TRIPAWDS: Home to 22974 Members and 2152 Blogs.
HOME » NEWS » BLOGS » FORUMS » CHAT » YOUR PRIVACY » RANDOM BLOG

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.

JUMP TO FORUMS

Join The Tripawds Community

Learn how to help three legged dogs and cats in the forums below. Browse and search as a guest or register for free and get full member benefits:

Instant post approval.

Private messages to members.

Subscribe to favorite topics.

Live Chat and much more!

Please consider registering
Guest
Search
Forum Scope


Match



Forum Options



Minimum search word length is 3 characters - maximum search word length is 84 characters
Register Lost password?
sp_Feed sp_PrintTopic sp_TopicIcon-c
Young, otherwise entirely healthy cat with dislocated "ankle" - what to do?
sp_NewTopic Add Topic

Member Since:
24 May 2016
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
1
24 May 2016 - 3:05 pm
sp_Permalink sp_Print sp_QuotePost

My beloved young kitty, Remy, who is about 2 years old is in need of a possible amputation. He is very active, friendly and loving. Almost 4 weeks ago he was attacked by a friend of mine's foster dog... thank goodness he is alive, but part of one of his back legs is dislocated. It is dislocated where the human equivalent of his ankle would be. Options are amputation or bone fusion surgery. 

Since Remy is so young, I truly am torn about what to do. If he only had 3 legs, could he still go outside? Could he still run and play with our dog the way he used to? From what I have read, the recovery for the bone fusion surgery is long and painful, and it is not guaranteed to work. Does anyone have any experience with an injury-related amputation on a young cat? I'm so thankful that I do not have this choice due to cancer... but I am scared, since he is only 2, of making a decision that will impact the next 10, 15, however many years of his life.

Please share! Xoxo

On The Road


Member Since:
24 September 2009
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
2
24 May 2016 - 3:40 pm
sp_Permalink sp_Print sp_QuotePost

Welcome! Your future forum posts will not require approval.

So sorry to hear about Remy. Please check out all the Tri-kitty Blogs for plenty of examples of cats Loving Life On Three Legs !

At a young age, Remy will likely grow up never knowing he's missing a leg. Of course, every case is different, but the vast majority of cats recover quickly and adapt well. 

Best wishes, please keep us posted.

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

Member Since:
14 February 2016
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
3
24 May 2016 - 5:40 pm
sp_Permalink sp_Print sp_QuotePost

There are several kitties on this site who are doing great on three legs - you can't even tell they are Tripawds.  Not sure about going outdoors - I probably would keep a Tripawd kitty indoors - but pretty sure he will be able to do everything else, including play.

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.

Virginia







Member Since:
22 February 2013
sp_UserOnlineSmall Online
4
24 May 2016 - 10:55 pm
sp_Permalink sp_Print sp_QuotePost

I know this sounds so scary and extreme! It always does...at first anyway!

Often times legs end.up being amputated when multiple painful surgeries to repair injuries fail. With amputation, at least it's just one surgery and your done! After recovery, Remy can get on with living life to the fullest!

Other kitty moms, like Kerren, Mona's Mom, will chime in, but they all will tell you that,.once recovery is complete, Remy wll do everything he did before, but without that painful leg!

One.of the first tripawd kitties to join the site years ago named Fang, spends a great deal of time.outside and thoroughly enjoyes himself.

Stay connected, okay! The first couple of weeks can be a little.stressful, but it soons turn into pure joy every moment of every day!

Would.love to see a photo of Remy!

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:
27 July 2014
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
5
24 May 2016 - 10:55 pm
sp_Permalink sp_Print sp_QuotePost

My kitty Mona is 10 years old and has been thriving as a tripawd for 3 years. She is happy and loves going outside in the summer to sleep and chase butterflies. I have a fenced area where she is fairly protected but she does venture out of that area. 

She lost her front leg and is a fast runner but I doubt that she could climb a tree. She races up stairs but is slow going down since she bunny hops.

She still hits my other cat on the head and can run and hide from him if he gets too rambunctious. Simply put, she has amazed me with her determination and her great attitude. She loves life.

Your cat is much younger than Mona and I'm sure would do well. Please search the blogs and forums and you'll find many other active kitties.

Here are some videos of Phantom: http://tripawds.....t/#p140117

Good luck in your decision. Let us know if you have any other questions.

Kerren and Tripawd Kitty Mona



Member Since:
21 May 2016
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
6
26 May 2016 - 7:10 am
sp_Permalink sp_Print sp_QuotePost

Hi Remy and welcome to our packheart

My experience is one of a tripawd great dane so that is pretty different but a friend of mine has a cat (Babette) who had an accident at 2 years old and had her front leg amputated. That was almost 18 years ago, she recovered very quickly and was able to venture in the garden with her sister Olivia and guess what? she even managed to climb trees! (probably her sister was a great inspiration so she follow her everywhere as always) 

The important thing is you will have Remy with you for many, many years and he will show you life on three legs is better than pain on four! 

I don't know where you live, but if you are in England I would strongly recommend you go and see Noel Fitzpatrick, he is a genius and has invented bionic prosthetics that are absolutely incredible! Have a look at Fitzpatrick Referral Hospital in Guilford. Dogs and cats can recover completely if the operation is possible and if so they will keep all legs and have a totally normal life. Sadly, it doesn't work with big breeds so we were not given that option but I wish we could have done it.

Sending you both much love heart

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 :-) 

Forum Timezone: America/Denver
Most Users Ever Online: 946
Currently Online: benny55
Guest(s) 268
Currently Browsing this Page:
1 Guest(s)
Member Stats:
Guest Posters: 1268
Members: 17740
Moderators: 6
Admins: 3
Forum Stats:
Groups: 4
Forums: 24
Topics: 18610
Posts: 256811
Administrators: admin, jerry, Tripawds
Tripawds is brought to you by Tripawds.
HOME » NEWS » BLOGS » FORUMS » CHAT » YOUR PRIVACY » RANDOM BLOG