Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Aww you bet we will be sending lots of love to you and Karl. Stay strong, you can do it!
He will likely be able to get into the car on his own. If he's too wobbly you can try this (did I share this with you? Can't recall).
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Of course we'll be here for you! And yes, you can do this!
The orthopedic vet said there was a possibility of Murphy having a fungal infection, too, so we also went ahead with the biopsy. Unfortunately it came back inconclusive, which is not uncommon. So don't be surprised if that happens.
Murphy walked out on his own both after his biopsy and the day after his amputation.
Donna
Donna, Glenn & Murphy
Murphy had his right front leg amputated due to histiocytic sarcoma at 7 years old. He survived 4 years, 2 months & 1 week, only to be taken by hemangiosarcoma at 11 1/2 years 6/12/17
Read about Murphy's Life on Three Legs
We've got your back!!
As Donna said, don't be surprised if it comes back inconclusive as far ss thst piece of crap disease...that happens. Many vets are jistw go by the xrays if it looks consistent.
I'm sure the Vet will give you a good supply of pain meds. Karl will be nice and loopy.
Stay connected. Lean on us. You are moving forward and will continue to do so.
Now, grab a bag of CHOCOLATE. Eat as .much all at once as you can! Then, if you have anymore junk food in the house, find it and eat all that too! It's a great stress release!!
Sending lots of love
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!
Sorry to hear about your pup. Buddy was diagnosed in Oct and we did the amp on Oct 30th. First few days are tough but it gets better. Best decision I made. His lungs were clear at the time of surgery but now has nodules. I still would have made the same decision because he is doing great otherwise.
You have found a very special community her at Tripawds. I don't know what I would have done without the support. Once I reached out I never felt alone.
Please keep us posted and well be saying lots of puppy prayers for an uneventful surgery and speedy recovery. It's amazing how resilient our pups our. Your dog will follow your lead during recovery so try to be a strong pack leader.
We are all here for you!
xoxo
Julie and Buddy
I just finished reading the thread. We are praying for the best results for Karl's biopsy. Please keep us posted. We will always be here for you!!
Wow! You are all so awesome, I didn't see the page 2 of the posts until today.
I was so nervous about him being in a lot of pain, but he could get into the car. He ate supper and went outside for a potty break. Yes! He's doing better than I expected, resting a lot from the tramedol. I slept until 10:00, 
after giving him his medication at 7:30,( I needed it. )
I believe it is osteosarcoma , so I'm trying to get ready, ( Karl goes crazy with a cone on, so I need to work on that issue pretty quick. Any thoughts?) Once we get the results -which should be by Friday at the latest, the surgery will be very soon after.
The vet has been awesome. Thank you God!
Thank you so much everyone,
Karl and mom Julie
So glad he doesn't seem to be hurting too much! That's spectacular news!
I guess you're just using the cone when you aren't with him? I can only imagine how these cones freak dogs out....their vision, the hearing, being j comfortable and on and on.
I never had to use a cone with my beloved Happy Hannah. However, I've seen from the site manymuse an inflatable donut which seems to be less worrisome.
Otherswill chime in with suggestions. In the meantime, as long as you are able to watch him, I'd leave it off as much as possible.
Glad you voth got some rest!!!! Hang in there! You're doing breat!
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!
My Otis is in week 3 post amputation, and one week post chemo #1. Today, I watched him and his sister Tess sleeping in the sun by the window, and I know it was totally the right decision. Good luck!
Otis - 106 pound lab/Dane mix, lost his right front leg to osteosarcoma on Febuary 9, 2016. Four rounds of carboplatin completed in April, 2016. Lung mets August 25, 2016. Said goodbye too soon on September 4, 2016. Lost his adopted sister, Tess, suddenly on October 9, 2016. likely due to hemangiosarcoma.
Wherever they are, they are together.
The cone of shame was cutting into Otis' neck. We took it off on day 2 and put a T-shirt on him. Worked for us.
Otis - 106 pound lab/Dane mix, lost his right front leg to osteosarcoma on Febuary 9, 2016. Four rounds of carboplatin completed in April, 2016. Lung mets August 25, 2016. Said goodbye too soon on September 4, 2016. Lost his adopted sister, Tess, suddenly on October 9, 2016. likely due to hemangiosarcoma.
Wherever they are, they are together.
Quincy is 15 days post surgery and 2 days post chemo. Doing well. We took the cone off immediately and put on tshirt. He never even went for the incision. Only thing he licked (and still is!) is his other front paw where they shaved and must have had his IV.
Fgirst week he was pretty out of it but started perking up after that and since most of the staples were removed 2 days ago he is like a different dog. I don't regret either. It is kind of amazing how quickly they adapt.
I tried the inflatable tube but it didn't work. Buddy had to wear the cone but I took it off as long as I could be near
Is Karl a front leg or rear leg amp? My Westie, Susie (6 weeks post-amp, front amp) kept freaking out while wearing the Cone of Shame. We tried the Comfy Cone, and that freaked her out even more. I asked the vet about the inflatable donut thingy, and she said her dog wore one, and it popped. So we just kept her in a Thundershirt (which we already had). She never bothered her incision at all while wearing it. (Like Karl, she licked and licked her other front paw that had been shaved for the IV, and now she's licking one of her back paws, which also had an IV in it, when the first one infiltrated.) The Thundershirt was a lifesaver for Susie!
((((hugs))))xxx from Nancy & Susie
How's it going?
Have they given you a definitive answer from the biopsy, I remember the wait - its horrid and that weeny bit of hope they give you that it isn't osteo yet of course it is.
Our boy Jack was in such pain, of course he didn't let us know above limping, that once the leg was gone he was happy and contented. He did wear a comfy collar but that wasn't a problem for him at all
Good luck
We never used the cone on Murphy, either. He had his right front leg removed. We put a t-shirt on to keep the incision covered & clean. A couple times Murphy would try to lick the bottom edge of the incision, but we got him to stop, usually we just needed to adjust his t-shirt.
Donna
Donna, Glenn & Murphy
Murphy had his right front leg amputated due to histiocytic sarcoma at 7 years old. He survived 4 years, 2 months & 1 week, only to be taken by hemangiosarcoma at 11 1/2 years 6/12/17
Read about Murphy's Life on Three Legs
Hi Karl and Family!
Just read your post and wanted you to know that Sully and I are sending lots of positive thoughts your way as you wait for the results of Karl's biopsy. Sully is almost 4 months post amputation after finding osteosarcoma in his front leg. I still feel like amputating was the best decision we ever made. The first few days of recovery are tough, but it sounds like you found a vet you like and from my experience, the support of my vet and the support of the people here on tripawds really got us through the hardest parts. Once Sully recovered from surgery, nothing stopped him and anyone who didn't agree with our decision to amputate has been amazed at how well he has adapted.
As far as preparing for after amputation, we didn't use a cone either, however I'm not sure whether Karl would have a front or rear amp. With Sully's front, we used turtlenecks, because he is so deep chested that the neck of the t-shirts stretched down below the incision. He actually still enjoys wearing the soft turtlenecks, even though he doesn't really need them. We also used yoga mats on any wood or tile surfaces so Sully wouldn't slip. They have been a life saver- and are pretty inexpensive too!
Like I said before, the biggest help in all of this was having a lifeline to people who have been through this before. We will be checking for posts and ready to help with support and good thoughts in any way we can.
Hugs!
Sully and Rachael
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