Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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I hope I am not posting too often or sharing too much info, but now that I know how to post pics.... Also have to share a couple of stories about this experience. These would leave my vet appalled, I am sure, and maybe even some of you. Both happened yesterday. I had taken her outside for a bathroom break w/out a leash because it was hard enough to get her to go outside, much less worry about her going anywhere. WRONG! She saw our neighbor and their new pup at our fence and jogged -- yes, jogged! -- right up the hill to them for some through-the-fence sniffs and howyadoings. Luckily, the staples held. Won't forget the leash again....
Then later, she was napping in the family room so I thought I could sneak upstairs for a quick shower. Tess decided to use the time to her advantage and nosed open the door to the basement that had been inadvertently left open. When I couldn't find her after a 5 minute absence, tops, I started to panic and there she was at the bottom of the stairs, snoozing away happily in one of her favorite places! She had made it -- apparently -- all the way down w/out incident! Staples again held. Now I know I shouldn't necessarily be bragging about not monitoring her well, but she seems incredibly resilient and strong and positive. She is healing quickly from her Thursday surgery. And she is helping to heal me as well.
I have written about all of this in my personal blog (http://robertbo.....e.com/blog) Here is a photo of Tessa on her first day post-amp in her full regalia.
Cost of surgery was estimated at $2800-$3500 and ended at $3510. That number does not include the $1100 for the diagnosis and biopsy procedure.
I love the see-through outfit. Even a see-through cone!
Tessa's obviously feeling really good to take advantage of the situation to go on a couple of adventures. I'm sure your vet is used to these kind of stories and won't think poorly of you. Four days after her leg amputation, my kitty Mona whose was crazy from pain meds, crashed through my screen door and I didn't find her for over 24 hours. Needless to say I was majorly stressed.
I believe Mona was in pain and afraid and went to hide, compared to your dog who is feeling great and went on a little joyful romp to celebrate. I'm glad the stitches held.
Happy healing Tessa.
Kerren and Tripawd Kitty Mona
Never apologize for sharing too much information! There is no such thing. 😊
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Too funny! Since we are confessing...one time with Bandit I went to the bathroom...like you thinking nothing of it. Came back and he was on the Couch! Not supposed to get up there yet but there he was in his favorite spot. Sounds like things are going well for you! I too like the see through attire!
How is Miss Tessa doing?? Still coming along leaps and bounds, I hope?
Lisa and Pofi
Lisa, Minneapolis
On October 27, 2016, nearly 6 months after amputation, and 18 months since his cancer likely started, we lost Pofi to a recurrence of Soft Tissue Sarcoma in his spine quite suddenly. His canine sister also succumbed to cancer on March 1, 2019 - we lavished her with our love in the interim, but life was never quite the same without her only real canine friend. Cliff kitty had to leave us, too, suddenly, in August 2019. Lucia kitty grieved all these losses, but helped us welcome two new Lurchers into our home and our lives, Shae and Barley.
Catching up on the amazing Tess! OMD! What a feisty and determined girl!!
I know her little antics were quite scary to you....but quite uplifting to Tess! And, truth be told, it had to be uplifting to you to see her return to some normal routines!
Your Tess is a beautiful girl. Update when you can...And keep those pictures coming!
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!
Otis jumped up on the sofa as soon as the staples came out - surgeon had said wait until about 1 month. The sofa is his favorite place in the world and he looked so happy. I did what every responsible pet parent would do - took pictures! And my Tess, the day after cruciate surgery, slithered up on the mattress with me (a big no-no in our post op notes), but again, she looked like she really needed to be there so I let her.
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.
UPDATE: Tessa is doing well; thanks for the continued support and comments. Since summer is nearly here and since Tessa insists on wearing a black fur coat in the heat, I think the main thing that's left is that she doesn't last long. We will walk down a house or three, she'll do her business and then she aims toward home again. (Plus, she is fearful of thunder and rain, but that's for another post....). That and she seems to be falling a bit more as she gains confidence, which may not make sense, but that is how it seems to me She fell a couple of times getting her in the car (she can get out just fine), so we bought a ramp. It folds, so it is a little bouncy, and so far I haven't been able to coax her on it. I have tried inside the house, but nothing yet. Have to find more valuable tempters because I simply can't lift her every time. Other than that, she is doing fine. I still ache when I look at her and realize what she is missing. Sometimes I imagine she misses her leg the way I miss it, but I know that that is not the case....
Did you get a harness? I love the Ruffwear Webmaster Plus harness - it might help you with some of the lifting and balancing. And great news that she is doing so well.
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.
Yes, we did get one, but she hates it and she was getting in the car fine for awhile. Then after a couple of swings-and-a-miss with her non-leg, I think she is freaking out a bit. Thanks for the reminder. I will try it again.
Glad to hear things are overall pretty darn good!
The falling could be the result of her just working so hard right now. It takes time to do the old things, even simple ones like getting in and out of the car. I agree, the Webmaster harness handle will do wonders for her confidence and yours.
Most dogs are averse to ramps due to their difficulty in gauging depth from high places. Don't be too disappointed if she doesn't get it.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi all: Just wanted you to know that our sweet girl Tessa had her cancer come back and attack her lungs. She lost her left rear leg to it first, and then lost her breathing capacity, so we had to put her down Dec. 8. The vet said we could get 6 mos or we could get 3 years, with an avg of 1.5 years. Tessa made almost 7 months. Total cost was a little over $5K, by the time it was over. Quality of life? It was tough on me to see her with that missing leg, but she didn't mind nearly as much. She couldn't do as much, but it did keep her from jumping on the "good" couch! Would we do again if we had to start over? Frankly, no, we would not. It hurt too much to see her limitations and then the end game made everything tougher because she had to work so hard to do simple things. Ultimately, I would rather she had not gone out as a tripawd. She seemed sad at the end, which was the hardest part. Your mileage may vary..... Thanks for all the support when I really needed it.
Bob
So sorry to hear of Tessa's passing. It is so hard at the end, and especially when you don't get as much time as you had hoped. My Otis also had almost 7 months after his amp. It is really hard. But, very glad that she got her time on the good couch! We will be thinking about you and your family.
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.
Oh Bob and faminly, we are all so saddened to hear that Tessa had to head ro the Bridge...so cery, very sprry. Our hearts break every time, every single time we lose one of iur family members.
You gave Tessa the most selfless gift we can give when their earthly body no longer serves them. Tessa knew you loved her enough to do that for her when she showed you she was ready.
The intensity of this journeynis not anything anyone could begin to understand unless they've been through it. We KNOW how much you loved Tessa and we KNOW how much you were willing to do for her. And goodness knows, you did EVERYTHING possible! EVERYTHING!!
This nasty liece of crap ddisease is so unpredictable and it makes up its own vicious rules as it goes along. All we can do is TRY! And yiu indeed, did TRY, and so did your magnificent Tessa!! She got through her recovery and she got on enjoying her life. The "limitations" that we perceive are more a human emotion than a dog emotion.
Tessa didn't care if her walks weren't as far. She really didn't. She cared that she was with her family getting extended time for tummy rubs and treats and sunbathing. She cared that she could sneak down the basement stairs and get in her favorite spot while you weren't looking. She cared about all that extra loving and spoiling she was getting. She cared she wasn't hurtin. She cared she could go jog to the fence and excitedly greet the neighbor's puppy. Tessa never even cared about the days in a calendar. She just cared that she had the best life a dog could ever have with the best humans a dog could ever had. And she cared that you loved her enough to release her when she told you she was ready.
The void will be unbearable for awhile. The break in routine will hurt for awhile. The broken heart and tears will be with you for awhile.
But bit by bit, ever so slowly, all those happy memories you shared will help heal your heart and push the sadness further into the background. I may not seem possible now, but it will happen.
Right now your emotions are so raw and the pain is so deep, it's hard to reflect on all the good times you had...and yiu did, indeed have good times! I'm sure Tessa is bragging about all the fun she had to eeveryone who greeted her at the Bridge! And Tessa wouldn't have traded rhat special time with you for anything!!
When you can, please share more about your beautiful Tessa, with lictures too! She touched us all from day one...beautiful on the outside, yes, of course. But so beautiful on the inside. We could see it.
Holding you and your family in our hearts
Sally and My Chunky Spiritual Being Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie
PS. I'm pretty sure when Tessa arrived at the Bridge, the first thing she saw was a whole smorgasbord of "good couches" made just for her!
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!
Thank you so much! Tessa was a rescue lab, and we had to overcome some issues she retained from what was apparent mistreatment from her original owners. But I think that was why she was so sweet (EVERYONE used that word to describe her!) to everyone who treated her well. She is no doubt at the Rainbow Bridge, romping on all fours with our other lab, Nika, whom we lost to cancer eight years ago at age three and a half. I am glad they have each other while they wait on us to walk with them over the Bridge. And yes, there are no doubt "good" couches for both of them to relax on.
I will post a photo or two if someone would kindly remind he how to do that. I remember it was a tad convoluted.
Thanks again for the kind words.
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