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 to everyone. Kingston is an (almost) 8 year old Rhodesian Ridgeback who has just had an x-ray for a sore front shoulder which wasn't responding to steroids and physio. X-ray has shown likely Osteosarcoma of the humeral head. It goes without saying we are distraught and don't know what to do.
We've been told a biopsy is the next step with amputation and chemo the gold standard if suspicions are confirmed.
I initially couldn't fathom how he'd cope and found this site. I'm feeling better about the quality of life he'd have with an amputation. My question is does anyone have a home with difficult access? We have 25 stairs down to our house and it's on a sloping section. I wouldn't be able to carry him by myself and worry about him falling down them when he's home alone and how he'd cope on general.
Any other help or advice is greatly appreciated.
Welcome and best wishes for Kingston.
We lived upstairs with 20+ steps during Jerry's recovery. He quickly learned to manage the stairs on his own after refusing to be carried. You can make a simple sling to help provide support during recovery. After that, a support harness is very helpful. You will find all the best recommendations in the Tripawds Gear blog .
You will want to ensure you have traction throughout the house. And if your stairs are not not carpeted, consider adding a runner or treads. Click the any traction link for more recommendations.
While you wait for comments from others, use the Advanced Search above to refine your forum search results with specific phrases, and you're sure to find lots of helpful feedback. You can also search all blogs here . Or, consider downloading the Tripawds e-books for fast answers to common concerns and feel free to call the toll-free Tripawds Helpline anytime!
Please keep us posted. Your future forum posts will not require moderation. Meanwhile, start here for help finding all the helpful Tripawds resources and assistance programs.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
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So Sorry to hear about Kingston's diagnosis. I have typically found - things that my dog could do well before surgery, he did well (with some time) after surgery. Things that were already a struggle … weren't any easier.
The ruffwear harness with the brushguard has been very helpful for us hiking when we get into a spot that he has a little trouble or I am worried about his balance and want to be able to give him a boost. that may also be very helpful to you in the stairs process.
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