Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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So our daily dose of Jasper humor! Since I brought this nutty pooch home, I have noticed she has some interesting habits. First, she loves to eat blades of grass. Not full on grass eating (I've had dogs that have done that and then they vomit) she when we are walking, she'll snag a bite or two. I think it's an oral thing with her (she also puts pine-cones in her mouth and I have to fish them out). So a blade here or there won't hurt her, right? She isn't consuming a huge amount and I really think it's an oral fixation. And she's not vomiting - thank GOD!
And the chew toys ... I know rawhide is bad for dogs but this girl loves to chew. She loves her antler that I got her but wanted to know what other chew toys were good to keep her busy. I got her a pig's ear and she loved that. Are stuffed hooves OK? Shelby used to love those until she cracked a tooth on one.
Jasper loves to chew on her stuffed toys and sometimes "forgets" that my couch, pillows or rug are NOT her chew toys! She's past the puppy chewing stage (grown-up teeth in there) but I think she likes to suck on and feel things in her mouth. I caught her w/the remote for the TV today. I am not worried since if it gets out of hand, I'll get some bitter apple spray but it's really funny to see how she brings ALL her babies to the couch to snuggle w/her.
This was her this a.m.: What you can't see is that there are about 4 stuffed toys there and she is chewing on her antler (while snuggling her baby under her paw). It's ridiculous how cute I find this! I promise to stop soon since this is "Tripawd" forum and she is not a "Tripawd" but she's my first pooch in about 14 years and only the 2nd one I have raised as an adult. Funny how I forgot how to be around a 'puppy'... Shelby used to chew the sh!t out of all my stuff too (curtains, blankets, shoes, hair clippies). At least I am better about putting "most" of my stuff up!
Shelby Lynne; Jack Russell/Shiba Inu mix. Proud member of the April Angels of 2014.
October 15, 2000 to April 8, 2014
Our story: Broke rear leg in June 2013 - non-conclusive results for cancer so leg was plated and pinned. Enlarged spleen in September 2013 and had it removed and was diagnosed with Hemangiosarcoma and started chemotherapy. Became a Tripawd January 8th, 2014 and definitive Hemangiosarcoma diagnosis. Three major surgeries in 7 months and Shelby took them all like a champ only to lose her battle to cancer in her brain. We had 8 amazing extra months together and no regrets. #shelbystrong #loveofmylife
She's too funny! I'm having the same chewing problem with Domino, he's around the same age, and wants to chew on everything! Their expensive, but my guys love love love bully sticks (don't ask what they are, they're gross), but they adore them! You can usually find them in packs of 2 or 3 at the pet store, and a girl Jasper's size probably wouldn't go through them too quick. I try to stay away from the braided and twisted ones, and just go for the standard 12 inch ones. So far it's the only thing I've found that they like that keeps their attention.
“A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.”
Domino had his left front leg amputate on May 13th 2014 after being hit by a car. He's now living a happy healthy life on three legs :)
Cassie said
She's too funny! I'm having the same chewing problem with Domino, he's around the same age, and wants to chew on everything! Their expensive, but my guys love love love bully sticks (don't ask what they are, they're gross), but they adore them! You can usually find them in packs of 2 or 3 at the pet store, and a girl Jasper's size probably wouldn't go through them too quick. I try to stay away from the braided and twisted ones, and just go for the standard 12 inch ones. So far it's the only thing I've found that they like that keeps their attention.
Oh I know what bully sticks are! 
Shelby loved those and they kept her occupied the entire drive from Seattle to LA in 2007! Never mind the residual stink in my car. I did notice they are pricey. I am fine w/that as long as she can't plow through it like a pig's ears in one sitting! The antler was pricey and it's kept her occupied for about 2 weeks now w/no progress made.
Thanks for the tips! 🙂
Shelby Lynne; Jack Russell/Shiba Inu mix. Proud member of the April Angels of 2014.
October 15, 2000 to April 8, 2014
Our story: Broke rear leg in June 2013 - non-conclusive results for cancer so leg was plated and pinned. Enlarged spleen in September 2013 and had it removed and was diagnosed with Hemangiosarcoma and started chemotherapy. Became a Tripawd January 8th, 2014 and definitive Hemangiosarcoma diagnosis. Three major surgeries in 7 months and Shelby took them all like a champ only to lose her battle to cancer in her brain. We had 8 amazing extra months together and no regrets. #shelbystrong #loveofmylife
okaaaaya....must testing.....wrote a nice long respknse only to have it diasapper
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!
So I have to try outside and walk arou d outdife and point this t#&$^#%#$ thing up to the sky and hope the $*#&/*# satilite can beam down through the mosquitos, horseflies and humidity!,
NEVER, EVVVVVVVER LET ANY OF "US' HEAR YOU SAY YOU ARE GOING TO STOP BECAUSE SNE'S OT A TRIPAWD!! Now granted, four leggers do look funny, but should ot be discrimknated against beacuse of the disability of that extra leg!
This site is about love and connection, higher consciousness ripple effect, all sorts of stuff like that! Our dogs and cats are the ones carrying the message across the breeze to the whole darn Planet!! Yeah! The whole huge PLANET!
And this site carries the burden of the deepest grief k e can imagine....and the highest highs we never thought we could attain!! And when youmpost those adorable pictures of Jasper Lily snd delightful chronicle of her journey with you, it is crucial that you and Jasper are here! And one umber one reason is to carrymin Shelby's legacy through the two of you! Yeah, Jasper is here to create her on legacy and her own relationship, but Shelby is the reason this is happening!
Anyway, back to pig ears and grass! All my dogs have always liked grass. And sometimes a blade here, a blade there...sometimes a mouthful or so...and, clearly if they have a need to barf they eat tons until that regurgitating sound that we all know too well starts up!
Pig ears Happy Hannah wanted to eat whole and din't take her time to soften them up. Jasper and smaller dogs may ha dle them a little better.
You BUY antlers!! Come on over to my home and you can find them all around. And, hopefully, they all fellmoff naturally without "human interve tion".
Alison, the picturesmof Jasper Lily surrounding herself with all her toys just melts my heart! She has so much love to give, she's even giving it to her stuffies! She IS ridiculously cute and we need that a lot around here! Keep 'em coming!!
LOVE!!
Sally and HappyHannah AND FOUR LEGGED MYRTLE!! (and knocking on wood it stays that way)
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!
And if she needs elk antlers, holler this way! We have a friend who is a horn hunter, and our guys always have a ton of them! I don't let Gus have them as much any more, since his teeth are getting quite worn....probably from retrieving underwater rocks, but that's another story.
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!
Well don't you know, I got her the 'white' pig ears and she's petrified of it! I swear to DOG this girl is going to be the death of me. Now I KNOW this is Shelby from above ... sending me a psycho pooch as payback for the costumes, the humiliations through the years!!! It's the SAME flipping pig ear as the orange/brown one I got her 2 weeks ago except this one is stone white.
We will take all the antlers! So far that's all she really loves. 
I love that you two have so many antlers just 'laying' around! LOL
thank you all.... Shelby is definitely still alive and well w/in this forum and I need to think about her, be here, talk about her, share her story to the newbies so I never forget all that we went through. Of course I will never forget Shelby .... she was my heart dog but I'd like to forget the last year when she was ill. 
Oh and Jasper has dandruff. I've never had a dark/black dog before ... maybe when I was a child but this is a first. I brushed her tonight and no wonder she's been itchy ... she's got a ton of dandruff so bath for her this weekend. It's not mites (thankfully). She was just at the vet and they bathed her 2 weeks ago but I am guessing w/the construction and her diet change (high protein, low carb/no grains) she's got some dry skin. I might add some coconut oil to her diet (I tossed the fish oil pills that Shelby was taking for her coat).
But she ran with me tonight and I think she will be a good running buddy! She didn't run along side me and try and grab my arm like a shark like Shelby! She only did 1/4 of a mile but it's hot and I wasn't sure how far she could go. I only did 7 miles! It's hot and humid!
Shelby Lynne; Jack Russell/Shiba Inu mix. Proud member of the April Angels of 2014.
October 15, 2000 to April 8, 2014
Our story: Broke rear leg in June 2013 - non-conclusive results for cancer so leg was plated and pinned. Enlarged spleen in September 2013 and had it removed and was diagnosed with Hemangiosarcoma and started chemotherapy. Became a Tripawd January 8th, 2014 and definitive Hemangiosarcoma diagnosis. Three major surgeries in 7 months and Shelby took them all like a champ only to lose her battle to cancer in her brain. We had 8 amazing extra months together and no regrets. #shelbystrong #loveofmylife
Kathi.......gotta' hear about Gus scuba diving for rocks!!
Alison, glad you mentioned coconut oil....think it should help! Ask Michelle what she gives Sassy snd Bosch...and the kids.....they all have themshiniest coats!
SEVEN MILES??? Hot and humid?? Glad ONE of you two ad enough senese to run just a quarter!,
Well, mow we know Jasper Liky sees in color!!
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!
Alison, PM me and we will see what we can come up with.
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!
Alison, NO don't stop posting pictures of Jasper. They make my day. Seeing her all snuggled up with her babies, so sweet. I still have to remind Lucy that my throw pillows are not her toys. I may just go get some bully sticks. I think I speak for all of us here that we are so excited about Jasper. I saw someone on here had like a kong square that you put treats into and they roll it around and chew the treats out of it. Have not found one yet. That might be something to keep her busy. Lori and Ty
TY GUY, Best Black Lab ever! Diagnosed and had amp in January, 2014. Kicked MRSA's butt. Earned his angel wings on April 16, 2014. Run Free my boy and don't forget a shoe. Ty is a proud member of the " April Angels". Ty sent us Daryl, a Tripawd rescue in Sept. of 2016. Daryl is 5 +or -. We are also Pawrents to Chandler, a Border Collie mix who is 15 and 1/2, Lucy, a Corgi who is 7, 2 minis, 2 horses, and a feisty cat named Zoe. Zoe had a non skeletal Osteosarcoma removed in July 2015. No Chemo, she was at least 16. She is going strong although she is now completely blind. She is now close to 20 and her hobbies are eating and sleeping in front of her personal heater.
Jackson LOVES grass, but it's gotta be the right kind. The big, green blades of "saw grass" are his favorite. A portion of my parents' backyard has a huge patch of it and I swear he purposefully asks to be let out so he can munch. I bet if I didn't interrupt him he'd mow it down for hours. Like your little lady, he never gets sick. I think it's tasty and kind of fun to crunch away, one blade at a time. I'll only let him "have at it" if it's pesticide/herbicide free - d'oh! The ONLY side effect is what we call "sausage butt" - when we're required to manually extract what's partially in and out.... follow? Otherwise he scoots and drags.... Oh, boy...
Jackson gets a pig ear every AM and now we've been trying Jone's Variety pack, which is WAY cheaper! Here are links to products we've used and J loves:
Smokehouse 100-Percent Natural Smoked Pig Ears Dog Treats, 24-Pack
(And we've ordered this just a few days, so I don't know how Jackson will like it....but he eats catcrap and grass, so why wouldn't he?!):
Hungry Dog Natural Treats Super Value Pack
~ Katy & Jackson
ACL tear in right hind leg 12/5/12 and scheduled ACL repair surgery 12/21/12. Pre-op xrays revealed osteosarcoma. Amputation 12/28/12. Chemo (carboplatin) started Jan 10, 2013 and ended on April 5, for a total of 5 doses. He handled carbo like a champ! No side effects. We started metronomic therapy at his third chemo and have been also doing some holistic treatments. He's a lively, playful 10 year old huskie-boarder collie and a very proud member of the Winter Warriors! Our love. Our funny little guy!
Sausage butt? Hahahaha! True love, I tell ya.
Hey Katy those treats look fantastic, super good quality stuff! Hope you don't mind I put our affiliate links in there
Alison of course, yes, post pics and Jasper stories! As for other chew treats...yeah there are much better non-toxic, pesticide free alternatives to rawhide these days. I personally am not a fan of antlers, Wyatt chipped a tooth on one so no more of those. We do like venison and bison bones. They're super long lasting, hard but not too hard, and a good value (although they are far more expensive than beef bones). They don't upset Wyatt's belly the way beef marrow does.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Don't mind at all! BTW - we're enjoying the Jones' pack b/c of your BlogPaws review!
~ Katy & Jackson
ACL tear in right hind leg 12/5/12 and scheduled ACL repair surgery 12/21/12. Pre-op xrays revealed osteosarcoma. Amputation 12/28/12. Chemo (carboplatin) started Jan 10, 2013 and ended on April 5, for a total of 5 doses. He handled carbo like a champ! No side effects. We started metronomic therapy at his third chemo and have been also doing some holistic treatments. He's a lively, playful 10 year old huskie-boarder collie and a very proud member of the Winter Warriors! Our love. Our funny little guy!
fetchon3 said
Jackson LOVES grass, but it's gotta be the right kind. The big, green blades of "saw grass" are his favorite. A portion of my parents' backyard has a huge patch of it and I swear he purposefully asks to be let out so he can munch. I bet if I didn't interrupt him he'd mow it down for hours. Like your little lady, he never gets sick. I think it's tasty and kind of fun to crunch away, one blade at a time. I'll only let him "have at it" if it's pesticide/herbicide free - d'oh! The ONLY side effect is what we call "sausage butt" - when we're required to manually extract what's partially in and out.... follow? Otherwise he scoots and drags.... Oh, boy...Jackson gets a pig ear every AM and now we've been trying Jone's Variety pack, which is WAY cheaper! Here are links to products we've used and J loves:
Smokehouse 100-Percent Natural Smoked Pig Ears Dog Treats, 24-Pack
(And we've ordered this just a few days, so I don't know how Jackson will like it....but he eats catcrap and grass, so why wouldn't he?!):
Hungry Dog Natural Treats Super Value Pack
~ Katy & Jackson
Thank you SO much Katy!!! I will definitely get Jasper some of these in the future. Who would have thought to get packages on Amazon for so much cheaper? And definitely will use the Tripawd links to benefit this amazing community!
So I'll let the grass nibbles go... she snagged a bone off the street last night that I suspected was 'chicken' so I went in after that (I am so thankful she lets me freely go into her mouth w/out nipping or anything). I got the bone out so I have to watch her like a hawk when we walk since she likes to put all things into her mouth.
Kathi - will PM you!
And thank you all for loving my new girl even if I don't "love" her .. I like her an awful lot! Especially when she loves on her babies and brings them to the couch. She finally got over her fear of the white pig ear and was chewing on it this a.m. but I took it away before work since I was worried she would choke or something. Oh and she's routine based... I took her on a 2 mile walk this a.m. away from our block and she literally would not pee OR poop UNTIL we got back to our street. Poor girl. She peed for the longest time then but she held it for over 30 minutes (yes, I am slow walker but a fast runner)!
I gave her egg w/her kibble this a.m. for her dry skin/fur. After she picked it out and threw it on the floor (and I put it back in the bowl) she gobbled it up and was licking her bowl obsessively! I think she liked her and has probably never had an egg before in her life. Poor damaged girl! To her an egg was a filet, I am guessing!
Oh and she likes to pick out a few pieces of kibble at each meal, spit them on the floor, sniff and then eat. Like she's checking to see if it's safe to eat? Psycho! Definitely channeling her inner- Shelby!
Thanks y'all! 🙂
Shelby Lynne; Jack Russell/Shiba Inu mix. Proud member of the April Angels of 2014.
October 15, 2000 to April 8, 2014
Our story: Broke rear leg in June 2013 - non-conclusive results for cancer so leg was plated and pinned. Enlarged spleen in September 2013 and had it removed and was diagnosed with Hemangiosarcoma and started chemotherapy. Became a Tripawd January 8th, 2014 and definitive Hemangiosarcoma diagnosis. Three major surgeries in 7 months and Shelby took them all like a champ only to lose her battle to cancer in her brain. We had 8 amazing extra months together and no regrets. #shelbystrong #loveofmylife
Yeah, the grass outmof the butt is a "side effect" that's for sure!
Alison, your stories on Jasper are delightful!!! I'm with Lori...they make my day! And I love all the "reasons" you assign to the thngs she does! You're more tuned in than you realize!,
Okay....have a little physco babble for you! Fun time! Now, the word LOVE....what is YOUR definition of LOVE?. How do you know when you feel ot or see it? If you don't know how to define it in a way that's attainable.....well......you know what I'm saying!
Have fun!
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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