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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Hello there from the UK
We are going down the same process as you and find that this site is soo helpful and positive. I am finding I am on overload with the information at the moment so read a bit at a time as a question pops into my head otherwise I think my brain would fry.
Good luck with the referral, we are off for our CT scan tomorrow and then a final decision can be made as to the treatment regime we will follow
I wish you good luck tomorrow!! It does help so much when you can travel this road with "friends"!
Woohoo! Sounds like an awesome plan! Keep us posted about Max, OK?
And best of luck to you as well jackdog
xoxo,
Codie Rae and the OP
Woohoo! Tripawds Rule!
Regulator of the Oaktown Pack, Sheriff of the Oaktown Pawsse, Founding member and President of the Tripawd Girldogs With 2 Names ROCK Club, and ... Tripawd Girldog Extraordinaire!
Getting 'armed' with information from UW-Madison is an excellent plan. I hope you'll get in ASAP.
I have a soft spot for UW-Madison because that is where I met Bill!
Denise, Bill and Angel Ellie.
Active 10+ Pyr mix suddenly came up lame with ACL tear in left rear leg. Scheduled for a TPLO but final pre-op x-rays indicated a small suspicious area, possibly OSA, which could have caused the ACL tear. Surgeon opened the knee for TPLO but found soft bone. Biopsy came back positive for OSA. Became a Tripawd 9/18/14. Carbo6 with Cerenia and Fluids. Pain free and living in the moment. Crossed the Bridge on 7/12/15 after probable spread of cancer to her cervical spine. A whole lifetime of memories squeezed into 10 months. Here's her story: Eloise
My heart understands and joins yours in its sadness. We took our beautiful 12 yr.old GSD to the vet yesterday for what we thought was arthritis (a limp in back right leg). Based on x-rays we were told it is likely osteosarcoma. Stunned and devastated doesn't even begin to express our feelings. We thought we'd done everything "right" and bam. Have done hours of research since and still don't know what is the best treatment. Have considered taking her back home to Wisconsin (from Amherst 🙂 for an opinion at UWMadison. We are currently in Hawaii. Please email me or keep updated on the path you take. Hugs from afar.
shawnm said
My heart understands and joins yours in its sadness.
Hi Shawn, thank you for joining, I'm sorry you found yourself in this place but we are here to help. Please consider starting a brand new topic so we can all track your pup's situation OK?
It's difficult when you get the diagnosis, and extra hard when the dog is a senior pup. What does your vet think as far as her candidacy for being a Tripawd? Are they not recommending it? Is that why you want to go to UW? (Go Badgers... Awesome vet school).
Where in Hawaii are you? Any chance you're near Dr. Demian Dressler's clinic? I think he's on Maui.
Let us know how we can help OK?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Shawn my heart goes out to you. Let the people here help you they are so awesome. My state of mind has completely changed around since the Thursday diagnosis and am now so much more hopeful thanks to all who have posted. We were able to get a vet referral for UW Madison for Thursday at 11:00. Hopefully we will come out with some answers and a plan. That is so much the hard part at this stage I am finding. You can't make any decision until you know exactly what you all have to consider in the whole of what you don't know if that makes any sense. I do feel confident in our decision of going to UW Madison. I feel it is our best move and our Max deserves that and so much more. I will let everyone know how Thursday goes and please everyone think healing thoughts for us and every furface going through this journey.
Thank you Linda and Jerry. I did PM you Linda. I can start a thread about our GSD, but should I wait until Fri. after things are updated? I will send you a PM in a bit Jerry so as not to cloud Linda's post with my issues.
Thank you Shawn. I did a second PM follow up also to you. Please do let us know how Friday goes for Ziya! By then I should have news on Max too!
shawnm said
Thank you Linda and Jerry. I did PM you Linda. I can start a thread about our GSD, but should I wait until Fri. after things are updated? I will send you a PM in a bit Jerry so as not to cloud Linda's post with my issues.
Post anytime you'd like, really!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Max update!! Just got home after a very long day. Loved the oncologist at UW Madison. She laid it all out pulled no punches and we finally have some answers. We got our lung x-ray which showed clear at this time. YAAAY!! I know there may be microscopic cells dancing in there but I took that as a very good sign. His blood work was great, heart looked great too. We opted not to do the bone biopsy because we felt really what was the point. Either it's palliative care or amputation. Orthopedics did an evaluation on him and when they really hyperextended his knee on the other leg he showed some reaction. They believe it must have been slightly injured at some time in the past but said wasn't enough to count him out for amputation so that too was good news. No real hip dysplasia that they could detect without further tests. So all in all I guess we got the best news we could at this point. There's no cost saving doing the surgery at Madison but I'm guessing that we would get the best care in WI there. They quoted 3,000.00-3500.00 for the surgery and another 1500.00-1800.00 for follow-up chemo. I believe we will be going ahead with the amputation. One thing the Oncologist did do was add Tylenol with codeine to his Rymadyl because she believes Max is too stoic and is in more pain than he is letting us know about. That broke my heart! I know my son is totally upset about the amputation but I believe he will come to terms with it. It's really the only shot Max has left we feel we at least need to try. And even if we get 6 months of pain free happiness we can know we didn't let him go without trying. Hopefully we can move forward next week. We need a consult with the surgeon but the oncologist checked with him and he's willing to do the consult via phone. We'll know more after that. Thank you all for all your support all week. It means so much. After surgery he will be here because I am home all the time so I'm sure you will be getting many more questions from me when we get to that stage but I will start a new thread on the rehab page. Again thank you from the bottom of my heart!!!
Alrighty, considering the circumstances this stupid piece of crap disease puts us in, Max has some pretty darn good news!
YAAAAAAAAAY FOR CLEAR XRAYS!!
YAAAAAAAAAY FOR BEING IN GOOD SHAPE so you can proceed with surgery !!
Two important things you said that stand out and will sustain you through this journey.....
" It's really the only shot Max has left and we feel we at least need to try."
"And even if we get 6 months of pain free happiness we can know we didn't let him go without trying"
Yes, it is major surgery and, like all surgies, it does have risks. But everyone here who has made that decision wants to at least "try".
And heck, six months in doggy years is over three years in human years! That's a whole lot of loving and spoiling that can take place in Max's world!!
It sounds like you have a real good team working with you and they know their "stuff".
You have a plan...you're moving forward! You've done an excellent jobmof researching what's best for Max. You will be amazed at how well he does on three legs snd how good he feels to have that painful leg gone!! I can almost "hear" the relief in your "voice".
Now get some rest and give thst sweet Max an extra treat tonight!!
((((((((((((((((((HUGS))))))))))))))))
Sally and Alumni 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!
I'm so glad you have a plan of action and a good team in place. I can understand your son's distress at amputation, but I believe it truly is the only way to give them a pain-free life for whatever time is left. And yes, it may be 6 months, it may be 16 months. None of us knows. But you won't be making him suffer by amputating, you'll be giving him a chance at a pain free life.
Denise, Bill and Angel Ellie.
Active 10+ Pyr mix suddenly came up lame with ACL tear in left rear leg. Scheduled for a TPLO but final pre-op x-rays indicated a small suspicious area, possibly OSA, which could have caused the ACL tear. Surgeon opened the knee for TPLO but found soft bone. Biopsy came back positive for OSA. Became a Tripawd 9/18/14. Carbo6 with Cerenia and Fluids. Pain free and living in the moment. Crossed the Bridge on 7/12/15 after probable spread of cancer to her cervical spine. A whole lifetime of memories squeezed into 10 months. Here's her story: Eloise
I sheepishly have to admit I did the ultimate no no. I asked the oncologist what she would do if this was her dog. I felt my son needed to hear that question asked. She never missed a beat and said she'd do the surgery followed up by chemo. That sealed it for me. She went on to say how even the pain from the surgery doesn't touch the pain he's now in and it would get worse. And reiterated how well dogs adapt to this surgery. There really isn't any choice here. We HAVE to get Max out of the pain he's enduring.
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