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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And to repeat, and as you can see from the replies, YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!! We understand like no others can.
Your covering all your bases and moving forward. And yes, all this is scary as can be, but as Katie said, there is a relief once the decision is made on how to proceed.
Were here. Lean on us .
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!
Hi! I'm so very sorry you're going through this. I just wanted to add something based on your comment about being nervous about the 2 weeks post surgery. We were INCREDIBLY lucky and had a super easy post recovery. Bowie, our 12yr old long haired dachshund diagnosed with osteosarcoma this past June, was up and running the minute we brought him home after we picked him up from the hospital (2 days in the hospital). He was so happy to be out of the horrible pain he had been living with. We could see the burden lifted from his eyes and spirit. We were TERRIFIED about what to expect post surgery knowing what many babies and their parents have to deal with but just know there is hope that it can be an ok experience. I'm grateful for us that it was. Oh and also upon seeing him you'll be surprised how incredibly strong you can be for him. Trust me this journey has had it's share of hot mess moments for me but I was just so happy to see him at the hospital I swallowed my tears and focused on perking him up. You can do it! I promise. So much luck, love and strength to you all.
Oh you guys are THE BEST!!!! You have no idea how much I appreciate your positive feedback and stories!! I am now completely at peace with my decision and am ready to get this done. The last 2 days I've been watching Otis like a hawk and even though he's clearly in a lot of pain he is picking up his ball and throwing it so he can chase it down and bring it to us to throw it....which we don't...poor guy. But being the holidays there are lots of comings and goings, kids home from college, friends popping in for visits and everyone is shocked when they see him because he's bouncing all over the place like he's a completely healthy dog with no pain. This gives me so much confidence in the future tripawd stage. Yay!
Surgery is Friday...I'll let you know how it goes. Onward and upward!!
Onward and upward indeed!
Friday is the Winter Solstace, the shortest day of the year. In my mind every day after that is better and better as it stays light longer.
So it will be for Otis- every day getting better for him!
Keep us posted on Friday, I'll be thinking good thoughts for you guys.
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Just catching up... wow! Thank goodness Otis has you... he was blessed to have a family that has left no stone unturned in search for the best care that he can get to give him the best quality of life.
This is truly the scariest, longest, and most intense rollercoaster ride. You are really doing a great job of researching and speaking with the best professionals to insure that you find and choose the best path available for Otis and your family.
Yes, there have been some really ruff recoveries in here. There have also been amazingly easy ones. We have seen furbabies who have beaten the odds even with ruff recoveries and everything in between. I think the most frustrating thing in reading this is the unknown and what if's. I admire your patience to uncover everything taking all the steps that you need to so that you are armed with the knowledge that you need. You have not jumped into anything, and you are keeping your boy comfortable while this is all sorted out. That deserves a huge pat on the back! 
Otis has a great cheerleading team here. And the souls that you have been speaking to are the kindest, bravest souls that I have had the privilege of getting to know. Add Huck and I to your cheerleading squad, we will be watching from the sidelines and all of us will try to make this scary journey the best for you and Otis!
Hugs,
Jackie and Huckleberry 
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry 
We’ll be thinking of you and Otis on Friday! I know it feels strange - you’d never think you would look forward to a surgery like this but once you make your decision you just want it to be here so you can get started with the next phase.
Heads up on post surgery: so many crazy milestones, big and small, lie ahead. For me oddly enough one of the things I was most stressed about was him defecating. I couldn’t picture hoe he could balance missing a front leg! Even though I was told medication could back things up, I was shocked by how many days went by with no action. I think it might have been a week exactly. I had my whole family on poop watch, with a text chain about if/when it would happen. Daily updates. When it finally happened, it was easy peasy for him. No big deal. I, on the other hand, was elated and took a video and sent it out. I actually went back and looked at it today (I’m crazy like that) to remind myself of how far we’ve come and how dogs adapt better than we do.
So so get ready to embrace the small victories along the way!
Katie
Lol Katie, here that is so totally the norm 😁
Everybody else thinks we're nuts but there's such a relief knowing they are eating enough to poop. Knowing their body is finally doing something normal.
Yep, we celebrate 
here... And it's all good.
Thank you for stating the "what to look for" things that come up and sharing the light at the end of the tunnel. During this journey everything is magnified until you know your furbaby is going to be ok.
Pawsome advice ❤️
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry
Hi all,
Just doing a post surgery check in. First, we finally got the final biopsy results and Otis has Synovial Cell Sarcoma and not the histo whatever cancer. So I'm taking that for a win! The limb will be sent out to be analyzed and we will see if anything had spread but as of 2 weeks ago lungs and organs were clear and lymph nodes felt normal.
The surgery yesterday went well, per the surgeon. Minimal blood loss and no surprises. Waking up didn't go so well. It sounds like my poor boy panicked and was having a difficult time breathing. They quickly sedated him and stabilized him. I got an update this morning that he had a calm night. They said he is still in pain, they started a fentanyl patch and will continue giving him iv meds until the patch kicks in (12-24 hours). He is scheduled to be released tomorrow morning.
Thanks for all your support through this process. I'm sure I will have loads of questions coming up but taking this all day by day. I've got my raised food bowl, the fancy harness with the handle and foam interlocking tiles for no slippage in the house. If there's anything else I need...I'm open to suggestions.
Colleen
Yay for surgery being done and over with! I am glad they got him stabilized and are working on pain management
. Get some rest today, you will have your hands full tomorrow 
Do you know what medications they will be sending him home with? It sounds like you are all over this and well prepared for your furbaby to come home
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry
He will come home with the Fentanyl patch and then he will be on Gabapentin and Galliprant. I questioned if that would be enough as he also was on Tramadol after his biopsy but the surgeon felt that it would be enough.
Thoughts?
HIP HIP HOOOORAAAAY!!!!!😁😁😁 So glad the clinic was on top of things and got him stabilized!!! We know overnight clinics are not always an option for people, but this is exactly why we encourage the first night be at a fully staffed hospital ig at all possible! Sounds like they are of top of,pain management too!
The Tramadol and Gabapentin compliment each other in the way they manage pain. The Galliprant is a good anti-inflammatory with minimal pain management . Some dogs get a bit whacky on Tramadol so not all Vets use it. It's my understanding the patch is effective for about three days, ,maybe four. That can also make them a bit whacky, but it's still better than being in pain.
You can ask your Vet about having a supply of Tramadol on hand since the holidays are coming up and Vets will be closed. Certainly not a Vet and not giving Bet advice.
Having your pup home for Christmas will be the best gift ever!!
And don't hesitate to reach out to is. And remember the Tripawds Helpline is available too. And yes, we are staffing it everyday thru rhe holidays too.
Looking forward to the homecoming!
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!
Yes!! I am so glad I held out for UC Davis to get him in. With bulldogs and anesthesia and potential breathing problems....they were the best bet. I had to wait a month to get in but I'm glad I did.
I do have some Tramadol left from his Biopsy so worst case...I could use that. I used it along with Gabapentin and Galliprant so I know that's safe. Post Fentanyl patch, of course.
I do believe they are open for Emergencies over Christmas and I will have a hotline I can call too. Plus I have you guys!!
xo
So happy you made the decision to remove the leg. Although Benders recovery was rough. He enjoyed a full year of pain free life. He was able to get around great after a few weeks.
I would expect shortened walks and more breaks. I regret not buying a dog stroller . I think he would have really enjoyed that.
Let me know if you need anything.
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