Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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zeusysmom said
Kristen and Coles MomIm so sorry for your tremendous losses this past week. I get it Kristen when you said Roscoe was larger than life! My Zeus was too, 146 lb Rottie. I still have days I wish I was with him there instead of being here. He was the man of the house and I never had children. As weird as this sounds I think you were given a small gift when God took him to the Rainbow Bridge, in his bed in his sleep. My last night with Zeus was horrible but my small gift was my girlfriend Lisa got to me and followed me in the ambulance to the vet. We all know your pain too well. Please lean on us. I walked into the support group I go to and even after 5-6 months after I could barely finish my story. I love my life down here but I know everyday that passes is a day Im closer to him. You will have lots of joy again. I will ask Zeus to go look for Roscoe...
Love,
Deb, Belle, and Angel Zeus
I am sorry for your loss as well. I absolutely love Rotties! I have yet to meet one that isn't a big, sweet bubba! Zeus and Roscoe sound like two peas in a pod so maybe they are playing somewhere together, fighting it out over a stick or something 🙂 I too felt like Roscoe was my little man of the house, he was SO protective of me, especially when we went on our long runs together.
I am sorry your last night with him was so heartbreaking <3 I am very grateful Roscoe went so peacefully and that we had an extra long morning together the day of his passing. I just feel so angry/frustrated that he was so young. It doesn't feel real because I always imagined him as a cute old, grumpy dog...
Anyway, I really appreciate you taking the time to reach out to me. It helps to talk to people who 100% understand.
Have a wonderful day,
Kristin
otisandtess said
I am so sorry for the loss of both Roscoe and Cole. When my father died, I was struck that there was so much to celebrate about his life. He had been married for 35 years, had grandchildren (including my daughter) and great grandchildren through his second wife, and lived in a community surrounded by people who cared about him. Both Roscoe and Cole were obviously loved, and there is so much to celebrate about their lives too!
Thank you so much for your kind words. I will definitely try to remember the happy times <3
knahas said
I am so sorry for the loss of Cole <3 i="" hope="" you="" are="" right="" about="" the="" pain="" eventually="" just="" being="" happy="" memories="" m="" trying="" to="" keep="" myself="" from="" going="" down="" dark="" rabbit="" hole="" as="" have="" been="" calling="" it="" and="" playing="" what="" if="" game="" br="">
It's nice to know that you got Ella so quickly after. I was thinking perhaps a new puppy or young-ish dog would turn my loss into something more positive? I'm sure Ella helped you with that! I feel like I'm seeing everything in a negative light and I need to snap out of it!Hugs to you and your family
Kristin
It all depends on how you feel. If you feel ready, I would start to look. When we lost Muggins, we felt so hollow without all of our little daily rituals. We were at a loss at bedtime because there was no one to take out to go potty. Our cat was so sad and withdrawn because he and Muggins were best buddies. As well as missing Muggins in particular, we really missed the presence of a dog and all those little activities involved with them. We got Ella right away and then Cole a few months later.
I don't know how long we will wait this time. We have this void where he was. The house is so empty and cold without him. Our house seems so much bigger and not in a good way. Even the ceilings feel higher. Ella looks so small even though she weighs 140lb. We still have all the little rituals but they are sad now. I know that is temporary but the first time I had to fix just one bowl of food, I broke down sobbing and just hugged his bowl. The first time we took Ella potty without him, she was sad too. She didn't play and smell and bound around like a deer, she just walked to closest spot of grass and back.
I know I want more dogs but I am waiting until I get that feeling of wanting to add to the family again and I'm waiting until Ella seems ready. I know a puppy will bring joy. It won't replace him or even mask our sorrow but it is a separate source of joy. My ideal dog number is 4 so we may even get 2 when we are ready.
Roscoe is adorable. I'm so glad he felt so good in his last days and you guys had that wonderful time together. He sounds like a beautiful soul and I'm so glad he had such a happy life with you even though it was too short. He is playing with Muggins and Cole and all the other sweet babies now while waiting for you. He has all of his legs and no cancer and is having so much fun while watching over you.
Hugs from Mike, Deb, Ella, and Rufus
I know that too Kristin.
Very angry that Zeus was only 7. He had so much life and love to give. I cant wait to see him again.
Love,
Deb Belle and Angel Zeus
greydrizzle said
It all depends on how you feel. If you feel ready, I would start to look. When we lost Muggins, we felt so hollow without all of our little daily rituals. We were at a loss at bedtime because there was no one to take out to go potty. Our cat was so sad and withdrawn because he and Muggins were best buddies. As well as missing Muggins in particular, we really missed the presence of a dog and all those little activities involved with them. We got Ella right away and then Cole a few months later.
I don't know how long we will wait this time. We have this void where he was. The house is so empty and cold without him. Our house seems so much bigger and not in a good way. Even the ceilings feel higher. Ella looks so small even though she weighs 140lb. We still have all the little rituals but they are sad now. I know that is temporary but the first time I had to fix just one bowl of food, I broke down sobbing and just hugged his bowl. The first time we took Ella potty without him, she was sad too. She didn't play and smell and bound around like a deer, she just walked to closest spot of grass and back.
I know I want more dogs but I am waiting until I get that feeling of wanting to add to the family again and I'm waiting until Ella seems ready. I know a puppy will bring joy. It won't replace him or even mask our sorrow but it is a separate source of joy. My ideal dog number is 4 so we may even get 2 when we are ready.
Roscoe is adorable. I'm so glad he felt so good in his last days and you guys had that wonderful time together. He sounds like a beautiful soul and I'm so glad he had such a happy life with you even though it was too short. He is playing with Muggins and Cole and all the other sweet babies now while waiting for you. He has all of his legs and no cancer and is having so much fun while watching over you.
Hugs from Mike, Deb, Ella, and Rufus
That's exactly how our house feels, empty and way too quiet. I rearranged our bedroom and some furniture and it actually seemed to help me a bit 🙁 We love our Bella and she is a perfect angel black-lab sharpei and I can tell she is depressed, too. Roscoe was an in your face kinda guy with both Bella and the humans! I just miss my connection with him so much. I started to look today and it was the first time in 5 days that I felt even close to being happy again! So maybe that is a sign. I won't rush it but I have the feeling Roscoe will send me the right vibe when I meet the right dog <333
I totally understand what you are saying about the rituals that used to make you so happy feeling sad...I am happy we were able to connect! Cole sounds like he brought so much joy to your life, like my Roscoe. I keep reminding myself they wouldn't want us to be sad at all!
Much love,
Kristin
zeusysmom said
I know that too Kristin.Very angry that Zeus was only 7. He had so much life and love to give. I cant wait to see him again.
Love,
Deb Belle and Angel Zeus
Aw <3 I totally understand. Sometimes it helps me to think, if I adopted a 5 or 6 year old dog, I might only have him for 5 years or so as well! I guess dogs are meant to live short, sweet lives and teach us valuable life lessons. I am so sorry for your Zeus. The universe is a tricky place and Roscoe and Zeus were taken far too soon.
Much love,
Kristin 
Kristen, I think you can see that we cry with you. Losing one of our family members always hurts...to.lose one so young...too sad.
When caring for a tripawd and watching over them so intensely, the void when they transition is magnified by the lack.of purpose. Our routines are non existent. Our whole mission from the time of diagnosis to transition is to .make every moment with our dogs and cats as blissfully happy as possible. And when tjey cross over ro the other side of this life we are an empty shell. We hate going to bed, we hate getting up. We fix a sandwich and stare at it. We rush home and remeber there is no reason to. We leave the house because we can't stand the silence. We turn around and come right back because we can't stand to leave,as though they are still there.
Yeah, it is a suffocating sadness that you feel like will never lessen. It does though, at an agonizingly slow pace. The waves of grief will hit yiu iut of the blue even years later.
But here's what everyone of us who have endured the loss can PROMISE you. The wonderful happy memories Roscoe created with you will push the sadness further and further away. Nope, not anytime soon and not soon enough, but they will come.
Everyone of us here can also tell you Roscoe WILL send you a message...a sign...that he is still with you (although in energy form) and he is happy and free! It may take him awhile because he is having a good time at the Bridge!! Junk food prevails at the Bridge! No leashes, just beautiful fields, pristine lakes for swimmjng and lots and lots of bunnies and squirrels! The squirrels and bunnies always outrun the dogs though...and they have a blast doing it! Roscoe spe t his first several days at the Bridge telling everyone what a great time he had with you as his buddy!
Roscoe knew he was loved and he knew EVERYTHING you did was ALWAYS in his best interest!! That's what Roscoe has in his heart!! That's what Roscoe wants you to KNOW is true! Roscoe never cared how long his visit was here on earrh. All he ever cared about was being with you while he was here!
STAY CONNECTED! We understand and we are here for you. We would LOVE hearing more about sweet Roscoe...of course with pictures
Thank you for the privilege of being on this journey with Roscoe. His life mattered and he will be remembered here forever.
Surrounding you with Roscoe's happy smile and sweet kisses
Sally and My Chunky Spiritual Being Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie
PS... As far as thinking aout bringing in another dog so they can knkw what love feels like, don't worry, Roscoe has already set a plan I to motion!! When he and the dog he has selected decide it's time...yeah....it'll rnappen!
!
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
knahas said
Aw <3 i="" totally="" understand="" sometimes="" it="" helps="" me="" to="" think="" if="" adopted="" a="" 5="" or="" 6="" year="" old="" dog="" might="" only="" have="" him="" for="" years="" so="" as="" well="" guess="" dogs="" are="" meant="" live="" short="" sweet="" lives="" and="" teach="" us="" valuable="" life="" lessons="" am="" sorry="" your="" zeus="" the="" universe="" is="" tricky="" place="" roscoe="" were="" taken="" far="" too="" soon="" br="">
Much love,Kristin
I put this quote on my tripawds blog when I posted about Cole passing.
“It came to me that every time I lose a dog they take a piece of my heart with them. And every new dog who comes into my life gifts me with a piece of their heart. If I live long enough, all the components of my heart will be dog, and I will become as generous and loving as they are.” -Unknown
It really speaks to me as I feel like Muggins in his 8 years and Cole in his 6.5 years both taught me so much. I think dogs are concentrated goodness. Like they are all of the qualities that make people good condensed into a little, furry being. Love, empathy, humor, compassion, patience; these are all the things I learn from my dogs. I feel cheated that Cole was here so short a time but I am so grateful for every moment.
benny55 said
Kristen, I think you can see that we cry with you. Losing one of our family members always hurts...to.lose one so young...too sad.When caring for a tripawd and watching over them so intensely, the void when they transition is magnified by the lack.of purpose. Our routines are non existent. Our whole mission from the time of diagnosis to transition is to .make every moment with our dogs and cats as blissfully happy as possible. And when tjey cross over ro the other side of this life we are an empty shell. We hate going to bed, we hate getting up. We fix a sandwich and stare at it. We rush home and remeber there is no reason to. We leave the house because we can't stand the silence. We turn around and come right back because we can't stand to leave,as though they are still there.
Yeah, it is a suffocating sadness that you feel like will never lessen. It does though, at an agonizingly slow pace. The waves of grief will hit yiu iut of the blue even years later.
But here's what everyone of us who have endured the loss can PROMISE you. The wonderful happy memories Roscoe created with you will push the sadness further and further away. Nope, not anytime soon and not soon enough, but they will come.
Everyone of us here can also tell you Roscoe WILL send you a message...a sign...that he is still with you (although in energy form) and he is happy and free! It may take him awhile because he is having a good time at the Bridge!! Junk food prevails at the Bridge! No leashes, just beautiful fields, pristine lakes for swimmjng and lots and lots of bunnies and squirrels! The squirrels and bunnies always outrun the dogs though...and they have a blast doing it! Roscoe spe t his first several days at the Bridge telling everyone what a great time he had with you as his buddy!
Roscoe knew he was loved and he knew EVERYTHING you did was ALWAYS in his best interest!! That's what Roscoe has in his heart!! That's what Roscoe wants you to KNOW is true! Roscoe never cared how long his visit was here on earrh. All he ever cared about was being with you while he was here!
STAY CONNECTED! We understand and we are here for you. We would LOVE hearing more about sweet Roscoe...of course with pictures
Thank you for the privilege of being on this journey with Roscoe. His life mattered and he will be remembered here forever.Surrounding you with Roscoe's happy smile and sweet kisses
Sally and My Chunky Spiritual Being Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie
PS... As far as thinking aout bringing in another dog so they can knkw what love feels like, don't worry, Roscoe has already set a plan I to motion!! When he and the dog he has selected decide it's time...yeah....it'll rnappen!
!
Your second paragraph is a perfect explanation of everything I am feeling.
So, so sorry for you loss of Roscoe. It's never an easy thing....it's not easy when they linger and suffer, and it's not easy when their passing is sudden. I've experienced sudden losses with my first 2 Dobes; Thor, my first had been in remission for 2 years with lymphoma. I came home from work one night, gave him his nightly biscuit which he took to our bed like he did every night. About an hour later I also went to bed and found him gone, just like that. My second, Harley, was outside making a retching sound like she was coughing up grass....2 coughs later, she was gone, most likely due to a heart attack caused by cardiomyopathy.
I've also experienced different ways of grieving...I've gotten a puppy on the very day my first Westie passed (in order to preserve my sanity after losing my first dog, I had to have someone to think about, to focus on.) By no means did I ever think of the new puppy as a replacement for the one I'd just loss. I've also waited months and months before bringing a new friend home. I really think there is no right way or wrong way to handle this....it is an individual, personal thing; you can look to others for validation of your choice, but the bottom line is, you have to do what's right for YOU.
Wishing you peace in the upcoming days....
Paula and Nitro
Nitro 11 1/2 yr old Doberman; right front amp June 2014. Had 6 doses carboplatin, followed by metronomic therapy. Rocked it on 3 legs for over 3 years! My Warrior beat cancer, but couldn't beat old age. He crossed the Bridge peacefully on July 25, 2017, with dignity and on his terms. Follow his blog entitled "Doberman's journey"
"Be good, mama loves you".....run free my beautiful Warrior
Paula, the way Thor and Harley passed..did not knkw that. They sure did it on their own terms though, with no suffering, no vet trips. Very special Souls
This community is such a loving place where kindred spirits reside. Even though Cole a d Zeus nave recently crossed over, their humans are right nere offering comfort to Kristen, and she to them
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!
Kristin,
Grieving the loss of a precious fur baby is tough and one of the hardest journeys for the human(s) left behind. But you will get through it and this community will stand with you to lend a shoulder to lean on when you need it. It will take time for your heart to heal and as time moves on you'll cry a little bit less. And then you will have days that your precious Roscoe will enter your thoughts and you'll shed some tears. My husband and I still have tearful moments over the loss of our Leland and he's been at the Bridge for a little over 2 years now.
And your heart will know when it's the right time to bring another fur baby into your life. For me and my husband it was roughly a month and a half. Leland was our only fur baby so the house was so empty without his presence. That was one of the hardest parts for me and my husband was coming home to an empty house without our Leland. So we brought our Lucian home when he was a puppy and it's been chaos ever since. Lucian has been good for hubby and me but not so much for the house (at times)...lol 
. He's starting to mature some (he turned 2 in May) but we probably won't be out of the mischievous prankster stage till he's 3-4 years old. Lucian in no way was a replacement for our Leland but Lucian was definitely able to bring laughter and smiles back into our home.
Wishing you the best and sending you a hug!
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!
I am so, so sorry to hear about Roscoe's passing 
No matter how many times one goes through this, we are never really prepared and it is always way too soon
But the fact he passed peacefully in his favourite spot whilst sleeping is positive ... I know it sounds crazy ... probably the worst is when we have to judge the moment has come and comfort our babies as they leave this earth.
Pain is very hard to deal with as our babies are so present in our lives and we miss everything, every day.
I so understand you had to move from the apartment because memories were too powerful and painful.
I lost my last baby girl 5 years ago and only a few years later was I able to look at her photos and videos without bursting into tears.
Even now, sometimes I just remember her and my heart sinks and the old pain is back.
But there is nothing one can do to get them back.
I take comfort in the fact if there is a way they can wait for us when we go, they definitely will.
And I, like many others here, have had many signs during the past 5 years that my baby is around, some of the signs she sent me are so miraculous that others who witnessed them as well find no rational explanation for it.
Life is a mystery, really.
Roscoe is definitely watching over you and shines bright in the sky.
You will meet again one day.
My heart is with yours, send you all my love
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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