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.
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Hi all! I am so glad that I found this site! I got Sienna when I was 22... She was 10 weeks old. I had wanted a dog my entire life and was never able to get one, so luckily, a few months after I graduated from college, Sienna found me and we have been together ever since. Ten weeks ago, while I was doing a yoga teacher training in Costa Rica though, my husband told me that she was limping. She had limped before and it had always gone away, so we assumed that was the case. When I returned a few weeks later and she was still limping, I became worried and took her to the vet. The vet said, very matter of factly that it was her ACL. Financially we were not prepared for that, but we applied for the care credit card and were ready to go. It was the day of surgery when she had already been put under and taken for X-rays that we found out that it was osteo. The surgeon told us that we had two options, to amputate and do chemo, which would be miserable for her and for us, or to put her down before the leg broke and she was in a world of pain. We took her home, I called into work sick and I snuggled her for 2 days before I called the vet to make arrangements. They were the ones to suggest amputating without chemo and said that the cancer may not spread. We went ahead with that option and have tried to remain optimistic. It has been 10 weeks since she started limping and 4 weeks since surgery and so far, so good. We went in for a chest X-ray just a few days ago and they reported a clean X-ray, so even the surgeon has become optimistic. A friend recommended Wobenzyme and Colloidial Silver, so we have been giving her both in the hope that it will help her immune system fight any cancer that might spread. The surgeon said that with the rate it is spreading, (if at all) that we should have her for another year at least. I am wondering a few things though... She is walking very fast and almost seems uncomfortable on a leash. Is that normal? She also starts to droop into her back leg sometimes on walks, does that mean I have pushed her too far? We have a 1 and a half year old lab puppy that loves walks!!! She is happy and healthy and tail wagging all day. I was terrified about her learning how to use the bathroom, and when she finally pee'd at 2am the day after surgery, I had a party in my pj's in the backyard! Physical therapy/acupuncture is expensive, but is there anything that I can be doing to help strengthen her remaining leg and keep her back in good shape? I just want to be the best mom possible to her. She has had this life altering thing happen to her and it doesn't even faze her. I can only hope that all humans can learn from these animals how special every day is! She is opening my eyes to an entirely new way to live! Thanks for listening.
Hi Ally and Sienna, welcome. We're so sorry about the diagnosis but as you can see there IS hope and dogs are amazingly resilient! I hope you don't mind but since most of your questions involve mobility issues I moved your post to this "Hopping Around" discussion so that others can benefit from your experience.
It's great she's doing so well! When it comes to walking speeds, Tripawds do walk faster. It's a momentum thing; by moving quickly it gives them the momentum needed to feel balanced. It sounds like she may be doing a bit too much activity if her back leg is drooping like that. You can do a lot of things to help her strengthen and build endurance, and it all starts with strengthening her core muscles, which as a yoga instructor I know you get. See dogs benefit from strong core muscles just the way humans do, and like humans it helps them stay balanced and strong. Our ebook, Loving Life On Three Legs , available in Tripawds e-books library and our Gear Blog has lots of fantastic tips about strengthening too, like this one:
Best of Tripawds Gear and Fitness Tips:
http://gear.tri.....gged-dogs/
You are absolutely being the best mom to her, there's no doubt about that. And yep, anyone whose been through this experience will tell you that it changed their perspective on dealing with adversity for life; welcome to the club! We're hoppy you are here.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Welcome to Tripawds. We have another member who went in for an ACL surgery and got the OSA diagnosis.
My little pug Maggie was a rear amp. It took her quite awhile to build up her strength and stamina. I could tell when she got tired because she wobbled or her rear end sagged. And she did much better at a faster clip. She was pretty little so she didn't make me run to keep up, but a brisk pace is what she preferred.
And I wanted to say one thing about chemo in dogs. Many people, including your surgeon, have the misconception that chemo is always hard on dogs. The fact is that dogs tolerate chemo very well in most cases. If you asked here a majority of people will tell you that their dogs had little or no side effects. Chemo is a very personal decision and is not right for every dog, but I think the decision should be made with all the facts. I have dealt with three cancers in two dogs- once I chose chemo, once I chose not to do chemo, and for one cancer chemo was not a good option.
I'm not at all trying to say you should do chemo for Sienna, we don't judge each others decisions here. But I wouldn't feel right if you didn't get the full story on chemo from this group.
That being said its wonderful that Sienna is doing so well. And most of us did the happy potty dance too! I was very worried about Maggie, she was very stubborn and not good with change. She was a slug for about 6 weeks after surgery and I convinced myself that I had done the wrong thing. But she did adapt and hopped happily through life for almost 4 years (mast cell cancer).
You might also want to look at the Nutrition Blog for ideas on supplements and diets. Mag's little sister Tani also developed mast cell cancer, although she is a quad pug. I am treating her with diet and supplements instead of chemo.
Karen
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
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