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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Hi, my name is Theresa and tomorrow my girl Sasha a 5 yr old German Shepard will become an amputee, Sasha will be losing her front left leg due to a rare fungal infection.. I found this site and was amazed to see so many people and support for one another.. It touched my heart and also prepared me for making my decision.. Thank you all for sharing your stories, it really helped me to understand just how strong our pets really are.. Sasha will be staying at the hospital for 3 days my choice and will come home on Monday.. We are all about to begin a new chapter in our lives... Pls keep my Sasha in your prayers, she us gonna have a hard road in front of her, if there are any ideas or helpful hints I'm open to hear all
Hi Theresa and Sasha, welcome. We hope you don't mind but we started a new topic for you so that Sasha can have her very own place to share her new journey as a Tripawd.
That's pretty incredible that she has the fungal infection, super rare! Only a handful, maybe less than a half-dozen in the years our community has been online, have ever been diagnosed with it and lost a leg to the condition. Many times, bone cancer looks like a fungal infection, so lots of here were actually hoping our dogs had the condition, instead of what was later discovered to be cancer. In a lot of ways Sasha is very lucky! I know it doesn't seem like it right now, it's super scary and worrisome, we totally get that. Try not to worry though: GSDs have a way of overcoming recovery fast, fast fast! Really!
We have lots of tips for you. Hop over to Jerry's Required Reading List and check out our e-book, Loving Life On Three Legs , for the scoop on life as a Tripawd. You'll see lots of inspawration and help for navigating this new world.
For a look at another GSD's recent recovery, be sure to check out Scooby's blog!
And for extra measure, our own Tripawds Spokespup Wyatt Ray and his buddies at the Oaktown Pack (all rear-leg Tripawds!) send lots of good luck wishes to your girl!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi Theresa and Sasha -
I'll be thinking of both of you this weekend and hoping the surgery goes smoothly. Do you have any pictures of Sasha? We'd love to see them!
dcjack said
Hi Theresa and Sasha -I'll be thinking of both of you this weekend and hoping the surgery goes smoothly. Do you have any pictures of Sasha? We'd love to see them!
thank you very much dcjack we are going to need them, I will be sure to update everyone once we get news from our vet.. Feeling nervous and scared..
jerry said
Hi Theresa and Sasha, welcome. We hope you don't mind but we started a new topic for you so that Sasha can have her very own place to share her new journey as a Tripawd.That's pretty incredible that she has the fungal infection, super rare! Only a handful, maybe less than a half-dozen in the years our community has been online, have ever been diagnosed with it and lost a leg to the condition. Many times, bone cancer looks like a fungal infection, so lots of here were actually hoping our dogs had the condition, instead of what was later discovered to be cancer. In a lot of ways Sasha is very lucky! I know it doesn't seem like it right now, it's super scary and worrisome, we totally get that. Try not to worry though: GSDs have a way of overcoming recovery fast, fast fast! Really!
We have lots of tips for you. Hop over to Jerry's Required Reading List and check out our e-book, Loving Life On Three Legs , for the scoop on life as a Tripawd. You'll see lots of inspawration and help for navigating this new world.
For a look at another GSD's recent recovery, be sure to check out Scooby's blog!
And for extra measure, our own Tripawds Spokespup Wyatt Ray and his buddies at the Oaktown Pack (all rear-leg Tripawds!) send lots of good luck wishes to your girl!
Thank you very much Jerry, I will be sure to check it out.. I will update everyone tomorrow once surgery is complete..
Welcome to the family Theresa and Sasha!
I'm sorry your girl has to lose her spare, but as you have seen this is a pretty special place to be.
Of course you are feeling nervous and scared- big surgery, your baby girl, a whole new normal to learn. All of us have been in your shoes and understand.
I'll be thinking of you guys tomorrow, sending strong, positive thoughts for an easy surgery.
Keep us posted on how Sasha is doing, and you too.
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
Welcome Theresa & Sasha! So sorry you have to be here but as you've already seen if you have to do this journey this is the best place to be. We'll all be sending you and your girl healing thoughts and prayers tomorrow. Please keep us posted. Let us know if we can help you in any way. We know how you are feeling and we will help you every step of the way. Many hugs to you and your beautiful girl!
Linda, Ollie, Riley & Spirit Mighty Max
Hi Sasha and Theresa!
Beautiful avatar picture of Sasha! Can't wait to see more!
You'll find everything you need to know in the links Jerry gave you. We all understand far too well the fear and uncertainties facing you before the surgery. We also know that, once surgery is over, once the recovery is over, you will be astounded at how resilient Sasha is! Recovery is no picnic, lots of ups and downs, getting the pain meds worked out, etc. With Sasha staying at the vet three days, you might actually get more sleep at first than most of us. There can be a lot of restlessness and whining the first couple of nights. Every dog is different though. Every recovery is different.
The good newsis...and yes, there is good news....this is an infection and not that horrible piece of crap disease! I know right now nothing about amputation seems likenit good possibly be good news, but your Sasha's situation is curable!!
STAY CONNECTED!! We are here to help! Try and get some rest. Eat some chocolate, lots of CHOCOLATE!
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!
Hi There!
I guess it is amp day for your lovely girl. It will be a tough day, the wait for the 'all went well' call is agonizing, but you'll get through it. You got some great reading links to keep your mind occupied in the meantime. The first couple of weeks can be a roller coaster so don't be distressed if she has some small setbacks as she recovers. Almost everyone experiences that and it is almost always just a bump in the road.
I am curious about the diagnosis, since it is so so rare. Are they going to biopsy the leg post-amp? I don't know anything about fungal infections but I wonder if they need to culture it or something to determine any appropriate drugs etc?
Denise, Bill and Angel Ellie
Active 10+ Pyr mix suddenly came up lame with ACL tear in left rear leg. Scheduled for a TPLO but final pre-op x-rays indicated a small suspicious area, possibly OSA, which could have caused the ACL tear. Surgeon opened the knee for TPLO but found soft bone. Biopsy came back positive for OSA. Became a Tripawd 9/18/14. Carbo6 with Cerenia and Fluids. Pain free and living in the moment. Crossed the Bridge on 7/12/15 after probable spread of cancer to her cervical spine. A whole lifetime of memories squeezed into 10 months. Here's her story: Eloise
Welcome Sasha and pack.... as others have said GSDs do really well on 3 legs and like Jerry said, this is a blessing that it is fungal and not cancer. I know it seems scary right now and recovery isn't a picnic BUT she will do great. I have met several amazing GSDs (the Oaktown pack comes to mind) at our party last fall and they do great. You don't even notice that missing leg! My girl was a tad smaller but she did great too.
Recovery is hard but once you figure out the new normal... things are a breeze. Looking forward to updates and seeing photos!
Hugs!
alison with spirit shelby in her heart (and little jasper 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
Hi everone, thank you very much for all the kind words and support!! It is truly a blessing to have found this site, yes the reason we all have met is sad but at the same time one of the best things that came out of our situation so far..
i do have an update, Sasha's surgery went very well, and the doctor was amazed that after recovery my baby girl Sasha is already trying to walk, he stated in all his years he has never seen a dog try to walk right after recovery.. I'm so proud of my girl!! Another positive is she was able to keep her shoulder, the amputation is just above the knee joint which will make her recovery a little easier the doctor said..
I will be sure to post photos once she comes home, we have her at the hospital until Monday since we needed to go out of town, I think her being with the vet is the best thing during this critical time...
annapyr said
Hi There!I guess it is amp day for your lovely girl. It will be a tough day, the wait for the 'all went well' call is agonizing, but you'll get through it. You got some great reading links to keep your mind occupied in the meantime. The first couple of weeks can be a roller coaster so don't be distressed if she has some small setbacks as she recovers. Almost everyone experiences that and it is almost always just a bump in the road.
I am curious about the diagnosis, since it is so so rare. Are they going to biopsy the leg post-amp? I don't know anything about fungal infections but I wonder if they need to culture it or something to determine any appropriate drugs etc?
Denise, Bill and Angel Ellie
The fungal infection that my Sasha contracted is called Pythiosis, it is very rare!! They say she contracted it by an exposed cut or sore when she was in a lake or pond. There is no current medication on the market to treat Pythiosis. They are just now starting to do research and studies on it.. My vet performed a surgery last week on Sasha and that is when they collected a sample and conducted the biopsy.. She had 3 abscess in her leg.. We have don't month of antibiotics and nothing helped, she only got worse..
if we did not amputate Sasha would have died.. And that I would not let happen, she is our fur baby and we love her very much.. Thank you for all your kind words and support. It really means a lot, and from everyone.. All have been great!!
What a beautiful girl your Sasha is!!! Like you my Leland needed his rear leg amputated or we'd have to put him to sleep. He suffered from a failed TPLO procedure to fix his knee and came down with an infection the hospital couldn't get under control after him being readmitted for 4 days. We went in to visit our boy and he was miserable dragging his useless leg. We weren't sure about putting him through more but when he perked up and ate some baby food for my husband and I (the hospital couldn't get him to eat hardly anything) we knew he wasn't ready to leave us yet. So we proceeded with the amputation.
We have to be strong for our fur kids and make tough decisions on their behalf. In the end it's worth it.
Sending warm wishes to your sweet Sasha!
Sahana and her Angel Leland and Lucian too
November 17, 2009 - June 30, 2014
May you finally be healthy and running free at the Rainbow Bridge. Until we meet again my sweet boy!
Thanks for the info. I googled it and it really sounds scary. I'm so happy you were able to get it diagnosed correctly, which sounds like at least half the battle! For most of us, we are amputating for pain relief because of cancer. But of course you had no choice either. Try not to worry while you're out of town. She'll probably be getting spoiled rotten at the hospital!
Active 10+ Pyr mix suddenly came up lame with ACL tear in left rear leg. Scheduled for a TPLO but final pre-op x-rays indicated a small suspicious area, possibly OSA, which could have caused the ACL tear. Surgeon opened the knee for TPLO but found soft bone. Biopsy came back positive for OSA. Became a Tripawd 9/18/14. Carbo6 with Cerenia and Fluids. Pain free and living in the moment. Crossed the Bridge on 7/12/15 after probable spread of cancer to her cervical spine. A whole lifetime of memories squeezed into 10 months. Here's her story: Eloise
Wow, how scary! Sounds like Sasha is in good hands, though. The first couple of weeks can be tough, but after that, she should be back to her old self.
Let us know if you have any questions!
Donna
Donna, Glenn & Murphy
Murphy had his right front leg amputated due to histiocytic sarcoma at 7 years old. He survived 4 years, 2 months & 1 week, only to be taken by hemangiosarcoma at 11 1/2 years 6/12/17
Read about Murphy's Life on Three Legs
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