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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THIS IS ONE OF THE HAPPIEST, MOST UPBEAT POSTS AVOUT "IMPROVEMENT" I THINK I'VE EVER SEEN!!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 TO SEE THE TURN AROUND IN YOU AND CLOUDERS HAS A HIGE GRIN PLASTERED ALL OVER MY FACE!! 🙂 🙂 🙂 We can talk all day long avout how rough recovery is at first......we can talk all day long avout how it does get better, sloooowly vut surely....but until you see the sparkle come back for the very first rime yourself, it's just hard to believe a single word we say!! 🙂 🙂 🙂
And it's still so very early so she still has to take it slow, vut she is really, really rockin' this recovery beyond perfectly!!! 🙂
TAZZIE is such a true ROCK STAR who came here years ago. She continues to show everyone that size doesn't matter when it comes to mobility in three legs! Tazzie's mom has continued to stay here and donate her time and knowledge as our "Ask A Vet" go to Vet!! 🙂
Cannot wait to see her videos!!
LOTS OF HUGS!
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
PS...yes, Amy is one of our favorite people too! Isn't that Izzy an adorable fashionista!? 🙂
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!
What a great update!
Maggie had what I called a Buddha belly so she couldn't reach her incision either.
We had always called the pug girls back legs 'drumsticks' because one of their games involved gnawing on each other's back legs- so wa said they were having a 'drumstick'. When I made Christmas Cards the first Christmas after Maggie had her amp I had the girls dreaming in their beds...Mag was dreaming of a drumstick.
Izzy's mom rocks by the way, tons of great ideas and a sense of humor to help keep a little sanity.
Watch out for when Clouders starts the 'air scratch', it takes some getting used to. Maggie would stick out her chin to the right side and scratch with her right back leg, then she would stick her chin out to the left side and her little stump would churn away and of course she got no satisfaction. It made me laugh and cry at the same time. After a few months Mag stopped doing it and would just rub her chin on the furniture or her sister or I would scratch for her. My little Pug Mix Elly is 2 years past her amp and she still does the air scratch.
Can't wait for the video!
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
benny55 said
THIS IS ONE OF THE HAPPIEST, MOST UPBEAT POSTS AVOUT "IMPROVEMENT" I THINK I'VE EVER SEEN!!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 TO SEE THE TURN AROUND IN YOU AND CLOUDERS HAS A HIGE GRIN PLASTERED ALL OVER MY FACE!! 🙂 🙂 🙂 We can talk all day long avout how rough recovery is at first......we can talk all day long avout how it does get better, sloooowly vut surely....but until you see the sparkle come back for the very first rime yourself, it's just hard to believe a single word we say!! 🙂 🙂 🙂And it's still so very early so she still has to take it slow, vut she is really, really rockin' this recovery beyond perfectly!!! 🙂
TAZZIE is such a true ROCK STAR who came here years ago. She continues to show everyone that size doesn't matter when it comes to mobility in three legs! Tazzie's mom has continued to stay here and donate her time and knowledge as our "Ask A Vet" go to Vet!! 🙂
Cannot wait to see her videos!!
LOTS OF HUGS!
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
PS...yes, Amy is one of our favorite people too! Isn't that Izzy an adorable fashionista!? 🙂
Sally,
Thank you! We're having a lot of fun re-discovering how to dog together. So much for "working" at home, ha. She, of course, believes it's time to go chase things, run in the woods, harass birds, etc. But I'm "encouraging" her to take it easy - which isn't too hard today. I think the excitement of practicing her new skip all over the house yesterday wore her out a bit. She's just as chipper today, but no where near as hyper (thank goodness). I learned my lesson with her first TPLO that she is not to be trusted as far as what she is and isn't ready to do. She's not my first cane corso, but she definitely takes the whole "stubborn and stoic" description the more seriously. We'll probably start short leashed walks next week, depending on how she does and how her other knee feels when I do her ROM exercises.
But her wiggly butt ain't going off leash in the yard until I see her waist line again!
She doesn't know that part yet, but I'm hoping the weight loss plan we got from the ortho plus all the energy she's spending just healing the wound and maintaining her balance standing up will show some results and gave her (and me) more confidence moving around.
krun15 said
What a great update!Maggie had what I called a Buddha belly so she couldn't reach her incision either.
We had always called the pug girls back legs 'drumsticks' because one of their games involved gnawing on each other's back legs- so wa said they were having a 'drumstick'. When I made Christmas Cards the first Christmas after Maggie had her amp I had the girls dreaming in their beds...Mag was dreaming of a drumstick.
Izzy's mom rocks by the way, tons of great ideas and a sense of humor to help keep a little sanity.
Watch out for when Clouders starts the 'air scratch', it takes some getting used to. Maggie would stick out her chin to the right side and scratch with her right back leg, then she would stick her chin out to the left side and her little stump would churn away and of course she got no satisfaction. It made me laugh and cry at the same time. After a few months Mag stopped doing it and would just rub her chin on the furniture or her sister or I would scratch for her. My little Pug Mix Elly is 2 years past her amp and she still does the air scratch.
Can't wait for the video!
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls
OMG the air scratch - I witnessed that one yesterday. I giggled, but then she gave me that look and rolled her eyes (I swear to dog) so I relented and scratched her ears. It would seem your Mag-pug was a clever girl, figuring out how to scratch her chin on the furniture. Brains and a cute face? What a catch! Clouders used to scratch her bum on tree trunks like a bear damn near every time we went outside. It's flipping hilarious. I hope she'll work out a new way to keeping doing it, because I stupidly never got a video and it's quite a sight to behold.
What killed me was catching sleeping on her side last night with all limbs sticking straight out, and quite obviously dreaming ... of running. Nose at full sniff-capacity, bubble barks, and all three paws and one wing going full speed! It was something else. Her ortho left her quite a bit of skin/muscle so she could sit normally, so there quite a bit of.. er.. flapping.
Like you, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I settled on laughing because I know she'll be able chase a specific old groundhog when she's ready - and I just *know* that's what she was dreaming of, that little bugger has been getting awful bold lately. She fancies herself a guard dog and takes her "job" very seriously but I haven't let her run in the yard or into woods after getting the first Xrays of the lesion (fear of fracture). I gave her an interim "desk job" patrolling the deck at dusk and scoping out the yard and woods from there and she's been howling at that cheeky bugger all month.
I guess since Ely is still doing the air scratch 2 years on, I might be seeing some more air running, huh? Maybe I can integrate her dream runs into her exercise plan, haha 
!
snaffoozle said
We're having a lot of fun re-discovering how to dog together...
Don't miss our podcast all about how to Be More Dog
! 
PS... TIP: Note how we edited your quoted comments here when using Quote Post feature.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
THE PICTURES.....OMD!!!!! CLOUDS IS THE CUTEST PUPPY EVER.....AND THE XUTEST ADULT (with puppy behaviour) EVER!!! Smooooooching that mug through the screen....chew bone and all!! 🙂
Keep your tav@et ha xy....we wa t more and more lictures and videos of evvvvverything! 🙂
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!
Alright, I am full-blown in love with Clouders AND if I hadn't been reassured that Izzy's birth mom was an American bulldog, I'd say she was part Clouders. Maybe that is why I'm so SMITTEN. Look at those chops!!! Oh my, I wish I could kiss that face!
I'm so so so so excited that it "clicked" for your girl! She will definitely still get tired faster but I bet that massage felt GREAT to her! Her chicken wing will likely become something you love. I called Izzy's amp site her "chicken cutlet" ... because she was an old lady, she was pretty saggy and baggy. She also had phantom pain at first, so her amp site would twitch and she would try to "run away". I started giving her gentle massage on the site (open palm, gentle pressure, nothing crazy) and it helped. As time passed, I would rub her cutlet ... it was so soft and warm.
I have just one warning for you: this journey will cause you to fall desperately, hopelessly in love with your dog. You think you love her now? Give it a few months (or weeks). It's going to be completely stupid. I warn you of this as you've already experienced the first step into the pit of insane puppy adoration ... celebrating poo. Hang on to your hat! It's quite a ride! lol
Can't WAIT for more photos and video 🙂
Sending hugs to you both, even though Clouders isn't a snuggler
xoxo,
Amy & my sweet fat angel, Izzy 
Momma to the world's most beautiful American Bulldog, Izzy!! Lost her front leg to OSA 9/18/15. Diagnosed w MCT in June 2016. Celebrated her 1 year ampuversary with knee surgery on 9/18/16! MCT recurrence in Dec 2016. Happy & hungry til nearly 14, earning her wings on 7/31/17.
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