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
I lost it today with this woman who commented to her son in from of me that I would be better to get Meg out of her stroller and let her have some stimulation. I know I should have handled it better. I just totally saw red. I mean, she had just walked the entire way to where we were, and it was a miserable wet snowy morning, (the damp aggravates her arthritis) and she asked to get in the stroller, so I put her in and literally one minute later this woman shows up. What pissed me off even more was that she said it was because her (adult) son was autistic and he liked to discuss things. But it was nothing to do with her son. It was she who said it. In fact, her son had been loudly disagreeing with her, and protesting that the dog (Meg) looked perfectly happy. And he kept this up throughout my rant, which at some point in the future I will hopefully find amusing.
I do find using the stroller increases the likelihood of negative encounters. I have several times, especially in London, had people point and laugh (in a nasty way, don't get me wrong, like look at that how ridiculous). Generally, I do my best to ignore it, and I'm sure it wouldn't have affected me so much today if I hadn't been feeling a bit sad anyway. Sad at the absence of Elsie, and also at the loss of the life we had when both the girls were healthy and whole. I am very aware how lucky I am, so please don't misunderstand me, and Meg leads a good life, full of stimulation, whatever ignorant bystanders may think (and say), but she was a supremely active dog, who would run for miles and miles, and of course now... And this woman's dog was of course galloping around and stimulating all of its wretched senses non stop.
And since losing Elsie, I find I'm paranoid about Meg. She does have a problem with her eyes, and the pressure is too low and they can't work out what's going on, and I'm just imagining all sorts of things, and does she seem hungrier, and is she drinking more, and has she got tumours all over her liver, and just how long have we got left etc etc. Not all the time, of course, but it catches you when you're feeling vulnerable.
Anyway, sorry for the rant, and thank you if you've read this far. I'm sure things will feel better tomorrow.
Meg (poor suffering creature, that she is) and Clare xx
Ruby, Staffy, born June 2022, became a Tripawd, November 2023, adopted January 2024.
Also Angel Tripawd Meg (aka The Megastar), who died in April 2023, aged 14, after seven glorious years on three, and Angel Staffies Elsie Pie and Bille. In the pawprints of giants...
Clare sweetie pie 🌺
The world is FULL of stupid idiots and it's full of mistakes of nature too!
This stupid human, alongside the idiots who laugh at Meg's stroller ARE mistakes of nature, every single one of them 💩😡💩
The world would be so much better without them!
But hey ... what happens?
They are born 😤 and we, normal, loving people are put to the test 🙄
I could give you all sorts of advise here: well, just ignore them those sad wankers, they surely lead miserable lives and have no friends etc etc etc
All good advise and it is surely true as well.
But thing is if I was in your situation I would also see red and God knows what would come out of my mouth ...
Also, as you know, sadly England and London specifically is not the most dog friendly country in the world ...
So try to ignore those idiots and live your life with your beautiful girl 💗 and even better come to visit me in France !!!!!!!!
As for your paranoia I can sympathise totally ... but you know this is all it is: paranoia, right?
Meg is good, girl, she is as always, a great girl full of beans and personality.
You always keep and have kept a good eye on everything so no need to overdo or overthink.
Easier said than done, of course, but still true.
You and Meg are a strong unit and Angel Pie is never too far, I can promise you that 💕🕊💕
Sending you a huge, huge hug and tons of tummy rubs to Meg 😘😘😘🐮💫✨🌟🌹
Eurydice 77kg/170lb Great Dane limping end of April 2016, amputation (right front leg/osteosarcoma) 4 May 2016 6 courses of carboplatin followed by metronomic therapy, lung mets found 30 Nov 2016. 3 courses of doxorubicin, PET scan 26 Jan 2017 showed more mets so stopped chemo. Holistic route April 2017. Lung X-ray 5 May 2017 showed several tennis ball size mets, started cortisone and diuretics. Miss Cow earned her XXL silver wings 12 June 2017, 13 months and 1 week after amputation and 6 1/2 months after lung mets, she was the goofiest dawg ever and is now happily flying from cloud to cloud woof woofing away :-)
Did Teresa just say we‘re normal, loving people??😂😂😂
I for one am not all that normal and only very selectively loving. Clare, I got that crap too. I sort of understand it if I try hard enough, because I never liked the trend of treating dogs as something doll-like, HOWEVER, the one thing I learned through this is to go up to people and ASK before making assumptions. I actually think you handled that pretty well. No need to stay quiet at all. I confess that I almost, almost got into a brawl/fistfight with a man at a german holiday resort we went to with the RV. His comments were SO demeaning that I yelled at him and if he had continued I would have lost it completely. -not that I usually assault people... really, I don’t. But the gall of that man was too much for my already strung-out nerves. I still don’t feel bad about that today. -what an idiot.
All of this made me wonder how people with disabled or handicapped children handle this - it must be way worse for them. -I would probably be in jail by now 😂
don‘t fret over it - what I did after that incident was tell the few idiots that they should start asking questions before being mean. -that would be good advice for many a problem nowadays if you ask me.
All is good, Clare
(I hope you gave as good as you got😉)
tina
Guardian of Manni the Wonderdog. -Or was it the other way around?
Osteo and amputation in Dec 2015. Second, inoperable, primary osteosarcoma found in June 2017.
The end of our adventures came Dec 10, 2017. 2 years to the day.
I've seemed to care less and less about what people think the older I get. Probably because the older I get the more stupid people I've had to encounter. I sometimes think social media is partly to blame for this...I think more and more people just like butting into someone else's business whether it's electronic or in person. A sense of entitlement. I would've loved to have been there Clare and heard your words to her.....(my money's on you)! Hopefully she will think twice before offering unsolicited advice again. To her I say "Bless your heart" (meant in the southern sarcastic way lol) and inwardly smile because you can't fix stupid it's there for a lifetime. Love and hugs to you and Meg and our Angel Pie. I certainly understand where your thoughts are with Meg...but try to keep that chunked down....or as they say "don't borrow trouble". I know easier said than done.......but we're all here for you! ❤️❤️❤️
oh Clare,
I'm so sorry. I can't imagine how you are feeling after losing your sweet Elsie pie and doing the absolute best for both her and for Meg. People are just so, so, sooooo stupid and thoughtless. It's unfortunate they have the opportunity to even cross our paths - and I hate that they manage to find us at our most vulnerable. That woman was probably happy to find someone that she could put the focus on besides her and her adult autistic son -which is a very hard situation - but still unacceptable. I hope tomorrow you feel better and also hope sweet Meg gets some rest and is smiling tomorrow too.
w
megstamum said
...... at some point in the future I will hopefully find amusing.And this woman's dog was of course galloping around and stimulating all of its wretched senses non stop.
Meg (poor suffering creature, that she is
tinsch said
Did Teresa just say we‘re normal, loving people??😂😂😂I confess that I almost, almost got into a brawl/fistfight with a man ........... -not that I usually assault people...
(I hope you gave as good as you got😉)
tina
OMD. CLARE!!! TINA!!!! Don't be poffed off at me.....but I think Ive jumped ahead a bit in time and have found the humore. I mean, A couple lf your comments when properly "isolated" are pricelss.
Seriously Clare, I'm really, really sorry you had to encounter such insensitivity. I guarantee though, that woman has just gotten a great learning lesson in life and she will replay these events over and over and over.....and with regret.
WE LOVE YOU CLARE AND WE KNOW THE CARE AND LOVE AND DEVOTION you have for the poor neglected, abused Meg!!! 🙂
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!
Thanks everyone. It really helps to know that others have lost it in similar circumstances, or can imagine doing so. Thank you for empathising - the best remedy I know for reducing one's blood pressure down to (its somewhat volatile...) normal.
Teresa, thank you. 'Sad wankers' and 'mistakes of nature' cracked me up.
And Tina, thanks too. Having spent some time with you I can attest to the fact that you are not a violent person, lol, but I can only imagine how infuriating that man was, with all the thought and knowledge and love you put into Manni's care. I have found that NOTHING pushes my buttons like someone insulting my dogs or my care of my dogs. Else used to get occasional breed bigot comments too.
All of this made me wonder how people with disabled or handicapped children handle this - it must be way worse for them. -I would probably be in jail by now
I know. I've thought the same. In fact, in my many replays of the incident, in which I am infinitely more articulate and devastatingly cutting than I was first time round, I have thought to comment that I find it surprising someone in her position didn't know better than to pass judgement on a situation she knew nothing about. Then again, perhaps better not....
Linda, I think you may well be right about the social media thing making people feel entitled to comment. And I'm keeping 'Bless your heart' for next time...
Wanda, thank you for your sweet and thoughtful comment. Not easy re the autism, I agree. Though I was (perhaps unfairly) infuriated by the way she used it. The man was great. He simply stated what he saw, a perfectly happy looking dog. It was she who brought the assumptions to it. But of course, I only caught a glimpse of her situation, just as she only caught a glimpse of mine.
Sally, yes humour is essential. Thank heavens for humour. Also, in the interests of balance, I should perhaps add that I had a very different encounter a couple of weeks ago, when I was pushing Meg in her stroller along a busy London high street. We passed a crocodile of young school children, perhaps 5 or 6 years old. In her stroller, Meg's head was on a level with theirs and they were clearly quite fascinated by the sight of her gliding along beside them. A couple of the children asked their teacher why she was in the stroller. The teacher responded by asking them to suggest reasons why she might be, perhaps she was old, or disabled, or not very well etc. Then she asked me, and I explained she had three legs and though she still enjoyed running around, sometimes it was good for her to have a rest. The children absolutely loved it, and gathered round to stroke her. I absolutely loved the teacher and her response.
Ruby, Staffy, born June 2022, became a Tripawd, November 2023, adopted January 2024.
Also Angel Tripawd Meg (aka The Megastar), who died in April 2023, aged 14, after seven glorious years on three, and Angel Staffies Elsie Pie and Bille. In the pawprints of giants...
Clare,
Your last post was the icing on the cake The teacher, and her students that were to young to have evolved via ignorant adults yet. Just a wonderful learning experience for young ones. I guarantee you.. some of those children will remember that memory, and that love, and they will move forward into their adult lives and will have the love and grace to pass it along to one of their furbabies. Or maybe to somebody that they know with a furbaby that needs a little extra TLC.
linda8115 said
To her I say "Bless your heart" (meant in the southern sarcastic way lol) and inwardly smile because you can't fix stupid it's there for a lifetime.
OMG Linda, you hit it RIGHT on the head, I had to laugh out loud! I never heard that phrase until I moved from New England to KY... it is the sweetest way to describe a total 
head, lolol!
We all have our "moments" that under different circumstances we can walk away and let it roll like a duck.. on the other hand.. some people need to be put in their place when they nose into stuff that doesn't concern them. I am glad you put her in her place! Most autistic people (my grandson included) are actually above average in the intelligence department, sounds like that old bat could have learned something from her son 
Lots of love to you, Meg 
, and Angel Pie
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry 
paws120 said
I guarantee you.. some of those children will remember that memory, and that love, and they will move forward into their adult lives and will have the love and grace to pass it along to one of their furbabies. Or maybe to somebody that they know with a furbaby that needs a little extra TLC
Good observatuon Jackie.
Clare, really glad you have that experience with the teacher and kids to help push thst other rotten "experience" out of your thoughts.
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!
Clare,
I am sorry you had this experience. Anymore I find myself wanting to tell people off but everyone has given great advice. I love the experience that the school kids had with Meg. It amazes me how they adjust to seeing and learning when we adults don't stick our stuck up attitudes into it lol.
hugs to you & Meg
xoxoxo
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."
I just love you guys ( New England term, "guys" are all of you, no gender lol.) You are all the strongest, truest of people... Damn I miss the animal world. I feel sometimes like I lost a part of me when I switched careers. Since I found this site and everybody here I feel like I have gotten a small part of me back.
Hugs to all of you!
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry
Your story is very relevant to me at this point in time....I just got a stroller for Kodi (who turned 14 last week) so he doesn't have to be left behind when walking the terror tot that is Grizzly. I thought long and hard before the purchase, because sadly, in the past, I too looked at people pushing pets in a stroller with some amusement/disdain. Like "how sad and lonely is their life if they have to push a pet in a stroller". When I got it home, I even wondered if I had the courage to use it in public, lest I be snickered at like I secretly did to others. (I was never bold or mean enough to say anything out loud, only to myself)
So I gathered up my courage, put Kodi in (and closed the top down to keep him inside until he got used to it and also, if I'm honest, to camouflage the fact that a dog was inside), and off we went. HE LOVES IT! And Grizz gets to burn off some of his crazy energy at the same time. So far I haven't seen any disparaging looks - not that I'm looking all that hard at others - and we are enjoying it immensely. I don't think I would go off the deep end if anyone said anything about Kodi, but if it had been Nitro in the same situation, and someone made a mean comment, I would've lost my mind and given them what for! No one messed with my heart dog and got away with it!
Bravo Clare for not letting mean people win, and bravo for that teacher for her kind and open heart.
Paula and Warrior Angel Nitro
Nitro 11 1/2 yr old Doberman; right front amp June 2014. Had 6 doses carboplatin, followed by metronomic therapy. Rocked it on 3 legs for over 3 years! My Warrior beat cancer, but couldn't beat old age. He crossed the Bridge peacefully on July 25, 2017, with dignity and on his terms. Follow his blog entitled "Doberman's journey"
"Be good, mama loves you".....run free my beautiful Warrior
Just had a chance to catch up on what happened....Oh what a great way to start my week. I LOVE the strength and courage and GUTS of all you!
(Paula let me know how we can help fix those photo links, we want to see them!).
Clare, you did exactly what any of us would have done and you too, Tina (although having met you both, I know you did it with a lot more oomph, style and linguistic charm than I could have managed!).
People who can go their whole lives assuming things like that, are just asses when it comes down to it. Ooops, did I say that? 
How sad that they have never learned what their animals have tried to teach them about being non-judgmental and looking beyond appearances. It's their loss.
We've never had to deal with judgments about strollers but we have done so in other ways. For example, most of you who have commented have met our Wyatt Ray . You know how he can be, how he takes his job as pack protector a bit too seriously. And you know how much work we have put into corralling that behavior. Still, he's put Admin and I in so many situations where we have been judged by strangers and endured rude comments by people who have no idea on his background or ours. But as tough as it's been at times, I wouldn't trade it for anything because he has taught us to tame our tongue and our mind before making assumptions on what we see in front of us, whether it's a dog or a kid acting out. You just never know...
On that note, kudos to all of you for being so awesome!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
OMG ... just catching up here! If there was a "like" button here ... Linda would get a ton of "likes". Totally get what she is saying about caring less as we get older. (I am not to that place yet but I strive to be).
In our neighborhood, there is a lady who walks her dogs (three little white fluffy ones) in a stroller. I have never seen those dogs feet on the ground. The only thing I wonder is how they pee! They seem to love to be in their fancy stroller and seeing the world as they do. Literally the happiest dogs in the hood!
Alas, as Shelby was ailing before we took her leg off, I tried to get her in a stroller but like most things confinement based, she hated it and I was worried she would hurt herself trying to get out. But many know I used to carry Shelby like a baby in my arms - the way she wrapped herself like a toddler does and people would comment on that. Or when she was limping I would get, that poor dog... made my blood boil and I wanted to punch!
That all said - you can't fix stupid and many people are indeed stupid and need a muzzle around their mouth! I'm sorry you had this experience but we all know Meg lives the best life! And if Meg asked to be in her stroller, by all means listen to the Megstar!
XO
Shelby Lynne; Jack Russell/Shiba Inu mix. Proud member of the April Angels of 2014.
October 15, 2000 to April 8, 2014
Our story: Broke rear leg in June 2013 - non-conclusive results for cancer so leg was plated and pinned. Enlarged spleen in September 2013 and had it removed and was diagnosed with Hemangiosarcoma and started chemotherapy. Became a Tripawd January 8th, 2014 and definitive Hemangiosarcoma diagnosis. Three major surgeries in 7 months and Shelby took them all like a champ only to lose her battle to cancer in her brain. We had 8 amazing extra months together and no regrets. #shelbystrong #loveofmylife
oops, I could see them on my computer, but I'll try again...
hope this works!
Nitro 11 1/2 yr old Doberman; right front amp June 2014. Had 6 doses carboplatin, followed by metronomic therapy. Rocked it on 3 legs for over 3 years! My Warrior beat cancer, but couldn't beat old age. He crossed the Bridge peacefully on July 25, 2017, with dignity and on his terms. Follow his blog entitled "Doberman's journey"
"Be good, mama loves you".....run free my beautiful Warrior
2 Guest(s)
