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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“Hmmmmm I’m going to ask my Mum for some Honeysuckle spray, I hope she’s smart enough to find some... her nose isn’t as good as mine. She should take me shopping with her!”
As with most things, Mommy found the honeysuckle toys and spray on Amazon. 😺
i think 🤔 our house would be empty if Amazon didn’t exist. 😹
Rusty "The Bunnyman" adopted us in 2014. Aug/Sept 2017, back left leg amputated (HSA cancer). He remained cancer free over 900 days. Cancer returned as of emergency visit on day 931. 15 days later, he gained his wings 04/18/2020 due to congestive heart failure. He will always watch over his fellow tripawds and their hoomins with Head Scritches and Sand Paper Kisses.
Rusty "The Bunnyman" adopted us in 2014. Aug/Sept 2017, back left leg amputated (HSA cancer). He remained cancer free over 900 days. Cancer returned as of emergency visit on day 931. 15 days later, he gained his wings 04/18/2020 due to congestive heart failure. He will always watch over his fellow tripawds and their hoomins with Head Scritches and Sand Paper Kisses.
😂Rusty! You hop like an old pro Dude! You have soooooo got the stair action down pat! And of course you can walk by the precious snow globes, without breaking them.... you’re a cat after all! Just tell Mum that she had better let you use the Hoomans stairs soon or those globes are gunna be dust!😾
Rusty, I just got in trouble from my Mum! Ssshhheeesh! She’s always looking over my shoulder! She says I’m not supposed to be encouraging you to be taking risks that could hurt you right now! She says you’ve only just recovered from MAJOR surgery and that you should still be taking it easy and you’re supposed to stay out of trouble!
Paws up to you Mate, your following in Purrrrrkins paws perfectly! 🐾😺
Im off to put my collar in so that I can go outside for some mouse huntin’ time 🐁! My collar has a stupid tag finder attached to it, so Mum is always disturbing my hunting grounds when she comes looking for me! I can’t hide anywhere from her!!!😼
Purrs and nose kisses coming your way! See ya! 😽
Chester McFiend, Sr. Spike, Prissy Miss Lily and our big brother Stewie 
Remember...“live in the moment!“ 
Yes we sure do see Rusty your very careful around Mom’s snowglobes & You do the stairs purrfectly! Way to go Rusty👏🏻👏🏻
Maybe you could ask Mom if you could go up the humans stairs together
Just a idea let Mom see how well you do!
Best I can do Rusty & good luck!😻 We will watch for the Human stairs video soon!😽
❤️
BRAVO RUSTY!!! 🙂 🙂 BRAVO!!!! 🙂 🙂
You have, indeed, mastered those steps!!! Good job! 🙂 We're all sooooomproud of you!! Love that video 🙂
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!
Way to go Rusty! You are one handsome dude I'll tell ya. And smart too... we can see that from here, smiling. You are just getting this down so well now that the nasty cone of shame
has been removed. Maybe mama should catnip your old cone so that you can make confetti out of it... just saying. *wink* I am showing Huckles what kind of competition he has so that maybe he will be on his best behavior too when he finally finishes his sentence in the solitary chamber. It's more like a solitary cell for like famous people... kitty tv, relaxation music, man cave covers, kitty visits, mama and papa visits.. you get the picture
Just wanted to say hi and let you know we are cheering you on!
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry 
I had a moment that I wanted to cry and laugh all at the same time today...
Rusty was sitting on the rug in the hallway, and he had an itch on his left side. I happened to look over as I saw the muscles in the stump moving as he had shifted his weight as he would to scratch. It was the sweetest and saddest thing at the same time.
So I went over and scratched it for him. I got a nibble on my hand and a lick with a few purrs.
Gina
Rusty "The Bunnyman" adopted us in 2014. Aug/Sept 2017, back left leg amputated (HSA cancer). He remained cancer free over 900 days. Cancer returned as of emergency visit on day 931. 15 days later, he gained his wings 04/18/2020 due to congestive heart failure. He will always watch over his fellow tripawds and their hoomins with Head Scritches and Sand Paper Kisses.
Awww...yes, a little bittersweet, but mostly sweet!! That's a routine we all learn to develop for our furbabies...giving them good all over scratches a couple of times a day!
Your a great scratching lost! Good hob! 🙂
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!
Awwwww. Welcome to the rear-legged Tripawd life!
I know exactly what that feels like. Our Wyatt Ray is a crazy dog but when he has an itch he can't scratch he puts on the saddest look ever (and I can't blame him one bit!). I love being a slave to his right side itchies, he is always so grateful when I scratch for him, just lilke Rusty.
Not being able to scratch that itch is one thing I never considered when front-legger Jerry was with us. He never had that issue. I suspect it's only a rear-legger thing but I could be wrong.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Boy do your cats have you fooled! Not that I can say much because until a few weeks ago Tuxedo had me wrapped around his paw (so to speak) too. That is until I saw him scratching his right shoulder and ear with his left rear leg. Granted it probably took him a while to learn how to do that, but ... Of course the first thing I did when I spied that contortion act was rush over and help him with his itch. Daily I am amazed at how well this little guy has adapted, far better and quicker than most humans would to the loss of a limb I suspect.
So glad that Rusty is cone free and strutting his stuff around the house! Let's hope he keeps the handstands down to a minimum to help his parents not worry too much. Though, advance warning, they are coming (around the three month point).
-Dawna, Dazzle, and Tuxedo
I agree mostly sweet because Rusty isn’t sad 😻 I think the scratching is for all tripawds 😉 I scratch Purrkins ear for him. They always appreciate a little help abled or not !
I agree with Dawna let’s kerp the handstands to a minimum Rusty 😻
Purrkins was doing handstands sorta speak at 16 days 👀that was his first time he thought he would like to go back up to the kitchen cupboards 😩⚠️
Don’t underestimate 3 legs 😻yep it’s coming , scary for us not so much for them ! Just be prepared if Rusty has a favorite spot high up . You’ll be sliding stairs over 😉
Hugs give Rusty a good scratch from us
Holly & Purrkins ❤️
Rusty is showing off tonight. I have reclining couches so the back is about 28" from the seat. I have 7 sets of pet stairs located throughout my first floor. So what does he do? Used his stairs to get onto couch (good boy!)👍😺 then he looks at Mommy and Daddy and SCALED the back of the couch where he sat like a king 🤴as we put our hearts back in our chests🙈
What does this all mean now?
taking a page from Raven, Rusty has spoken. 😜
We will be buying another set of stairs for the beds upstairs and will be testing out Rusty's human stair abilities to let him roam the second floor, a week sooner than originally planned. 😳
Rusty "The Bunnyman" adopted us in 2014. Aug/Sept 2017, back left leg amputated (HSA cancer). He remained cancer free over 900 days. Cancer returned as of emergency visit on day 931. 15 days later, he gained his wings 04/18/2020 due to congestive heart failure. He will always watch over his fellow tripawds and their hoomins with Head Scritches and Sand Paper Kisses.
Yep, RUSTY HAS SPOKEN!! And to paraphrase a bit, "If you wanna' hear Rusty laugh, tell him YOUR plans!" Clearly Rusty will do what he wants and when he wants!! Spunk iis a good thing though!
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!
Rusty is still a cat he doesn't care if he has 3 legs! He is still going to do what he wants to do! You guys have provided safe ways up and down . We have done the same with Purrkins he uses his steps! Occasionally he will scale the going up and he does that no problem , it scares the 
out of me but? He does it with ease! You will see what he is capable of and Rusty has a great sense of what he can do! Cats are very smart and capable on 3 legs! It is scary for us but as you see more and more then fear will subside not entirely I still get the scared out of me. But yes this is early we warned you more to come
Way to go Rusty
We see your a rockstar on 3!! Keep it up, less of the scaling for mom's heart if you don't mind;) LOL
Hugs
Holly & Purrkins
Good morning guys,
would you mind if I hijacked this thread for a non Tripawd kitty question?
Mr. Spike is 18 1/2 years old and has been in Renal Failure for the last couple of years. Unlike our old boy Odus, who we gave subcutaneous fluids for a couple of years, Spike has never fared well at the vets. Nor does he take being told what to do very well... he’s a very good boy, but he has always held onto a bit of his wild side.
Last year when we took Spike to the vets, we gave him a pill to help him relax (it was prescribed by Dr. Laurie, but I can’t remember the name of it. When we arrived he was so stressed he passed out on the table! I thought we had lost him! Then he passed out again once we got him home! Dr. Laurie thinks that he may have passed out due to the pill he was given.
Over the past couple of days Spike has developed a very poorly looking eye that was oozing some nasty green stuff. On Monday, I called our vets and told them of my concern of bringing Spike in, so Dr. Laurie asked for pictures (for now). She prescribed drops to help with the infection but believes that he is suffering from Herpes Conjunctivitis! I am having to take him in today and Dr. Laurie has prescribed 100mg of Gabapentin to help him.
Paul is concerned about giving Spike anything. He thinks we might be better off just taking him in drug free.
Heres my question.... How might the Gabapentin affect Spikey? Is he too old to be drugging up?
Sorry this isn’t a Tripawd question, but all of you here are so very experienced with kitty’s I hoped you wouldn’t mind me asking. I’m more than a little worried for my old boy, he really isn’t in tip top shape!
Thanks guys, Petra.
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