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 am very new to this site and I am unsure how to attach photos properly... My beloved cat Amber was recently diagnosed with fibrosarcoma. Interestingly, we don’t believe it to be injection site or vaccine related at this time. It’s been a hard few weeks. Luckily I work in a veterinary clinic so I was able to get it removed by the veterinarian I work with. The biopsy came back as fibrosarcoma and last Friday we had a consult with a veterinary surgeon who offered two options. 1. Amputate 2. Get better surgical margins and possibly follow with electrochemotherapy . Amputation gives us the best chance at no reoccurrence and is the least costly. It would also be the least stressful for my cat since she is extremely nervous at the vet and multiple chemotherapy trips would put a lot of stress on her. Logically, amputation is a no-brainer but its still hard for me to process thinking of my cat as a tripod. I know that she will do fine on 3 legs but I have a mental block and I am looking for advice on how to get over this so I can be fully supportive of her after her surgery on Thursday.
Hi Amber and Alissa! Sorry you are coping with a possible amputation but we are glad you found us! You are feeling all the normal emotions a pet parent in your situation feels, we totally get it. Amputation is a hard decision!
If it makes you feel any better, cats actually do much better as a three legged than dogs! The usually bounce back in 2 weeks or so and as long as the pain is well managed it’s a relatively routine process.
It sounds like you work at a great clinic, I love that they presented electrochemotherapy as an option. It’s something to consider.
Tell us more about your cat, like age and size.
The best way to feel more confident is to get as many vet opinions as possible and check out all the other Trikitty stories here. You’ll see that cats really do rock life on 3, and it’s always a bigger deal for us than them.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Oh I forgot to say, here’s a post that explains adding images to the Forums. Holler if you want help!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi Jerry! Amber is about eight and a half and a little chunky at about 10.5 pounds. She has had no other major health issues except some dermatitis here and there.
Hi Alissa and Amber,
I responded to your email and now see your post.
Mona had her amputation done when she was 8 years old and she has done well. I was a member of a VAS website (vaccine-associated sarcoma) but I don't know if the group exists anymore. As I recall most people weren't successful with surgery alone and followed up with chemotherapy or radiation did not seem to improve the success rate much. Perhaps there is a better success rate with electrochemotherapy . Have they provided you with studies on the success rate? A veterinary oncologist might be able to provide you with further information on this approach.
I know it's a lot of information to take in. Good luck with your decision.
Kerren and Tripawd Kitty Mona
Amber is soooo cute! Can't wait to see more pics!
Just want to add my welcome. As you can see from the resp, YOU ARE NOT ALONE!! So stay connected and let us know your thoughts as you continue to process everything.
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!
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