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.
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!
Register
Log In
Members
Add Topic
Offline
Today would have been Emily's six month ampuversay so it has been a hard day. I slept about three hours last night and have been so sad and questioning if radiation would have shrunk her tumor so maybe we acted to quickly. (I guess the tumor was pushing on the spine not that the cancer was in the spine.) In my head I know we did the right thing but my heart is having a hard time.
Anyway, I get the mail after work and the Ohio State University Vet. Hospital sent us a card and two paw prints in plaster. I hugged them and sobbed. I am so happy to have them. Some of you may remember that the day we had to let Emily go I had decided to go to the store after work and buy a kit for making paw prints. Instead we found out her cancer had returned with a vengeance and we had to let her go. I so regretted not doing her paw prints earlier. I am so grateful that they were able to do it for us.
I am going to buy the kits for the other dogs while they are healthy. I don't want to regret not making them like I did with Emily. Thank you to OSU for relieving me of this regret.
Angel Emily's Mom
Debra & Emily, a five year old doberman mix, who was diagnosed with an osteosaecoma. She had a right rear leg amputation on May 19, 2009. On November 10, 2009 she earned her wings and regained her fourth leg.
I think we all have regrets and question our decisions. It just shows how much we loved and cared about them. I am glad that the hospital was able to do that for you. My sister had given us a paw print kit over a year ago and before he got cancer I was saying that we really needed to get it done just based on Mac's age and not to procrastinate. I can't remember if it was a couple days before he was diagnosed or right when he was diagnosed that I did the mold. You think that you will have more time with them....and you put things off...and never get the chance again. I torture myself thinking about all the times I kept saying I wanted to take Mac for an outing and put it off....it makes me feel like a terrible mom. But I know I can't change the past. A lot of dogs are tied up in the yard with no toys or love...we gave our pups all our love and attention and the best health care we could afford. Emily was a lucky dog and so are your other ones. 🙂
Jacki,
You were a wonderful Mom to Mac. Don't ever doubt it. My regret is we never recorded tripawd Emily running across the yard to jump on the trampoline. She ran like the wind!
Debra
Debra & Emily, a five year old doberman mix, who was diagnosed with an osteosaecoma. She had a right rear leg amputation on May 19, 2009. On November 10, 2009 she earned her wings and regained her fourth leg.
Debra,
What a wonderful gift from your vet. I wish that my vet had thought of that too... Have you gotten Emily's ashes back yet? How are you holding up?
Angel Jake's Mom
Jake, 10yr old golden retriever (fractured his front right leg on 9/1, bone biopsy revealed osteosarcoma on 9/10, amputation on 9/17) and his family Marguerite, Jacques and Wolfie, 5yr old german shepherd and the newest addition to the family, Nala, a 7mth old Bengal mix kittie. Jake lost his battle on 11/9/2009, almost 8 weeks after his surgery. We will never forget our sweet golden angel… http://jakesjou.....ipawds.com ….. CANCER SUCKS!
Debra, I know you're having a hard time today, and I am sorry. You did everything you could to help Emily - she knew that. I guess there's always going to be regrets when we lose someone we love.
I have been meaning to get a plaster kit for Rocky's paw print. It's been on "my list of things to do". I will not put if off any longer, as we never know what tomorrow brings.
Do you have a picture of Emily on the trampoline? If so I'd love to see it.
Take care,
Michelle
Jake's Mom,
We have not gotten the ashes back yet. They said it would probably be this week but we have not heard back. One of the funeral homes in town actually does the individual pet cremations and they have a little brass tag engraved for the box. Maybe it is not done yet. Hopefully it will be tomorrow. How are you doing? Is Wolfie doing any better?
Michelle,
I am glad you are going to do Rocky's paw prints. Don't put it off like I did. We are going to have to look and see if we have any pictures of Emily on the trampoline but I don't think we do. Oh, how I wish we did though. I love that so many of you are posting pictures and video. We are not real camera people but we need to try harder to.
Thanks for thinking of me.
Debra & Angel Emily
Debra & Emily, a five year old doberman mix, who was diagnosed with an osteosaecoma. She had a right rear leg amputation on May 19, 2009. On November 10, 2009 she earned her wings and regained her fourth leg.
Debra - Thank you for bringing this up... I never would have thought about doing paw prints of Shilo and I think this is a wonderful idea. I am going to pick up the stuff tomorrow after work. Thank you for sharing!!
Shilo's Mom
Shilo diagnosed with osteosarcoma 9/4/2009, amputation 9/9/2009. ShiloAnne lost her battle 11/23/2009 where she regained her fourth leg and is patiently waiting for her parents to join her. We will always love you baby girl.
Debra, please do not regret your decision. When OSA metastasizes to the spine it is very painful and the vertebrae can even fracture. While radiation, prednisone, or IV pamidronate can all help the results are only short term (pain relief for only hours to weeks). I decided that it was just too much to put Tazzie through for my own selfish reasons. You did all that you could for Emily and she knew that! You are a great mom.
Pam
Debra, we know it would've been her ampuversary, we had it on our calendar. We have been thinking of you. But please don't doubt your decision. You did the right thing as hard as it was.
It's hard not to second-guess these decisions, but you can't beat yourself up like that. Just ask yourself what kind of quality of life she would have had if you let it go any longer? Would she have been happy? Would she have been able to do her favorite things without being all doped up on painkillers? If so, for how long? Chances are her life would not have been what she or you would have wanted it to be.
You are a strong, loving Mom, and we know that Emily thanks you for helping her out of that awful pain. Please be good to yourself OK?
Yes, the paw prints are a pawesome idea!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
When we visited Dunham Cellars recently they had a paw print rubber stamp made from Port's paw. Port is the late great Tripawd that inspired their Three Legged Red wine. Codie Rae was able to get a post card stamped with Port's paw print and send it to Wyatt Ray Dawg.
Ralph
I am in the presence of some of the most caring, giving, loving, altruistic, battling individuals in the world, and I have had the privilege to meet you even if only in cyber space. I know that it is only human nature to second guess, to wonder “what if?” and to question if there were more you could have done, but words will never be able to express the admiration we have for each and every one of you. Frankly, I do not give such admiration away easily, but in this case it is deserved. Please rest assured that you have done everything humanly possible. For reasons that we can never understand, we were dealt a bad hand but played it with great heart. The grieving process is hard enough, please do not make it harder by questioning if you could have or should have done something else. You all have been excellent Moms and Dads and they would not have chosen to be anywhere else but with you.
As Jake’s mom and I discussed, you will feel better when Emily is home. I feel so inadequate because I know that I do not have the Magic Words to make you feel better but I also know that the support of this community does help.
I know that I am venting and ranting again, so please excuse. This community really is filled with wonderful people.
Our Prayers for Peace and Comfort,
Bob & Cherry
Hi Emily - none of us (seem to have) had regrets amputating and none of us should have any regrets about the end either. It's so hard NOT to question "what if" and "why didn't I" and "shouldn't I have?" but we can't do that to ourselves...it doesn't help and it doesn't change anything. I gave myself a good beating the first month after about not catching the kidney failure and it just isn't a good place to be. Depsite the depth of our love for our fur kids - we don't have that kind of power or control over what is meant to be.
Acceptance is difficult - I'm not there yet - it seems to take time.
I hope you find peace knowing that you did everything humanly possible.
Know that you are loved.
Heather and Spirit Zeus
Heather and Spirit Zeus - Our life changing journey…from the earth to the heavens…one day at a time…always together
1 Guest(s)
