Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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WHEEEEEEEW! That windstorm yu just felt that nearly knocked you down was just our collective sigh of relief! Way to go Dusty!!
Love his avatar picture....he is ADORABLE!!
Yes, almost all vets keep their "patient" for one night, and many for two. Again, the first weekor so can be pretty rough...it''smajor surgery! And humans stay in the hospital for weeks for something like this!
If you have hardwood floors, you've got scatter rugs in place for traction , right? Does Dusty need to goup and down stairs to go outside? If so, you may want to get a ramp.
You are going to be amazed at well he adjusts after he figures out his balance, new muscle useage, etc.
I thik we've saidit before, jist look into those hapy eyes of his when you come to pick him up...don't even look at his incision, jst wallow in the joy of his kisses and wagging tail!
Sleep well tonight everyone! Dusty is still high as a kite and seeing pink elephants roasting marshmallows!
Sally and Happy Hannah
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!
If you have hardwood floors, you've got scatter rugs in place for traction , right? Does Dusty need to goup and down stairs to go outside?
The irony here is that we just replaced almost all of the carpet on the first floor of the house with hardwood! We've put some non-skid doormat-type of rugs at the bottom of the stairs, at the front door, and in front of his favorite sofa - so that he has traction to one day be able to jump up to his favorite sleeping spot!
My Bailey had her front leg surgery a month ago (11/12) her first Chemo 12/12. We also have hardwood downstairs. I gathered all my throw rugs and used them in a small area of the living room and blocked it off to keep her confined for the first week. I slept on the couch next to her. She was then able to get upstairs and sleep next to the bed. Good luck with your doggie!!!! Keep coming back to this message board for questions/feedback/support. It's done wonders for me!!!
Yippeeee! The scariest part is over, this is fantastic news!
Yes, there may be ups and downs after he comes home but as you start to see progress you'll wonder why you were ever so worried. We'll have to change your user name to something else when the recovery is over!
Hardwood floors can be a challenge. I do recommend putting down runners in all of his favorite spots, they do a lot to help with confidence
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
whoop whoop! Oh I am so glad the scans came back clear and that things went smoothly in surgery. I am such a dufus, I kept checking back here and didn't realise there were three pages of comments...anyway, I have worked it out now. Well done dusty and dad and the rest of the fam!!
Sending you lots of hugs and lil wiggly dog
excitement xx
Treacy and Deva
Hi Dad and Dusty the tripawd,
Glad to hear the surgery went well and Dusty is well on his way to recovery 
Get some rest while Dusty is still at the vet's.....he may be restless when he comes home and your sleep may be affected.
The scariest part is over......Hurray!
Linda and Tucker
I was gone all day yesterday and didn't get to these updates then. Hooray for Dusty! You are not going to believe how well he is going to do now.
Kathi and Murphy
PS. What is your new name, now that Worried Dad will soon be over?
Murphy is a five year old Lab/Chessie cross. He was hit by a car on 10/29/12 and became a Tripawd on 11/24/12. On 2/5/13, he had a total hip replacement on his remaining back leg. He has absolutely no idea that he has only three legs!
UPDATE: Murphy lived his life to the fullest, right up until an aggressive bone lesion took him across the Rainbow Bridge on April 9, 2015 and he gained his membership in the April Angels. Run free, my love. You deserve it!
I'm going to stick with "worried dad" for a little while longer until we get the "all clear" on the possible spread of any cancer! 😎 I certainly feel like I'm on the downside of the worried part, however!
Today is just a decompression day for me and the rest of the family. Things are quite routine while Dusty is recovering at the hospital. Word from the vet this morning was that Dusty was up and moving but didn't have an appetite yet. Not totally unexpected and hopefully we'll be picking him up tomorrow afternoon.
We've done some house prep to make sure that the no skid carpets are down in some of the critical areas!
Oh good! Dusty is up and moving! Yeah, the appetite will probably be pretty close to zero for a bit. Drugs, surgery.......not exactly ready for cake and ice cream yet!
Whatever the "diagnosis" is.........remember that Dusty is not worried about any ole' diagnosis or statistice, or any of that stuff! She is living in the moment, in the present and just lapping up all the loving and spoiling you can give her. Yes, hopefully everything comes back all clear! Regardless, there are many different treatment options available and lots and lots of success stories here!
Easier said than done...try not to let "worrying" rob you of being in the moment with Dusty and enjoying every sacred second!! I know, that is a realy tough lesson on tis journey..--goes back to the "being more dogz" thing!!!
Dusty will be home for Christmas!! Still in the "recovery mode", but HOME!!
Look forward to your update tomorrow!
Hugs to all! You are doing great...and so is your wife! Good team!
Sally and Happy Hannah
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 feel like I need to start a new thread ... not sure where to put it. No longer "New Diagnosis - Feeling Horrible" ! I need to start a new thread about "Adjusting to Dusty" or "Dusty's Recovery" ..... 
But, I don't want to lose all of you who have helped me get through this part of the journey.
Get ready for some good "home cooking" Even after chemo, Chance will only eat some home prepared meals. He won't touch his kibble! Some ground up chicken, scrambled eggs, really anything that's not dried up dog food may help him to get his appetite back. Good luck!
Chance is a 10ish Shetland Sheepdog Mix who was rescued from the shelter in January of 2013 and diagnosed with Osteosarcoma in September of 2013. He had a front left amputation and 6 rounds of carboplatin. He had a great 11 months and was diagnosed with lung mets on 8/23/14. He was released to the bridge on 8/28/14.
Just keep Dusty's name in the thread.....we'll find you!
And IF yoj do decide to start a new one...and wait til it feels right for you and then the title will come easily...you can post here for everyone to hop over to your new thread title.
I'll let you in on a little secret.....shhhhhh.......once things settle down for you a bit and you learn your way around the site, you'll find that all of us on here a lot, check out every new post under any and every title! So no worries, your new found familyl will find you!!
(((((((((hugs)))))))))))
Sally and Happy Hannah
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!
WorriedDad said
I feel like I need to start a new thread ... not sure where to put it.
Share Your Story will be the perfect forum thread for future updates. Or, you can always start a blog any time.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Tonight's update. Dusty is apparently up and moving very well. So well, in fact, that the staff is having difficulty because he keeps pulling hard on the lease to go outside. Apparently he is walking very, very well and going to the bathroom without any difficulty. Still refuses to eat - actually turns his way from any food that they are offering him. They'll continue to give him IV fluids/drugs overnight and try to get him to eat every 4-6 hours. They commented that even if he's not eating tomorrow, they must just send him home because he's so strong and doing so well ... assuming that he'll eat for us once he's home. They don't know that his favorite foods are (a) cottage cheese; (b) romain lettuce stalks and (c) carrots. We'll get him to eat!
OHhh Dusty! Eat up so you can go home! I'm glad you're doing so well, you sure are a spunky kid.
Romaine lettuce? WOW!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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