Tripawds Three Legged Dog & Cat Forum Archives
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Our first day was a little rough. I'm a little ashamed that I became very emotional at the sight of her - the wound was a lot worse than I was expecting, and I wasn't prepared for it. Millie is a trooper though - she has a healthy appetite, and is already getting so good at adapting to three legs. She also had some visitors come by today, and was so happy/energetic to see them.
Ultimately, I'm really glad that we went through with it. There's still a lot of recovery left, but I think I can already see that Millie will be a lot happier with her painful leg gone.
Also, in case anyone is curious, here is a photo of Millie (pre-surgery):
Millie is such a beautiful pup!
I can completely understand being emotional when you saw her. I really do think dogs feed off your emotions so try and do you best to be strong for Millie. However, it sounds like she is doing great. There will be some more rough times during the recovery and more times that you feel emotional and sorry for Millie. Just try and be the support she needs when she needs it. My dog had some visitors early on as well and I do think it perked him up.
Wishing you a Millie a continued good recovery.
Amy
Awww she is beauuutiful!
Don't feel bad about becoming emotional when you saw her. I don't think there is a single person who didn't do the same, myself included. We grieve but they don't, as you can already see. I love that you are noticing how well she is doing and making progress! Bravo!!
I hope this week goes great. Please keep us posted and holler with any questions.
She is gorgeous! But I am a bit biased- I have a thing for black dogs.
I'm glad you are through surgery and on the road to recovery. There may be some ups and downs but keep that positive attitude and count every little victory and soon your girl will be back to herself!
Don't feel ashamed- it's important to be honest! Seeing your dog missing a leg is not something any of us were prepared for, I dealt with soft palette surgeries with my Pugs but they looked the same when they came home.
I hope Millie's recovery continues smoothly, keep us posted.
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls and Boy
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Maggie's Story Amputation and Chemo
Find me now on Tripawds Circle
Hi there! How is Millie doing this afternoon?
In case you're wondering where your last post went, I'm so sorry but we lost a few forum posts from earlier today and last night, due to a database glitch. So please update us when you can, we are thinking of you both. 
No worries - glitches happen! Thank you for the kind thoughts, we really appreciate it.
Millie is doing alright - she rejected her kibble, but we cooked up some ground beef, rice and green beans that she ate pretty happily. Still pretty lethargic and mostly wants to lie in her bed. She's going to the bathroom fine, thankfully.
I did call her vet and they didn't think any of the symptoms warranted an urgent visit - they advised to keep feeding her what she wanted to eat, and they'd do a checkup on Thursday morning. I'm hoping she'll perk up a bit once we get rid of the cone, she seems really unhappy with it on. We tried a few other items (inflatable donut, surgical recovery suit), but they she was still able to lick her wound with them on.
She is gorgeous, I love black labs-- I also have a mix who looks pretty similar to Millie. Did you find a Yale trial nearby that you could look into? How do you ask if you are eligible to join one? I am also about 5+ hours away from a couple of available ones, but reached out to those vet clinics to ask about them.
Anouk: 7 year old pitbull/lab mix with osteoscarcoma, left foreleg amputee
Mona: 30 year old purebred human along for the ride, zero amputations (so far)
Our closest one is in Ventura, CA. I reached out a few weeks ago and they said I could apply once Millie had her biopsy results. We just got the results a few days ago (osteosarcoma confirmed, sadly). We're waiting on our vet to send over the results and then we can hopefully get her enrolled ASAP.
Oh thanks for the pupdate (and being so nice about the tech glitch!).
Glad you called the vet about Millie, just to be sure. It does sound like just a slower than "typical" recovery, and that's OK. Millie is her own girl and on her own timeline. The cone can certainly cause a dog to be down too. I know it's hard to use but it's the safest way to keep the wound safe. You are doing great! Hang in there!!!
Let us know how tomorrow goes, and keep the happy cooked food coming for Millie!
Yep, just let Millie eat whatever she is willing to eat for now
Are you able to take the cone off for short periods of time while you were watching her? Can definitely slow them down emotionally. Also, what pain meds is she on the dose and frequency and how much does she weigh?
One other thought that sometimes helps hurt our little dog patients up is having someone come to the house who they adore! Have that person come in really excited and perhaps have a cheeseburger and some french fries for Miss millie.
Hugs
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!
Mille update - she's been doing so much better with the cone finally off! She's back to her normal appetite and seems to want to go on walks again (with more breaks than before, but that's expected). She also had her first round of chemo yesterday, and seems to be handling it well.
We've scheduled her first dose of the Yale vaccine in a week, so we'll be taking a 5 hour road trip for that.
So glad to hear things are on the upswing! Keep in keeping on sweet Mille♥️♥️♥️
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!
Whew! You and Millie have walked a long road with that cone. What a happy update!
A five hour road trip? What an adventure!
Be sure to join the Tripawds Circle so that we can continue following along with her progress.
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