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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Hey Tripawds family!
It has been FAR too long since I've visited! I hope everyone is doing well 
Big news... My hubby and I visited Alaska a month or so ago and absolutely fell in love with the Anchorage area. So we've decided to take the plunge and figure out how to move across country (from PA) to Alaska! I honestly think we may be CrAZy! However, it just 'feels right' and the pieces are falling into place.
We've had job interviews via Skype and are waiting to hear back. We're making cosmetic repairs to our house and will be ready to put it up for sale in the next week or two! We're looking at house rentals in Anchorage that are dog-friendly and packing up our stuff and selling most of it!
So I need some advice, and hopefully someone out here has done something nuts like this before. To get our 3 dogs across country I do not want to fly them. They're too large for cabins and flying them as cargo scares the heck out of me! My Jeep will haul a small camper, so we're thinking of buying one and driving. Plus, it would be nice to have a small camper while we're in AK. Personally, I'd be up for RVing full-time like Jim and Rene, but I can't talk my husband into it
So to get to the point: does anyone have any suggestions, tips or insights about moving cross-country with dogs?
Talk soon!
Heather (& Barret)
Barret was diagnosed with Hemangiopericytoma May 16, 2013. Front left leg/scapula/pectoral muscle was amputated on June 11, 2013 and we've never looked back. Follow our story on http://barret.t.....pawds.com/ and read my column on That Pet Blog
The camper idea and driving sound great. Way easier on your furry family, particularly if they like riding in the car. The Good Sam Club has a forum on RVing in Canada and Alaska that could be very helpful for planning your trip.
BTW, if you do move up, count on seeing me sometime. I love Alaska. My Dad lived there before WWII, and I grew up with Alaska stories. The first time I went, I felt like I was coming home.
Keep us posted.
Kathi and Murphy
Murphy is a five year old Lab/Chessie cross. He was hit by a car on 10/29/12 and became a Tripawd on 11/24/12. On 2/5/13, he had a total hip replacement on his remaining back leg. He has absolutely no idea that he has only three legs!
UPDATE: Murphy lived his life to the fullest, right up until an aggressive bone lesion took him across the Rainbow Bridge on April 9, 2015 and he gained his membership in the April Angels. Run free, my love. You deserve it!
How exciting. Not exactly across country, but when we made the move from NC to PA and then down to SC (about 10 hour trips) we always drove. We would have the movers ship two of our cars and we would drive one down with us, the dogs, and any special items that we didn't trust to the movers.
Wish you the best of luck on this new adventure!!
Lisa
P.S. - If you need a great realtor to sell your home, we LOVED the one we used in Lancaster. We've bought and sold many houses in all of our moves and she is one of only two that I would recommend! Her name is Kim McPhail and she is with Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices on North Pointe Blvd. (right off of Oregon Pike). She was with Prudential when we used her, but she was fabulous.
Zeus was a Husky mix diagnosed with Osteosarcoma at age 11. A visible lung met and suspicious spot on his liver meant a poor prognosis-six weeks was our vet's best guess. We decided to fight for our boy and his right front leg was amputated on 12/1/11. We did six rounds of chemo, changed his diet and spoiled him completely rotten. We were blessed with 10 great months after diagnosis. Against the odds, the lung met remained a single met and grew very little over those months. A wonderful furbaby with the most gentle spirit, he fought with a strength that we never imagined he possessed. We have no regrets...
http://zeuspod......pawds.com/
Wowwwee! That IS exciting! Congrats! I know something excellent will come your way, I can just tell by your enthusiasm and excitement.
I'm digging the camper idea, that's a good one. It would be good to have one while you're there, Alaska has soooo much to see in the outback!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
So glad you found Alaska welcoming! We've lived here 20 years (although not in Anchorage). Campers are definitely the way to go, you can extend your camping season by months if you're up for it. Also, they are great for escaping mosquitoes!
Good Luck and safe travels!
Step one: send Barrett to me for safe keeping during your move
Step two: send me your new address when you get settled
Step three: I'll send you a picture of Barrett as a house warming gift 
Sorry, I've only moved dogs across town. Kudos to you and hubs for taking this step-what an exciting adventure. Be sure you take lots of pics of your journey and once you get the pack settled.
Karen
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
No Way, Karen! Barret comes with - even if he doesn't like cold weather. I'm trying to figure out how I could make a mold of his body so I can sew him custom clothes, LOL
Thanks for the suggestions, everyone! Keep those positive thoughts coming my way as we wait to hear back from some interviews we've had!!!
Barret was diagnosed with Hemangiopericytoma May 16, 2013. Front left leg/scapula/pectoral muscle was amputated on June 11, 2013 and we've never looked back. Follow our story on http://barret.t.....pawds.com/ and read my column on That Pet Blog
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