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Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat

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Recent Diagnosis and Upcoming Amp - Hoping for Good Vibes!
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Member Since:
31 May 2017
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31 May 2017 - 11:55 pm
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Hello Tripawd Community! 

I just want to start out by saying THANK YOU for all the incredible information and resources. It is invaluable at a time like this.

My name is Rae, and my best friend is Skyla. She's a 10 year old Rottweiler mix who was recently diagnosed with osteosarcoma. It has been devastating, to say the least. I've decided that a front leg amputation will give her the best chance at a (hopefully much longer) pain-free life. I'm nervous about helping her recover, and dreading seeing her struggle. However, she is a strong, determined girl, and I know she'll be less affected than I will! Her surgery is scheduled for June 19th (my birthday, sadly). I'm taking this time to do as much reading and preparing as possible.

If you'd like to know a little more about Skyla's life so far, I just started my first blog post. It can be seen at http://raeandsk.....ipawds.com

If anyone has any special advice, words of wisdom, or just positive vibes to send our way, please let us know! Thank you so very much.

Much love,

Rae & Skyla

On The Road


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1 June 2017 - 7:59 am
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raeandskyla said
If anyone has any special advice, words of wisdom, or just positive vibes to send our way, please let us know!  

Welcome and thank you for sharing Skyla's story. Your future forum posts will not require moderation.

You'll find LOTS of pawsitive vibes here! Our best advice is to Be More Dog . And that's not just some silly saying...

While you wait for comments from others, use the Advanced Search above to refine your forum search results with specific phrases, and you're sure to find lots of helpful feedback. You can also search all blogs here . Or, consider downloading the Tripawds e-books for fast answers to common concerns and feel free to call the toll-free Tripawds Helpline anytime!

Start here for lots of helpful links (and an e-book coupon) if you ever need help navigating the many resources Tripawds has to offer.

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

Schofield, WI
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1 June 2017 - 4:32 pm
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Welcome!  Yup admin truly speaks the truth.  I learned very early on if I panicked so did Max and if I stayed calm and acted like this was all normal so did Max.  Good idea taking this time to get caught up on your reading.  I too devoured this site and people's experiences throughout recovery so I would know more on what to expect.  I see admin gave you a lot of good starting points to click on.  There's tons of experience too here and you will find much support from everyone here too!  Will be keeping you and Skyla in our thoughts and prayers for the 19th (yes definitely not the birthday present you were looking for) but your girl will amaze you in how resilient she is as she begins her new normal.  We'll be here to help so don't hesitate to ask!  Hugs to you both!

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2 June 2017 - 9:58 am
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admin said:

You'll find LOTS of pawsitive vibes here! Our best advice is to Be More Dog . And that's not just some silly saying...

Thank you, wonderful Jerry and admin(s)! 

Be More Dog is going to be on repeat in my mind these upcoming weeks. They really have that whole thing down...

I appreciate all of the advice and I'll be pouring over these invaluable resources.

Much love!

-Rae & Skyla

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2 June 2017 - 10:01 am
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linda8115 said:
Welcome!  Yup admin truly speaks the truth.  I learned very early on if I panicked so did Max and if I stayed calm and acted like this was all normal so did Max.  Good idea taking this time to get caught up on your reading.  I too devoured this site and people's experiences throughout recovery so I would know more on what to expect.  I see admin gave you a lot of good starting points to click on.  There's tons of experience too here and you will find much support from everyone here too!  Will be keeping you and Skyla in our thoughts and prayers for the 19th (yes definitely not the birthday present you were looking for) but your girl will amaze you in how resilient she is as she begins her new normal.  We'll be here to help so don't hesitate to ask!  Hugs to you both!  

We are so grateful for your support, Linda! 

Your Max looks beautiful, by the way! These dogs are so inspiring. 

Life on three will be GREAT!

Much love,

-Rae & Skyla

Virginia







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2 June 2017 - 10:32 am
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Oh my goodness! Just catching up!

As you can see, there is no better plzce for support and great informatio !!

We all understand the sheer fear, the uncertainty, the stress, the mental and physical exhaustion this part of the journey brings to the table.

We also understand the joy when the sparkle starts ro come back!''The joy when you see Smyla feeing soooo good without that bum leg!!

STAY CONNECTED!! Recovery is no picnic and sometimes it takes larger dogs like Rotties a bit longer to get their mobility worked out.

Ask any questions, okay? There's a whole lot of firsthand experience around here!!

And remember, Skyla isn't worried about a thing and certainly doesn't have a time frame stamped anywhere on that cute Rottie butt of his!! Rottie butts are so darn cute! 🙂

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!

Livermore, CA




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2 June 2017 - 1:45 pm
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Hello Rae and welcome.

I'm sorry to hear about Skyla's diagnosis, we understand how devastating it is to receive the news.

Since the the surgery is on your birthday maybe you can look at it a different way...Skyla will start her new life without that painful leg on that day and it's a good thing!  During the recovery phase most all of us went through the 'what have I done to my dog (or cat)' phase, it can be tough.  Stay close to this community and you will soon know that you are doing this FOR Skyla, not TO her.

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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3 June 2017 - 7:50 pm
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Hi Rae! Sorry you have to be here, but glad you are! As you said this is a wonderful site! I couldn't have made it through Kylie's surgery & recovery without it! First of all Skyla is so beautiful!!!! If she is an active & determined girl as you say, she will get through this just fine. My girl was the same way. And now, 9 months post amp, we joke about not being able to keep up on walks with our 3 legged dog!! blush

Question, though, why is the surgery date so far away?? Osteosarcoma is what Kylie had too and we were told its a very aggressive cancer. She saw the Vet Oncologist on the Thurs and they kept her overnight and amputated the next day. Mind you hers was pretty bad. Her leg was basically 'mush' from the cancer deteriorating it 🙁 So maybe that's why they moved so quick. They were worried about breakage. Regardless, I would see if you could bump up the date, just a suggestion. Couldn't hurt! I really don't think you need 2-3 weeks prep, you will be just fine! As I said, we learned real quickly from the help on this site when we had 1 day to decide! Luckily it was a 24hr Animal hospital we went to so they kept her for 2 days post op, so that's when we read a alot and got the house prepped with rugs to lay down for traction . (yup they're still there 9 months later, she won't walk on the floors that don't have them lol)

Best of luck! I can't wait to follow your story!

Chris & Kylie xo

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3 June 2017 - 11:51 pm
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benny55 said:
We also understand the joy when the sparkle starts ro come back!''The joy when you see Smyla feeing soooo good without that bum leg!!

Dear Sally,

Thank you so much for your warm welcome! I see that you're a hotline helper, and I can't tell you how awesome I think that is! This whole experience is such a rollercoaster, but the ride really mellows out when I get such encouragement like this :)) 

Skyla & I appreciate it so much! 

Much love,

Rae

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3 June 2017 - 11:54 pm
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krun15 said:
Since the the surgery is on your birthday maybe you can look at it a different way...Skyla will start her new life without that painful leg on that day and it's a good thing!  

Hello Karen,

What a wonderfully positive way to turn a scary day into something to look forward to. I'm sure this girl is going to amaze me. 

Thank you SO much 🙂

Much love,

Rae & Skyla

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4 June 2017 - 12:03 am
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superkylie said: 
Question, though, why is the surgery date so far away?? 

Hi Chris,

Thank you for sharing a piece of cute Kylie's story! I'm glad she's rockin' so well on three! That whole diagnosis to surgery to recovery time must've been amplified for you, wow. Although sometimes just jumping in is really the best way; the mind doesn't have the chance to stress unnecessarily. 

I too wish her surgery was sooner. I was a bit surprised to hear mixed opinions on how urgent it really is. Unfortunately, we don't have tons of highly reputable orthopedic surgeons, so the ones we do have are in high demand. The speciality hospital couldn't get her in until July, and our regular vet doesn't do this level of surgery. That left the diagnosing vet (who is know as the ortho guy in town), and he's out of town until the week before. A bit disappointing to have to wait, as I too am anxious about giving this cancer any time. 

In the meantime I've got her on every supplement and immunity booster I can get my hands on, and just trying to enjoy the last days of "normal". We're busy looking at ramps, rugs, harness and sling options, etc etc. Nothing but the very best for this babe. 

Anyway, thanks so much for your invaluable insight. Paws up for Kylie! These girls are rockstars. 

Much love,

Rae & Skyla

Virginia







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5 June 2017 - 3:32 pm
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Just to give you a bit more "reassurance" (hopefully anyway)! Many dogs like Kylie go from "diagnosis" to surgery fairly quickly, especially when chance for a fracture is pretty darn immanent based o. Kylie's particular xrays.

And just as many, if not more, aren't even "diagnosed" for months because they are treated off and on for maybe a sprain, a pulled muscle, or arthritis, etc. Additionally, sometimes some Vets opt for a biopsy.....And that can add to the time of "suspected diagnosis" and actual amputation.

Not every areas as easy access ro a qualified surgeon, so that's not all that uncommon either.

Continue to stay in touch and, as you can already see, we've got your back! 🙂

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!

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20 June 2017 - 10:59 am
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Hello friends!

I’ve been pretty quiet on here lately, and I apologize for taking so long to update. I think my anxiety about the upcoming surgery was getting to me. I was ready to get it behind us!

Skyla had her leg amputated yesterday, June 19th. The surgery went smoothly, no complications whatsoever. We had a wonderful team to work with, and it was clear they took very good care of her. I was able to visit with her in the evening, and although she was heavily drugged, she definitely knew I was there and tried to keep her eyes open just a peak. We transferred her to the emergency hospital for overnight care and fluids. It was incredibly hard to leave her again, but I just wouldn’t be able to keep her as comfortable as they were.

This morning, Skyla got to come HOME! She even hobbled on three legs a short stretch, with lots of assistance. She seems exhausted, and I’m sure her legs seem to weigh a thousand pounds with all the medication and fluid pumping through her. We have been using her Ruffwear Urban Sprawl bed as her stretcher, and it seems to be about as comfortable as it gets for getting moved around. We set her up on the deck for a short while. The cool summer air felt amazing. She was very hot with her bandage on, so I figured a nice breeze would be refreshing!

She ate readily, took her medications, and went back to snoozing. Although I’m nervous about getting her outside and moving around over the next few days, I have no doubt that she’ll be hopping around freely in no time.

We have felt so loved from friends, family, and the incredible Tripawd community. Thanks for listening and supporting us through it all.

Lots of love,

Rae & Skyla

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20 June 2017 - 11:08 am
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heartheartheartheartheart

Schofield, WI
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20 June 2017 - 2:53 pm
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 So glad surgery went well and Skyla's back home under your mama watchful eye!  Looks like she's right where she needs to be this early in recovery!  She's looking great if a bit tired right now but as her body adjusts a bit more each day it'll get easier and easier.  She's doing exactly what she should be doing, resting, eating & drinking and short potty breaks!  Not to mention soaking up all the spoiling Tripawds deserve and get 😀.  Give your beautiful girl hugs from us all!

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