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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Has anyone had an amputation due to fibrosarcoma? What part of the leg was it in? Where those harnesses helpful? Is there a waiting period before you use them? I would think that part of it may rub up against the scar and be painful. I'm just trying to prepare myself to help him thru the transition when it occurs. As much as I think about it, I'm not sure anything will prepare me for the shock of the scar and how much pain he will be in at first. I just want to be a good dog mom and do what I can when he comes home after all that.. The surgeon did say there would be no restrictions afterwards as far as stairs etc... Anyone else have experience with stairs and if you should let them try to adjust somewhat before throwing that at them? I heard that rear leggers have a hard time going up and front leggers have a hard time going down. The surgeon just said to use a leash at first... But my golden will be missing a front leg.. What if he topples down the 13 stairs and if he's on a leash.. Choke-ville... Maybe I'm over analyzing...but hey I'm protective of him what can I say? I heard rugs are a good plan too.. Trust me I'm listening to everyone's experience and suggestions.. Thanks again. Laney and Rusty Russell
rusty2007 said
Has anyone had an amputation due to fibrosarcoma?
Here are four pages of search results for fibrosarcoma with links to topics where members have posted their experiences. You can use the advanced search feature with the Search function above to refine your search for existing helpful forum topics, or search all Tripawds Blogs here.
Where those harnesses helpful?
The Ruff Wear Webmaster is the most common harness we recommend for most new tripawds. We recommend not using the harness until the surgery has completely healed and stitches or staples are removed. We have heard of no specific cases where any harness has hampered healing, but we believe direct pressure from the straps may irritate the wound. Please consult your veterinarian with any concerns.
We suggest using a soft towel slung under the belly if additional support is required in the meantime. A reusable canvas shopping bag slit down the sides also makes a handy temporary sling. You'll also find plenty of feedback about using stairs as well as videos. Confinement and rest are key to safe recovery. Pet gates are very helpful for blocking off steps or a recovery room, and there are plenty of solutions for help improving traction to prevent falls.
You'll find many more answers to the most common concerns in the Tripawds e-books and be sure to bookmark Jerry's Required Reading List too.
Welcome! Your future forum posts will not require moderation.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
LANEY AND RUSTY!!
YAAAAAA for you Laney! You navigated your way arou d the site and gotyour questins oit here where more will see!
As you know, I've responded to your blogs so I won't be rehash my
reviijs responses.
Just so glad you were avle to post this nere! Good job!
And no, you're not over analyzing, you're just trying to be as prepared as possible.. Knowledge is a good thing! You'll find that Rusty will probaby do a pretty good job of monitoring his own activity level based n how recovery is going.
Hugs to you and Rusty!
Sally ans Happy Hannah
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 Rusty's family
Tucker had his right front leg amputated due to an invasive sarcoma. Tuck is a nine year old chocolate lab and he is seven weeks post amp and has adjusted wonderfully.
I used the Ruffwear webmaster harness with Tuck...especially on stairs....as he does have difficulty going down the stairs when there is more than one or two. That being said, Tucker has NEVER liked stairs so this just creates an extra challenge for him. I started using the harness with Tuck after his stitches were removed ( two weeks post surgery) but used a towel as a sling for the first few days when he came home. Tuck never "complained" about the towel and, I think, appreciated the assistance initially. Tuck will now go and grab the harness (hint hint) just like he used to go and get his collar and leash previously when he wants to go for a walk.
The incision will not be attractive when Rusty first comes home but you will quickly adjust to seeing him with three legs. I really focused on looking Tuck in the eyes and soothing him. It might help to check out pictures on this website of what new incisions look like just to help you prepare.
I'm confident that, like Tucker, Rusty will adjust quickly!
Linda and Tucker :
Good luck!
We didn't use a harness for the first two weeks because of the scar being tender. We used a handmade sling (cloth grocery bag, cut out the sides.. perfect!
Barret has no trouble getting around, so we only use a harness when we're out for walks.
Take it day by day, it might be a little rough and you'll probably be lacking sleep, but the main thing is to get the pain meds right and taken on time (I had close contact with my vet for the first week until we were able to figure out the right combo of pain meds to allow us both to get some sleep.)
If you have hard floors, you might want a couple of throw rugs. We also used ice packs/heat packs on the incision site that seemed to help sooth him. Otherwise, relax, enjoy time with your dog and stick close to the forums if you have any questions. Best of luck to you, both!
Barret was diagnosed with Hemangiopericytoma May 16, 2013. Front left leg/scapula/pectoral muscle was amputated on June 11, 2013 and we've never looked back. Follow our story on http://barret.t.....pawds.com/ and read my column on That Pet Blog
Thank you all for the suggestions and experience. I work in hospital and i know a lot of the best suggestions/advise comes from the patients (or living/dealing with) the situation. Don't get me wrong, doctors are great but nobody knows the ins and outs better than the patients themselves. I'm def going to get him a harness and try it out once he's well enough. Of course we removed a lot of carpet in the last few years (seems much easier to clean with our 4 furry babies and human 4 year old) ... So I'll have to invest in some rugs, elevated food/water bowls, and whatever those temperpedic type beds are.. Hopefully my other dog ( my bully dog) don't chew it up. Thanks for all your help. Love you all. ~Laney and Rusty Russell
Laney......Snce yo mentined you were searching for a bed for Rusty, let me HIGHY recommend THE BIG BARKER DOG BED found on Amazon..
And, of course, when you order from Amazon you support the tripawds site. A small'portin of each amazn purchase is dnated to tripawds.cm.
I am sooo mpressed with this bed for large dogs! And I have NO affiliatin whatsoever with this product...I'm just so verh pleased with it for large tripawd dogs, I cannot say eough avoutit!
It is, in my opiion, the temurpedic bed for dogs. Happy Hannah has given it quite q work-out now forover eight mnths! It has not shifted. It has not lost it's shape at all. No sagging. It has not changed it's shape or lost any of its density one bit! Realy!
When Hapy Hannah stands n it to turn, or beg for cookies..or whatever, she never slips or slids because itis so firm...but very, very comfy. Protection of jo ts is so crucial with triawds and I really believe this bed does just that.. If they made it even bigger, I would use kt as my bed! It's that good!
It's an "investment" yes, but I've spent a fortune on every kind of bed imaginable, and they've NEVER held their shape like this...they all either sag...or they loose their "fluffiness", or the filler bunches up or mashes down. Again, ths bed has not lost one bit of ts shape! I put squishy pillows around it and cuddle up with her (if I curl up just right she and I can both fit on it).
They have a wnderful guarantee...unlike any I've ever seen on any dog bed..
Anyway, check it out and see if it might work for "Golden Rusty". I can tellyou that this "patient" loves, loves loves her bed!! In fact...even though the bed is for big dogs...my little fourteen pounder, very, vey senior will go lay on it when she gets up. He'll give her a "glare" and a "step away from the bed" growl if she tries to get back on 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!
benny55 said
Laney......Snce yo mentined you were searching for a bed for Rusty, let me HIGHY recommend THE BIG BARKER DOG BED found on Amazon..
And, of course, when you order from Amazon you support the tripawds site. A small'portin of each amazn purchase is dnated to tripawds.cm.
Thanks so much for letting folks know! We sincerely appreciate it.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi Rusty and Laney
I just saw your post and wanted to let you know we're all here for you.
Our four year old doberman (she is now 5 yay!) Yasmin had her right front leg amputated due to fibrosarcoma in her elbow. she had the whole leg removed including her shoulder blade. The operation went well. She came home less than 24 hours post-op. One of our worries was also stairs. We have stairs to the front door, stairs from the garden to the back door and Yasmin sleeps on our bed. So stairs to the bed and a leap up to go to bed. We bought Yasmin a large memory foam solid dog mattress and prepared ourselves for sleeping downstairs with her for the foreseeable future. We only slept downstairs for a couple of nights. Yasmin wanted her/our bed and on day 3/4, she walked upstairs. Coming down was more difficult, we didn't get a harness as our vet said she would adapt just fine without it. We would go down in front of her just in case she fell, but she never really did. She took it all in her stride, don't get me wrong we had bad days as well as good days but we got through it together. We are now 3 months post-amp and Yasmin is her usual self. She was given the all-clear after amputation, no need for chemo as the vet and pathologist think that the cancer had not spread.
Looking back it was a very hard decision, we felt so guilty and didn't know what to expect. Finding Tripawds helped us immensely. Our pup is back to her old self and has adapted perfectly to being a tripawd. The scar really isn't that bad, it doesn't bother her anymore and it doesn't bother me. She really enjoys me massaging her scar which I guess, actually helped me get used to it too.
Wishing you the best of luck and sending you and rusty hugs
Kate and Yasmin x
I have a Golden (he'll be 11 on Monday 
) that had an amp due to fibrosarcoma almost 2 months ago. His was small, but deep, and it was so attached to his elbow joint that we though it would be easier on him to amputate now, and save him from a tougher rehab, harder surgeries, and potentially be back in the same position in a few months anyway.
Grady can do stairs...I don't let him do them often, since I'm a nervous nellie about his remaining front leg, but he happily takes them, with zero hesitation. He jumps on the couch, bed, car, you name it! We had gotten him a well-padded lift harness, but it just annoyed him more than anything, so we pretty much just left it on while we slept, so he couldn't mess with his incision, which he kinda ignored anyway. I did force him into a t-shirt to protect it; he tolerated that much better. I fed him people food (boiled chicken, brown rice, a scrambled egg or 2) for the first few days because I wanted him to really eat, to minimize any tummy problems from the meds. I had gotten him a lovely, expensive ortho dog bed while he was in surgery...that he wouldn't go near. He wanted mommy and daddy's bed, or the couch, or the hard floor...not his own bed. I then had the idea to go to big lots, buy a twin size 2" memory foam topper, cut it in half, stack them to make it 4", made a cover from OUR blankets, and put a heating pad on a low setting under the cover (for cold, arthritis nights) and he uses that...sometimes 
Also, it ended up costing a whopping $50 total, so that may be a more palatable price tag if your dog is a bed-snob
Our doberman, Spencer, was 4.5 when diagnosed with grade 3 fibrosarcoma. His was up near his shoulder, so had the leg and shoulder blade amputated. It was a front leg. I worried that he would never be able to run around and that stairs would be awful. We have tons of stairs and no bedrooms on the main floor of our house. Well, by day 4 I think, I was having to stop him from trying to do stairs. Our vet wanted the stitches out before he did stairs. I posted a lot on here and also on my blog in my sig about the things that we went through. Our story didn't have a happy ending with years more with our dog; but I am happy for the 6 months that we did have and I know that at best we would have had one month had we NOT done the amputation. Keep in mind that Spencer's fibrosarcoma was grade 3 and extremely aggressive. From being on this board, I don't think I know of anyone else's dog who's fibrosarcoma was as aggressive as his. If it is a grade 1 or 2 then the amputation should be a curative surgery according to our oncologist.
Jac and Angel Spencer. Spencer was 5.25 years old. He fought a grade 3 fibrosarcoma, started on his shoulder. Left front leg amputated in August 2011. 15 weeks of chemo finished 12/22/11 (mytox and adria). Lung mets found on x-rays 12/28/11. Started carboplatin 1/6/12. Went to Heaven on 2/27/12. I miss him like crazy every day. See his blog here: http://spencer.tripawds.com/
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