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Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat

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Awaiting diagnosis for my kitty...so happy to find these forums!
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22 July 2014
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23 July 2014 - 12:27 am
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The last couple weeks have been such a rollercoaster for me and it's so nice to find this site to get info and support from fellow pet owners!  My kitty, Kender, is most likely facing a left rear leg amputation next week and I keep wondering if it's the right choice for her/us!  She is 14 years old, so I am somewhat worried about how she will handle it compared to a younger cat.  I've never really thought about how old she's getting until her problem developed and the vets used phrasing like "because of her age" when discussing things!  I just found the site tonight, but have read some of Misty's and Fang's stories and that has given me more courage.

 

On July 3, Kender had gone out during the afternoon.  After putting the kids to bed I went to the back door to call for her.  She almost always comes in by dark and is usually waiting at the back door for me.  She didn't come...I listened for her meows while going about some housework.  Finally, hours later, she was waiting at the door when I went to check again before going to bed.  She looked a little glassy eyed and when she stepped up inside the house I noticed she limped slightly, but was fine when walking.  So I checked her out and noticed the ankle area of her left hind leg was swollen/hard.  My first thought was that she got stung/bit by something.  Due to the holiday weekend, I couldn't get her seen until 7/7 unless I wanted to spend $161 for the exam alone at the e-clinic.  Since she otherwise seemed fine, I decided to wait, but took the first appt available at the vet's office, even though it wasn't with the vet we usually see since there was also starting to be slight swelling in her paw.

She said it was most likely an abscess.  I wasn't really convinced about that since there was no prior injury and even if a sting was going to abscess, there would have been more changes, I would guess.  I wasn't very impressed with this vet since she seemed more concerned that she was a few months overdue for her vaccines than she was about the problem we came in for what-ever  She prescribed antibiotics and suggested a recheck in two weeks or sooner if it worsened.  A few days later it was worse, with more swelling in the paw and the lump itself was beginning to feel hot and the skin getting discolored. I didn't want to see the previous vet again and called for an appt with our usual vet on Friday, but couldn't get one for 4 more days.  I decided to take her to a different vet the next day (7/12), where a friend of mine works.  This vet reviewed her records, palpated the area and suggested we lance and drain the area since there was no improvement with antibiotics.  Upon picking her up after the procedure, the vet said the "abscess" was very unusual in that all that drained out was some bloody fluid...no pus, but suspected that may be because the antibiotics had been helping.  But she also noticed a small, harder lump in the area which she aspirated.  She couldn't tell anything conclusive from the aspirated cells.  Her kidney values were also slightly above normal, but nothing highly alarming.

Fast forward a few days, things were continuing to get worse, with much more noticeable swelling in her paw and possibly more growth in the original lump at her ankle.  I decided I didn't want to mess around with anymore unknown vets and called on Saturday for an appt with our usual vet, the soonest of which was today (7/22).  After a weekend of research, I was convinced she had either osteosarcoma or chondrosarcoma.  We had x-rays taken today.  The bone looks great, but the soft tissues look to be effected and she highly suspects fibrosarcoma.  She did a punch biopsy of a few places in the effected area to send off for histology.  Her schedule fills up quickly, so I made the first available appt for amputation of limb.  After we get the results back (hopefully by Friday), we will decide for sure if we will be going through with the amputation on 7/31.

From what was discussed with me, and what I've read, fibrosarcoma is very aggressive locally but is unlikely to metastasize in cats.  Hopefully that holds true with Kender and amputation alone with be sufficient treatment for her.  My biggest worry is putting her through the pain of the surgery and recovery only to loose her shortly after and have her last days be in even worse suffering and agony.  The stories on this site have given me hope that she can still live a normal, happy, full-term life afterwards if all goes well!

And if you've made it through my long-winded rambling to this point, you deserve a medal superstar

KenderImage Enlarger

~Melinda and Tri-Kitty Angel Kender

Follow Kender's story here

On The Road


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23 July 2014 - 8:38 am
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Welcome! We're sorry to hear about Kender but glad you found us. Your future forum posts will not require moderation.

Please keep us posted. Be sure to check out our growing list of Tri-Kitty Blogs, and consider adding your own.

Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet

New York, NY
Member Since:
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23 July 2014 - 11:27 am
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Hello!

Well your Kender's situation sounds somewhat like my Jill's.  Jill presented with a huge sore on her back paw in June 2012.  At first, it was treated as an infection.  After it did not go away, a fine needle aspirate was done and cancer cells were present.  Her toe was then amputated and the biopsy came back as Osteosarcoma.  It's a rather long story, but 6 months later her leg was amputated and it is now 19 months post amputation (right hind leg) and she is doing GREAT!  I'm happy to share a picture with you of what the "infection" (tumor) looked like if you would like to see, but it's rather gross, so I didn't want to post it if you dont want to see it :), so private message me if you do!  Here is the x-ray, the big bump on her toe is the tumor.  Please go visit her blog and go all the way to the beginning and you can read all about her journey and see tons of pics and videos of her recovery!

Also please feel free to reach ou with ANY questions!  Her blog is jillsjourney.tripawds.com

 

http://i1289.ph.....5e5998.jpg

 

xoxo,

Erica & Tripawd Kitty Jill

Jill is a 9-year-old tuxedo kitty. She was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma in June 2012 on her toe in her right hind leg. Her leg was amputated on 12/12/12 and she completed four rounds of chemo (2 of Carbo, 2 of Doxy) in April 2013. "Like" Jill's facebook page: https://www.fac.....tty?ref=hl Proud member of the WINTER WARRIORS!!!! Her blog can be read at http://jillsjou.....ipawds.com. xoxo

Virginia



Member Since:
22 February 2013
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23 July 2014 - 12:18 pm
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FIRST OF ALL.....APPLAUSE TO YOU FOR BEING SUCH A GOOD ADVOATE FOR KENDI!clap You know your Kendi well and y ou are clearly very tuned into her.

JILL,/ Erica, as well as some other great kitty pawrents here all have great insight into kitty recovery.

We all understand the fear here, especially with our seniors. It's such an excruciating decision...at least for me it was.

One thing to definitely consider...and this is assuming all her blood work, preliminary tests, etc. check out well...prior to this, she was living life to the fullest, right? The painful leg is what's slowing her down now, right? Now, other kitty momma's can chime in, but usually recovering is about two weeks and there sparkle comes back. Maybe not quite as agile or able to jump as well, but that's not important as long as they are getting loving and spoiling and treats!

WHatever time Kendi has.....and no one has a time frame stamped on their butt.....removal of the leg, AFTER recovery, will eliminate pai.!!! That said, I can certainly u.derstand the concerns about her age.

I can think of two dogs right off the bat that had amputation at 13 and 14...Shooter and Franklin. They both recovered very well and had great extended
pain free quality time. There are just no darn guarantees on this stupid jpurney!

Get In a quiet and centered place with Kendi by your side...listen to her...she'll tell you her anxwer.

HUGS! Please update when y o u can! We are all here for y o u. You are not alone, okay?

Sally and Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle 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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23 July 2014 - 1:09 pm
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Thanks Erica! I plan on reading through the kitty blogs over the next couple of days...something to keep me occupied while waiting for her lab results :) I read some of Fang's journey already...that's how I found the site when Fang's blog showed up in my Google search. And then again when Misty's x-ray came up in my image search. :D

Thankfully, Kender's "infection" isn't too gross...just weepy at the incision sites from the draining and biopsy. Her swollen paw is so sad looking though...it's gotten pretty huge! And so she doesn't like putting weight on it anymore. She got more buprenex after her biopsy yesterday and I think that's helping her feel a lot better. She's been up and about more today. On Monday she just laid on my daughter's bed alllll afternoon/evening. I had to take her food and water there because she didn't want to move. :(

Sally, yes she's been her usual happy (as happy as cats get haha) self up until this all began. She's been a pretty lazy, laid back kitty most of her adult life and her demeanor has remained the same. It hadn't even really hit me before now that she's 14 and considered a senior cat...she's the same kitty she was 5+ years ago :) That makes me pretty optimistic about her recovery!

Thanks for the warm welcome! I'm not happy about the circumstances leading me here, but looking forward.to getting to know you all and having the support of those that understand.

-Melinda

~Melinda and Tri-Kitty Angel Kender

Follow Kender's story here

Livermore, CA


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23 July 2014 - 1:52 pm
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Welcome!
My parents had a cat that lived to be 21, so 14 is still a youngster big-grin

My Tripawd was a little pug who lost her left rear leg to a mast cell tumor. She was stubborn and not at all adaptable. She was gloomy for 6 weeks after surgery, way longer than most here. I really thought I had made a bad decision in choosing amputation. But Mag came around and far outlived the 6 to 9 months she was given because I gave her a chance.

It is not an easy decision to make, but if Kender is otherwise healthy and still full of life then she should do fine with the surgery. You are taking away a painful paw, you will be giving her a chance for more painfree time with her pride! (Usually I say pack for dogs, but at least lions have pridessmiley)

Karen and Spirit Maggie

Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.

1999 to 2010

 

              Maggie's Story                  Amputation and Chemo

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23 July 2014 - 2:39 pm
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Hi Melinda! Sorry to hear about Kender. Good for you for seeking out multiple opinions, especially one that you trust.

Steve had her right rear leg amputated last August due to a deformity in her entire leg from an unknown cause. She was only 2 at the time and bounced back in about 2 days. I realize that's pretty rare, but it gives you an idea of how resilient some of our 3 legged friends can be! 

I just posted in Steve's Tripawds blog about her mobility. She's always been really good about getting around - she runs better than she walks and heights don't stop her! 

I know everything is really overwhelming right now, but don't be afraid to ask your vet every question you have, no matter how minor you think it is. I've worked in vet hospitals and I know that clients feel a lot of emotions when major surgeries come up. Take the time at home to write questions and concerns down, then call your vet or make an appointment to sit with them just to address your concerns. That is part of their job. If they can't or won't do this, find a new vet!!

Best of luck! 

<3 Amy and Steve

Right rear leg amp due to injury from unknown cause (but don't tell her she's missing her spare...yes HER!)

Read our blog here: http://stevetheprettytripawdkitty.tripawds.com/

And find Steve's new Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/stevetheprettytripawdkitty

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26 July 2014 - 10:08 pm
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Hi Melinda and Kender.  I'm so sorry for why you are here but you've come to the right place.  Everyone here is very supportive and happy to provide any information you need.  My cat, Sebastian, had an osteochondrosarcoma in his left shoulder.  With him everything happened very quickly - from diagnosis to surgery in under a week - so it was quite the whirlwind.  I read EVERY cat blog on this website, no joke, and lots of dog blogs.  Now there are even more (including Sebastian's) to read!

Cats (and dogs) are incredibly resilient.  It was amazing to see how well Sebastian did.  Sure, there were a few days where he was in obvious pain and discomfort, but for the most part he just wanted to get back to normal activity.  And once he was allowed after 4 weeks, most everything went back to normal.  Also, the 4 weeks was vet/mom mandated - Sebastian thought he was ready much sooner!

I had the same fear you do, about putting her through this surgery and maybe still having cancer.  I was especially afraid because I didn't have Sebastian's biopsy results until after the amputation so it really could have been anything.  Somewhere on this website, I wish I remembered where, a very good point was made: If your cat or dog could decide for themselves, wouldn't they want to fight?  I think all of them would choose to fight!  So why not give them the chance, you know?  That made me feel a lot better about the decision.

Let us know what you find out and remember we're all here for you!

P.S. Check out Misty's blog.  She is an older cat that is doing great!

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26 July 2014 - 11:11 pm
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I definitely think she'd want to fight, the more I think about it. She is quite the stubborn (to put it nicely) cat and I know she wouldn't want to just give up and let this take her life...even if it meant loosing her leg!

I still haven't heard back about her biopsy yet, so we should have that by Monday. Taking time this weekend to gather supplies, clean out the spare room and make an aftercare plan. Also been working on a list of questions for the vet for when she calls with the results. Reading lots of blogs too! Read most of Fang's, Jill's, Steve's, Misty's and Sebastian's. Started one of my own, too...never thought I'd ever have a blog lol.

I almost wish we could have gotten an earlier appt for the surgery so that I could just get it over with, knowing now that she will almost certainly need it. The swelling in her foot is sooooo bad now! So even if it isn't cancer, unless it's something they can remedy quickly, there's no way she can keep going on with it just getting bigger every day :( It must be so horribly uncomfortable for her. Glad she has pain meds to help!

~Melinda and Tri-Kitty Angel Kender

Follow Kender's story here

Virginia



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26 July 2014 - 11:21 pm
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Awwww, hang in there, you're doing great!!!!

A whole. lot of this journey is "hurry up and wait"! And eating chocolate at 2 a.m. or cleaning the refrigerator at midnight!

I'm glad you got so.e "insight" from Kenda! All we have to do is listen and we can "hear" them.

Extra treats.for. that sweet kitty tonight....and extra hugs to all!

Sally and Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle too!

Oh, there is a link on here somewhere about questions to ask your surgeon, vet, onco....I'm just not computer savvy enough to know how to get you to it!

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!

On The Road


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27 July 2014 - 10:58 am
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Being stubborn can be a tremendous asset at a time like this. She's a lucky kitty to have ya.
Here is the link Sally referred to:
http://tripawds.....ncologist/

Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet

Canada
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17 July 2014
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27 July 2014 - 12:07 pm
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Hey Kender and Human! :) Welcome to the furry tripawd family - we are glad you found us too!

My Vinny boy is a new tripawd - 10 days now. I felt the same as you did… not knowing what the next little while would bring and unsure if putting my fur baby through a big surgery like that was the right thing to do. In the worst case scenario, I didn't want him to spend his last days miserably recovering from surgery.

Vinny's diagnosis of hemangiosarcoma was very shocking to us - especially since he seemed his normal self for so long before the discovery. I always knew that I would do whatever it would take to keep Vinny healthy and happy, so when the doctor recommended that Vinny was indeed a good candidate for the amputation, there was no doubt in my mind what had to be done. Next was coming to terms with it. And that's where Tripawds really helped us! We spent lots of time - just like you - reading all the experiences of other tripawd kitties here on the site, and it gave us so much hope! :)

It really didn't phase Vinny much at all. He was walking around as soon as he got home from the surgery. He was eating, drinking, and amazing me more and more with every hour that passed. It's really been a great experience so far, seeing his resilience, bonding with him, nursing him back to health. 

One thing I came across on the site that I found really useful was a reminder about how cats and humans are really such different species. When we think about an amputation, we tend to put ourselves in our animals’ shoes (or paws) and consider how we would feel about it – but it’s really incomparable. Our pets are so instinctual and they don’t think about things the same things as we do. We overanalyze everything – they just live, and do whatever it is they need to do to live. It's probably harder on us than it is on them.

Also, since animals hide their pain so well, it’s likely that your kitty was feeling pain in her leg for a long time before she started limping and showing actual signs of pain (especially if she went outdoors – she can't show any sign of weakness). So, the pain of the actual amputation will be minor, in comparison to the relief she will feel of having the pain of whatever was in her leg gone finally!

Vinny's doctor also reminded me that because of the previous ongoing pain, often cats adapt easily to walking on three legs because they were already practicing doing it, since they were likely shifting weight away from the sore leg and onto the other three.

We’re all here to help, offer advice and encouragement. Give Kinder big kisses from Vinny and I. :) We are sending wishes of good heath and happiness.

Love Vinny and his human, KJ! <3 xox

Check out Vinny Boy's progress - PrinceVince.tripawds.com

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22 July 2014
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27 July 2014 - 12:52 pm
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Thank you for the link of questions! I had seen the general one for the vet, but not this one.

And thank you for the encouragement KJ, especially coming from someone who has been through this all so recently! And you're right about the pain. The more I've read about that on here and thought back about it, I'm realizing there were signs of it before and I just wasn't realizing it. I chocked it up to her getting older and being slightly overweight...like it was harder for her to get up on the bed and she'd use her front claws more. Her weight is my biggest concern after her age. She isn't obese or anything, but is a little overweight. Before now it was hard to ration her food since we have two cats and the other is lithe and thin. But the last 2 weeks she hasn't been able to get up to her food so I've been able to ration out what she eats to make sure she doesn't gain more before the surgery.

Her paw is so horribly swollen, I'm sure she'd rather endure the amputation and recovery than continue on like this! I'll try to post a pic of it later when I can get on the comp.

I think my biggest worry about her recovery is balancing that and my mommy duties. I have an almost six year old and a 1.5 year old that I stay home with. All of the stories I've read so far are from owners with no kids or grown kids and they can devote themselves 24/7 to their kitty's aftercare. Are there any other tripawd pawrents any of you know of that have had to balance caring for their post-op furbaby and young furless babies? Hubby is going to take a day or 2 off from work after she comes home to help, but they are swamped at worked right now and he won't be able to take more than that.

~Melinda and Tri-Kitty Angel Kender

Follow Kender's story here

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27 July 2014 - 1:28 pm
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I don't have kids so I certainly can't give you an actual experience, but Sebastian really did not require constant care.  He slept a lot.  He laid in his bed awake a lot.  He didn't play because I gave him no option to play.  He was in a dog crate for two weeks and then in his own room without toys, furniture, or room to get up speed.  I know not everyone can spare a whole room for their animal so maybe consider getting a large dog crate for her to stay in when unsupervised.  It also depends on if she's the type to take off running...Sebastian is.

I only watched Sebastian a lot because it was convenient for me (work from home), but it was totally not necessary.  He appreciated the socialization but that's all it was.  You can leave Kender in her "safe area", wherever that may be, and check in on her throughout the day.  And definitely keep the e-collar on the entire time.  A lot of pet parents hate seeing their dog or cat in it but they will get over it...it's not worth risking ripped stitches. 

The only complication I see with kids is that the kids will want to see her, right?  Is the older one able to understand to not touch her too much?  To know when to back off if she's not feeling well? 

There are definitely some tripawd dog parents on here that have young children.  Also remember that plenty of people on here have to leave their tripawd home alone for 8+ hours a day, maybe even soon after surgery, so those people can probably offer lots of advice.

Regarding her weight - Sebastian was a little chunky before surgery and he ended up losing a lot because the antibiotics made him not want to eat.  Plus even if she does want to eat, you'll have a solid couple weeks where she will be eating by herself and you can ration.  You definitely have to keep the other cat away during recovery. 

I hope that helps and hopefully others will chime in too!

Jenn and Sebastian

On The Road


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27 July 2014 - 7:23 pm
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Melinda P said
I think my biggest worry about her recovery is balancing that and my mommy duties. I have an almost six year old and a 1.5 year old that I stay home with. All of the stories I've read so far are from owners with no kids or grown kids and they can devote themselves 24/7 to their kitty's aftercare. Are there any other tripawd pawrents any of you know of that have had to balance caring for their post-op furbaby and young furless babies?

Oh my gosh yes there are parents of human kids here! I'm not one but they'll chime in soon. I'm going to bet that she won't need as much attention as dogs do, Trippawd Kitties bounce back incredibly fast and well (ssssh, don't tell the doggies here!). Try not to worry!

Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet

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