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Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat

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My dogs amputation surgery is tomorrow
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NSW Australia
Member Since:
2 October 2016
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16
7 October 2016 - 10:48 am
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Thanks for the reply 😊

It overwhelms me how caring and helpful people are on this site, it makes a crappy time that bit easier.

ive got him on the chicken and rice, and the vet did give him some pink medicine for the nausea and Diareeha, really hoping it ends soon as I can tell it's also bothering him. 

His slept most of the night tonight, which is great. Day 4 post op tomorrow. 

Onwards and upwards xx

Virginia







Member Since:
22 February 2013
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7 October 2016 - 10:56 am
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Oh good. Sounds like the Vet is working on his tummy issues.

Now...so etimes...not all the times...but sometimes dogs have a bit of a crash around day three as the hospital meds are out of their system. Just to let you know if it appears like Axle is taking a step backwards that could be the reason.

It's really good that he's resting. That's what it's all about right now and for the next weekish.

You'll see his sparkle come back a tiny bit at a time around week two. It took my Happy Hannah about three weeks before I felt like she was getting out of the "recovery mode".

Be sure and eat a lot of CHOCOLATE...It helps!! 🙂

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!

London, UK


Member Since:
15 December 2015
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7 October 2016 - 1:26 pm
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Aw, lovely Sir Axle. I do hope his tummy settles soon. Really pleased he's sleeping (for both of you). As Sally says, rest is what he most needs right now. And you too, I'm sure, with a two-year-old to look after as well as Axle. Now I know you're busy right now, but when you've got a moment... pics???? big-grin

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...

The Amazing Adventures of Ruby Tuesday 

My Life as a Megastar



Member Since:
21 May 2016
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7 October 2016 - 2:42 pm
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So pleased to hear Axel is back, sorry about the poo 💩

Just like others said the first couple of weeks may be challenging but it will get better !

Important thing is he rests a lot, drinks and eats plus pee and poo ... time will move on so hang in there and keep updating us, we are all here for you☝🏼️

☁️☁️☁️ clouds of pawsitive energy flying your way and cuddles to gorgeous Axel 🐾😘❤️🐶

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 :-) 

NSW Australia
Member Since:
2 October 2016
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7 October 2016 - 5:31 pm
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Morning 

axle seems very quiet this morning.still has diarrhea, his on peptosy to help settle his tummy.

but in more exciting news!!!!!!

Axles amputation biopsy came back as a low grade soft tissue  spindle cell sarcoma!!! This has brightened my mood a lot now that I don't have to stress about these results any longer. All about the recovery now and hoping my boy pics up to being himself soon x

NSW Australia
Member Since:
2 October 2016
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7 October 2016 - 5:33 pm
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Ps im not sure how to post photos? 😬

On The Road


Member Since:
24 September 2009
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7 October 2016 - 6:21 pm
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Mornin' back at ya! And that is GREAT about the biopsy report! It's crazy what we all hope for when we're faced with cancer, isn't it? But YAY for you and Axle!

Here is a post about adding images to the Forums. Basically you need to upload them somewhere first, like a Tripawds blog, PhotoBucket, Flick'r, etc. Then you come here and embed them into your Forum posts. If the instructions don't make sense, just holler if you'd like any help OK?

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

NSW Australia
Member Since:
2 October 2016
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7 October 2016 - 6:26 pm
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Great, Thank you, I'm new and useless with all this but I'll get there 😊X



Member Since:
21 May 2016
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8 October 2016 - 2:04 pm
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Low grade soft tissue spindle cell sarcoma hurraaaaaaaaah clapclapclap 

I love the low grade element even if I know nothing about spindle cell sarcoma.

What it looks like is this isn't one of those aggressive types like osteo poopicon_png(which is what Eurydice has)

These are excellent news, and yes it sounds crazy to celebrate but it is such good, good news this can be managed!

Sending you a big, big hug and cuddles to Axel 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:
30 August 2016
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25
8 October 2016 - 8:03 pm
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Hello! I am just catching up but wanted to say YAY for Axle! Sounds like he's finally getting some rest which is awesome & glad you got some good news with the biopsy results. Hopefully your boy has a speedy recovery & many happy tripawd days ahead. Making them rest when they start to feel so good without that bad leg is sometimes the hardest part of recovery!! If they try to do too much, they get sore and pay for it later. Lots of light massage I found helped Kylie. A couple weeks in, we had issues with the meds, its a hard balance sometimes to guage whether they still need as much or if its just contributing to their dopiness and lack of appetite. Kylie needed meds for at least the first 2-3 weeks though, so don't be afraid to give it if you find he still needs it.

Btw Kudo's to you for managing this recovering with 3 kids at home! oh-my It is just me and my hubby & I found it challenging at times. (Luckily I had a week of holidays when she came home from surgery.) For starters, no one slept well the first 13 days because we were all either on a mattress we dragged down to the living room or on the sofa, because Kylie couldn't dare walk up the stairs yet. After day 13 when her sutures came out we all moved up to the bed and slept better, because she could wear her Ruffwear harness plus brushguard which has been a Godsend for stairs and in/out of vehicles and walks.

Recovery (at least 2 weeks or so) is no picnic but as others have said it DOES get better!!!  Kylie is just over a month post op now and I literally had to jog a bit today to keep up with her pace of walking because she was so excited.  She has mastered the tripawd hop like a champ. Her appetite and pooping is back to normal & she is a pain free version of her old self. It really is amazing how much any doubt about amputation melts away when you see them doing so well later!  Although Kylie is 9 yrs old, she is seriously like she was when she was about 3 now. Living without that cancerous leg gives them a new lease on life. Best advice I can give, just spend as much time as you can loving him, petting him, giving him light massages down his spine while he's sitting next to you and if he has appetite issues, Ritz crackers work like a charm laughingclap

Keep us posted! I can't wait to see pics when you figure out how to post them!

Chris & Kylie xox

Melbourne, AUS
Member Since:
31 August 2016
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8 October 2016 - 9:02 pm
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Have been watching Axle's journey silently and finally have time to chime in - thrilled to see it was only a low grade!! Such a relief! 

Hopefully his tummy has calmed down, Meg had similar issues between days 5-8 but it seemingly resolved itself, particularly when she started eating her normal dog food again. Just make sure she is drinking lots, maybe even add some brothy water to her chicken and rice! 

Keep us posted! 

NSW Australia
Member Since:
2 October 2016
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11 October 2016 - 2:48 am
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Thanks guys.

Axle is doing ok, his 7 days post surgery today. Getting around ok. He has seemed a little depressed the last few days. But just this afternoon he picked up a stick in the backyard and was hoping around for me to play with him. Sadly I had to decline but I gave him lots of smiles and cuddles for showing me his old self again. 😊

His still not drinking water, im having to let him lick water from my cupped hand, even then his hesitant,Im not sure why but any tips there would be brilliant,his appetite is still huuuuggeee which is great!

thanks for all the well wishes after a hard day looking after Axle and 3 kids it's always great to sit down and catch up on things and read your beautiful comments x



Member Since:
21 May 2016
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28
11 October 2016 - 5:31 am
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Wonderful post 👍🏼 how marvellous to hear Axel us improving and is starting to want to play just like before 🎉🎉🎉

As for water, I had the same problem with Eurydice although in a bigger scale as she stopped drinking for one month after surgery.

I bought oralade at the vet and mixed it with regular water and for a while it worked, apparently it tastes like chicken 🍖🍗

After a while she would refuse drinking so I got her a big syringe and would give her water and make a note of how many ml she had per day.

I hope you won't have to resort to such extreme measures but you if do the syringe works and eventually they get back to drinking by themselves. 

Also try and feed him wet food, this way he will have some liquid with his food without noticing 😉

Sending you lots and lots of hugs, you definitely are Super Mom, looking after one dog and three children 🏆😘😘😘

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 :-) 

London, UK


Member Since:
15 December 2015
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29
11 October 2016 - 6:27 am
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Hi there, great news about the biopsy report. That must be a great relief. If Axle has seemed a little depressed the last few days, that could well be the hospital pain meds leaving his system. A lot of dogs experience a dip at this point, and the timing would certainly fit.

Re the drinking, I didn't experience this, but Eurydice has given you some great tips. I cook stew for my girls, which they have over biscuits and I always put LOADS of water in, then cook it on a very low heat for several hours. This means the liquid has a strong meat flavour and they lap up every drop. If Axle is eating so well, then adding more liquid to his food, might be a good way of ensuring that he keeps his fluids up.

I'm so pleased his old self is beginning to emerge. Things will get easier as he grows stronger.

Sending hugs,

Meg and Clare (and Elsie Pie)

PS I had a look at the pic of Sir Axle on your blog. What a handsome boy! He could be my Elsie's brother. They're the same age too, though he's nowhere near as grey (I won't tell Elsie that, might give her a complex...)

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...

The Amazing Adventures of Ruby Tuesday 

My Life as a Megastar

Livermore, CA




Member Since:
18 October 2009
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30
11 October 2016 - 11:15 am
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Congrats on the path report, yay for low grade!

On the drinking you could try some low sodium chicken broth or tuna water- my pugs LOVE tuna water!  I think Sally would swirl a bit of ice cream in Hannah's water.

My quad-pug Obie doesn't like drinking water, he has been that way since I got him.  We always make his meals a bit wet so he gets some liquid that way. While he doesn't drink water out of the water dish, he will lap up any free liquid that is in his food bowl.

I cook chicken for the dogs every few weeks and use the broth to hydrate their food (I use a dehydrated mix). Fairly quick and easy to throw a chicken in the crock pot with lots of water to make your own chicken broth.

I'm glad that sparkle is coming back!

Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls

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

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