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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Ellie was a tripawd when i adopted her , to be honest ive never fallen for a dog so fast , and thats why after 4 1/2 years of no problems super healthy dog this is so hard.
I found your forums recently and apologies if my first post is a plea for advice but i need some advice / assurance from other tripawd owners.
Ellie had her front leg amputated June 2007, about 3 weeks ago she started acting a little strange not wanting to get up quickly and sitting down slowly (5-10 seconds to sit) as if it was a chore. As soon as i realised this we took her to the vet , he put her on novox for pain , things seemed to ease up and we watched her carefuly. Unfortunately whilst we were with her in the back yard a truck passed the house and she went running to the gate , i so wish now i had kept her on the lead longer but she seemed fine. Well it looked like whatever the problem was reoccurred but far worse.
Another visit to the vet ... he says he is sure it is arthritis and gives me a month of novox. Told me if it got any worse to come back , but he wanted to check her over in a month , thinking it should improve. Well i have decided to take her to get Xrays done now as after 10 days the Novox doesnt seem to be making a great improvemt.
Not that i am over the moon about arthritis but I am really scared about her possibly having a break in her left rear leg... or ACL damage ... the Xrays are being done Wednesday morning and I will hopefully know a lot more then. Meanwhile i have been icing her rear leg and making sure she gets carried outside to avoid going down stairs.
Can a tripwad effectively recover from a rear break or ACL ... I couldnt bear for her to be in pain and I cant lose her she is my baby...43 year old man most people think is tough guy tear rolling down cheek as i type.
If any of you have had a similar experience or have some advice please feel free. Thank you from both of us!!!
Hi ElliesDad, welcome. No way do you need to apologize for your first post being a plea for insight...that's why we're here!
What kind of pup is Ellie? We'd love to hear more about her.
Now, to hopefully alleviate your worries...yes, we have seen many Tripawds require from surgeries to other leg injuries. Our news blog is full of them:
Tripawd Max Does Swimmingly Well, Even After Hip Replacements
When a Tripawd Needs Another Leg Surgery
This Wednesday, if your vet seems to have an indefinite answer about what is causing her pain, I urge you to ask for a referral to a veterinary rehabilitation specialist (a rehab pro with the initials "CCRT" or "CCRP" after their name). These folks are terrific at diagnosing injuries that general practitioners often miss. By getting a specialist to assess her injury before you decide on anything major like ACL surgery, you might save yourself a lot of time, money and stress. This blog post can help you learn more:
Canine Acupuncture and Rehabilitation Therapy Tips for Tripawds
I hope this helps. Please let us know what happens this week, and do share more about your beautiful girl. We're so glad you're here.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thnak-you!! Just seeing a reply is heartwarming she is lieing beside me looking like "whats up dad..ill be ok"
She is an Aussie Shep mix ... I dont know how to upload a pic yet but i will. She can walk but its laboured, sometimes a bit of bunney hopping and legs close togther then apart like normal but shaking obviously under the stress.
We are going to http://theodore.....pital.com/ our vet recommended them and hopefully they
will be able to give us full answers.
She is eating and drinking but im not sure if the meds are causing a little constipation ... to early to say but doesnt seem as regular as usual.
When i took her out earlier she lay in the sun and loved it rolled on her back to scrath ..looked full of life for a few mins then laboured to get up. Wednesday cannot come quick eniugh. I will do whatever I can to help her, cant help thinking I missed something ... anyway Ellie says thanks as well!!
Sorry you are going through this. Hopefully it won't be anything to serious and some rest and time will help her out. I'm glad it is a rear leg bothering her and not her other front. Let me explain...
I understand some of what you are going through because believe it or not, my left rear amp tripawd has just gotten through a month of being a bipawd using only his two right legs. So hang in there. Duke had his left rear leg amputated 4/2/12 due to osteosarcoma. Then, on 6/4 we had a horrible problem with his chemo administration, that was being given in his front left leg, and it caused enormous problems. He learned to run on his two right legs. Walking was very hard, impossible really, as it was rather like being on a bike - easy fast, hard at a stop. I will say that now, a month later, he has actually learned to balance on just his two right legs at a stop for a few seconds. Luckily he is also starting to use his left front again. He is a greyhound so a very muscular dog and I'm sure that has helped, but an Aussie Shep mix is no slouch in the muscle dept either! He was also lean, and I'm sure that helped too. But, Duke was only 2 months into being a tripawd before he suddenly became a bipawd. If the bad chemo administration had happened to his remaining rear leg I would have had to put him down, but since it was his front he managed with one front and one rear. Here is a link to a few videos of him on two. He would put the third down to potty and eat and other than that was on two. The videos are short because he would do his business quickly, but maybe they will give you some hope.
http://s1240.ph.....wo%20Legs/
And, good for you for adopting a tripawd! Hope she gets to feeling better soon. Keep us posted.
Welcome to you and Ellie. Sorry you had to find us here.
My Tripawd had cancer, so sadly didn't get to hang around long enough to have issues with her other legs. So, I don't have any words of wisdom, but wanted to say that I'm sending pawsitive thoughts out for your girl.
And you've definitely come to the right place in terms of finding folks who love their dogs like family. (Maybe more than family!) 😉
Keep us posted on what happens Wednesday. Fingers and paws crosssed that they can come up with some workable options to get her moving around better real soon!!
Jackie, Angel Abby's mom
Abby: Aug 1, 2009 – Jan 10, 2012. Our beautiful rescue pup lived LARGE with osteosarcoma for 15 months – half her way-too-short life. I think our "halflistic" approach (mixing traditional meds + supplements) helped her thrive. (PM me for details. I'm happy to help.) She had lung mets for over a year. They took her from us in the end, but they cannot take her spirit! She will live forever in our hearts. She loved the beach and giving kisses and going to In-N-Out for a Flying Dutchman. Tripawds blog, and a more detailed blog here. Please also check out my novel, What the Dog Ate. Now also in paperback! Purchase it at Amazon via Tripawds and help support Tripawds!
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Thank you for taking the time to reply. Yes Ellie came to me as a Tripawd in fact I have two Tripawds wish i could figure out how to post pics.
She needed a good home and I fell in love. My wife will concur to that 🙂
Dukez what a fantastic dog!!!!
Amgel .. sorry to hear of your loss. They are all my family 4 in total ... btw i do have 4 legged dogs as well 🙂
Thank you again ... just people taking the time to be bothered about us has eased my tension tonight, I have to be strong for her because she is still smiling wagging and eating... I just pray that Wednesday will hold some news on a positive note.
She is such a cutie!!!! I hope you get some good news.
Karen and Spirit Magnum
Magnum: 30th May 2002 to 5th May 2012. Lost her back left leg to osteosarcoma on 5th Sep 2011. Lung mets found on 20th Mar 2012 but it was bone mets in the hip that ended her brave battle. Magnum's motto - "Dream as if you'll live for ever, live as if you'll die today" (James Dean). Loyal, loving, courageous and spirited to the end. My beloved heart dog, see her memoirs from Rainbow Bridge ...... http://princess.....pawds.com/
Oh my gosh she is the most adorable pup! I love that face, what a sweetie! Glad you figure out how to post pics.
So you have TWO Tripawds? Cool! Where have you been all this time? We would love to hear more.
Hang in there. Front-leg Tripawds are more prone to muscle strain because they put so much more weight on their front legs, so hopefully this is just some sort of sprain that can heal with R&R. If your vet suspects a ACL tear (I see they specialize in that surgery), please please please get another opinion from a rehab vet. Rehab can often heal ACLs without surgery, we've seen it. An ACL surgery recuperation is no picnic, it's worse than amputation, and about 50 percent of the time the other leg will need to be done too, so do whatever you can to avoid it while helping her lead a pain-free life.
Oh, and yes, pain meds can cause constipation. It might also be hurting her to strain if her lower back area is bothering her.
Tell us about your Tripawd family when you can!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
I wanted to join in and welcome you here. As Jerry asked, where have you been all this time with 2 tripawds? You have tons of experience to offer! What's the other tripawd? You'll have to post some pictures of the whole pack. We seem unable to survive without pictures here.
I had a 4-legged dog that we had to do ACL surgery for, and I concur that it's no picnic. Having gone through an amputation with Dakota, I found amputation was easier to recover from. Those ACL injuries are boogers. Keeping an active dog out of trouble for that long was terribly hard.
I'm glad you found us and I hope you share some of your knowledge with us here. Ellie indeed has a sweet face; I love her little bandito mask! More pictures! And good luck with your appointment. Don't be afraid to seek out a second opinion, and don't forget to sit with Ellie and take some deep, quiet breaths.
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/
OMD, she's gorgeous and reminds me so much of my beautiful angel Abby. No wonder you fell in love with her! I'm already in love with her too!
here is my girl:
Abby: Aug 1, 2009 – Jan 10, 2012. Our beautiful rescue pup lived LARGE with osteosarcoma for 15 months – half her way-too-short life. I think our "halflistic" approach (mixing traditional meds + supplements) helped her thrive. (PM me for details. I'm happy to help.) She had lung mets for over a year. They took her from us in the end, but they cannot take her spirit! She will live forever in our hearts. She loved the beach and giving kisses and going to In-N-Out for a Flying Dutchman. Tripawds blog, and a more detailed blog here. Please also check out my novel, What the Dog Ate. Now also in paperback! Purchase it at Amazon via Tripawds and help support Tripawds!
Thank you all so much ... as to everything else i will answer tonight I had to come to work for a few hours guilty as hell for leaving her at home although she is probably glad of the break from the human that wont stop talking to her . She wasnt able to pee or poop ..when i say wasnt able ..she didnt seem to need/want ...anyway and thank you I didnt realize pain meds could cause constipation. Didn't sleep a lot last night Ellie and I sat up till like 2-45 talking well she was listening I was talking 🙂
I spoke with my wife and we managed to get her appt brought forward to today ...I am praying that it is not Cancer , i will do anything for her but I cant imagine my life without her.... Keep us in your thoughts 3-00pm Central Time we will be at the vets.
Abby I thought she looked like you dog i saw the blog/site and i was amazed at the resemblance.
From the bottom of my heart thank you all.
BTW both of my Tripawds I adopted after they were missing a leg... they are so amazing how they cope.
Duncan
That's great you got your appointment moved up. Paws crossed, for sure. Please let us know the news (which has GOT to be good, darnit!) when you get a chance.
Meant to clarify that some pain meds cause constipation, not all of them. Tramadol is one that can, but as far as I know, NSAIDs like Metacam and Rimadyl don't (but they can cause GI upset and runny poo).
Oh and Yep, I saw the Abby resemblance too. Way cute.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Well , we were almost three hours at the Vets ..... It has been a long day and very stressfull for us all. Ellie is still coming round from sedation.
The news is that there is no signs of cancer. However just like when her Daddy ..me! Ruptured his ACL and his doctor said my knee was one of the worst he had ever seen then Ellie decided to follow suit. She has completely ruptured the right ACL and major damage to the other ...it looks if it is hanging by a thread.... I posted a link to the practice and to be honest i have never been in a Vets practice so impressive.
Dr Myers (http://theodore.....ments.html) was thorough and put our minds at ease ...answered all questions in detail and spent personally over an hour just talking to us and showing us what they felt was the only answer. Complete ruptures of the ACL in animals cannot be rehabed and I am aware of that in humans it is different but the level of damage leaves us with only one real option if we want her to have as full a life as possible.
Both knees require TTA , compared to TPLO it is cheaper but has for larger dogs a far higher success rate plus it wont fail as the surgery now this is the complicated bit changes the way the knee works compared to TPLO ...anyway long and short is TPLO he wont do the chances of failure is something he refuses to deal with and it would have been about $2600-$3000 each knee ...TTA is $1875 each ...
Well she is going to be ok it is a long road ahead of us but my baby is going to get the very best care we can afford, belts tightened no vacations this year lol.
I would once again like to tell you all how I appreciated the time any and all of you have taken to either read or reply with kind thoughts. I will be keeping you all updated.
Duncan and Ellie say thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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