Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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I've just got back from the vets with Elsie, where we discovered that she's ruptured her cruciate ligament. She's having surgery on Thursday. The positives of the situation, as I see it, are these:
1) It's fixable. Please don't anyone think I'm whining. I've spent long enough in this community to realise how lucky we are.
2) It didn't happen at the same time as Meg's problems. We've had six months without major surgery. Time to catch our breath.
3) It's happened to Elsie and not to Meg. I'd rather it hadn't, obviously, but if it has to be one or the other, the quadpawd has to be the better option (sorry, Else).
4) We are well set up for rehab. We've got all the gear. In fact I might just have to open a doggie convalescent home.
Beyond that... I am feeling a bit overwhelmed, I have to confess. I just wasn't expecting this at all. (Who is?). I thought we were done with surgery after the nightmare twelve months before Meg's amputation. Clearly, that was idiotic.
Here's a pic of The Pie on the bus (just to explain, Elsie's full name is Elsie Pie. I have no idea why. Often we just call her Pie, or The Pie. Again, I don't know why). Anyway, here she is on the bus, on the way to the vets to receive her diagnosis. She loves to travel upstairs at the front, so she can pretend she's driving.
Ruby, Staffy, born June 2022, became a Tripawd, November 2023, adopted January 2024.
Also Angel Tripawd Meg (aka The Megastar), who died in April 2023, aged 14, after seven glorious years on three, and Angel Staffies Elsie Pie and Bille. In the pawprints of giants...
O.M.D!!!!!!!!
Seriously Elsie Pie- are you feeling left out? Need a cool scar of your own?
You may be one of the best prepared people I know to deal with a surgery like this, but geeze....just because you are good at it doesn't mean you need to keep re-living it!
My quad pug Obie has had both of his knees repaired, but in his case it was a patella luxation problem that lead to the CCL tearing. If I can be of any help please ask.
Maggie's nick name was Spud, for no other reason than she just looked like a Spud. It wasn't even part of her name like Elsie Pie...I did call her Maggie Mae sometimes, but mostly Spud.
Keep us posted on Elsie's surgery.
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Thanks, Karen. Will do. Love 'Spud' 
Ruby, Staffy, born June 2022, became a Tripawd, November 2023, adopted January 2024.
Also Angel Tripawd Meg (aka The Megastar), who died in April 2023, aged 14, after seven glorious years on three, and Angel Staffies Elsie Pie and Bille. In the pawprints of giants...
My Tess had cruciate repair (tightrope procedure), the summer before Otis' amputation. The recovery is longer - you will have to keep Elsie quiet for about a month, but otherwise many things are the same (floor mats for traction , mattress on the floor, short leashed potty breaks, etc.). You also have an advantage of knowing more about pain signals and pain meds, having gone through everything already with Meg. The worst part was the first couple of nights, when Tess could not figure out how to lay down on her own. But, it does get better, and at about 1 month, you start building in short walks, gradually increasing in length to rebuild the muscle.
Otis - 106 pound lab/Dane mix, lost his right front leg to osteosarcoma on Febuary 9, 2016. Four rounds of carboplatin completed in April, 2016. Lung mets August 25, 2016. Said goodbye too soon on September 4, 2016. Lost his adopted sister, Tess, suddenly on October 9, 2016. likely due to hemangiosarcoma.
Wherever they are, they are together.
Thanks, Christine. Yes, I remembered that Tess had had this surgery. In fact I thought of you when I found out. Thanks for the info – very helpful.
Ruby, Staffy, born June 2022, became a Tripawd, November 2023, adopted January 2024.
Also Angel Tripawd Meg (aka The Megastar), who died in April 2023, aged 14, after seven glorious years on three, and Angel Staffies Elsie Pie and Bille. In the pawprints of giants...
Holy Moly!!! ELLLLLSIE!!! This is a CRAAAAZY way to get attention!!! You are a nutty little firecracker! You think you'll get so e good drugs and lots of extra treats and it will be so much fun! You'll get your picture posted a lot here. You'll get ice cream and steak. Lots of tummy rubs. Ohhh....did we mention you'll be absolutely .miserable for awhile and probably constipated and not feeling like eating that ice cream and steak??
And Clare, you don't have ro be brave with us...not for one second!! I'd be whining like crazy a d having a junk food pity party inbetween crying hysterically and throwing out some expletives big time!! This is too .uch right after everything you've been through! With people like Christine a d Karen and others who have been through this, you'll have a lot of knowledge shared. Izzy is going through something similar...And as as a tripawd too, so I know she'll have advice.
Grab the CHOCOLATE, or wine, or both and stay here with us!!
Lots of love!!!
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!
Ooooo boy. Well, I am so sorry to read this and I second the emotion that the recovery from ligament repair is tougher. Izzy is now 17 days post op and is just returning to her "normal self" ... that is good and bad since I've got to keep her restricted for a month. She's up to her old post-amp tricks in that I found her on the third step, trying to come upstairs when I left her on her bed to shower. Yikes!! Of course, Izzy is very old and already three legged, so I am certain that has prolonged the recovery process for her.
Elsie Pie is in good hands with you and you know you are in good hands here so be sure to keep us all updated and "in the loop" so we can cheer you on!
Momma to the world's most beautiful American Bulldog, Izzy!! Lost her front leg to OSA 9/18/15. Diagnosed w MCT in June 2016. Celebrated her 1 year ampuversary with knee surgery on 9/18/16! MCT recurrence in Dec 2016. Happy & hungry til nearly 14, earning her wings on 7/31/17.
Aw, thank you both. I'm pleased to hear that Izzy is returning to her normal self. And I definitely get the challenges of restriction (!) Glad she's okay. Elsie is less high energy than Meg, but she is extremely excitable and Meg has a way of working them up, especially as the foxes are so vocal at the moment. There is nothing like the call of a fox to drive them into a screaming frenzy. I'm worried about how I'm going to manage their different needs as there's only me, but others have walked this path before and I'm sure we will find a way.
Sally, thank you for making me smile. Your posts are like a big warm hug. Thank you, thank you, thank you. You know, in all seriousness, Elsie would do this for steak and ice cream. She's the most food-driven dog I've ever met. She'd turn cartwheels for a piece of kibble. What a little monster.
You'll get your picture posted a lot here.
You know me too well 
Ruby, Staffy, born June 2022, became a Tripawd, November 2023, adopted January 2024.
Also Angel Tripawd Meg (aka The Megastar), who died in April 2023, aged 14, after seven glorious years on three, and Angel Staffies Elsie Pie and Bille. In the pawprints of giants...
Oh wow... talk about a double-whammy !!!! Sending you lots of love and hugs! And healing energy too~!
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
Clare, I truly feel your pain on this - Izzy's poppa moved out a couple of weeks after she ruptured her ligament. I was fortunate enough to have his help for the first couple of days after her surgery. She's a 60 pound dog and was definitely having NO PART of getting from point A to B on her own, so I really appreciated the help.
It has been a struggle because I do have another dog. She's 4 legged and a little bit nuts. So I definitely understand your plight because I've had to wrangle one that has to be put on the dog run to go out and is constantly under foot along with Izzy. I found a great sling/harness that was inexpensive and has been indispensable since she went lame almost two months ago when the ligament went bad. I'm absolutely happy to share any and all info about my experience so far ... please feel free to reach out!
Amy & Izzy
Momma to the world's most beautiful American Bulldog, Izzy!! Lost her front leg to OSA 9/18/15. Diagnosed w MCT in June 2016. Celebrated her 1 year ampuversary with knee surgery on 9/18/16! MCT recurrence in Dec 2016. Happy & hungry til nearly 14, earning her wings on 7/31/17.
Oh nooooo 😳
Elsie Pie, you little devil 😈 you should let your Mom rest from all the hospital ordeals ...
Gosh Claire, you are truly experienced in dog's recoveries but ... damn ... you could do with a break 😶
If it wasn't for my grossly oversized 3 legged girl I would be delighted to give you a hand when we get back to London, "nurse" Teresa is getting good at caring for patients (and pampering them too)
I am sending all the pawsitive energy I can master and will be thinking about Elsie on Thursday 🐾
Lots of love and cuddles to your sweet girls 😘🐾❤️
Eurydice 77kg/170lb Great Dane limping end of April 2016, amputation (right front leg/osteosarcoma) 4 May 2016 6 courses of carboplatin followed by metronomic therapy, lung mets found 30 Nov 2016. 3 courses of doxorubicin, PET scan 26 Jan 2017 showed more mets so stopped chemo. Holistic route April 2017. Lung X-ray 5 May 2017 showed several tennis ball size mets, started cortisone and diuretics. Miss Cow earned her XXL silver wings 12 June 2017, 13 months and 1 week after amputation and 6 1/2 months after lung mets, she was the goofiest dawg ever and is now happily flying from cloud to cloud woof woofing away :-)
So today's best news EVER EVER EVER is that I took Elsie in for her surgery this morning, and we met with the surgeon, Gary Clayton Jones, and on examining her he told us that he doesn't want to operate. I didn't think this was even a possibility.
He said she has indeed ruptured her cruciate, but it's a long standing injury, the leg is very well muscled and the joint pretty stable (she has considerable arthritis, which has actually served to stabilise the joint). He said he will not operate unless he's convinced that doing so will improve the dog's quality of life (how I WISH we'd seen him with Meg), and in Elsie's case, she's doing just fine, so just let her get on with it. He said he always imagines the letter we might write him after he's done the surgery thanking him and telling him about all the things she can do that she couldn't do before, and he can't think what we'd have to write.
I hadn't met the surgeon before, but he's extremely highly regarded in the UK, almost 80 years old, and still practising. It was all I could do not to grab him and hug him. Elsie loved him too.
So, basically, there are major celebrations going on at Pie Palace right now. Thank you everyone for your wonderful support. I felt a bit bad posting about Elsie's problems, as she isn't a Tripawd after all (She is a Pipawd, lol), and that is the focus of the site, but I really felt pretty overwhelmed and I didn't know where to turn. Thanks everyone. You've been amazing.
Here's Else on the way back home this morning. She looks pretty amazed, I reckon. So was I.
Ruby, Staffy, born June 2022, became a Tripawd, November 2023, adopted January 2024.
Also Angel Tripawd Meg (aka The Megastar), who died in April 2023, aged 14, after seven glorious years on three, and Angel Staffies Elsie Pie and Bille. In the pawprints of giants...
What great news! That must be a wonderful relief. To you and to Elsie!
Otis - 106 pound lab/Dane mix, lost his right front leg to osteosarcoma on Febuary 9, 2016. Four rounds of carboplatin completed in April, 2016. Lung mets August 25, 2016. Said goodbye too soon on September 4, 2016. Lost his adopted sister, Tess, suddenly on October 9, 2016. likely due to hemangiosarcoma.
Wherever they are, they are together.
VIVAAAAAAAAAAAAA !!! YEEEEEEEEEEESSS !!!!
These are the kind of news I LOVE to hear !!!!!
Cheering madly here, too bad it is a bit early to celebrate with wine
Claire, me and Eurydice are so, so glad for Elsie !
She sure looks surprised in the car, I hope you can surprise her more with a big celebratory burger later on!
Sending you a big hug and lots of tummy scratches to your sweeties, especially Elsie Pie
Eurydice 77kg/170lb Great Dane limping end of April 2016, amputation (right front leg/osteosarcoma) 4 May 2016 6 courses of carboplatin followed by metronomic therapy, lung mets found 30 Nov 2016. 3 courses of doxorubicin, PET scan 26 Jan 2017 showed more mets so stopped chemo. Holistic route April 2017. Lung X-ray 5 May 2017 showed several tennis ball size mets, started cortisone and diuretics. Miss Cow earned her XXL silver wings 12 June 2017, 13 months and 1 week after amputation and 6 1/2 months after lung mets, she was the goofiest dawg ever and is now happily flying from cloud to cloud woof woofing away :-)
Oh, another thing.
Please feel free to share everything concerning your 4 legged girl, the three of you are a big part of this community without a shadow of a doubt
Eurydice 77kg/170lb Great Dane limping end of April 2016, amputation (right front leg/osteosarcoma) 4 May 2016 6 courses of carboplatin followed by metronomic therapy, lung mets found 30 Nov 2016. 3 courses of doxorubicin, PET scan 26 Jan 2017 showed more mets so stopped chemo. Holistic route April 2017. Lung X-ray 5 May 2017 showed several tennis ball size mets, started cortisone and diuretics. Miss Cow earned her XXL silver wings 12 June 2017, 13 months and 1 week after amputation and 6 1/2 months after lung mets, she was the goofiest dawg ever and is now happily flying from cloud to cloud woof woofing away :-)
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