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
When I got to the post office today I had a package. It was Shooter. I certainly didn't expect him to come parcel post so was a little shocked. Tomorrow will be one week so I am glad he is home It was hard to open the box and all would have been well as the cannister had paw prints on it and fit him perfectly, but they also included a certificate and along with that was a small envelope with his paw print on it that contained a lock of his hair. The thoughtfulness of it hit hard as I had forgotten to ask the vet for some hair and thought it was too late. After reading Shari's post I know I need to get on the road to acceptance, but for some reason this loss has hit me harder than any of my other dogs. I think it's because from the timee the diagnosis is received our whole life becomes wrapped up in the fight. First, the preparation for the amp, adjusting to a tripawd, being over protective and always needing to know where they are and how they are eating and breathing, lots and lots of vet visits, constant research and so on and so on and so on. Then, in the blink of an eye, it's over and you are at a total loss as you have lost your goal an focus. During this time everything else has been secondary to "the fight". Being human, we always have that hope that we will be the one to beat it and are just a little shocked that we didn't.
So I have rambled way too much. In a few days Shooter will be put in our bedroom next to CC and we will continue on loving our other three dogs and it won't hurt so much because we will smile when we think of the silly things he did that right now hurt to think about. Mostly we will be better for having him in our lives.
Luanne and Shooter's Pack
Spirit Shooter was a Miniature Australian Shepherd who was diagnosed with a MCT and had a LF amp 1/28/13 at 13-1/2 years old.
Shooter crossed the Bridge on 8/28/13, his 7 month ampuversary and two weeks from his 14th birthday.
I know what you are saying Luanne and totally understand. Wanting to beat this thinking we would and then wham. I know I am getting better each day but it still hurts and will. I am moving but slowly. Bringing Sassy home helped but then I was looking at baby pictures of her and even though there were smiles there were a lot of tears. Guess its not time yet. Better but not there and I know it will take a while. Its been 2 weeks today.
Hugs
Michelle & Angel Sassy
Sassy is a proud member of the Winter Warriors. Live long, & strong Winter Warriors.
sassysugarbear.tripawds.com
07/26/2006 - Sassy earned her wings 08/20/2013
05/04/2006 - Bosch, Sassy's pal, earned his wings 03/29/19 fought cancer for 4 months.
"You aren't doing it TO her, you are doing it FOR her. Give her a chance at life."
Hugs to you Michelle. Hold Sassy close and hold Bosch close to help you.
Luanne
Spirit Shooter was a Miniature Australian Shepherd who was diagnosed with a MCT and had a LF amp 1/28/13 at 13-1/2 years old.
Shooter crossed the Bridge on 8/28/13, his 7 month ampuversary and two weeks from his 14th birthday.
It's hard... and it sucks.. there is no way of sugar coating it. It's been almost 4 months for me.. and it does get better.. but that doesn't mean that I don't have the occasional breakdown sometimes. Yea.. I still have moments.. but the smiles are more often with a wet eyes.
I miss him so. I don't think that will ever change. We miss them. And you are right.. it is because they have overcome so much in their time as a Tripawd. The lived life to the fullest, wagged their tail every day and didn't let that loss of a leg hinder them. that's why we have sch a special bond with them, cause they teach us. They don't know it.. but they teach us.. lol
I'm glad Shooter is home.. it seems to bring some "peace" and "completes the cycle" which calm us. We let out that big sigh and feel whole again. When I was younger, I never brought my pets ashes home.. I let them be scattered in the field with all the other dogs and cats and variety of pets who were all fortunate to be together that day.
But I just can't see myself doing that again.. I have to have them here.. and one day they will blow free.. or maybe not.. who knows.. but until that time.. I can say good morning.. kiss his claw pawprint when I want to.. and jingle his collar to say "hey big guy"
And that is ok by me if you do that too!!
Christine..... with Franklin in her heart♥
Franklin, he was the Happiest Dog on Three Legs! Diagnosed 09/26/2012 with Osteosarcoma, amputated 12/4/2012. Had a wonderful 5 1/2 months painfree until he ran for the Bridge on 5/15/2013. Always in my heart, and always a guardian angel of my pack... You can follow his Tripawd Adventures, before and after, in my blog, Frank'n'Farter!
Oh sweet Luanne. My heart hurts for you. Yes, you'll work through this and s l o w l y "adjust", but right now I'm sure it feels like the sadness will never be lifted.. It will, but it will take a while.
You really nailed it when speaking about losingyour goal...your focus. This journey consumes us like no ther. I think the "caregiving".....the privilege of care giving..... becomes our new "norm"....our new way of life. A routine that becomes natural to us.....and the suddenly the rug is pulled out and your whole world turns upside down. What became your "norm" nowmhas to replaced with other focuses, other goals. And when you are empty inside and everything seems dim and pale and blah, you have no rudder...no direction...no sense of purpose in your moment to moment tasks. You're on automatic pilot.
The ONLY thing that may help you step ito Shooter's loving light, is to remember how much he loves you......how much he knows you love him....and how he only wants to see you remember the wonderful tmes. The kind of times that makes his tail wag. The kinds of times that made you laugh...made you giggle out loud.. I kow for me in particular, when look at the photo of him on the banner where he's cutting those eyes towards the camera.....those wo derful, expressive eyes! Yeah, that makes you smile through the tears.
I'm so glad Shooter is home where he belongs. Yeah, a little strange through the mail, I, agree! Does Shooter like riding in trucks? Would he have enjoyed a ride in a postal truck? Maybe it was per his request!
If circumstances allow, K always cut a lock of my hair and tape it over their hearts. I cut a lock of tjeir nair for me......No, I don't tape it over my heart.....that would be one hairy boob! I'm real glad your vet saved those precious momentos of Shooter for you.
Please keep expressng your feelings. You k ow we are here for you. It also helps us too. We know if it hasn't already hppened, we'll all be there someday. Your post tonight was realy helpdul in laying out what your days are like now. You described the void very well.
The void will son feill with hapoy memories. Okay now, you know you ave to do so ething for Shooter right now. No, don't shake your head "no". Shooter is watching! Yeah, let's co e up with a warm fuzzy memory. What does Shooter do on realy cold nights? How does he like to cuddle or snuggle? Does he realy enjoy the cold weather or is he much more of a "put me by the wood stove" kind of dog.? Yeah, he looks pretty comfy all snuggled up. Feel the warmth of his love and let it warm your neart to ight.
We love you,
Sally and Happy Hannah
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!
Luanne,
"Accepting" doesn't mean not being sad. If you weren't sad you would be in denial, not "accepting". Going through the grieving process is part of the road to acceptance. And you can go as fast or slow as you need to go. It's your road and you make the rules!
I'm so very sorry about Shooter.
Hugs,
Carol
It never gets easier saying goodbye to your best friend, someone who's been there through it all with you. They've been there for us and we were there for them in the end the best we could. As Sally said, it WILL get better, just very slowly. What helps me every time I have to say goodbye is remembering all the others I have yet to say hello to. Shooter will guide you to your next mission in life and you can bet he's having a grand ol' time up there with his brand new wings.
With love,
Mandy and Maverick
Maverick is a wonderful miniature australian shepard born with a malformation of the front right radius/ulna, amputation performed on 11/4/13 at 6 months old. Follow his story at mavericksjourney.tripawds.com.
I know there are no perfect words here, just thoughts, prayers and support for you. Big hugs,
lori and chuck
Luanne, I know how hard it was to find "the box" in your mailbox. I wouldn't have expected that, either. But even going to the vet to pick it up is painful and difficult. I know some people who never manage it. (Our old vet had one of the boxes on a shelf for over 10 years, and he saw the owners regularly.)
I am glad Carol wrote that acceptance is not the same as not being sad. When I wrote the guest blog post, I was writing about "satisfaction" more than "acceptance." What I wanted to convey was how useless it is to get stalled in a place of unrelenting grief and need to control. For how long? Well, that's not for me to say. But I think people know it when they're in it.
I wanted to emphasize that we are a special population here, one that is seen as going above and beyond for our companions. So if we amputate, do chemo, change diets, do acupuncture, do rehab, do hydrotherapy or laser therapy or whatever therapy and our dog (or cat) dies, we have every reason in the world to feel satisfied with what we did. Sad. Angry. Lonely. Cheated. Robbed. Unready. But satisfied.
Only then can we move through our grief without the burden of guilt and without the never-ending tail-chasing of needing to control everything, especially the things we cannot control. That's maybe what we need to accept. We feel out of control because we are.
I feel for you. I miss my guy, and I know how it feels. I wish none of us ever had to endure it. I wish your boy was right there with you. Like Dakota, Shooter now lives in your heart, exactly where he belongs.
Shari
From abandoned puppy to Tripawd Warrior Dude, Dakota became one of the 2011 February Furballs due to STS. Our incredibly sweet friend lived with grace and dignity till he impulsively raced over the Bridge on 12-15-12.
Dakota's thoughtful and erudite blog is at http://shari.tr.....pawds.com/
Luanne, I'm sorry. I know it hurts. I'm glad they remembered to include the lock of fur.
You weren't rambling and you can come here to talk about it and write as much as you want. Shari is right, we are the community who gets what you are feeling. Saying goodbye always hurts but when you feel you got robbed of more time because of cancer, there's an extra aspect to learn to cope with, and ultimately, accept. It's just hard and the only way to get through it is to go through it, as a wise Tripawds member recently told me. We are here to help you with it.
{{{{hugs}}}}
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
I also want to say that it doesn't mean we should rush the grieving process, not one bit. It's normal to grieve for as long as we need to and nobody ever expects anyone to "get over it" in a hurry. Being able to accept what the universe has thrown at us is part of the process of being OK with knowing that we we are not ever really in control of everything, which helps us move forward and learn to open our hearts once again. Unfortunately getting to that point doesn't come easy.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Luanne,
I think we search for words to try to comfort, I think we all here as those that have lost one of our babies knows the pain, the sorrow and the emptiness. Your heart is in all of our hearts.
Esther and Snoop
Luanne,
Today at work I just briefly saw the title of your post, so I was reminded to call the vet and check on Brendol. Nobody had called me yet. And I was getting a bit impatient. Well, I called and after they hung up on me by accident, kept me on hold for 10 minutes, and then after calling back, kept me on hold another 6 minutes, they finally answered and told me that yes, they had her. Nobody had called me. Anyway, I brought my baby girl home. I just finished baking the paw print. Many tears today. But I feel it is fitting that we were both able to get our pups today since they had been through this journey side by side so much of the way. Hugs to you. It will all come as it is supposed to.
Karma
Adelaide is a young tripawd Husky, from an injury. Her amp was on 10/1/12. She has 4 sisters, Aissa (a senior border collie/chow), Maggie May (a puppy Great Pyrenees), Mathilde and Morrigan and 1 baby brother, Bagheera. We are all watched over by our angel Brendol, who was dx with OSA 1/30/13, amp on 2/6/13, and left us on 8/20/13.
You can read their stories at http://adelaide.tripawds.com and http://brendol.tripawds.com
Hugs and hearts to all whose pain is so new, and for all of us who have been carrying our special souls safely in our hearts for a bit longer. And thanks to each of you for so beautifully expressing the emotions that are so hard to explain. What a nice touch with the pawprints and locks of fur; I've never heard of that. The family-owned company that handles the cremations for our vet always includes a certificate and a personal note conveying their sympathy. Our vet sends a card with notes from everyone in the office, and a donation to one of the animal welfare groups in the area. And I always stop on the way to bed at night near my (growing) urn collection, and wish them all sweet dreams. We each find our way, and it's always right.
xoxoxoxo-Liz and Roxie
Luanne I am sending you so many hugs right now. I am so sorry for your loss and I hope having your baby home with you now brings you some sense of closure (whatever that is....)
I know Shooter is looking down on you from up above and watching over you forever.
All my love,
Erica
Jill is a 9-year-old tuxedo kitty. She was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma in June 2012 on her toe in her right hind leg. Her leg was amputated on 12/12/12 and she completed four rounds of chemo (2 of Carbo, 2 of Doxy) in April 2013. "Like" Jill's facebook page: https://www.fac.....tty?ref=hl Proud member of the WINTER WARRIORS!!!! Her blog can be read at http://jillsjou.....ipawds.com. xoxo
1 Guest(s)
