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.
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I’m happy to hear today went well!! Big relief today you can go forward now.
They sent Purrkins leg away too and you want them to they will be able to determine the type of cancer. Just a guideline on how it may be and that you got clean margins.
Very NICE they showed you the operating room & where Bubbie will be I agree with Kerren that will bring you comfort having a visual ! I didn’t get to see ours.
I’m so happy to hear you have planned the pain meds. I just feel like we need a little warning to advocate for our animals we see far too many not have the right amount of pain meds. We are running back in panic mode for more as our animal is in pain. We were one of them!! It's not something I wish for any of our kitties & shouldn't happen.
Your doing great, great on the stairs and litterbox, If you have any issue with the onesie post here or blog or PM me whatever works. They worked great for Purrkins we didn’t need the cone. We have had several members make them so far & they worked for them too!
Yes you can have brochures sent to the clinic, http://tripawds...../outreach/
We sent them to our Vets, the Vets don’t see the after care WE DO so it is helpful to send the brochures !
Have any questions before wed please ask.
Hugs,& Chick-fil-a for Bubbie
Holly & Purkins
Oh my YES to the pain meds. I too got stuck like Holly, three times! Huckleberry paid for it every time. With any luck they will just set you up with 2 weeks of pain meds and be done with it. It kills me to think anybody could amputate a limb and think three days of pain meds would suffice, mine did. It will be a long couple of weeks post op, like a roller coaster ride of emotions as she recovers but you are setting everything up to win, good job 😊
Take care,
Jackie, David, and Prince Huckleberry❤
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry 
THIS is great news...Everybody is on board the Bubbie train and this is so important. Don't be afraid of the recovery either. Everybody has different experiences. Honestly, aside from working out the right sort of toilet for a two-pawed cat, Three Paw sailed through recovery. The cone did not bother her. She ate. She ran when she was permitted. She slept. For me getting rid of litter and using puppy pads instead worked perfectly and we still do it now. I made a toilet out of a big dog bed ( the plastic kind with a low lip) and I line it with a large puppy pad twice a day and Three Paw uses it with no problems. She can go in different corners of the bed and it soaks everything up.
You are gonna rock this I know it.
And your Bubbie has a good chance of kicking this thing too. Will they give her follow-up chemo?
Heh..I asked for Three Paw's leg btw and it is buried under her favourite tree.
I always feel happy when I hear about courageous owners taking a chance with their family members. You re giving your Bubbie the best gift you could. LIFE.
xoxox
Just catching up on your precious Bubbie! And by being late to the pawty, the knly thing left for me to say is WELCOME' and DITTO, DITTO DITTO!
You've gotten excellent information and, as you can tell, we are all here ro support you in any way you need. I'm hopping in the BUBBIE TRAIN too!
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!
Side note: The surgeon told me he didn't know my background, but that I seemed very informed...so I told him all about you guys on Tripawds and he said he had heard of this site!
Awww thanks for sharing that, it's so nice to hear! Who is the surgeon? And yep, we'd be happy to send the clinic our outreach brochures.
We are glad to hear that you got your questions answered and found a terrific place to get treatment. I love that they showed you around the clinic, that is the sign of a top-notch practice.
Keep us posted and whatever questions you have just ask OK?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Good morning, everyone, thank you so much for all of the warm wishes!!
Jackie, how is that supplement working out for Huckleberry?
Admin Jerry - Bubbie's surgeon is Dr. Peter Lotsikas in Frederick, MD. They do a lot of great work with dogs who have orthopedic/ligament/leg injuries. Extremely impressed with their practice (Skylos) and I will print out some brochures to take in with me. 
Bubbie's surgery is tomorrow morning. I get her back Thursday if all goes smoothly. I am working on making Holly's onesies for Bubbie and will finish setting up the recovery room tomorrow. Her vet actually emailed yesterday to say she was getting a gabapentin prescription for her that I can pick up to make sure she has enough pain management
meds. Bubbie has a great team/support system between her doctors and Tripawds! 
I am getting really nervous; this is especially hard, because ever since the tumor was removed a couple of weeks ago, Bubbie seems to be feeling fantastic. It's really hard to send her into a life-altering surgery/major recovery when she seems to be doing so well. I know it is the best for her long-term...but isn't making it any easier. I know none of us want to see our babies struggling and I have a feeling everyone questions this decision at some point.
Thanks again, everyone. I will be back with updates once I have them!
Good morning!
Try to stay calm and enjoy your Bubbie today. I swear animals just know when we stress! Huck was awful the morning of his surgery, but I may as well have had a broom for the frame of mind and mood that I was in
He has been taking the Zylkene for about a week l now. He is doing well. I'm not sure how much is him just growing some roots and feeling better or if its the supplement. I'm still watching him for phantom pain , he is a very aggressive bather and I don't know if that's just him. Will be thinking of you, please let us know how she does!
Hugs,
Jackie, David, and Huckleberry
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry
Good Morning,
Enjoy today and snuggle your Bubbie and of course your terrified we all were in those shoes.
We have to be strong for them & you can be. You will find strength you didn't know you had! Animals do sense our emotions so do the best you can to bury those! I cried after we dropped Purrkins off !
Maybe try a onesie on her today and see how she reacts. Purrkins didn’t mind at all. Not all kitties are as cooperative as Purrkins is? He tried it on before his surgery and wore his the entire 14 days with no issues. He has worn it since too?
Purrkins stayed several nights at MSU he was in great care, but I do believe he would of been better coming home sooner. The first day home (the first hour) I had the what have I done moment !
AFTER that I never have since!! Really the only reason I had it the first hour was because Purrkins never moved in the hospital when I got him home and he went to get out of the carrier he flopped all over like a fish. Panic is a understatement, be prepared Bubbie MIGHT have some flopping. Or what we call face planting here. I look back and know Purrkins was so drugged and so relieved to be home and then his first time trying to get around without his leg was all of involved in his fish flopping. There is a relearning process some cats don’t skip a beat some do. Just know that ok. Kerren told me in recovery anything goes. I will never forget that Kerren;) So true !!
If you panic jump on with us ok!! Bubbie will be in great hands. Our best advice for you is to get some rest when Bubbie is staying at the hospital . You will need a reserve for when you get her home.
Please shout if you have any questions with the onesie ok, you can post here or Purrkins blog or PM me I will get any of those! I made several and changed Purrkins every day and always checked the incision every day.
You are doing this for Bubbie NOT to Bubbie this is the only shot you have to get rid of the cancer. Don’t doubt yourself ok. FOR BUBBIE!
We will be thinking of you guys & sending pawsitive thoughts your way for surgery! Please let us know when you get a update!
Hugs Holly & Purrkins❤️
Oh my gosh you bet everyone doubts their decision at first. But usually it doesn't last long. Bubbie is getting terrific care and has everything on her side. Breathe, and remember this is always harder on the people.
Regarding:
Extremely impressed with their practice (Skylos) and I will print out some brochures to take in with me.
Thank you! But if you fill out our Tripawds Foundation brochure request form we'll get some printed ones over to you or the clinic, whichever you prefer. We appreciate your spreading the word!
Best wishes to you both today, keep us posted.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thinking of your guys today!
Remember to breathe in thru your nose and out of your mouth! Breathe in slowly 1,2,3 hold it 1 2 3 and exhale slowly out of your mouth.( make sounds) Several times today ok! We forget to breathe when we get stressed this will help and we are all here for you!
Update us when you can!
((Hugs))
Holly & Purrkins
Ditto ditto ditto!!! Prayers, blessings, healthy karma coming at you! Don't forget to breathe!! Walk away for a moment if you must, collect yourself as best as you can and then keep going. You are going to rock this and so will your little one!!
Big hugs
Jackie
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry
Thank you guys!! Bubbie came through surgery late yesterday with flying colors and the vet tech on overnight shift said she is walking around a little bit this morning. I am going to get her in a few hours. I definitely had a "what have I done" moment and lost it in the parking lot after we dropped her off, but I am feeling better after talking to her surgeon. He said her incision is larger than normal because he had to take more tissue due to the location of the tumor, but he is very confident he got what he needed. He also said there was plenty of muscle there to be able to get a good amount of clean tissue, so that was great news (she is a big, muscle-y kitty!!). Now we're just hoping the biopsy of her "arm" comes back showing clean margins.
Holly, I loved your suggestion but I couldn't quite work up the nerve to try to put a onesie on her pre-op...I thought I would wait until she had five fewer claws and was on some good painkillers! She is a wonderful, sweet cat, but has a low tolerance for anything she classifies as "human foolishness." lol The plans worked great, though, and I got 10 of them made so I can put a clean one on her daily and have backups while the others go through the wash. THANK YOU!!!
We have her recovery room all set up in the guest room. My husband blocked off under the bed with a cardboard skirt he made, and I cleared the closet and put down a waterproof fabric sheet and put her litter box in there. She has three beds scattered around the room, her food and water is on the floor with another waterproof sheet, and there are pet stairs up to the bed. The room has a large area rug so there is not bare floor anywhere she will be (I read they can have traction problems at first). If anyone gets a chance, can you let me know if you think I am missing anything?
Do you use a photo hosting site to be able to post pictures on the forum? I'd like everyone to see the little kitty you've helped so much.
Amanda
That is great news! I am so very hoppy for you It sounds like you have planned everything out very well! You might want to consider getting some pee pee pads to place under/around things like her litter box, water. They can be a little clumsy at first, the pee pads are great because you just roll em up, throw em away, put another one down simple simple. I had a lot of litter flying at first lol. He still isn't the most graceful, but he is getting better 🙂 If they spill their water, the pad soaks it up, no mess. Just a thought. I got some from Amazon really cheap but they sell them in a lot of places.
I tried stopping access to under the bed, I did not succeed, lol. Ended up having to take the bed off the frame and put the frame away for now. Once he found a weak spot, he was under, end of conversation 
See how she does, my feral boy had a lot of firsts, being INSIDE the house was one of them!
I knew you would do a great job (((hugs))) your baby is going to be so much hoppier without that bad leg and that cancer. You just wait and see 
Please keep us updated when you get her home!
http://tripawds.....m/gallery/ I think this is where you can go to sign up for pictures, if I am wrong go to the technical forum here and they will give you the information you need. You don't need to blog, but it gives you a place to upload pictures to so that you can post them.
Hugs,
Jackie, David, and Huckleberry
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry
Hi Amanda and Bubbie
So glad to hear Bubbie came through the surgery and now is in the healing stage of things. Obviously still a bit more to go, but from here, he will likely amaze you with how fast he does bonce back.
Tuxedo, my rear amputee baby, broke pretty much every post surgery recommendation. Some of Tuxedo's problems were due to little to no time to make preparations since he went into surgery right at 1 hour after the dog ripped his rear leg off and broke his pelvis. But the one prep I did have time to make before he came home was blocking off the under bed. I also used cardboard. It did not hold up against one very determined (and likely very high) 13# cat. He pawed and pushed his way through, essentally folding and tenting the cardboard. I had used flattened moving boxes that I slid under the edge of the mattress to anchor. He was rather fast about accomplishing that after he got started too. Hopefully, your set up works better handle mine did. But I figured best to mention it just in case..
I would love to see more pics of Bubbie. He looks like such a cutie in your avatar.
Best wishes,
-Dawna, Tuxedo, & Dazzle
Hi Amanda, you sound very well prepared. You mention a few beds in the room. Cats like to hide when healing so I recommend some type of covered area. Mona's mat was under a shelf in an open closet so I could just slide the mat out when I wanted access to her; others have put a large cardboard box on its side for the cat den; some have just draped a towel or blanket over a coffee table.
I think it's good keeping everything fairly close together so Bubbie doesn't have far to go when drowsy from the medication. Remember that cats like to do their own thing so don't be surprised if Bubbie has some different ideas.
It will be exciting to see her!
Hugs,
Kerren and Tripawd Kitty Mona
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