It’s not every day that a fifteen year-old Tripawd celebrates her three year ampuversary!
Yes, you read that right: September marks our friend Calpurnia’s three year ampuversary after losing her leg to a soft tissue sarcoma. Wooo hooo Cali, congratulations!
Cali also happens to be one of our earliest Tripawds members (from a time when we didn’t even have Discussion Forums).
Yes, Calpurnia is especially dear to our hearts.
This winter, Cali the Queen is heading to Alaska, to live as an Alaskan sled dog. Can life get any better? May this very special working girl live life to the fullest in the great white north, and continue inspiring all of us for a long, long time!
Three cheers for Calpurnia! Hip! Hip! Hoooooorrrraaaaay!
Does your vet know about the world’s biggest community for 3-legged dogs and their humans?
Whenever you meet a vet, or someone who works in a vet’s office, be sure to let them know about Tripawds, by passing along a stack of Tripawds business cards, or one of these nifty countertop displays.
These cards and displays are pawsible thanks to everypawdy’s generosity during our Annual Tripawds Campaign. Thank you!
Tripawds’ motive with these outreach materials is to spread the word, but our other objective is to find veterinarians who can take a few minutes out of their day to help alleviate the more technical concerns of pawrents, in our Ask a Vet Discussion Forum.
Since 2008, TazzieDog has generously staffed this forum, but it would be fantastic if more vets could chime in to help free up some of her time. We know how busy vets are, and are grateful for any level of participation they might be able to offer, either in the Forum or in a monthly “Ask a Vet” Live Chat.
Each year, there comes a time when most public service organizations must do something they would rather not, especially during hard times. Today, it’s our turn. We hate to ask. But we need help keeping the lights on in the doghouse!
Love Alone Can’t Pay the Bills
Tripawds is my pawrent’s full-time volunteer labor of love, but as you know, love alone can’t pay the bills. All year long, we do our best to bring you Tripawd resources and support that can help your best friend.
Our primary funding for this unique and wonderful community is through the few cents we receive from purchases made through our Tripawds store and affiliate links.
But it is your ongoing generuos support that has allowed us to do things like:
Pay for website technical support. Much of what makes Tripawds run is way over my Dad’s head and without it, this site would be quite different and not nearly as interactive.
Purchase Tripawds outreach materials to help spread the word. From posters we send to veterinary offices, to business cards mailed to members who request them, Tripawds’ message is getting around.
Donate to the Morris Animal Foundation’s K9 Cancer Walks in Estes Park and Sacramento.
Waive the return shipping cost of harnesses for Tripawds who didn’t use them, because they didn’t make it through amputation surgery.
We would like to expand these efforts, but we need your help…
Click the ChipIn widget above to help us reach our goal with a quick and secure PayPal contribution.
For those pawrents who have sent us gifts recently, please don’t feel obligated to help with this campaign. We’d love for others who haven’t yet had the chance to get involved to extend a helping paw, if they can.
Tripawds needs to raise $8,245 within the next three months!
This amount will help us cover our ongoing site maintenance costs and allow us to increase our public awareness efforts through:
Website hosting, security and infrastructure improvements to keep things running smoothly
Additional outreach materials for members and vet offices
Exhibiting at a few dog events throughout the year to help raise awareness of the support Tripawds has to offer
Supporting the Morris Animal Foundation and other canine cancer organizations, and more!
And while $8,245 still won’t pay my pawrents any sort of salary, it will enable them to cover the basic costs of running Tripawds, while giving them time to chase down an income elsewhere, using their writing and graphic design talents.
Give $50 or more and you’ll be entered into a drawing for an autographed copy of “Guardians of Being“ by MUTTs creator and Tripawds friend, Patrick McDonnell!
This powerful book with words by Eckhart Tolle is a passionate, humorous, enlightening meditation on the power and grace that animals can bring into our daily lives, and we’re sure you’ll love it. Patrick signed the book for one lucky Tripawds contributor when we met him at the Tattered Cover in Denver.
Anything You Can Spare Will Help!
If you’ve read this far, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We hesitate to ask for help from our members, because we understand the financial burdens of paying for canine medical care. But the upside is, we only do it once a year.
Whatever you can give, even if it’s just $5, will help keep the Tripawds Community up and running smoothly. We understand these are hard times for many, and we are so thankful for any amount you can give.
With much love,
Rene, Jim, Wyatt Ray & Spirit Jerry
PS: If – And that’s a big IF – we were seeking a salary (of just $8.50 per hour) to maintain the Tripawds community, we would need to raise $24,752 with this campaign. Any support you can provide for our labor of love is sincerely appreciated.
Please help us reach our goal by clicking the ChipIn widget below to safely contribute with a secure PayPal contribution:
We love how whenever a new user joins Tripawds, community members will often point them to various places throughout this site that can help answer their questions!
But over the past few years, tripawds.com has grown to include a wealth of helpful information that often goes overlooked. So in our continuing efforts to provide the best advice and support for those facing amputation for their dogs, we have developed the following Tripawds Required Reading List.
This compilation of links provides answers to many of the most commonly asked questions about canine cancer and amputation for dogs.
Now, whenever a new pawrent is looking for advice, you can just point them here!
Believe it or not, this extensive list is just a small sampling of informative posts from the Tripawds Featured Blogs. Much more advice can be found by searching the discussion forums.
Bookmark this post now for easy reference! And please reply with links to other Tripawds blog posts and forum topics you have found helpful. Thank you for helping us help others.
NOTE: Posts identified with an exclamation mark may be especially helpful to new members and guests seeking answers.
Here at last, the first ever comprehensive treatment and recovery survey about canine amputation and cancer care. Many thanks to our Tripawds members who contributed to the creation of this important ongoing project.
Please take a moment to complete Part One below. Submit it by midnight on Sunday, February 21st and you’ll be entered into a drawing where one lucky pawrent will get a $10 Café Cash gift certificate valid for any Café Press items including Tripawds apparel and gifts!
This powerful essay, written by Denver lawyer Doug Koktavy, helped Mom and Dad by finally convincing them that blame, fear, anger and guilt are a waste of precious time when living with cancer.
“. . . I realized my fear of the disease was the fuel that was being used against me. Devilishly clever, my biggest enemy was not the disease, but me. I was the power source being used to generate the very negative energy destroying my own being and wasting a special day with my beloved dog.
This paradoxical contradiction was glaring. I had thought the growing presence of disease was causing my mounting fear. In fact, just the opposite was occurring. My daily increasing fear was causing the disease to grow and become more powerful. I decided it was high time to start working for me and the Beez, not against us.”
Doug’s story brought tears to my pawrents eyes, and his straightforward coping pointers gave them the motivation they needed to get on with life.
His essay is one of the most powerful tools around for coping with serious illness in our animal friends.
“Not only is it so well written that you become a bystander observing the story from within, but the compassion for the vital connection we share with this wonderful kingdom oozes out of and between the lines.”
–Martin Goldstein, DVM, author, The Nature of Animal Healing, and host, Ask Martha’s Vet, Martha Stewart Living Radio
Proceeds Benefit the Tripawds Community
With this book, big-hearted Doug has set out to accomplish two impawtant things:
Help you cope with your best friend’s terminal illness, and
Help companion animal groups by donating forty percent of the proceeds for each book sold.
For every copy of “The Legacy of Beezer and Boomer,” purchased here, Doug will donate $10 to Tripawds! We are so excited about his generous offer to help us maintain this community.
We recently had the opportunity to talk with Doug about his book and this is what he had to say about The Legacy of Beezer and Boomer. Check out our video interview above, then be sure to head on over to BeezerAndBoomer.com, and get your copy today!
Our recent Ask A Vet chat with Dr. Michael Lucroy was a big hit with Tripawds members! The discussion was informative and continues with this chat transcript topic in the forums.
Many thanks to Dr. Lucroy for providing some insightful answers and interesting ideas about the diagnosis and available treatments for canine cancer. Especially interesting to note was his discussion of NSAID use prior to amputation for cancer dogs…
‹oncovet› Starting on NSAIDs (Rimadyl, Deramaxx, Previcox, etc.) will make dogs with arthritis and early bone cancer more comfortable. If bone cancer is there, using NSAIDs first simply delays diagnosis.
He also had some excellent advice for those dealing with possible spinal metastasis in their pups…
‹oncovet› Spinal metastasis do occur in osteosarcoma. About 5% to 10% of dogs will have metastasis at diagnosis. Almost all dogs develop them later. The use of chemotherapy tends to increase the risk for bony metastasis. In the spine, we generally have fewer surgical options, so we go for pain control. That often means radiation therapy in combination with pamidronate or similar bisphosphonate drugs.
Other issues addressed included the use of Artemisinin and Metronomic therapy for fighting cancer and treatment options for subcutaneous metastasis, or subq mets. More information can be found in the transcript and Dr. Lucroy’s new book, The No Nonsense Guide to Cancer in Pets, or his veterinary oncology blog.
Stay tuned for the next live chat, or drop by to see if anyone is online now. You can usually find my pack hanging around the chat room most evenings but we can’t always be there, so schedule your own anytime!
At Tripawds, many of us are three legged dogs because we are battling cancer. Sometimes it seems like we go through periods of time in the Tripawds Discussion Forums, when all we hear is sad news about our friends’ cancer battles.
We all know that life has its ups and downs. We would not exist without both good and bad. Life and death are the yin and yang of the Universe. We dogs try not to focus too much on this though, and strive for that perfect balance of living in the moment.
But humans, on the other hand, don’t often see life like we do. Many struggle with the conflict at Nature’s core. Occasionally we hear from Tripawd pawrents who feel guilty about sharing the good news they have, when there’s a glut of “bad news” in the Forums. When the current mood of discussions is somewhat somber, these kind pawrents feel as if they shouldn’t shine a light on their own tripawds who are doing well.
Silly humans, don’t you know we need your pawsitive energy and happy thoughts here all the time? And when tears are being shed and it seems like life can’t get any darker, that’s when we need your pawsitivity most!
Try to be more Dog and remember, life is too short to walk around with angst and feelings of guilt. Share all your experiences and thoughts, whether you view them as good and bad, happy or sad. Please spread the love as much as pawsible, there will always be someone looking for uplifting inspiration.
This is part three in a series about our tour of Colorado State University’s Animal Cancer Care Center. Don’t miss part one and part two.
Tripawd pawrents are all too familiar with the reactions they get when they tell family and friends that their pup has cancer, and they’re ready to do what they can to fight it. If the word “amputation” comes into the conversation, reactions can be downright hurtful.
“You’re being selfish! Why would you do that to a dog?”
“Dogs aren’t meant to live like that!”
“You should put him out of his misery right now.”
Most Tripawd pawrents have heard these kind of reactions from well-intentioned humans. Their opinions hurt, leaving us feeling abandoned in an overwhelming new world of canine cancer.
Each year, over 1000 people talk to counselors on the phone and visit in person, all of them seeking ways in which to cope with their animal companion’s illness, from understanding the diagnosis, to making end-of-life decisions.
Whether you are in the first days of learning about your Tripawd’s diagnosis, or are grieving over his loss, you don’t even have to be a client at CSU’s vet hospital to participate. Anyone can receive counseling services just by contacting the Argus Institute them or calling 970-297-1242.
Although the telephone consultation service is free, donations to this non-profit organization are greatly appreciated.
If you’re not quite ready to talk to a human on the phone, the Argus Institutes’s website has a wealth of information about Coping with Sick Animals, Pet Loss Resources, Children and Pets, and more.
The Pet Hospice Program
If you are lucky enough to live within 30 minutes of the Argus Institute, you can also get help through the Argus Institute student-run “Pet Hospice Program.” As the first of its kind in the nation, the program supports families who are coping with their pet’s terminal illness.
CSU’s veterinary school student volunteers act as case managers for clients. They work with local veterinarians to provide clients and companion animals with in-home palliative care at no additional cost. Families can receive visits weekly, or sometimes even daily if necessary.
Case managers provide in-home nursing care, assess the animal’s comfort, and give support and educational resources to help the family in assessing quality of life, and ultimately, making end of life decisions as well. After each visit, the veterinarian is given a full report from case managers.
Research has proven that when vets and clients share in the decision-making process together, improved medical outcomes tend to follow. Yet, most vets enter the profession with little or no formal training in client communication skills.
The Argus Institute seeks to bridge this gap, by teaching veterinary professionals how to make the emotional support of their human clients as much a priority as the medical care of their animal patients. At CSU, communication training has been a part of the core curriculum of all veterinary students since 2006.
As companion animals play an even bigger role in our lives, the non-profit Argus Institute will be there to help us and our vets become better communicators with each another. No matter where you live, we hope you will keep this exceptional organization in mind when you are seeking information and support for your Tripawd’s medical situation.
Every day new Tripawd pawrents join us to gather information and consolation from other three legged dog families.
Earlier this year, one new member, Athena, came to us to share her story. Coincidentally, she also happened to live in the same area that we do, Fort Collins Colorado.
Earlier this year, Athena was given the devastating diagnosis of osteosarcoma. Luckily though, she lives just a few blocks from the Animal Cancer Center.
We recently caught up with Athena and her Mom, Esther, and learned about the allopathic and holistic treatments she is receiving, including Reiki therapy.
Athena’s primary care vet is one of the leading animal pain management specialists, Dr. Robin Downing, in Windsor, Colorado. This lucky Dane is also fortunate enough to participate in CSU’s Gene Therapy Clinical Trial (gene therapy uses specific genes that are carried into cells to fight cancer).
As you will see in the video, neither amputation nor cancer will stop this giant breed three legged girldog from enjoying life. Athena is larger than life, and absolute proof that even big dogs can make great Tripawds!
Join the forum discussion on this topic.
Cali also happens to be one of our earliest Tripawds members (from a time when we didn’t even have Discussion Forums).
May this very special working girl live life to the fullest in the great white north, and continue inspiring all of us for a long, long time!
NOTE: Posts identified with an exclamation mark may be especially helpful to new members and guests seeking answers.
If you are lucky enough to live within 30 minutes of the Argus Institute, you can also get help through the 
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