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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I love the smell of dog in the morning!
Karen
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
In agreement...smell of dog morning, noon and night! Doesn't get any better than that! 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
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!
Great news 
so good for Otis to get back to normal I bet he had lovely dreams (and you too) !
How heavy is Otis ? I know he started going up and down stairs at month 3 but I wonder if Eurydice will ever be able to do it as she is 65kg ... hope I'm wrong.
Lots and lots of hugs and cuddles to Otis and Tess 
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 :-)
Otis was 106 pounds pre-amp, and 96 post-amp. He is now at a little over 94 pounds. So, probably a lot smaller (how many times in life have I ever called Otis small?), but I bet she gets there too.
Otis - 106 pound lab/Dane mix, lost his right front leg to osteosarcoma on Febuary 9, 2016. Four rounds of carboplatin completed in April, 2016. Lung mets August 25, 2016. Said goodbye too soon on September 4, 2016. Lost his adopted sister, Tess, suddenly on October 9, 2016. likely due to hemangiosarcoma.
Wherever they are, they are together.
Oh ... there is quite a difference then ... Eurydice was 170 pounds and is now 143 ...
I really hope she will get there ... we will see ...
I remember one of your posts when you said the first time Otis went up and down the stairs was terrifying ... and you added, for you 
Sending you a big hug and cuddles to your fluffies
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 :-)
This is so my question. I'm a newbie, Isa is ten days post op (rear leg amp) due to osteosarcoma. I've been on an air mattress downstairs since she came home but I really miss my bed. We're used to her sleeping on the bed with me, at least until her leg started hurting too much to jump up. hindsight is a horrifying thing sometimes - I only now understand that's what the issue was. She's doing really, really well at least from what I can tell reading various posts. She is up and down from the deck (about a foot) by herself to get to the potty/grass and we've gone on a couple of short walks already. Is that too much? Am I pushing too hard? I've had zero guidance on the subject from my vet.
I didn't find Tripawds until she'd been home for several days so I feel like I'm scrambling to figure stuff out. Reading as much as I can as fast as I can. (Thank goodness work is slow!)
Is is better to normalize the pack by having me upstairs and her down? I will say the stairs are steep and long - my sister whined about them when she was visiting. Since they are so huge, it may be a long time until Best Dog can handle them safely.
I am so, so grateful to have found Tripawds - I feel so much better about so many things. Even to the point of believing I may not be crazy! at least on some topics. Better still, I don't feel so alone. This community is the best!
Sorry about the ramble ... and thanks!
Right rear leg amp 7/12/16 due to OSA. Metastatic lesion on her right front leg, January 2017. Joined the Winter Warriors January 19, 2017. Run free my sweet girl.
Otis started doing the stairs at about 3 months. I had removed the baby gate several days prior, and he thought about it for a while until finally he came up. We moved back upstairs at about 4 1/2 months. Every dog is different however. Some are doing the stairs much earlier. Otis is a large older dog with arthritis, and also a front leg amp. And the move back upstairs was more for me than for him. I had done the mattress on the floor thing for 5 months last year when Tess had cruciate repair, and had only been back upstairs for about 3 months when Otis had his amp. About 2 months post amp, I moved the box spring down too. (And even upstairs, I am sleeping on the box spring and mattress, no frame). That air mattress has got to be a killer.
Otis started short walks just short of one month post-amp. Again, each dog is different, but until the staples come out, I would focus on leashed potty breaks only. And after, let Isa be your guide, but start slow and take your time. Size matters too - not sure how big Isa is. A larger dog or older dog might take more time. The Ruffwear Webmaster harness (see gear blog) is great, and might be a real help when she is ready to try stairs.
Otis - 106 pound lab/Dane mix, lost his right front leg to osteosarcoma on Febuary 9, 2016. Four rounds of carboplatin completed in April, 2016. Lung mets August 25, 2016. Said goodbye too soon on September 4, 2016. Lost his adopted sister, Tess, suddenly on October 9, 2016. likely due to hemangiosarcoma.
Wherever they are, they are together.
Hi Isa and family, welcome
Like Otis Mom said, you gotta take it easy and give Isa time to adjust to her new life on 3.
The good news is it is much easier for dogs to negotiate the lack of a rear leg than a front leg.
I would be careful with stairs until Isa is ready for them and would block access for the time being.
In fact stairs are still blocked here and my girl has had her front leg amputation 2 1/2 months ago but each dog is different, some need more time than others to adapt to their "new normal".
Have you got traction (if your floors are slippery) in place?
It is really important to create paths where they can hop safely, we had rubber underlay and carpets placed to create paths everywhere.
Concerning where you sleep vis a vis your girl, I moved downstairs and slept by her side since surgery, most people here have done that too.
I just felt it would get my girl reassured and also this way I could keep an eye on her at all times plus we are keeping life as it was before as much as we can.
Do keep us updated, you should start a new thread for Isa so we can follow her progress and hopefully help with any doubts you may have, we are all here for you and your girl 
Sending you a big hug and cuddles to Isa and wishing all the best
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 :-)
Teri you are most definitely not rambling, and we are so glad you found us. I agree, definitely start a new topic for Isa so we can be of more help throughout your journey.
When we first asked rehab vets about sleeping on the floor with new Tripawds, they told us it was not a good idea. The pack needs to be as normal as possible after surgery and sleeping on the floor is not normal. So that's our recommendation. However, most people do sleep on the floor, some permanently. We say, whatever works as long as you and your dog are happy. If you're not happy sleeping downstairs, move back up and make your pack normal again. Your happiness is all your dog wants.
As for walks, all dogs are different. Rehab vets tell us that frequent, but shorter walks are better. So start out with 5 minutes, 3 times a day, move up to 10 and take it from there. More than 20 minutes at a time is usually too much except for the most fit Tripawds.
Have you seen Jerry's Required Reading List or our Tripawds e-books library? We've got lots of great tips there, so dive in and let us know what questions you have, we're here to help.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hey Isa! Can't wait to hear more about you and see pictures too!
I also have steep and narrow steps in my old home. My rear legger, Happy Hannah (a "fluffy" Bull Mastiff), never was able to master rhose stairs to get up to sleep with me.
My Happy Hannah a d my other doggie, Bodie, had all slept together as a pack every night for 81/2 years. That was our "normal". I did move downstairs, got a mattress on the floor, and we continued to sleep together for one year and two months with very little interruption Eventually,I did go back upstairs for awhile (my back missed my regular bed), but, for the most part, slept ddownstairs with her the whole time. It was a much for me as for her!!
It's not for everyone and, as you can see, whatever works for you and your pack is all that matters!
Lots of hugs
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
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!
I realize I did leave out a few details. Isa is a 85(ish) pounds (not sure post surgery, she was leaning against the wall too much last time she was on the scale.) lab/Rottweiler mix, a big girl, and she's 12, maybe 13. I got her at the shelter nine years ago and was told she was two at the time. They were clearly wrong about her age or else her muzzle went gray at a shockingly young age so I've more or less split the difference and added a question mark. She's always been all heart, strangers think she's much younger than she is due to her enthusiasm. I suspect I need to be careful she doesn't do too much too quickly.
I've got "Three Legs and a Spare " downloaded and am reading as quickly and often as is realistic. Our floors are not slippery, brick downstairs and area rugs so that's not been an issue. I'm going to order a harness for her today, assuming I can make a decision. I think I'll breathe a little easier once that's in hand.
I'll have to think on our sleeping arrangements some more. It almost killed my friend and I getting the mattress upstairs when I moved in so I'm not sure about hauling it down now. and the air mattress is worlds better than the couch! I have to admit I don't even have the stairs blocked off now - she's showing zero interest in making an attempt unless I'm upstairs too long (in her opinion). My bed is simply the box and mattress too - I like being low to the ground (bonus is it's easier for certain parties to get up) so the air mattress is not so very different. Sleeping together is absolutely as much for me as it is for her.
I will get a new thread going and get some pictures up. Thank you all for your encouragement and support!
Right rear leg amp 7/12/16 due to OSA. Metastatic lesion on her right front leg, January 2017. Joined the Winter Warriors January 19, 2017. Run free my sweet girl.
You are a great mom, Teri! Everything you've described is exactly what you should be doing right now. Keep it up! And thanks for downloading our book, we hope you find it useful.
Here's a post about adding images to the forums. We can't wait to see your sweet girl's pictures!
Oh and here's a post about harnesses that may help you decide:
Which harness is right for my dog?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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