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.
Join The Tripawds Community
Learn how to help three legged dogs and cats in the forums below. Browse and search as a guest or register for free and get full member benefits:
Instant post approval.
Private messages to members.
Subscribe to favorite topics.
Live Chat and much more!
Register
Log In
Members
Add Topic
Offline
Hey , i came across yall's sit looking up rear leg amputation and i was nervous before but there's alot of great success stories here and thought i would share my story and get some advice. Cheeko is a German shepard cross Rotti had him sense he was 8 weeks lol bought him for 50 bucks at a truck stop best 50 bucks i ever spent , he just turned 14 in august this year and hes had problems with his rear leg at the knee joint due to a tumor that keeps coming back , ive had it removed twice but before it would grow on the side of his leg and when removed they tested it and it was benign and said was alot of vessels , he did great after went back to his normal self then about 1 1/2 yrs later it grew back but on the inside and has taken over the knee joint , im just not sure what to do i want to say amputation and help him recover but hes a big dog 100 lb and he seems to sometimes struggle gettin up on 2 much less 1 and i guess what im asking is he going to do good as a tripawed or is it mean to do this to him at his age and size , he going to the vet at 3 today for them to look and see what is possible but i know they can't remove it without amputation . He lost his best bud a year ago to a massive seizure she was a pug named poodles and she passed away at 5 1/2 yrs old due to a horrible vet , she had a seizure in the middle of the night about 130 am and we called the vet and he instructed us that she just had a seizure and give her some time and she will be fine he said about a hr she will be back to normal ... 1 hr later she passed away .... we never went back to that vet (dr stevens rusk tx ) we found a new vet where we go now and they treated us with compasion about our dog passing away , rusk vet never even called back after we told him she passed ....
Hi and welcome. I'm sorry Cheeko is dealing with this, but you're in good company and many of us have been in your situation. This forum is a good place to learn about large, older Tripawds so I hope you don't mind I moved your post here.
i guess what im asking is he going to do good as a tripawed or is it mean to do this to him at his age and size ,
There are no right or wrong choices in this, because every dog is different. Your vet can give you their opinion about whether or not he's a candidate. But at his age, it's always good to have a second opinion, especially because it sounds like has existing mobility issues? Many people, even vets, will instantly dismiss a dog his age and size as good candidates for amputation. But a second opinion can help you decide if it's right for him. For the majority of dogs, age is just a number as long as their overall health is good.
I encourage you to visit Jerry's Required Reading List . It will answer many of your questions and help you decide what to do. For now, our pawesome community will chime in shortly so stay tuned OK? And let us know how the vet visit goes.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
thanks yall have a great site and inspiring stories and makes it easier to see the road ahead , we took cheeko to the vet today and well we knew his lump had a pin whole leak and we wraped it up when we saw it and that was a day ago and when the vet removed it the skin had started to rip cause of being stretched out from the lump so we got to set up a time in the next few days to have it amputated, the vet said he thinks he would do ok on 3 he said atleast he wasn't bigger then he was weighed in at 92 lb hes lost a few last time he was in he was right at 100 so its good he lost a few , the vet was concerned that it might of spread further and wanted to do x rays of his lungs to see if they were clear and luck would have it his lungs came back clean said they looked like a older dogs lungs but nothing to worry about he was healthy and he said he would give him a 50/50 shot he would do ok . cheeko is older but healthy and has been a inside dog sense he was a pup he loves to just be lazy and lay next to ya as long as you don't mind the occasional silent .... lol , so were going to start getting things together to help his recovery going to order one of those support harnesses from yall's website the one at the top of the page with the extra padding think that will come in handy helping him up and anything else , going to get some extra dog beds he has 3 right now but thought we would get him a few more and put 2 beds together in his fav spots so if he happens to fall theres more area covered to cushin him .. i was worried alot about how hes going to react but i think if i don't act like nothing has changed he will just go on being him , hes been the best dog ive ever had and hes came all they way from canada to here in east tx , i was a little taken back that he said it would be between 900-1,300 to have it done but said they could do payment plans so that was a big relief ... but im rambling its been a long day and a emotional roller coaster but all will be good in the end we hope ..
Sorry you find yourself here, but u der the circumstances there is no better place to be for support, information, and understanding.
Yes, surgery has risk. Whether human or dog, there are risks. This stupid piece of crap disease makes us have to take risks because we owe it to our dogs and cats to give them chance! While the decision isn't an easy one, that's for sure, to not try would be something that most of us here would find unbearable, regardless of the outcome.
Does your Vet have overnight care? If not, you may want to consider transferring hpCheeko to a 24/7 clinic where he can be monitored for a night or two.
For whatever it's worth, I can think of three dogs right off the bat who were between thirteen and fourteen years "young" who adjusted to three legs just fine and had great extended quality time! Franklin, Sam and Shooter.
Recovery is no picnic. Sometimes it's more "challenging" for older puos and they may take a bit longer. Your Vet will se d you home with Tramadol, Rimadyl, and a antibiotic and probabw Gabapentin. It's major surgery and it hurts, but the pain meds can help greatly with that.
We're here for you the whole way, okay? Stay connected! YOU ARE NOT ALONE! You have made the decision and now you a dre Cheeko can move forward. And remember, Cheeko isn't worried about a thing! All he cares about is treats, loving, spoiling and snuggling in all his dog beds...or on the sofa with you!! 🙂
Lots of love and 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!
I'm so glad your vet thinks he's a good candidate, and that the vet is willing to do payment plans. That's terrific. Yes, keep Cheeko lean and that will make it so much easier for him to get around.
i was worried alot about how hes going to react but i think if i don't act like nothing has changed he will just go on being him ,
YES! You are correct. We call that learning how to "Be More Dog ." The more you can normalize his situation, the better off he'll be.
The best thing you can do right now is just make sure your home doesn't have any slippery floors. Block off any areas with stairs by using baby gates. Keep plenty of old towels handy in case his incision leaks (if it does, no need to panic, it's usually only a seroma ). He won't be able to use a harness until his stitches are out but you can assist him with a canvas grocery bag sling in the meantime.
Also, check with your vet about what pain medication Cheeko will be given. At the very least he should come home with Tramadol and a NSAID like Rimadyl. Ideally you'll want him to have Gabapentin too. They're all relatively inexpensive medications. A Fentanyl Pain patch is also optimal.
Let us know what other questions you have.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
My Otis was 106 pounds pre-amp, and 96 post-amp, with mild arthritis in his hips, and he did just fine on 3. Our dogs can really amaze us with their adaptability. A harness can also help - we used the Ruffwear Webmaster Plus harness (you can see it in the gear blog). Good luck working through all of 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.
1 Guest(s)
