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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When Fortis was first diagnosed with cancer and the prognosis was given I was not only deeply saddened but confused and lost as well. I had always portrayed myself as the hard type. You know, take the old guy out for one last jaunt in the woods, a swim, a hug, say goodbye and then have our Vet pay our house a visit. (Fortis is looking at me as if to say I knew better.) No way would I consider apmutation, chemo and the such. The judgements of others, self-doubts and guilt all to overwhelming. But a decision needed to be made and fairly quickly. Amputate, euthanize or let fortis endure pain and wait for the impending fracture seemed to be the only choices.
There was no right or wrong choice other than not to let Fortis suffer needlessly. I knew this but still how would I view my actions in the future. I decided to make a short (5-10 minute) video of Fortis and I. I made a fire, situated Fortis, got the camera rolling and just recorded how I was feeling. I spoke of how much joy he had brought my family and I. I spoke of how much I loved him, and that it was out of this deep love that I was opting to amputate his rear leg. I cried, laughed, felt like an idiot but found a sense of resolve and inner peace. Great therapy.
Fortis' future is a big unknown but I know that when we act out of love for our pups our decisions are always the right ones. I may need reminding of this fact from time to time in the future but hopefully my video (videos) will ease any guilt or regret I might be feeling. I don't know if this would work for others but it really has seemed to help me. Sorry for rambling.
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Please know that you are making a good decision for Fortis. The alternative, as you said, is to lose him now or make him suffer. Not much of a choice, is it? Dealing with cancer is all about making choices and but for me, amputation was not a hard choice to make. You are so right that when we act out of love our decisions are always right and you will continue to make the right decisions for your boy. Has Fortis had his surgery yet? Please keep us informed.
Debra & Angel Emily
Debra & Emily, a five year old doberman mix, who was diagnosed with an osteosaecoma. She had a right rear leg amputation on May 19, 2009. On November 10, 2009 she earned her wings and regained her fourth leg.
The video is a good idea. I think the decision to amputate was one of the toughest decisions I have ever had to make. In retrospect, it seems like a no brain-er now, but at the time I was so unsure. I think that once you get past that two week post amputation point, you won't need any reassurance or have any doubts about the decision you made though. I think most on here would agree with that as well. I wish Fortis a speedy recovery, I bet he will be surprising you with what he can do on three legs in no time, keep us posted.
Karin and Zoe
I'm so sorry to read about Fortis and his diagnosis... 
He looks like such a handsome boy!!
I know how difficult this is for you. It was difficult for my hubby and me to make the choice about amputation... but once we did it, there were no regrets. Our sweet Jake only lived for another 7.5 weeks afterwards... but they were filled with love and joy and he got to swim and play and cuddle with us... He was taken much too soon!
Others here have survived so much longer... some even a year or two. This was the chance that we took with Jake. I hope that Fortis is one of the lucky ones... and gets to have a chance at many, many more months (maybe years) of good quality and pain-free life!!!
You are in my thoughts and prayers as you make your decision...
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!
Fortis said:
I had always portrayed myself as the hard type.
Oh gosh you are not rambling at all. That's what we're here for, talk away.
Believe it or not, my own pawrents saw things that way too, until we were confronted with my diagnosis. They shared many of the same confusing emotions and guilt which you describe, and through my blog they confronted them, whch enabled them to make the decisions that needed to be made, and helped us all heal a lot quicker. Kudos to you for being courageous enough to go with your instinct and make that video.
Nobody ever knows what our future holds, cancer or not. One of the greatest lessons we learned in dealing with osteosarcoma is that it taught us to always do our best to treasure each day together, and not take tomorrow for granted. And always remember, there are no right or wrong answers for the choices you make.
Fortis, you are a big strong boy, we know you're gonna do just great as a Tripawd. Thank you for coming here and sharing your story with all of us. You can't even begin to imagine how many other pawrents you will help out in return.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Fortis said:
Fortis' future is a big unknown but I know that when we act out of love for our pups our decisions are always the right ones.
Hi Brett,
You should make a sign out of that line and post it everywhere in your house. You will know deep inside that you did the right thing, but when things are tough, especially those first couple of weeks, the doubt creeps in. Once past the healing stage though most of us were amazed by our pups resilience and coping ability- I for one have learned valuable lessons from my little tri-pug.
Please take full advantage of all of the information and support you will find here. Chances are someone will have the answer to whatever question you have.
Good luck with the surgery- and keep us posted on Fortis' recovery. I look forward to a blog.
Karen and the pug girls
I think your video could help many who come here seeking advice and support as you did. We look forward to seeing it!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hey, if that was ramblin', I do it all the time (and not just here!)!!
Lookit, 11 years ago this past January - I didn't know if Comet was even able to have a normal life but she touched my soul when I saw her in the pound. I had to try.
Comet has a deformed front leg, a deformed dislocated scapula, her hips are crooked, she has too many toes, her teeth are crooked and her bottom jaw sticks out. And that was how she was born. Now, she has a benign slow growing growth in her jaw bone that has deformed her lower teeth and jaw, an infection of the neck dics that requires a lifetime of antibiotics and metal TPLO plates in her back knees. She is the Quasimodo of dogs! And I'm not even counting her emotional issues!
Has it been easy? Hell no. But would I do it over? In a heartbeat.
I love her with all my heart.
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.
I think many of us here are surprised (but happy) we made the decision to amputate. The evening Trouble was diagnosed, I pretty much resigned myself to have her for a couple of months and let her go. My husband was the one who insisted we have a second opinion and 14 monts later, I am so glad he did. That second opinion saved her life, not forever of course, but has given us some wonderful months to spend with her we wouldn't have had.
I absolutely love the video idea. You will take so much comfort in it when Fortis journey ends, and your healing journey begins.
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.
You have come to the right place for support. Most of use have had to deal with the same decision. It is a tough one to make on another's behalf. But you made it with the right intention, The Big Tough Guy loves his dog, doesn't want him to suffer but isn't ready to Say Goodbye, what a testimonial to YOU! I am righting this with tears running down my face because this Tough Guy had to make the same decision. There were people who I thought were friends that thought it was a waste of money, I no longer consider them friends but acquaintances. For they don't understand the bond of a Dog and his Family.
My experience was I never needed to be reminded why I made the decision I had; Supai showed me everyday that it was not only the right one but the only one.
Good luck with Forties, don't let a day go to waste without showing him how special he is! And let everyone know how he is doing, the Folks here really do care!
Shaun & Supai
Hello All!
Just want to say.....Fortis has a mom!! 
You have heard a great deal from his Dad and I just wanted to add that I am so proud of both of my boys. They are very strong but gentle at the same time and they both have the biggest hearts in the world. I am very lucky to have them. And we also feel lucky to have found this family. It is amazing the love and kindness everyone shows to one another. Oh no, here I go again with the tears. Yes, I am the one who gets emotional all to often. Sending a personal "Thank You" to all of you for your support and kindness. I look forward to reading more in the future!!
Love & Prayers,
Fortis' Mom (Pattie)
To Fortis and Family, this website is a huge support and as like you I am truly blessed to have found it as well. We made the decision to have our precious Tehya's leg amputated on Dec. 29th and it was a very tough decision! Today if you would ask us if we would do it again we would say yes in a heartbeat. Everyday her tail is wagging, she is playing with her toys, jumping up on our laps to watch TV with us and we know she is in no more pain. Even though we are struggling with issues as to the chemo right now we are enjoying every minute we can with her.
Sending a big lick from Tehya and a big hug from her Mom!
Welcome Pattie! We are truly blessed to have great people like you all too. Fortis sounds like such a sweetie. As a giant breed boy, we are looking forward to watching him show the world that he kicks butt as a Tripawd!
Hang in there. We're here to help.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi Fortis!
Your pawrents are very smart to realize that the decisions made out of love are always the right ones. We also struggled with the decision to amputate, and whether to do chemo. But as others have said, we have never had any regrets about the amputation. The first 2 weeks were not easy, but once Holly was past that her energy and happiness was better than we had hoped it would be! This site has been our saving grace through it all...
Good luck, and keep posting to let us know how Fortis is doing!
Hugs,
Holly and Holly's mom
Holly joined the world of tripawds on 12/29/2009. She has a big little sister, Zuzu, who idolizes Holly and tries to make all of her toys into tripawds in Holly's honor. And she's enjoying life one hop at a time!
http://anyemery.....ipawds.com
Anyone who tells you that amputation was an easy decision is attemting to fool both you and themselves. I told Cherry's breeder that I still had trouble admiting that I "chose" to have her leg amputated and did I get an ear full. She told me, in the most firm but loving of terms, that not only was Cherry still alive because of that decision, but that she had regain an extremely great quality of life. I often say that in the end there never really was a choice for us. Only an amputation to remove the pain immediately followed by an aggressive chemotherapy treatment would give us the chance to have Cherry's quality of life return to the kind that we wanted. We were very successful, but even if it had only been a short time after the amputation, we would have been successful in giving her a chance. I would refer you to a discussion topic where member actually discussed any regrets. You will find that there is near unamious agreement on this topic. You can LINK HERE:
We wish you well in your decision process and know that you will make the best possible decision for you family. Only you really know how Fortis is doing. We also will be sending pawsitive thoughts and hoping for the best.
Spirit Cherry's Dad - Bob
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