Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Mousie is so cute! I know it is really hard to look your sweet pup in the face, the pup who is battling cancer, the one who may not make it, the one who just lost her leg and say no treat. My boy is supposed to lose 5 to 6 lbs for his health and his leg.
It is hard because I went from giving him 6 cups of dry(plus wet food) to 4 cups of dry food a day (plus wet food) but he still hasn't lost anything. There is the difference in activity level, but also, now.... I can't say no. I can say no to the type of treat he gets, but when he gives me those soft brown innocent eyes....darn. Okay. Of course... Sure my little pumpkin... mommy loves you...
I think alot of us has fallen victim to the "look".
Cometdog! Omg Comet is the sweetest! I haven't ever seen a video of her, she has the most innocent sweet face. I could never EVER say no to her. She was begging on the video and I was reaching for cookies and yelling "for goodness sake, get the girl cookies!" How could you ever say no?!
Elizabeth and Sammy
Diagnosed with osteosarcoma in the right front leg 8/23/10,
leg fractured 8/27/10,
leg amputated 8/30/10
http://sammyand.....pawds.com/
I couldn't begin to say how special Sammy is to us. Living and laughing with and loving this wonderful boy is priceless.
Thanks guys on the compliments on Comet!
Zack's mom have you tried celery? We used to give Comet and Rugby a carrot and a celery stalk at 730pm to tide them over to 8pm before the begging really started!
The celery has almost no calories and it lasts a while and is crunchy. Since Rugby's passing we still give a carrot to Comet and Rocket (aka monkeybutt) but now I cut them in half since Rocket is so small. I don't do the celery since Rocket doesn't do anything but play with it and it bugs Comet to see good food being played with.
If you make the celery seem like a fantastic treat, he'll probably get excited for it even if he doesn't like it. Rocket didn't know what to make of carrots at first (or most of the junk food Comet eats) but Comet was so excited about it and he got excited. Now, carrots are mandatory at 730pm.
Comet - 1999 to 2011
She departed us unexpectedly January 23, 2011 at the age of 12 1/2.
She was born with a deformed front leg and a tripawd all of her life.
I have to agree with everyone... I could never ever say no to Cometdog! And here I thought her regular avatar was adorable.. the video is pawesome!! By the way Comet, really nice hat!! that really looks good on you..
Coopsdad/ Kenneth Blackburn
http://cooper.t.....ipawds.com
the monkeydogs only THINK they have invaded the tripawd state
Here is some advice I got from our friend Connie at Canine Health Resort. Her foster dog Luke has lost 42 pounds (yes, he was HUGE) on this diet, and Connie says he is never hungry or begging for more food:
"Luke has been getting 1 cup of dry R/D prescription dog food plus 1/3 can of R/D canned food plus a heaping cup of canned green beans (probably close to 1-1/2 cups) twice a day since I got him in mid-August. He also gets 3 Science Diet light dog cookies at bedtime. And that has satisfied him from the beginning.
He eats all his food but doesn't lick his bowl clean (that's Dexter's job). He has never begged or counter surfed, so he must be full. If he loses too much weight one week I bump up his kibble by about a handful or give him a bit more canned food. He's steadily lost 2-3 lbs a week. And he's getting LOTS of exercise. Even more as he feels better - he's running a lot more now than before.
R/D is a Hills prescription diet that you can only get at the vets. It's not meant to be a lifelong diet, just for weight loss. Luke will probably be switching to Science Diet Light when he reaches his goal weight. Science Diet is not the best food out there, but it is readily available and has worked for my fat dog clients. Luke won't be switching food until he's down to 90 lbs., so that's another 20+ lbs. to go."
"Weight loss won't work if the dog is hungry. That's why the green beans are so good, as is the R/D. It's really low calorie but has a lot of bulk.
Just cutting back on the quantity of food won't work. And exercise, exercise, exercise!
A couple of low calorie dog cookies at bedtime will help with the overnight hunger. The SD light cookies aren't prescription."
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
I cannot imagine having to take more than 40 pounds off a dog. OMG!, 14 was a challenge for us.
Shanna & Spirit Trouble ~ Trouble gained her wings 3/16/2011, a 27 1/2 month cancer survivor, tail wagging. RIP sweetheart, you are my heart and soul. Run free at Rainbow Bridge.
The November Five - Spirits Max, Cherry, Tika, Trouble & Nova. 11/2008 - 3/2013 An era ends as Queen Nova crossed the Bridge.
And he still has some to go. This poor guy was HUGE.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Wow,
Luke has lost over two pugs, and still has a pug and a little bit to go.
Now THAT is funny!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thanks for the suggestions...we should be running to the store tomorrow, so will be picking up some celery to give it a try. And, I ordered some Power Mushrooms - I look forward to giving them a try, too.
We've tried the smaller dinner/larger midnight snack with more meat/way more green beans (glad to hear we're on the right track with the green beans!) It didn't work for this morning, but we'll see how tonight and tomorrow morning go.
Zack, King of Dogs, 1996 to 2010
Zack lived a full 14 years, even to the end.
The joy and memories he provided us will last a lifetime.
Surviving him is his sister, Izzy, a 12-year-old boxer mix quadpawd.
And the latest addition, Zula, an 11-month-old pit bull mix tripawd.
We make it through the night last night. Didn't get a wake up call until 4AM. Yes, I know that is really early and normal people wouldn't be excited. But I have to be at work at 6AM on the days I work, so I'm up 4-4:30AM on those days anyway. I would be thrilled to get to sleep until 4 every morning.
Shanna & Spirit Trouble ~ Trouble gained her wings 3/16/2011, a 27 1/2 month cancer survivor, tail wagging. RIP sweetheart, you are my heart and soul. Run free at Rainbow Bridge.
The November Five - Spirits Max, Cherry, Tika, Trouble & Nova. 11/2008 - 3/2013 An era ends as Queen Nova crossed the Bridge.
Hmmm....I wonder if there was something in the air overnight?
We also had a good night. First potty break wasn't until 5:30a, and then it was back to sleep (and no whining - yeah!!!!) until breakfast hunger pangs at 7:30a. Most weekdays, one of us is up around 6a anyway, so I will be thrilled if 5:30 becomes the new norm. We'll have to wait & see.
Zack, King of Dogs, 1996 to 2010
Zack lived a full 14 years, even to the end.
The joy and memories he provided us will last a lifetime.
Surviving him is his sister, Izzy, a 12-year-old boxer mix quadpawd.
And the latest addition, Zula, an 11-month-old pit bull mix tripawd.
I hope you have better luck getting Zack's hunger issues under control than I have with Fortis. Fortis was lean at 155lbs before his surgery and has since shed about 25lbs. He is constantly hungry and forever looking for something to eat. This includes chunks of limestone, bark, sticks, carpet and anything else he can find. It doesn't seem I can feed him enough. He has been on prednisolone for almost 3 months now and that has only made the problem worse.
I saw that Tazzie's mom recommended trying Power Mushrooms. I may give this a try if I can find them for sale in Austin.
Wishing you guys the best 
Fortis'Dad
I need to lose some pugs, too!
Maybe Zak was just going through a hungry phase! I go through them!
On a serious note, I did read that if you wake up really hungry, that usually means you are dehydrated. ( for humans ) Zak could be going to bed a little dehydrated? Just a thought...
Comet says that Fortis needs some peanut butter cookies!
Comet - 1999 to 2011
She departed us unexpectedly January 23, 2011 at the age of 12 1/2.
She was born with a deformed front leg and a tripawd all of her life.
Fortis said:
I saw that Tazzie's mom recommended trying Power Mushrooms. I may give this a try if I can find them for sale in Austin.
We noticed Power Mushrooms at Only Natural Pet when we visited their store in Boulder, CO.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Well, the green beans seem to be doing the trick (knock on wood.) Based on the excerpt that Jerry posted above, I upped the amount to just about 2/3 of a can each night before bed, mixed in with a little kibble & chicken, too. Even though there are nature calls still around 4a, Zack goes back to sleep, with no whining for breakfast until about 5:30/6:00a – which was his prior NORMAL routine – yeah!!!!!!!
I ordered the Power Mushrooms from the Vitamin Shoppe through amazon.com, and got them within about 3 days. We haven't started giving them to Zack yet, because we are still testing/trying to prove out the green bean experiment. Chemo treatment #4 is tomorrow, so I'll probably start the Mushrooms this weekend.
Zack, King of Dogs, 1996 to 2010
Zack lived a full 14 years, even to the end.
The joy and memories he provided us will last a lifetime.
Surviving him is his sister, Izzy, a 12-year-old boxer mix quadpawd.
And the latest addition, Zula, an 11-month-old pit bull mix tripawd.
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