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Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat

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London, UK


Member Since:
15 December 2015
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24 March 2017 - 1:36 pm
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So pleased to hear how well Tolly's doing. Just fantastic news!

A couple of thoughts re the mental stimulation / tiring her out, which may or may not be useful. Have you tried any Nina Ottosson games? For my girls, these are the ones we've found most taxing. You'd have to prime them with some food she's interested in. Do you think she might go for small pieces of chicken? Or sausage?

It's great that she is going out with your partner.ย A change of scene/ different smells etc. mustย be stimulating for her, and also it's important, if you can, to expose her to as many different sights and sounds as possible at this age.

Do keep updating us with sweet Tolly's progress!

Meg, Clare and Elsie Pie xxx

Ruby, Staffy, born June 2022, became a Tripawd, 23 November 2023, adopted 12 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 Pie and Bille. In the pawprints of giants...

The Amazing Adventures of Ruby Tuesdayย 

My Life as a Megastar

Virginia







Member Since:
22 February 2013
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24 March 2017 - 9:59 pm
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TOLLY IS SOOOO DARN CUTE!!!!! What a special determined little gal!! Of course, having such determined and devoted humans helps alot!! ๐Ÿ™‚

So glad you are seeing some improvements! I know how happy it makes me feel, so I can only imagine how elated you feel!!! ๐Ÿ™‚

Thanks for the great update! Keep 'em coming!!

Hugs to all!

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!

Member Since:
7 March 2017
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29 March 2017 - 12:14 pm
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Thank you everyone for the wonderful, supportive responses as ever ^__^

megstamum she's done with puzzle feeders, she literally turns her face away at the sight of them now hahaha!!! We've been using Toppls, Kongs and the Barnacle (they have to be easy to hold toys, otherwise she tries to use her darn injured paw haha!) - she also snubbed hot dog the other day too, which is insane because later that day I offered her some red pepper that I was giving our guinea pigs, and Toller went BONKERS for it!!! She thought it was the best thing ever...she's snubbing hot dog and knuckle bones, but wolfing down pepper XD

Today we had another vet check up, with the good vet, and she was thrilled with Toller's progress - she said Tolly is recovering faster than any of the vet staff anticipated ๐Ÿ™‚

At the appt the vet let Toller walk around the exam room for about a minute, so the vet could observe her limp (or lack of one!). The vet said within the next week we can start letting Tolly walk a little in the house, and she also reassured us that her 'wonky foot' at worst could be the result of a little ligament damage. All that would mean is her foot would be wonky and her nails would need extra care on that foot. Aside from this the vet has no concerns, and our little Spudder is doing great

ย 

Here's a video of her going to the toilet so you can see her walking ability haha

And a photo of my little potato ^_^

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Thank you again everyone for joining us on this journey and offering so much support along the way ๐Ÿ™‚

Germany
Member Since:
14 December 2016
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29 March 2017 - 12:36 pm
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Amazing update!! Go Tolly!!ย 

I am really happy for you!! Bring out the ๐Ÿฅ‚ champagne! You can't even tell she was hurt so badly!!ย 

Fantastic news, thank you!ย 

All the bestย 

tina & Manni

Guardian of Manni the Wonderdog. -Or was it the other way around?
Osteo and amputation in Dec 2015. Second, inoperable, primary osteosarcoma found in June 2017.
The end of our adventures came Dec 10, 2017. 2 years to the day.

Manni's blog -dogblog-

Virginia







Member Since:
22 February 2013
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29 March 2017 - 1:26 pm
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WAAAAY TO GO TOLLY....AND HER HUMANS TOO!! ๐Ÿ™‚ ๐Ÿ™‚ ๐Ÿ™‚ ๐Ÿ™‚ This whole journey just warms my heart! The love and devotion you are surrounding zTolly with is priceless!

And look at her go.....literally...goooo!! ๐Ÿ™‚

I'm juat delighted to read this spectacular update ๐Ÿ™‚ ๐Ÿ™‚ The videos jave me grinning from ear to ear! I loooove the sounds of her chomping in her red pepper ๐Ÿ™‚ ๐Ÿ™‚ ๐Ÿ™‚ ๐Ÿ™‚

Show Tolly this picture. I made it just for her! ๐Ÿ™‚ ๐Ÿ™‚

Screenshot_2017-03-29-15-05-32_zpsfgedrtqc-2.jpgImage Enlarger

Lots of hugs and love to all! Can't wait to see the video of her free to walk around the house for a little bit! ๐Ÿ™‚ Sooooo exciting!

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!

Member Since:
7 March 2017
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31 March 2017 - 9:17 am
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Ah thank you so much tinsch and benny55 ๐Ÿ˜€

benny55ย hahaha she's still loving the pepper, she hasn't even got bored of it yet!! This is the dog that snubs almost all other vegetables so it's truly bizarre!

Next week we'll give her a puzzle feeder and let her eat it down on the ground...obviously I'll record this and be sure to share it here ^_^

Livermore, CA




Member Since:
18 October 2009
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31 March 2017 - 5:06 pm
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Oh, she looks great!ย  Can't really even tell she has an injury.

You guys are doing such a great job to help her heal, I can't imagine how hard it is to keep her quiet.

Karen

btw: My nickname for my pug Maggie was Spud!

Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.

1999 to 2010

ย 

ย ย ย  ย  ย  ย  ย  ย  Maggie's Story ย  ย  ย  ย  ย  ย  ย  ย  ย Amputation and Chemo

Member Since:
7 March 2017
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8 April 2017 - 5:39 am
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ย  ย Hahaha that's so funny Karen! We've called her Spud, Spud-puppy or Spudder since she was 8 weeks old as she was about the size of a potato and potato shaped hahaha! (attached a photo for cuteness ๐Ÿ˜‰ )

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And now an update! Toller is still rocking it, she continues to walk better and better, and she's doing MUCH better in herself too...I think because we're letting her 'get away with' more (eg. we don't freak out when she flails her legs, she's not getting Kongs in her crate etc). Her foot is still sideways / squiffy-looking, but as the vet is not at all concerned about that, I'm trying not to be too!!

She walked in the house for the first time since her accident the other day, which was a huge milestone. We only let her do maybe 10 steps total, but what an achievement! And then we were carrying her on a huge hike with Sasha, and we put Toller down just for a few steps so she could smell the grass...it was amazing watching her walk outdoors, on a walk ๐Ÿ™‚

Walking!

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And here she is at 25 weeks old looking too flipping cute!!

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Her next vet appt is in 10-12 days, so hopefully we'll hear she can do even more then ๐Ÿ™‚

Member Since:
2 December 2016
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8 April 2017 - 5:53 am
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Somehow DaBears HQ has missed this entire thread! We will be reading it throughout the day and coming back to comment but WOWZA WOWZA WOWZA! What a journey for all and SPUDNIK has now put the world on notice!!! Such adorableness and determination! Wwwwooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwzzzzzzzzza!

Virginia







Member Since:
22 February 2013
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40
8 April 2017 - 9:05 am
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CUTENESS ALERT!!!!!!! ๐Ÿ™‚ ๐Ÿ™‚ ๐Ÿ™‚ ๐Ÿ™‚ CUTENESS OVERLOAD ALERT! ๐Ÿ™‚ ๐Ÿ™‚ ๐Ÿ™‚ ๐Ÿ™‚

Toller puppy....soooooo ADORABLE!!! And sweet Sasha looks like a giant teddy bear! What a precious pair!

Looooove hearing the progress Toller is making ๐Ÿ™‚ ๐Ÿ™‚ Your incredible patience, devotion and determination at4e really paying off!

We are all so thrilled to be able to ccelebrate all these victorious milestones with you! ๐Ÿ™‚ I can only imagine the joy if seeing her walking on the grass, just being able to be a dog! ๐Ÿ™‚

Looking forward to the next update WITH pictures of course! ๐Ÿ™‚

Hugs to all.....And lots of applause! ๐Ÿ™‚

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!

Member Since:
7 March 2017
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41
28 April 2017 - 9:06 am
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So, here I am with another update and not a happy one ๐Ÿ™

Toller had her 'final' vet check up yesterday, and the vet has said her foot is as recovered as it is going to be, and she can start walking on the ground for a minute then be carried, building up to walking for a few minutes. That's supposed to be how she lives for the rest of her life...what happened to her 'fully recovering' and being able to run and be a normal dog?!?!?!

I saw Toller walking for the first time and just burst into tears and pretty much haven't stopped crying since. Her foot is extremely crooked, points almost in the opposite direction, and obviously results in her walking weird. But worse than that is that the vet has now decided that it's fine for her to barely be able to walk for the rest of her life...that wasn't talked about at all, we never agreed to that!!

So this leaves us with the option of amputation, which the vets are dead against because they think the condition she is in is fine, or a wheelchair which would mean Toller could explore, walk etc.

I'm just wondering if anybody can recommend any dog wheelchair companies. I've contacted all I could find on google but if anybody has great experience with one (preferably UK, but if they deliver that's not too important) that would be great.

On The Road


Member Since:
24 September 2009
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28 April 2017 - 10:15 am
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inky said
I'm just wondering if anybody can recommend any dog wheelchair companies...

Please review the various wheelchair posts in the Tripawds Blogs for more information about the benefits of using a wheelchair , when to use one, and how using one prematurely or one that is improperly fitted can do more harm than good.

We strongly recommend consulting with a certified canine rehab vet/tech (CCRT or CCRP ) for a professional evaluation and wheelchair prescription with expert fitting if recommended. The Tripawds Foundation may even reimburse you for your first visit from Maggie Moo Fund for Tripawd Rehab!

Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet

Virginia







Member Since:
22 February 2013
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43
28 April 2017 - 10:27 am
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Your frustration level must be off the charts! To come this far and to have much higher expectations has to be crushing. But you DO have options!

It must be incredibly hard to try and move forward to other options since you put so much hope into Tolly being able to have a "normal" life. Try and remember Tolly has NO expectations and, to him, this is normal. So he's not feeling any frustration!

Amputation is definitely one to seriously consider. It's not about the number of years in a dog's life, but it's about the kind of life they live during those years!

The way it sounds, if Tolly could, at the most, only walk a few minutes by leaving things the way are now, that's not the best option.

Hes, you can check into wheelchair (Eddie's Wheels), or strollers.

YOU are Tolly's advocate. If you think it is not the way you want ro see Tolly live his life, then YOU have every right to find a QUALIFIED ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON to pursue amputation!!

Obviously, almost everyone here can attest to how well dogs do on three legs. Tolly may need a little extra rehab or physical therapy because his muscles have to be very, very weak. You can start doing exercises now to build up his muscles and his core strength.

And yes, there is always a concern that something may happen to one of his remaining legs. We have no control over that. But you are stuck with the same dilemma if you leave the leg like it is, or do a wheelchair , etc There are risks no matter which way you go.

Take some deep breaths. For now, continue doing what you're doing. Pursue further consultants about amputation if that's the way you are leaning and ask us any questions you may have.

Okay we know you are upset and understandably so.......but we still need pictures of that cute baby boy!! ๐Ÿ™‚ ๐Ÿ™‚ ๐Ÿ™‚ PLEASE! ๐Ÿ™‚

Lots of 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!

Member Since:
2 December 2016
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28 April 2017 - 11:16 am
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We at Da Bear HQ can tell you which wheelchair company not to work with if you PM us. Another TriPawd had a similarly negative experience. However, maybe there are many who had pawsitive experiences as well?

London, UK


Member Since:
15 December 2015
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28 April 2017 - 11:33 am
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I'm so sorry to hear about this, and do empathise and feel for you, really from the bottom of my heart. I know what an endless nightmare it feels to be stuck in this sort of situation. But ditto the others, you DO have options. Things are absolutely not as hopeless as they feel right now.

My strong suggestion would be that you consult a specialist orthopaedic surgeon at this stage if you possibly can, and, based purely on its reputation and its relative proximity to you (I haven't been there myself, but...) I would suggest you contact the Liverpool University Small Animal Teaching Hospitalย and ask for an urgent appointment so that Toller can be properly assessed. You can ask that the vet you have been seeing send them all Toller's notes and any X-rays and scans she has had done, so you won't have to pay for those again.

Once you have seen them, you will then be in a position to decide on the best way forward. I obviously cannot say what this will be, but certainly there would seem to be options: amputation with or without a prosthetic, intensive rehab to improve the use of the foot, a wheelchair (I'd be surprised, frankly, if this was considered the best option for Toller at this stage, but I am certainly not an expert), or perhaps something else.

Please stay connected. We are all here for you and I am certain that with the right help and support you will find the way to give Toller the happy, quality life she deserves, and that you so want for her.

Big hug,

Meg, Clare and Elsie Pie xxx

Ruby, Staffy, born June 2022, became a Tripawd, 23 November 2023, adopted 12 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 Pie and Bille. In the pawprints of giants...

The Amazing Adventures of Ruby Tuesdayย 

My Life as a Megastar

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