LOVE for other vets to chime in too, so if any of you are out there . . . .
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Pacey and I missed the "Ask the Oncologist" session the other day. We tried to stay up, but it was 3am here in Israel. I did have a question though, and hoping that someone can assist.
Pacey is 7 months old and was born with his front left leg missing. I read a lot about giving amputees a Glucosamine suppliment, and was wondering if I should be giving it to Pacey as well. Should I wait till he gets a bit older?
Thanks so much!
Pacey - http://tinyurl......m/paceydog
Pacey said:
Pacey and I missed the "Ask the Oncologist" session...
I read a lot about giving amputees a Glucosamine suppliment...
We posted Tuesday's Ask a Vet chat transcript here in the forums.
Good Glucosamine question! Hopefully one of our wonderful vets can answer that for you. Depending on the answer, please consider Syn-Flex Glucosamine Supplement. I took it for a couple years and my people believe it worked wonders for me!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
I think that a glucosamine supplement is a great idea, since your dog's other joints will be stressed by the different gait of a tripawd. I would recommend a product with glucosamine (1000 mg daily) and chondroiten sulfate(800 mg). After 4 weeks this dose can be cut in half and continued daily. Many animal products are on the market including Dasequin, ChondroFlex, and SynoviG granules.
Pam and Tazzie
Glucosamine worked wonders for me also. My pawrents also gave me chondroitin along with the glucosamine. Actually we all take the supplement, including my 2 brothers. Hope it helps you....
Kellie
Pam,
Is it really that important that you provide a glucosamine supplement that has been proven to be bio-available to dogs?
Janie & Calamity
Janie & Calamity http://www.trix.....gspot.com/
Pam,
I would like to put Bonnie back on the glucosamine and chondritin but was told that it would interfere with the insulins work for her diabetes. Have you heard that? My other 2 are taking it, but I took Bonnie off it.
Chris & Bonnie
chris-bonnie
Janie, as long as the product is pure you can use human supplements. The problem is that there is no standard regulation or quality-control beyond what each manufacturer does voluntarily. I know that Consumer Reports did a study a few years ago and found that some products only had 10% of the active ingredient listed on the label! Most dog products will say if they test and many are 99% pure. Nutramax lab is the industry leader in vet studies and pure products, but others may also be good.
Chris, it is true that one study has found that glucosamine supplements can affect blood glucose levels in diabetics. If her blood sugars are steady you can put her on glucosamine and see how she does. It might help to avoid making this change anytime during chemo administration. I have used glucosamine products without incident in many diabetics.
Pam and Tazzie
Hi Dog Lovers,
Ella
How long ago was your dog's ACL repaired? Did he have a TPLO? I would look at Ivan's story on this website, since he just had amputation and chemo followed by ACL repair. If your vet thinks your dog's rear leg is stable enough then I would definitely follow his suggestion to amputate and then pursue chemo. Unfortunately Rotties are prone to this type of cancer so I would seek treatment as soon as possible.
There are many giant breeds stories here including my dog Tazzie, Nova the Great Dane, and Titan the Bullmastiff.
Pam and Tazzie
Hi EllaKane, thanks so much for joining us here at Tripawds, we hope we can be a source of help with you and your pup.
So your vet says to go for it? Well cool! If your Rottie has a clean bill of health and the vet thinks this is the way to go, then that's terrific. Having good health makes dealing with cancer so much easier.
Osteosarcoma really stinks, but now there are many ways you can go about dealing with it, and giving your beloved friend a great quality of life too. We have so many stories here about how dogs cope. You can check out our Top 10 Questions, Post 1 and Post 2, to hopefully calm your nerves a bit. And when you're done there, visit our Videos page to look at the dogs we've met that have dealt with their amputation with pizazz and spunk. There is also our Size and Age Matters forum you can check out. Finally, to get more directed feedback about your situation, you may want to start a new thread about you and your dog, in the Share Your Story forum.
Good luck! Please let us know what you decide to do OK? We're always here for you.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
I can't thank you enough for your replies. I will check out the age matters section...I've never thought Rotties lived more than 10 years or so, especially when they are big boys, but again, the vet said that if it were his dog, he would do the amputation and chemo. And shouldn't I rely on his recommendation? I worry about him being only 4 weeks out from TPLO on the back leg. But, what do I know? I'm just a lady who loves her big brute of a rottweiler to no end! He's not the brightest bulb in the hall, but he's as sweet as sweet can be. Thank you Jerry. Your reply means a lot to me. It seems I have little family or friend support with this decision to amputate. That is equally as sad.
Ella
EllaKane said:
It seems I have little family or friend support with this decision to amputate. That is equally as sad.
Ella
It was the same way for us too Ella, that's why we started this website, as a way to cope. Not until other people like yourself started coming here, did we realize that we were in great company with tons of other like-minded dog-centric families.
Thank you for joining in, and being a source of comfort yourself to others who may visit here in the future. Good luck!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi Ellakane, it is funny that we all go through the same things one way or another. My pawrents did not feel that they had much support either when it was time to make a decision on my surgery but guess what....but after finding this website and all the love and support and how they keep suggesting that we promote how great tripawds are and what a great quality of life we can have....my mom put it to the test. She was amazed to realized that all the people she talked to about me and my situation they truly and honestly expressed a lot of concerned and have always felt that my mom is awesome for all she does for us (me and my 2 brothers). But then again we are her babies what can I say...yep spoiled rotten we are. You definitely need to check out the blog and meet Tazzie, he surely is a big baby he is. But full of life and playing like a pup with Pogi yep the hyper border collie. Lots of tripawds on this site from all shapes and sizes. One thing I can tell you, this site will be your new home away from home. I don't think my mom used to log on the computer as much as she does until she found Jerry, Jim and Rene and all the tripawd friends. Our home is your home....welcome.
Kellie
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