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Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat

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4 yr old lab faced with spindle cell carcoma-- must make amp decision asap
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Virginia







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22 February 2013
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20 July 2016 - 5:34 pm
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Just checking in to see how you and Max are doingheart

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!

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20 July 2016 - 8:32 pm
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Hello Everyone,

Max had his surgery this afternoon and it went well.  The surgeon said he was resting comfortably.  I called around 6pm and the vet tech said he was pretty sonked out but they would try to get him to stand tonight.  They will call me tomorrow morning with an update between 10-11 am.

He is supposed to go straight from his post op care for 2 days to comfort and physical therapy.  Has anyone gotten physical therapy for their dog?  Was it so soon after the operation?  I have spoken to Sally and it seems I need to find out from the vet what exactly does physical therapy entail and is he really going to be ready for it so soon.  Any advice? 

Thank you all for your prayers and well wishes!! 

Love & Hugs,

Theresasmileysmileysmiley

Michigan
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2 April 2013
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20 July 2016 - 9:12 pm
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I picked Murphy up the day after surgery.  He walked (well, hopped lol) out to the car on his own.  Physical therapy is a great idea, but not sure how much good it would do right away.  It seems to me that Max will be medicated and not really up to doing too much right now.  The first couple of weeks should just be rest and potty breaks, not much as far as activity, and most dogs are fine with that.  It increases, especially as they're feeling better.

Donna

Donna, Glenn & Murphy 

Murphy had his right front leg amputated due to histiocytic sarcoma at 7 years old. He survived 4 years, 2 months & 1 week, only to be taken by hemangiosarcoma at 11 1/2 years 6/12/17  
Read about Murphy's Life on Three Legs

Donna.png

Virginia







Member Since:
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20 July 2016 - 10:24 pm
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As Theres explained it to me, the vet would keep Max for two or three nignts and then send him directly to the "comfort and physical therapy" section to spend six more days there for phusical therapy. A lot of his "phusical therapy" would be focused on getting him to use stairs. BTW, the recovery room Theresa has set up for Max involves one step to the outside and then they are building a ramp for him to ha dle a few other steps to his "potty yard"

Max would be away from home for approximately nine daus! The vet said they could come visit him. My thpughts mirrored Donna's.....physical therapy a great idea, but maybe not so soon,and certainly not so much focus on doing steps.

Suggested that she post here to see if anyone else had this same type of experience. Is it some sort of new cutting edge approach that anyone else has heard of? Needless to say, this is a very, very expensive route this clinic is having Max do.

Going straight into six days of PT two or three days right after surgery...without even going home for nine days??? Just hard for me to understand this approach. So I did as her to get SPECIFICS from the vet why this was necessary in Max's czse and exactly what they would be doing and why it couldn't wait until Max recovered fro the surgery!

So glad Max is out of surgery and enjoying his ride with pi k elephants! 🙂

Lots of love!

Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!

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!



Member Since:
21 May 2016
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21 July 2016 - 9:25 am
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Hi there heart

First of all congratulations to Max, really happy to hear he is doing well clap

As for the rest, well, I agree with Sally ...

It sounds totally crazy to train a dog to negotiate stairs right after surgery, I wonder if they are just building up fees ...

I remember too well the first 2 weeks after amputation and, even if Eurydice is a huge girl which makes recovery more difficult, I cannot see any benefits of physical therapy so soon and negotiating stairs ?????????? For what purpose ?????

As I understand and according to advice from our vets, surgeon and onco (and also from what I read here about other dogs and cats recoveries) all they have to do in the first couple of weeks is REST and all activity must be restricted to potty breaks until they slowly adapt their muscles to life on 3, apparently it takes about 1 month for the body to adjust to the new balance. 

Funny enough, we went to see a physioterapist today as I think hydrotherapy could be beneficial for Eurydice (again, because she is so huge and her remaining leg is carrying one ton) and we will be starting a couple of weeks from now but she had her surgery May the 4th so she is ready to start now. 

The other thing, going back to Max, is ... is it beneficial for him to stay away from home for so long, after surgery ? Pawrent's love makes wonders whilst they are recovering ...

Sending you lots of pawsitive energy and hoping you will get clarification on these mattersheart

Eurydice 77kg/170lb Great Dane limping end of April 2016, amputation (right front leg/osteosarcoma) 4 May 2016 6 courses of carboplatin followed by metronomic therapy, lung mets found 30 Nov 2016. 3 courses of doxorubicin, PET scan 26 Jan 2017 showed more mets so stopped chemo. Holistic route April 2017. Lung X-ray 5 May 2017 showed several tennis ball size mets, started cortisone and diuretics. Miss Cow earned her XXL silver wings 12 June 2017, 13 months and 1 week after amputation and 6 1/2 months after lung mets, she was the goofiest dawg ever and is now happily flying from cloud to cloud woof woofing away :-) 

On The Road


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21 July 2016 - 10:47 am
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I'm so glad he's got the surgery behind him and is on the road to recovery!

I'm curious which clinic you're working with? The reason I ask is not to critique them, but because there is some very new thinking by some rehab vets at places like Colorado State University, that says getting some Tripawds into rehab just a few days after surgery is extremely beneficial. They aren't talking about hard exercises, just more like gentle stretching, massage, and passive range of motion exercises, guided by professionals of course, to avoid any injuries. Not for the layperson.

Every dog is different and it's not right for all, but it sounds like Max is one of the good candidates. So to me it sounds like he's is getting some pretty cutting-edge care by the vets at your practice. I'm guessing that it's not cheap though, with that length of time in boarding. Yikes!

Definitely ask them what they are doing for rehab, and if you want him to come home then you have that right to ask for it of course. I have a feeling they swoop patients into boarding immediately after surgery so he will actually get into rehab. More than likely most parents get their new Tripawd home and although they say they're going to do rehab, they don't return for it. And then the pup misses out on all the great benefits.

Sally you are a fantastic guide on this journey, thank you for being there for Theresa.

For more info about rehab Theresa, check out these posts:

http://download.....m/?s=rehab

Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet



Member Since:
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21 July 2016 - 11:04 am
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Really ?????

Wow, Jerry, I had no idea there is this new trend using early rehab ....

My apologies for being harsh, it just sounded brutal to have physio so early but obviously there is more to it than I initially imagined ...

Big hug to everybody heart

Eurydice 77kg/170lb Great Dane limping end of April 2016, amputation (right front leg/osteosarcoma) 4 May 2016 6 courses of carboplatin followed by metronomic therapy, lung mets found 30 Nov 2016. 3 courses of doxorubicin, PET scan 26 Jan 2017 showed more mets so stopped chemo. Holistic route April 2017. Lung X-ray 5 May 2017 showed several tennis ball size mets, started cortisone and diuretics. Miss Cow earned her XXL silver wings 12 June 2017, 13 months and 1 week after amputation and 6 1/2 months after lung mets, she was the goofiest dawg ever and is now happily flying from cloud to cloud woof woofing away :-) 

Virginia







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21 July 2016 - 12:06 pm
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Oh goodness! You were NOT harsh at all!!! You, like myself, had not heard of this new approach! That's why I STRONGLY encouraged her to post this for feedback if it was, indeed, some new recovery method.
Your comments were ABSOLUTELY well intended and pretty much a ditto of my thoughts too!

Our Jerry, as usual, is on top of anything new and cutting edge!

Okay, because I know Theresa wants our honest feedback. This is just my 2¢, It would be really, really hard to convince me that the benefits of a nine day stay for physical therapy & recovery outweigh having the dog home a day or two after surgery. I would want to be told the specific benefits, the specific techniques, the specific statistics showing this approach are extra helpful. I would want to know that the pain meds would still be given at an effective dose,even if it made my dog sleepy and lethergic. I would also want to know what I could learn to do at home. That's not to say I wouldn't do it (although I wouldn't because of monies!), I would want more information.

Love to all!

Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!

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!

Michigan
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2 April 2013
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21 July 2016 - 8:22 pm
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I agree with Sally!  I can't even imagine Murphy being gone from home for 9 days!  When we go on vacation, the worst part is missing our babies lol.  As a nurse I get how important the physical therapy would be, but as a mom it just seems too soon.  Murphy really didn't do much the first week or so - he barely ate, he slept, took his meds & went potty, but that was about it.  Being at the hospital, in a crate, would be stressful for all that time.  And I would imagine very expensive.

Donna

Donna, Glenn & Murphy 

Murphy had his right front leg amputated due to histiocytic sarcoma at 7 years old. He survived 4 years, 2 months & 1 week, only to be taken by hemangiosarcoma at 11 1/2 years 6/12/17  
Read about Murphy's Life on Three Legs

Donna.png

Member Since:
12 July 2016
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23 July 2016 - 10:58 pm
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Hello Everyone,

I had a talk with the surgeon and she said they wouldn't be doing any steps until possibly the end of his stay. We are only booking his physical therapy two days at a time, so I can take him home whenever I want. (They do suggest the 6 days) Right now they are doing massage therapy and a simple walk to potty outside.  He is still being medicated for pain , etc. 

As of this morning he still didn't feel like eating his food but would take treats!  I told them to add a little warm water to his kibble and hopefully he will gobble it up.  I'll see if that worked in the morning.

We can visit him whenever we want.  I have heard pros and cons of visitation.  I'm afraid the minute he sees me he will think he is going home and when I leave be depressed or anxious. Normally when we pick him up he starts jumping at the door to leave, that's what has happened in the past. I don't want him to hurt himself trying to come home with me.

We have Max at one the top rated veterinary specialty hospitals on the island. It is called Long Island Veterinary Specialists. The NYPD and the Military also use this facility for their dogs. They are very cutting edge.  Max does know all the staff there as he has had a major surgery to remove the tumor and radiation there in November of 2014.  From that time until he fully healed months later he spent a total of 10 days there, although not all at once.  Everyone there knows him and he knows them.

I have another question, we are looking at the RuffwearWebMaster Plus for Max once he gets home to help him manage the steps.  We saw a video of a pawrent putting it on and noticed you have to do the head first and lift the front leg to get it on.  For a dog with only one front leg would that be a good harness?  Does anyone have experience with harnesses?

I appreciate everyone's advice and support!  It helps guide us and raises issues we haven't thought about.  So keep it coming!

Thank you  again, for all your support for us and Max!

Theresa

On The Road


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24 July 2016 - 7:05 am
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tell78 said
I have heard pros and cons of visitation.

In Three Legs And A Spare , we discuss visitation and recommend against paying a visit dogs recovering from surgery. Vets we have interviewed have agreed that the visit can cause stress when the pups get excited upon seeing their people. And the anxiety tend to last when the see them leave and realize they are not going home too.

We certainly understand how difficult it is not to see your pup, but think about who you are making the visit for.

...we are looking at the Ruffwear Web Master Plus for Max once he gets home to help him manage the steps...For a dog with only one front leg would that be a good harness? 

Jerry wore his harness nearly every day for two years. In our original review video, we show how you can also put the harness on by having max step into it—or lift his front leg into the harness—and then lifting it over his head.

Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet

Michigan
Member Since:
2 April 2013
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24 July 2016 - 10:09 am
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Murphy has the Ruffwear harness - we have him sit & slip it over his head, then lift his front leg through, then bring the straps under his chest & belly to clip them.  We got his before the brush guard was available, so it does slip a little bit, but it still works wonderfully.  I just love the handle on top - it helps me to lift him in & out of the car or any other time I need to help him.

Donna

Donna, Glenn & Murphy 

Murphy had his right front leg amputated due to histiocytic sarcoma at 7 years old. He survived 4 years, 2 months & 1 week, only to be taken by hemangiosarcoma at 11 1/2 years 6/12/17  
Read about Murphy's Life on Three Legs

Donna.png



Member Since:
21 May 2016
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28
24 July 2016 - 11:28 am
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Hi Theresa and Max,

Wow, it seems this hospital is tip top and what a bonus everybody there knows (and loves) your dog and vice versa !

Reg visits I tend to agree with Jerry ... I never visited Eurydice (she stayed for 3 days after surgery) because I knew she would be hyper excited to see me and then would be stressed out and disappointed when I would leave. 

I prefer she associates seeing me with going back home. 

As for the ruff wear harness , we do the same as Donna but my girl is standing up. She is a right front left amputee and apart from the harness sliding a bit (as with Murphy) it is fabulous and gives us pawrents full control. 

Have a look at "eurydice sporting her new ruff wear harness " in the Hopping Around forum, the harness sits quite well even with all her hopping.

Wishing you all the best in rehab, keep us posted !

Big hug and cuddles to Maxheart

Eurydice 77kg/170lb Great Dane limping end of April 2016, amputation (right front leg/osteosarcoma) 4 May 2016 6 courses of carboplatin followed by metronomic therapy, lung mets found 30 Nov 2016. 3 courses of doxorubicin, PET scan 26 Jan 2017 showed more mets so stopped chemo. Holistic route April 2017. Lung X-ray 5 May 2017 showed several tennis ball size mets, started cortisone and diuretics. Miss Cow earned her XXL silver wings 12 June 2017, 13 months and 1 week after amputation and 6 1/2 months after lung mets, she was the goofiest dawg ever and is now happily flying from cloud to cloud woof woofing away :-) 



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21 May 2016
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24 July 2016 - 11:30 am
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Sally, I just wanted to say thank you for your words, you are such a lovely person heart

Big hug and cuddles to your sweet cutie pies heart

Eurydice 77kg/170lb Great Dane limping end of April 2016, amputation (right front leg/osteosarcoma) 4 May 2016 6 courses of carboplatin followed by metronomic therapy, lung mets found 30 Nov 2016. 3 courses of doxorubicin, PET scan 26 Jan 2017 showed more mets so stopped chemo. Holistic route April 2017. Lung X-ray 5 May 2017 showed several tennis ball size mets, started cortisone and diuretics. Miss Cow earned her XXL silver wings 12 June 2017, 13 months and 1 week after amputation and 6 1/2 months after lung mets, she was the goofiest dawg ever and is now happily flying from cloud to cloud woof woofing away :-) 

Member Since:
31 May 2016
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24 July 2016 - 2:56 pm
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I went against the grain I guess and got the Ezy dog harness for Clyde (front leg amputee). Whenever I'm taking one of the dogs out, they all get so excited that I didn't want to deal with all of the straps involved with the Ruffwear one (I know its a great harness, I just needed one that's really quick to put on and looking at Ruffwear one, I thought it wouldn't quite work for us). The Ezy dog harness has a handle as well, you just put the front part on over his head and cinch the strap around the middle. It does rotate a little as he hops along, but that's been easy to correct as I've gotten used to working with it. So its another choice to consider.

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