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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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My buddy will become a Tripawd...
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Member Since:
27 January 2022
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4 February 2022 - 2:47 pm
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My buddy Sheldon is a 9 year old Great Pyrenees.  He was diagnosed recently with osteosarcoma in his right forelimb and after discussions with our vet, oncologist, and surgeon who will be performing the amputation, we decided this would be the best plan for him to get the best quality of life for the longest time possible.

I have to say we are so glad we found this site!  I've been reading so much here on the forums and the other various articles here and it has made us more comfortable in knowing we have made the right decision for him.

So here's his story so far...

On Dec 27 we brought him in to our vet clinic because we noticed he was limping around a little bit and his front wrist looked a little swollen.  We brought him there thinking he sprained something while horsing around with our other dog (13 year old Pyrenees/Chow mix) Emily.  (who by the way is still very active for her age - ***knocks on wood ***).  The vet took X-rays and right away could tell that he had a tumor starting to form and that's what was causing the swelling.  She also took a chest X-ray and noticed small nodules on his lungs and assumed the cancer had also spread there as well.

Now at the time we brought him in he was totally acting his normal goofy self - eating, drinking, peeing, pooping, etc. - all his normal behaviors.  He even smacks me (the Pyr Paw - look it up!) with his bum leg. The only thing wrong was his limp.

I have to say that the vet that saw him that day was not our usual vet.  We had never met her before - she even gave us the option of euthanizing him right then and there!  I said "No F-ing way!  I want to discuss this with our regular vet and we need to think this through and get back to you."  To her credit she was understanding and did prescribe Rovera once daily for the inflammation and Gabapentin (300mg 2X/day) for the pain.

For the next week or so Sheldon responded well to these meds.  Some days his limp was almost totally gone, other days not too bad.

Then around mid-January I noticed the limp getting a little worse and called our main vet, who upped his Gabapentin to 600mg 2X/day and also referred us to an oncologist to discuss options.  Our main vet is great and totally understanding and was surprised the other vet didn't really discuss any options with us.

On Jan 27 we met with the oncologist and he reviewed Sheldon's X-rays from Dec 27 and confirmed the imaging in his wrist did indeed have the classic look of osteosarcoma but would take a fine needle sample to confirm.  He also told me that he wasn't exactly convinced the nodules were lung cancer, but would do another X-ray (tri-scan actually).  Both he and the radiologist agreed that these were NOT cancer, but osseus metaplasia and benign.  What a huge relief!!!

We discussed treatment options: amputation, stereotactic radiation therapy (SRT), and palliative radiation therapy (PRT). 

His "gold standard" recommendation was amputation followed up with chemo.  Now I'm just repeating here what we were told.  I'm aware that stats are stats and every dog is different.  But amp alone would provide median survival times of 4-6 months.  Adding chemo survival times are 10-12 months with 20% of patients still alive at 2 years.  Also chemo is well tolerated in dogs with <10% of treated animals experiencing any major side effects.  He would probably receive 4 cycles of carboplatin at 3 week intervals.  

SRT would keep the limb and provide survival of about 9 months but with a higher risk of pathological fracture.  Some reports are close to 60% risk.  If fracture occurs, we're looking back at amputation and a lot of extreme pain.

PRT was another option to keep the limb and would conist of 3-5 treatments with 70% of patients lasting 3-6 months.  Additionally biosphosphates (zoledronate) would be also given.  Also there's the risk of pathological fracture.

Both SRT and PRT would alleviate the pain, but we worry that he would use the limb more and eventually fracture it.  It would be a constant worry and we don't want to risk it.

The oncologogist also prescribed an additional med (Amantadine 1.5 tablets / day) for the pain.  Sheldon seems to tolerate this cocktail mix fairly well.  We give him the amantadine in the evening with his other meds and he sleeps through the night very well 🙂  As i type this he's still his normal goofy self 🙂

So today Feb 4 I met with the surgeon who will be performing Sheldon's amp and he reconfirmed to us practically everything we have read here.  He thought Sheldon was a good candidate for this and we have made the decision to move forward with the amputation and accept that he will become a new member of the Tripawd community.

He becomes a three-legged dog on Saturday Feb 12.  Wish him luck!!!

Sorry for the long-winded post, but it's actually therapeutic putting it all out there in words and I hope this is helpful to others in the same boat.

Again, I am so glad to have found this site!  I hope to post regular updates to Sheldon's journey.  Stay tuned...

I am an avid practicer of yoga and meditation and the same mantra applies with dogs.  Be present and in the moment!  And remember, just BREATHE!

Cheers!

-Rob

On The Road


Member Since:
24 September 2009
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5 February 2022 - 8:04 am
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Hi Rob, Sheldon, Emily and family, welcome! Your future posts won't need approval so post away!

Im so glad you decided to join and share the journey with us. Sorry about your experience with that first vet, you did good by putting the brakes on that visit! Now You've done your homework so well and sound ready for what's ahead. If there is anything we can do to help please let us know. Be sure to check out our What to Expect articles if you haven't had a chance.

Keep us posted!

Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet

Member Since:
27 January 2022
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9 February 2022 - 9:35 am
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just testing uploading a pic:

View post on imgur.com

On The Road


Member Since:
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9 February 2022 - 10:27 am
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Ohhhh what a beauty! How is he doing? 

Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet

Member Since:
27 January 2022
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9 February 2022 - 11:11 am
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Hi Jerry thanks for asking!  He's still his normal goofy self.  The picture was taken just yesterday.  Walking is definitely the only thing bothering him as far as I can tell.  Otherwise no other changes in appetite or mood.  He still smacks me with the Pyr-paw even with the bad limb.  Also I can touch and hold the area and he doesn't even flinch.  He looks and acts like a totally normal dog - just the limp when walking.

One thing I think is good is that he's already training himself to walking on three legs.  He's been avoiding stairs for the most part and I'm trying to discourage stair usage as much as possible.  Fortunately inside the house our stairs go straight up/down only a half flight with a landing at the halfway point.  Yesterday morning he was sleeping on the landing and before I could go over to him to help him down the stairs he immediatly got up and did a three-legged hop down the stairs while holding his bad leg up.  So I'm hopeful the recovery will be quick.  The surgeon even said he's already doing his own pre-PT work.

Right now we're just counting down the days until this Saturday.  Already have a couple E-collar options on hand:  an inflatable one and a more conventional one that's made from a more flexible material.  I already tried them on him to get used to them and he doesn't seem to mind.  Also we just received and test fitted the Flagline harness .  

So I think we're ready.  Saturday can't come soon enough - just want to get it done and over with so we start the path to recovery.

Virginia







Member Since:
22 February 2013
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9 February 2022 - 3:28 pm
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SHELDON!!!  OMD!!!  Love that sweet boy!  Such a handsome fella'!

You have done an EXCELLENT  job of research and developing  the best path forward to give Sheldon a happy, pain free life!!  Lots more Pyr-paw in the future for this boy!

As whacky as it seems, sometimes  the painful limp can, indeed, help prepare them for being a tripawd.  Sounds like Sheldon will do jist fine on three.

Recovery  is not picnic at first, but stay connected and we can help you navigate  through it. 

Is he spending  the night at an overnight staffed clinic?

When you tpdo go to pick him up, don't  even look at his incision  or draw attention  to it.  Jist look into his druggy eyes, smile and tell him he's going home!!!

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!

Member Since:
27 January 2022
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9 February 2022 - 5:40 pm
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I have to credit you guys on this site for our preparation.  It's really helped us prepare both the practical and mental aspects of all of this.  We feel so much more comfortable having a plan ahead of time instead of figuring it out as we go along.

Yes - we are fortunate the clinic is fully staffed 24/7 and less than 45 minutes drive away from us.  The plan is he will spend at a minimum the night of his surgery there and hopefully come home on Sunday.

I so look forward for that moment to look into his "druggy" doggie eyes and bring him home. 

On The Road


Member Since:
24 September 2009
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10 February 2022 - 11:26 am
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Aww gosh thank you for the kind words. But you took the huge step by posting here and reaching out, so yay you!

Just holler with any questions and keep us posted.

Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet

Member Since:
27 January 2022
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14 February 2022 - 3:47 am
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Update:  Sheldon is now a Tripawd!

His surgery went very well on Saturday and we brought him home last night (Sunday).  He seems to have recovered well and seems relatively  comfortable.  He even gobbled up a late breakfast Sunday morning while in recovery.

He slept well last night - even though I didn't.  I got up several times just to peek in on him and he was sleeping very soundly - I didn't want to disturb him.  I think it was the Trazadone and Gabentin that gave him such sound sleep.  We set up a recovery ward in our family room and I spent the night on the couch with him (and Emily) both on the floor.  I set up two giant orthopedic beds on the floor so that there's plenty of room.  Emily seemed happy he was back homesmiley4

I noticed he was sleeping on his incision side, so he can't be too uncomfortable.  There was a small spot of blood on his bed where he was lying, but the incision itself seems to be OK with no seepage so far.

Before bed he ate a little sliced turkey with his meds and drank quite a bit of water.

This morning he was very wobbly getting up and needed some help, but with my assistance we were able to go outside and he took a giant long pee at 4:30 this morning.  I was relieved because he didn't pee last night when we brought him home around 8PM.  It snowed several inches here in Mass. last night and he just loves the snow.  This perked him up and I had to struggle to keep him from rolling in iticon_lol

We're back inside now and he had some more sliced turkey with his meds and more water.  As I type this he's now napping and seems comfortable.

So overall first morning home seems to a small victory.  Now the road to recovery starts...

I'll start a new post in the Treatment and Recovery section from here.

Cheers!

Rob

On The Road


Member Since:
24 September 2009
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14 February 2022 - 10:43 am
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WHEEE!!!! smiley_clapSuper Sheldon I'm so hoppy for you!

Thanks for the great update Rob. We'll look for your new topic so keep us posted. Hope the recovery keeps moving forward so smoothly smiley4

Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet

Member Since:
23 November 2021
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15 February 2022 - 11:17 am
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  Hi, I see you are relatively new to the Tripawd community, I'm so happy Sheldon's surgery went well.  My boy Franklin became A Tripawd Dec. 6, 2021.  Like yourself I read a lot to prepare for our new life. I also went on YouTube and looked up every video that had to do with three legged dogs. The videos were inspirational and gave us hope that everything would work out in the end.   So, after a little over 2 months post-op I can share this with you.  My experience and that of many others is the first 2 weeks post-op will be the hardest part.  After the relief of finding out the surgery went well comes the reality.  The medications, the monitoring of his wellbeing, lack of sleep, the world as we knew it turned upside down and the anxiety of not knowing how our boys will adjust.  This is also the reality; this too shall pass.  Again, this is my experience and yours may be different.

 After the first 2 weeks the meds ran their course.  I began to see the sparkle in his eyes returning.  Then the little miracles started to happen. Like going to the door and barking when a delivery came.  Climbing up onto the bed (I have dog steps which work great).  Taking our first real walk outside of the back yard. Rolling on his back for a belly rub.  His appetite returning to normal.  These may seem like small things, but they are wonderful things.  They let us know that our boys are healing and adjusting to their new life.  

 If I could offer you any suggestions it would be this.  Get a good dog harness.  I purchased the Ruffwear Flagline harness , you can purchase a good harness right here from this site.  Make sure your home is safe for your tripawd.  For example, putting down area rugs with nonskid backing on slippery floors was important.  A good orthopedic dog bed will make him more comfortable.  I made sure I was feeding the best food for my dog that's available.  He's now on a wholesome human grade dog food.  Make an appointment with a certified dog rehabilitation therapist after a month or so into his recovery.  They will help you to build up muscle and tolerance in your boy thru exercises.  I think this site may even help you pay for the first appointment.  Have a good positive attitude, our dogs feed off of us as you know.  And don't treat your dog any differently than you did before, he's still a dog that wants to do dog things.

  So, after 2 months my boy is doing great.  His fur is growing back nicely.  His energy has returned.  He's happy and healthy and the worst part is behind us.  This is what you can look forward too.

Best Regards,

Joe, Franklin and Rosco in New Hampshire.

On The Road


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15 February 2022 - 2:34 pm
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Joseph in New Hampshire said
  Hi, I see you are relatively new to the Tripawd community, I'm so happy Sheldon's surgery went well.  My boy Franklin became A Tripawd Dec. 6, 2021. 

Joe, THANK YOU for taking time to share Franklin's story, and providing so many helpful details! And yes, Tripawds Foundation can pay for the first rehab visit for any Tripawd. Here's a link to the program:

https://tripawd.....bursement/

Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet

Member Since:
27 January 2022
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16 February 2022 - 4:10 am
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Joseph thank you so much for sharing your experience and thoughtful advice.  It's comforting reading all of the stories here and it makes us feel so much better that we all have similar experiences, worries, and triumphs.

Regarding the harness, I made a little modification to it so that I could use it during his recovery and not have it interfere with his incision.  You can see it in the Treatment forum.

Again thank you for sharing - I hope you, Franklin, and Roscoe continue to have long and good quality of life together.

Cheers!

-Rob

PS:  I see you are in New Hampshire.  We are in south central MA, but have done many hikes in the White Mountains.  Hopefully we can get back up there and perhaps meet up someday.

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