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Hi everyone
My beautiful girl Tai had her right rear leg amputated on Friday and I brought her home last night. She is a 14 year old Cairn Terrier.
She broke her leg on Wednesday while we were on vacation, staying in a hotel. I was out of the room and I think she tried to jump on a table. I will never not feel guilty about this but am trying to do what is best for her and not think about that. The leg was so broken the doc recommended amputation and they will biopsy the bone - they are concerned that cancer could have caused it to be so weak. It was significantly weaker than her other leg and they tell me it could have broken at any time. So I'm trying not to worry about that cancer for now.
Last night was hard - the bedroom is upstairs so I set up her crate and bed, etc in the living room and slept on the couch. She would always sleep under the bed but I don't want to set her crate up there and be carrying her. When she gets her staples out maybe that can change. I don't want to sleep on the couch forever LOL but I won't sleep in a separate room from her.
So I just found the site and need to check out all your info - I just feel so guilty and am hoping that I did the right thing - the docs and techs assured me this was the best choice since though she is 14, she is sweet, smart, stubborn...euthanasia was not an option. But I see her bravely trying to get around...being so good, she is going to the bathroom outside...it breaks my heart.
How do you cope seeing your best pal in this condition? It is just me and her. I have taken tomorrow off of work to be with her but am sick about the next days..interviewing a pet sitter to visit her on Tuesday. I work a somewhat flexible schedule but since I had taken last week off (vacation) this week is extra busy.
Thank you all for listening.
Tracey & Tai
5:08 pm
Team Tripawds
Administrators
25 September 2009
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traceym said
How do you cope seeing your best pal in this condition?
1. Be More Dog
2. See #1.
But seriously, you need to be strong for Tai. She will follow your lead and what she needs most right now is to know that life will go on as normal.
Be sure to bookmark Jerry's Required Reading List for lots of helpful links or consider downloading the Tripawds e-books for fast answers to common concerns. Start here if you ever need help navigating the MANY resources this community has to offer.
Best wishes for Tai's speedy recovery. Please keep us posted your future forum posts will not require approval.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
5:39 pm
14 February 2016
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My Otis was diagnosed when he also broke his leg. He was just walking in our backyard. Please do not feel bad about whatever might have happened in the hotel. If it is osteosarcoma, the disease eats away at the bone so much that anything can cause a fracture. Nothing you did or did not do could have caused or prevented it.
You are probably in the hardest part of the recovery right now. Sometime around day 3 - 5, many dogs have a bit of a crash as the hospital meds wear off. Watch her pain signs, and feel free to call your vet if you think she is in pain. Many of us had to work with our vets to adjust pain meds. The good news is that many dogs really perk up when the staples come out, usually around day 10 or so. For now, rest and short leashed potty breaks are best. Before long, she will probably be doing everything she did before - perhaps just shorter walks. My Otis could chase cats and squirrels, go up and down stairs, sleep on the sofa, and steal food off the kitchen counters.
I slept on the first floor with Otis during recovery. I brought my mattress down for the first 2 weeks. After he started getting back up on the sofa, I added the box spring. We all moved back upstairs after he started doing stairs (although I did not use the frame - that extra 6 or so inches caused me to worry about him coming down with just one front leg).
Hang in there. You and Tai will make it through this!
Otis - 106 pound lab/Dane mix, lost his right front leg to osteosarcoma on Febuary 9, 2016. Four rounds of carboplatin completed in April, 2016. Lung mets August 25, 2016. Said goodbye too soon on September 4, 2016. Lost his adopted sister, Tess, suddenly on October 9, 2016. likely due to hemangiosarcoma.
Wherever they are, they are together.
8:28 pm
Moderators
Helpline Hosts
18 October 2009
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Hi and welcome.
Try and forget about the guilt. I hope Tai does not have cancer but it sounds like the leg was weak. There was no malice or intent on your part, accidents happen no matter how hard we try to prevent them.
It's much more important now to focus all your energy on being positive for Tai to get her through the recovery period. Sounds like Tai is doing well so far- something to celebrate!
But I see her bravely trying to get around...being so good, she is going to the bathroom outside...it breaks my heart.
Try looking at it this way- instead of breaking your heart let Tai amaze and inspire you!
I know how hard this is- when my pug Maggie lost her left back leg to a mast cell tumor I was kicking myself for not finding the tumor sooner. She had a tumor removed from her side about 6 months earlier so I thought I should have found the one in her knee sooner. But I didn't, and with the way mast cell tumors can swell quickly I might have found it soon after it was big enough to feel. The point is I didn't do anything wrong- it was the cancer's fault, not mine. It took me months before I gave myself a break and finally realized that Maggie was just getting on with her spoiled pug life and I was missing it!
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
Find me now on Tripawds Circle
Thanks for the encouragement. She ate this morning and let me know when she had to poop. Unfortunately she has dried poop stuck on her tail - the skin as well as hair (so happy I can talk about poop here!) and she doesn't want me touching back there. I tried with a warm wet cloth but she tried to run away and I don't want to cause more stress. I know I need to get it off her skin. I called my vet and they suggested puppy or baby wipes but I have neither. I don't want to leave her so I'm going to wait and see how quiet she gets - she had her meds a couple of hours ago (Carprofen and Gabapentin) and is resting now.
The couch isn't going to work for two weeks for sure! I'm going to bring my mattress downstairs. Though she eyes the couch - her domain (I've got it blocked off when I'm not on it) she shouldn't try to get on the mattress.
She let me know she needed to go out and then was so happy to be outside this morning - tail wagging and the weather is really nice now. I AM so proud of her. Then she gets tired, poor baby...I know when she's healed she'll try for a bit longer walk. She has arthritis so we have to be careful.
So glad I found this site! I know negative energy won't help her so I am trying to just think about what our next stage together will be. I am worried about leaving her tomorrow, even though there is a pet sitter coming.
Tracey & Tai
5:00 pm
Bucketeers
21 May 2016
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Hi Tracy and Tai 💜
It looks like your girl is doing well ~ tail wagging and going outside ~ it is so great to hear these news 👍🏼
Not so great about the 💩💩 stuck on her tail, amazing what we pawrents can talk about here 😁😆
Keep up the good work and updates ☺️
Sending you a big hug and cuddles up your princess 💕👑
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 :-)
5:02 pm
Bucketeers
21 May 2016
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I meant cuddles to your princess autocorrect is diabolical today 😈
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 :-)
5:36 pm
14 February 2016
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We celebrate poop here! Hopefully she will let you get it off soon! I think you will find the mattress much better for your back than the couch! And don't be surprised if she ends up on it right next to you. 
Otis - 106 pound lab/Dane mix, lost his right front leg to osteosarcoma on Febuary 9, 2016. Four rounds of carboplatin completed in April, 2016. Lung mets August 25, 2016. Said goodbye too soon on September 4, 2016. Lost his adopted sister, Tess, suddenly on October 9, 2016. likely due to hemangiosarcoma.
Wherever they are, they are together.
Thanks so much for the hugs and poop icons and everything else It means a lot to be able to talk here. I should start a blog and can then ramble.
Haha - she is indeed eyeing the mattress, but it would be a small jump for her for so no go until the staples come out and the doc says it's OK. I managed to clean her tail and now I'm worried because she hasn't pooped today (love little poop icon!). She is peeing outside no problem and is eating no problem. Still on her meds so maybe that is the cause. Hopefully she will poop tomorrow, or even tonight - I have pee pads all over the living room. She does not sleep in her crate because she leaves her incision alone and is right next to me.
So the crate - sigh - I did have to put her in it (with the e-collar on, just in case) because I went to work. I had a pet sitter come by to let her out for two hours and that went well, except that Tai was stressed from the crate. She is not used to being in a crate but I have no other choice right now. All told today she was probably in the crate about 3 hrs; the next few days will be the same (3-4).
Even once she is healed, I cannot trust her not to jump on things - I have a living room picture window with a ledge around it and she would stand on that (I used to put an ottoman on it for her to sit on, but will probably get rid of it; can't get rid of the ledge though). Maybe some kind of indoor fence? I don't want to crate her and can't afford a pet sitter forever. She used to come to work with me 2 days per week and I'll keep that up if the doc says it is OK for her travel. I've downloaded a couple of e-books here and will check for ideas..if anyone wants to share an idea I'm all for it 
Thank you thank you so much!! It's an adjustment for us both to get used to the new normal.
8:39 pm
Moderators
Helpline Hosts
18 October 2009
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A couple of ideas.
You might try a small set of stairs up to the ottoman and ledge so she can look out her window. I have several sets of small steps or stools around my house so Elly can get up on the furniture she is allowed on. Elly is a small pug mix who lost a back leg after being hit by a car.
If you need to keep her off of things you might get an <a href="