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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I just wanted to say hello and introduce myself.
We found out on Saturday that our 9 year old golden retriever, Kensington (Kenzie, Kenz, Kenzer, and so many more... lol) has osteosarcoma in her front left leg. We brought her to The Angell Hospital in Boston for a second opinion (and some guidance) yesterday and they confirmed the diagnosis. We've decided that we're going to go through with the amputation and the chemo and we're just waiting for our surgery date to be scheduled.
I just wanted to thank all of you. Our decision came after reading so many wonderful entries by all the incredible dog owners here... At first, amputation seemed cruel to us... But the more we read, the more we realized not having the surgery would be the inhumane thing to do for our baby. I know we have a long road ahead of us but I already feel so much more comfortable knowing there's a place we can go to for answers and support.
So, I think that's it for now. 
Offline
Hi Kensington and family! Welcome to the Tripawds community where the support is wonderful, the people are great and the dogs Pawsome!! As you probably already know there is a ton of information here on what to expect after amputation, (I don't have the links, but you can search for it). Please let us know when Kenzie is having the surgery and how he is doing afterward.
Chuy and mom
Chuy, showing everyone that Tripawds do everything 3 times better than regular dogs!
I'm so sorry to hear about the diagnosis. It is a real kick in the belly. There are tons go great info here, but keep reading, you'll get through it all. It is hard to accept the diagnosis, but make each and every decision based on what is best for Kenzie and all will be as good as it can be. The two week period following surgery is often referred to as recovery hell, but that, too, you will get through. For most of us, once the recovery is over, we begin to see happy dogs return to our lives.
Stay strong, ask questions, read, read, read. We'll all be right here behind you.
Shanna & Spirit Trouble ~ Trouble gained her wings 3/16/2011, a 27 1/2 month cancer survivor, tail wagging. RIP sweetheart, you are my heart and soul. Run free at Rainbow Bridge.
The November Five - Spirits Max, Cherry, Tika, Trouble & Nova. 11/2008 - 3/2013 An era ends as Queen Nova crossed the Bridge.
Hi there! We're so sorry you had to join us here. This is a club that nobody wants to join, but we're glad you found us. Thank you for the kind words about everyone's stories here. It's so beautiful that there are so many kind, compassionate people who take the time to share their experiences and help others, isn't it? Good people here, that's for sure.
Osteosarcoma is a scary diagnosis, but the road ahead doesn't have to be lonely. Know that there is hope for having a good life, and the most important thing is to stay pawsitive and grateful for every day you have together. It's hard when you're in the middle of recovery and all that, but just wait till you see how Kenzie shows you the secrets to overcoming adversity, you'll be amazed.
Here is the information that Chuy mentioned:
This is a good place to begin if you haven't already. But as you've seen, there is lots more info available from our members. Don't be shy, and know that everypawdy here is just fantastic. We're here to help OK?
Good luck. Enjoy the weekend and keep us posted on things. You've got a lot of love and good thoughts coming your way...
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi Kenzie's family,
I'm so sorry to hear about Kenzie's diagnosis. When is her surgery scheduled for?
I remember how scared I was when my Jake was first diagnosed, but like you, I found the wonderful folks at Tripawds.com... and they all helped me get through it all. We will be here for you and Kenzie too!!
Angel Jake's Mom
Jake, 10yr old golden retriever (fractured his front right leg on 9/1, bone biopsy revealed osteosarcoma on 9/10, amputation on 9/17) and his family Marguerite, Jacques and Wolfie, 5yr old german shepherd and the newest addition to the family, Nala, a 7mth old Bengal mix kittie. Jake lost his battle on 11/9/2009, almost 8 weeks after his surgery. We will never forget our sweet golden angel… http://jakesjou.....ipawds.com ….. CANCER SUCKS!
I, too would like to welcome all of the Kenz family!
It's not going to be an easy road. There will be some bumps but there will also be a lot of tears of joy! Just know we all are a community that tries to help each other so this journey will be easier. You won't be alone, we are here!
You look so much like MacKenzie , I thought you'd enjoy seeing her in this video. She is 7 months out from her amputation from cancer.
Here blog is here http://mackenzi.....pawds.com/
Here are some other golden blogs, you might enjoy reading:
Ginger: http://dlanckto.....pawds.com/
Harley: http://harleypu.....pawds.com/
Catie: http://carmenmc.....pawds.com/
Lincoln: http://credocan.....pawds.com/
Rosie: http://rosiesro.....pawds.com/
Warm wishes – keep us updated!
Comet's mom
(Admin – I couldn't find Not Sophie's Choice blog!)
Comet - 1999 to 2011
She departed us unexpectedly January 23, 2011 at the age of 12 1/2.
She was born with a deformed front leg and a tripawd all of her life.
Hi Kenzie's Mom,
What a beautiful girl! My golden is named Mackenzie 
- she was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in Sept '09 when she was 7 1/2. Had her surgery in early November and is doing great 7 months later. She's now 8. Believe me, I was so traumatized when we had to make this decision to amputate. I didn't really know too much about this website at the time but I quickly discovered a wealth of information to get me through all of this. All I can tell you is that most of us here (I think all of us here) have no regrets. During the 2 week recovery time, it can be pretty rough and I often 2nd guessed my decision but just keep things in perspective and take each day at a time. She'll get through this and then you'll be amazed at how well she's doing and how well she's adjusted. You'll have your Kenzie back in no time! You are making the right decision.
We wish you all the best and hope she has a very smooth and speedy recovery. We will keep our paws crossed that everything goes well.
Lots of golden hugs to you.
Kami (Mackenzie's Mom)
My sweet golden Mackenzie. She became my angel on Dec 29, 2010 at the age of 8 1/2 although she was always my angel from the time we brought her home. She was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in Sept 2009 and officially became a tripawd (front leg) on Nov 5, 2009. She will be forever in my heart and now she's running free with all of our other tripawd heroes. I love you Mackenzie!
Kensington and family,
We are so very sorry to hear of Kenzie's diagnosis, but you have found a great site filled with wonder people who will share their collective experience base, provide excellent advice, and be there for support. You will get no argument from this community both regarding your decisions and the reasons for those decisions. Too many do not understand that they can have a very good quality of life even after the amputation and fighting the cancer. Miss Cherry turned eleven the day before her amputation and while there was much goning on in adition to the cancer, she had a wonderful 405 days after the amputation. This is an outstanding longevity for a Standard Poodle.
I have a number of suggestions that may help you prepare for Kenzie's return from surgery. They usually start with the two that Jerry posted above and I would definately start there. There is also my usual additional set of three.
1) Remain as positive as possible around Kenzie. They will pick up on your feelings and if you are down, it will only make it harder. I often left Cherry, left the house, and then totally lost it before regaining composure and returning with a smile. It will make a difference.
2) Remember to treat the spirit as well as the body. Find something that they love and can still do during recovery. Then exploit that love to give them purpose. For Cherry, it was her trips in the truck/car. It was the first and for a long time, the only place that she would willingly take food when offered. As the time when she thought that she is going for a ride approached, you could see the excitement grow. Jake's mom would probably tell you that for Jake it was the swimming pool. Once Jake saw the pool and was allowed back in, the improvement appears to have been remarkable. View the Fun! Doug and Heidi will tell you that for Molly it continues to be canoe trips. Watch her celebrate her one year ampuversary! Finally there is Calpurnia who loves the life filled with the outdoors and sledding and has survived the amputation for more than two years. View the fun! Help them find a purpose to fight.
3) Consider keeping a journal. I kept a journal and posted much it on-line. It allowed me to go back days/weeks/months and make a good comparison. The detail that you keep in this journal is more than I would ever put into a blog ,which is also a great idea. This very detailed journal really helped to make honest assessments of Cherry's progress during the ups and downs of recovery. Our oncologist actually used these journal postings to keep up to speed on Cherry's condition. As recently as ten days ago, I refered to this journal when answering a post. Thus, it is still used today. I have a page of thumbnail photos (with links to larger versions) covering from just after the diagnosis, first days home, chemotherapy treatment, through recent days. View Cherry’s TriPawd photos.
As you move forward with your TriPawd journey, do not hesitate to ask. Odds are someone within this community has faced the same issues that you will be facing. We will not sugar coat the fact that the first two weeks can be very hard, but Kenzie should recover and return to a very good quality of life.
Sending Pawsitive Thoughts and Prayers
Spirit Cherry's Dad
Thanks Comet's mom for posting this!! I didn't realize you sent this before I sent my comment. Kenzie's mom, this is my Mackenzie swimming as a tripawd. She just amazes me every day!
My sweet golden Mackenzie. She became my angel on Dec 29, 2010 at the age of 8 1/2 although she was always my angel from the time we brought her home. She was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in Sept 2009 and officially became a tripawd (front leg) on Nov 5, 2009. She will be forever in my heart and now she's running free with all of our other tripawd heroes. I love you Mackenzie!
I'm sure you'll get tons of advice, but I have a little thing to add... My dog, Jack, was diagnosed one year ago at the age of 5 with osteosarcoma in his right front leg. I never questioned the amputation and he never had any issues getting used to being a tripawd. However, since the surgery, he has become quite the little ball of energy. He is 6 now, and people who meet him are surprised to find out his age since they assume he is a puppy! Amputation, as you can see from this site, is absolutely not cruel, and the people that think it is have probably never had the experience of owning a tripawd 🙂 Jack can do everything he did before surgery (including "shake" and "high-five") and still jumps up walls and gets into trouble. I'm glad that our experiences have made the decision to amputate a little easier for you, and I wish only the best for Kensington!!!
<3 Laura and Jackers
Welcome Kensington and family!!!!! We are happy to welcome you and sad for the reason but be assured you will find a community of caring wonderful people here all united in this fight and some that have joined us due to accidents and for some, a birth problem. My suggestions that I like to pop out with cuz they were so helpful to us are: the Ruffwear Harness is an absolute must and will make both your lives sooooo much easier. Get non-skid rugs for any slippery floors. I would add check your entrances and exits that she will be using to see if you have just a few steps or if you might need a ramp?
Check with your surgeon to see when you can use the harness…Magic's incision was covered so we were able to use it right away, some vets prefer to wait until the staples come out.
Keep us up to date and know we really truly want to know what happens, you are now part of the family!
Hi Kensington and WELCOME!
Keep us posted on how you are doing! We are all praying for you....
You are so Beautiful!
Henri sends a big hug and licks! ( Yep, he is flirting )
Tell your pawrents to let us know how everything goes with surgery!
You are a BRAVE girl!
Wendy & Henri
WOW!
Thank you so much for all the information and the kind and thoughtful replies.
I'm a member on other (random) message boards and never in my life have I come across a concentration of such loving, caring responses. It's so refreshing. 🙂 You guys really know how to bring a girl to tears.
I never heard back from the hospital yesterday about scheduling the surgery. I'm going to call them in a little bit and see what I can do, I don't know if I'll get anywhere on a holiday weekend but it's worth a shot. She's been limping pretty badly in the last two days since going to the vet's office. She was pretty nervous when we were there and she jumped around too much, I think. I just feel so bad for her I want to get started NOW. Heck - yesterday!
I just wanted to say thanks again. This is exactly the info I was looking for.
I'll let you guys know how things go.
Heather & Kenzie
ps - kbryant, Our dogs could be twin sisters! MacKenzie looks so much like Kenzie, it's crazy. It's like looking into a crystal ball and being able to see what she'll look like after the surgery. That swimming video is so amazing! I'm still wiping the tears from my eyes. She LOVES to swim, so I'm hoping she can adapt after the surgery. We never could get her to jump off the edge of a pool though - maybe we can teach an old dog new tricks. 😉
pps - Hiiiiiii Henri! *wink*wink* I'm a sucker for handsome golden men. ~love, Kenzer
ppps - thanks again. I feel like I'm on repeat, but I'm so thankful for finding this site. You guys are all so amazing and you're making all of this so much easier.
a tardy but heartfelt WELCOME. Kenzie, you are quite a looker!! as all have said, the first two weeks are rough (especially on the human sisters & brothers), but you will get through all the rough spots. heather, be ready to be AMAZED by kenzie and all she will teach you. you are both so fortunate to have each other. welcome to the tripawd family.
gayle & charon
Life is good, so very, very good!!! Gayle enjoyed each and every moment of each and every wonderful day (naps included). She left this world December 12, 2011 – off on a new adventure.
Love Never Ends
The wonderful thing about this site is 'no squabbling'. Other forums always have that occasional squabble that gets going - Not here. We like each other, we respect each other, we love each others fur children. We celebrate the victories together and mourn the losses very deeply.
Our sincere wish is to never have another cancer member, but reality dictates that isn't going to happen any time soon.
Welcome to our Happy group!
Shanna & Spirit Trouble ~ Trouble gained her wings 3/16/2011, a 27 1/2 month cancer survivor, tail wagging. RIP sweetheart, you are my heart and soul. Run free at Rainbow Bridge.
The November Five - Spirits Max, Cherry, Tika, Trouble & Nova. 11/2008 - 3/2013 An era ends as Queen Nova crossed the Bridge.
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