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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Cute story about Mona and Eli
As always, Stubborn Pug Maggie makes me smile
Sounds like Gabbar is ready to get rid of that painful leg! I have a feeling he likes thst wheelchair
so much, he'll still expect you to give him a ride @ong after his recovery is done! 
Let us know when surgery is over and recovery is underway!
Hugs to all!
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!
He's in surgery. I'm in hell. Till he opens his eyes at least.
Read about Gabbar's journey from diagnosis to amputation at
You are in my thoughts. Sending strength xxx
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...
Surgery done. Doc says Gabbar is fine. We'll get to see him in half an hour or so. Trying to gather the courage to look at him while I drive Suzy home.
Read about Gabbar's journey from diagnosis to amputation at
Look into his eyes. He will be druggy, but he will be Gabbar. The fur will grow back, but the important thing is that Gabbar is coming home! (And those fireworks, they are for him, not for the holiday).😀
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.
YAY 🎉🎊🎉🎊🎉🎊🎊🎉
Surgery is over, excellent news 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
I agree with Christine 😊 fireworks are for him 💥💥💥
Sending you both lots of hugs and cuddles 💕💕💕🐾😘👊🏾
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 :-)
It was extremely difficult to look at him for the first time. I totally broke down. But he's OK. He's responding. Wags his tail and tries to lift his head when he hears mine or his mom's voice. Heavily drugged. But should be fine.
Pic of Gabbar resting.
(Sorry I still can't figure out how to embed images from my phone).
Read about Gabbar's journey from diagnosis to amputation at
Glad he is home! Many front leggers wear a T-shirt to protect the incision, until the staples come out. I used a woman's hair tie or a rubber band to secure extra fabric around Otis' waist. You should look at the incision at least twice a day for changes, seepage, smell, or other sign of infection, but otherwise, you just see a dog sleeping in a T-shirt. By the way, bruising in the first few days is normal, so don't be surprised if you see that.
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, sweet little Gabbar 🐶 he looks very peaceful (and he is soooo hadsome) with the blanket over him
Remember, recovery doesn't last forever and we are all here to go through it with you ☺️
Sending you a big hug and cuddles to your sweetie pie 💕💕💕😘🐾🐶
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 :-)
He's not home yet. Still at the clinic. I'm right by his side. Throws a subtle tantrum if I stop touching him or don't speak for long. We'll take him home in a few hrs after they put the patches on. He's got a very comprehensive dressing on.
Read about Gabbar's journey from diagnosis to amputation at
Some things never change. Like the love of ice cream.
A short clip of him lapping ice cream after surgery:
Read about Gabbar's journey from diagnosis to amputation at
There's something about dogs and ice cream!! My Happy Hannah had me convinced it was
THE best nutritional supplement in theUnicerse!! Looks like Gabbar has you convinced of the same thing!!
I KNOW it's hard seeing him all druggy, but it's the only way tonkeep the pain at bay. If I'm reading this right, he's coming home the same day if surgery? Yeah, that adds an extra layer of stress for you. Coming out of anesthesia and beinv heavily drugged can make them confused and whiny. Sometimes though, they just sleep a lot, which is good! But having him home is also a relief!!
Yeah, no need to be looking at his surgery site. He sure isn't! The shaved fur draws your attention to it as much as anything,,but it will grow back!.
Hang in there, okay? You have taken a very painful leg away and, for that, Gabbar will be forever grateful!! You'll see!!
Love to all!
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
Ice cream for everybody...an extra scoop for Suzy! 🙂
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!
He's back home and is doing OK. Yes. Confused and whiny as you said. Either me or his mom need to be in DIRECT sight and touch. Or he starts whining. Maybe he's just scared. It's gonna be a long night. I've opened a bottle of wine.
He gulped down a can of Recovery food. We'll try to feed him some more later at night. I think we're doing well.
Some pics of Gabbar back home. (I promise I will figure out how to embed them in the post as soon as I get my hands on a computer).
https://drive.g.....p=drivesdk
https://drive.g.....p=drivesdk
Thanks so much for all the support. I guess now I'll have to move Gabbar's updates to a different section because he is now officially a TRIPAWD!
Read about Gabbar's journey from diagnosis to amputation at
Good job, Gabbar. You will be back to your old self soon. Loved the drugged out picture with the tongue out and the warm blankie. And the ice cream...he knows where the good stuff is even though he was still seeing pink elephants. He probably thought they brought the ice cream.
Be sure to get some rest when you can. Once Gabbar gets comfortable, things will be better for all of you.
Kathi and the Turbotail April Angel...and the Labradork
Murphy is a five year old Lab/Chessie cross. He was hit by a car on 10/29/12 and became a Tripawd on 11/24/12. On 2/5/13, he had a total hip replacement on his remaining back leg. He has absolutely no idea that he has only three legs!
UPDATE: Murphy lived his life to the fullest, right up until an aggressive bone lesion took him across the Rainbow Bridge on April 9, 2015 and he gained his membership in the April Angels. Run free, my love. You deserve it!
YAAAAAAAAAY FOR HOME!!! 🙂
YAAAAAAAAAY FOR EATING!!
Yeah, it's gonna be a loooong night...or two...or three!! Continue to stay connected. My Hapoy Hannah was whiny and restless for several nights. If she or I slept an hour a night, we were doing good!
It may ha e already been mentioned, but you may (or may not) see some "improvement" around day three or four, only to see a bit of a crash. That's because all the hospital pain meds are out of his system. It's just a matter of getting his pain meds balanced, right doeses, right timing, etc.
No worries about imbeding the photos...this works just fine. And yes, he looks pretty doped up!
Keep the wIne close, along with bags of chocolate a ice cream!
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!
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