Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat

…randomized, controlled field study was conducted at 21 U.S. veterinary clinics.

The study enrolled 275 client-owned cats with clinical signs of osteoarthritis (OA) confirmed by radiography and orthopedic examination; enrolled cats weighed 2.5 to 11.4 kg and were 1.6 to 22.4 years old. The enrolled

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… it stands for Platelet Rich Plasma injections. It's been used in human medicine for a while and has shown to be helpful for reducing joint pain and osteoarthritis pain.

What is platelet rich plasma?

Platelet rich plasma (PRP) is derived from removing the red blood cells from whole blood and isolating…

…Plasma.

We do know of a friend's dog who did really well with PRP. A few years ago we asked about it when our Wyatt Ray
was getting treated for osteoarthritis and degenerative spinal disease at Colorado State University. The vets there felt that it didn't have enough research behind it to justify offering

…therapy is becoming more common and understood, we see the long-term effects. Even the most well-regulated Tripawds will be more prone to early osteoarthritis effects over time, like Spree. 

It sounds like we are asking folks to keep their dogs in bubble wrap, but that's not the case. Learn to balance

…so that they can avoid pain as they age. Here's a few great stories about raising a 3-legged dog:

How to Raise a Tripawd Puppy: Nyaya’s Story
Osteoarthritis in Tripawds Happens, Even to the Best
Your future posts won't need to wait for approval so post away!

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…a multi-modal approach involving more than one therapy. So along with the HA injection, PT would be very beneficial.

Here's a post:

Ease Osteoarthritis Pain with Hyaluronic Acid Pet Supplements
Please keep us posted on how he's doing OK? 

…held medially under hind end with slight external rotation at the stifle.Radiographs (left stifle): Moderate effusion in stifle joint; moderate osteoarthritis; mineralized foci in area of left collateral ligament1. Interpretations: moderate arthritic changes and effusion with mineralization likely due to

…depends on the dog's physical status at the time of surgery.

Complications down the road from surgery? Well, yes and no. Generally, chronic osteoarthritis is typical. Check out Spree's story, she had a FHO and an amputation as a young pup (I forgot to mention her earlier):

https://tripawd....

…we worked through it. 

But in the past 48 hours things have seemed to take a turn. She now doesn't want to walk at all. She had pre-existing osteoarthritis and when observing her upon standing, her back legs seem unsteady. Last night she tried to move once and even cried. Since she doesn't want to get…

…first time at 7:45pm And that was only because I tricked her with a car ride.

Has anyone else experienced this?

I'm concerned that maybe her osteoarthritis has exacerbated. I pray her back legs dont totally go out on her. Since she may be moving forward on the Elias study, she cant take certain

…. 

She also told me about goldinjection directly into the joint 

Woaaah, now this is a new one! I looked up "gold injection for dogs with osteoarthritis" and here are some articles I found. Is this what you are referring to?

VetFolio: Gold Bead Implantation

Pain Of Dysplasia In Dogs Relieved

…at all. (Also the problem I had with the opioids).

She also told me about goldinjection directly into the joint which should help against osteoarthritis. Has everybody allready heard about that?

So far for today. Thanks for all the thoughts and ideas.

Elisa and Teka

…Wyatt Ray
, he's been on Metacam for several years, thankfully without problems. An NSAID is one of the best long-term medications for a dog with osteoarthritis, as long as regular labs are done to ensure it's not harmful to the gut.

The loss of function has a root cause somewhere, whether it's pain or

…need help there!!  He needs all those hugs!! I just spoke to the Rehab Vet and he said the first thing to do is get his pain under control. The osteoarthritis is worse in the elbow, can consider adaquan and highly recommends the swim therapy. We will discuss diet more at his visit and may possibly consider

…pills.. he is not losing any weight at all. I know his motion has decreased again and I can tell he is hurting again. He was diagnosed with osteoarthritis in his remaining front leg. Everything has been closed because of covid-19 so we have been homebound. The doctor who assessed him also recommended

…should help tremendously as well. The fact that the vet doesn't think she has arthritis yet is great. The more weight she drops, the less risk of osteoarthritis at a young age. She will likely get it eventually, but keeping her slim will delay the onset.

And as a Canadian you indeed quality for the Rehab

….  Unfortunately  degenerate  joint disease (osteoarthritis) can become quite prevalent in long time Tripawds.  .  Of course, it's common in four leggers too, especially  as they age.

The good news is

…of white rice and apples and when we got him he was only 27kg! He'd had a bad yeast infection, his ribs and hips were showing, and really severe osteoarthritis in his hips. You could literally hear his bones grinding against each other. However, he gets mildly aggressive whenever he feels pain in his hips

…walked 500 metres there and 500meters back! I’m not really sure how much walking I should be facilitating especially with that hip with significant osteoarthritis.. but she seemed so eager to go, she was leading the whole way there!

I’ve just had her on meloxicam and one Gabapentin tablet a day alongside

…. Just keep her drinking. Spike her water with low sodium broth or tuna water to motivate her to stay hydrated. 

her left hip has significant osteoarthritis. Has anyone here got advice on how their dog has coped with osteoarthritis in their remaining limbs?

Yep, we've got tons of it here, which is

…days ago. Her chest is clear of mets. Unfortunately though for her her right hip is a picture of orthopedic health.. her left hip has significant osteoarthritis. Has anyone here got advice on how their dog has coped with osteoarthritis in their remaining limbs?

Her surgery was successful and she is

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…be much shorter. Managing his behavior and helping him to get strong is so important, because yes, Tripawds are definitely more prone to injury and osteoarthritis. It's up to us to help them have fun, but keep their activity at a level that will not hurt them over time. 

I'm going to point you to some…

…that will help you learn to help him stay strong and fit. I hope this helps!

Loving Life On Three Legs
, the Tripawds health and fitness guide

Osteoarthritis in Tripawds Happens, Even to the Best 

 How Osteoarthritis and Obesity Lead to Poor Tripawd Quality of Life 

How to Take Your Tripawd on Longer

…know how hard it is to be told you don't have a 'fixable' diagnosis. We are dealing with this with Wyatt Ray
currently. He was just diagnosed with osteoarthritis in his tarsus, and was given a steroid injection in the joint. It's made a tremendous difference! The effects are supposed to last anywhere from

…sure we didn't miss anything else. The good news, there's no evidence of any new tumors and blood work was beautiful. The bad news is pretty severe osteoarthritis throughout her body. The biggest areas of concern are her elbows and shoulders. The radiologist also gave a diagnosis of FCP (fragmented coronoid

…used to treat human Alzheimer's patients but is now used off label in dogs to treat cognitive disorders like OCD, and also to treat chronic osteoarthritis pain. It's used in the same manner, and sometimes with, amantadine, a common drug that many pain specialists recommend. Here are some papers about…

…to animals suffering from wind-up, allodynia, and opioid tolerance and may permit a lower dose of opioid administration. Dogs with problem osteoarthritis and decreased responsiveness to NSAID therapy generally benefit from the coadministration of amantadine for 21 days as needed.

Side Effects and

…hopping on one front leg takes a tremendous amount of energy. In the long run, too much hiking and long distance walks can put any dog at risk of osteoarthritis and joint problems, even a high energy breed like a Border Collie.

Depending on how far out from surgery she is, you can try walking her on very

…weight loss then that's the very best place to start. One extra pound of fat on a dog is like five on a human, so keep that in mind. For a dog with osteoarthritis, any extra weight is a huge burden to move around.

If the rehab vets didn't recommend any sort of program to help her with weight loss, speak to

…well as he did for as long as he did was in part due to the physio therapy that I dragged him to since week one. I would think that especially with osteoarthritis it would be a good thing to at least have a rehab vet show you some exercises that you can do with her to keep the rest of the body mobile. For them