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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Hi Darren and Purdey!
It is still very early in recovery and this is a mojor surgery! It sounds like she ks adjusting to walking on three legs fairly well.
Couple of quesrions:
Is she eating okay?
Is she drinking okay?
How is her overall attitude? Do you get any tail wags yet?
Does she seem to be in pain? Ears pinned back...whining...restless...pantng..
How does her incision look?
She is peeing, right?
Is she pooping?
I know we may have some language challenges nere, so I'm not sure how "pooping" transaltes!
Sometimes the pain meds can make them feel a little withdrawn and act a little crazy too.
She doesn't seem to nave pulled a muscle or anything like that, right?
Keep us updated. Sounds like she's just going through the normal recovery process. She'll be feeling better soon! You are doing a great job! Chin up! It does get better!
Hugs to Urdey for us!
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!
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Darren,
You and Purdey are still in that process or recuperation which can go to three weeks for some of theses guys. Try to be patient which isn't easy since we all understand how you want "normal" as quick as possible. If water intake and food intakes are changing bowels, comfort etc call your vet. Do t hesitate to see what else can be changed up to make her more comfortable. It will get better.
Esther and Snoop
hi ok sad day today the results are back and they did not get all the cancer it is an agraisvive type they say it will go to the spine next that what to operate again but can not put her throught this again. i need to be honest i think it is time to put her to sleep. they say the only way i will no when it is to bad her back legs will give away and i dont think i can put her through that what do you kind people think
Darren
So sorry to hear your diagnosis. Did they tell you what type of cancer it was. How is Purdey doing with her recoup from her surgery?. . With our Snoop the tumor was located in his lower left front and we were told was microscopically elsewhere, but they could not definitively say where or when it would spread to. They also could not say definitively what impact his treatment would do. The drs tell us statistical numbers which is what they go by. We're going on our5th round of chemo and plan to continue with metronomic s after. We approaching each day as it comes, he's happy,and doing well since his surgery which was in May. That's what is important for us.
There have been dogs here with their pawrents who have been told their time is limited and they are still here and doing well. They are all individuals, no set rules.
I wish you the best with Purdey, she sounds like a beautiful girl.
Esther and Snoop
Darren,
It's hard not to think the worst but try to take a step back and look at what you are dealing with first.
What kind of cancer are you dealing with? What is the general prognosis for this kind of cancer? Give us more information so we can help provide some insight and give you examples of dogs who have gone through this.
Many cancers will metastasize to other parts of the body eventually, but how quickly they do it is an educated guess at best. Many dogs, such as myself, who were expected to live just a few months, ended up defying the odds much longer than anyone thought (I lived a great life for two additional years without chemo). Always remember, statistics are just educated guesses and they do not take into account your specific dog, they are just averages.
The fact is, every dog will eventually leave this earth, but when and how is also a guess. One of the hardest parts of a human's responsiblity to their pup is to manage their end of life care but it is the least that a pawrent can do for all of the love a dog provides through time. If you are worried about knowing when it is "time" to say goodbye, there are tons of resources to help you with that decision. Our "Penny Jars" story is a great example and we also have lots of resources in the first posts of "Coping with Loss".
I hope this helps you. I know it's hard to hear news like this but I also know how much you love your dog and want what's best for her. For now, if she is doing relatively well and eating, enjoying the things she loves, and is interested in life, you probably don't even have to contemplate this issue for a while. Hang in there.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
its a root nerver cancer thats it she is eating but thats it she just layes in the bedroom asleepshe is just not right she not happy.we do not want to do chemo they say it is going to her spine next
Okay, others will chime in on that specific.
Just want to add that .......if you did not have that "diagnosis" back yet, you would probably see that this is just part of the recovery fromMAJOR surgery. Its no fun to watch ut they do get better and you may have lots of good quality time!
If no spreading has taken place yet, this really looks like just "normal recovery" You should see so e of her old self come back in another week. Plus, it could be lethargic from the pain meds. Meds will do that.
Are you upbeat around her? Lots of positive energy? Any friend she likes who can stop by? Maybe take her out for a burger and car ride?
Look forward to hearing back from you after you get more feedback from others. Hang in there! You can see her through this rough time! She will get better!
Lots of hugs!
Sally and Happy Hannah
(It took a good three weeks before I started to see some sparkle back.....at least three! The fact that Purdey is eating is a plus!)
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!
Hi Darren,
As Sally said, Purdey is still recovering from a major traumatic surgery. I'd be hard-pressed to say that you can tell yet just how she is going to feel. And Sally can also tell you how easy it is to think you've made a huge mistake and that your dog is suffering miserably...when in fact the dog is just recovering. Sally's dog Hannah was a tough one and we all held our breath around here for her. And now she's doing better than Sally ever imagined. If Sally had judged Hannah's prognosis based on her behavior after a week or two, she'd have euthanized Hannah. Thankfully, she did not.
It's easy to overthink and get ahead of yourself here. This is one area where I believe it's best not to think too far ahead. You don't need a plan for next week yet. Purdey could indeed be feeling the effects of spinal metastasis. OR--she could just be figuring out where her leg went and how the heck to balance now.
No one here knows your dog; only you do. If you know that she is in pain beyond that from the amputation, then certainly you should address it. But please make sure you are absolutely sure that the pain or distress or anxiety is not just from the surgery. Euthanasia is the one thing here--besides amputation--that there is no turning back from. So many dogs here had a horrible prognosis and were given days or weeks to live and then they had good lives for much longer. You may not get years with Purdey, but what if a crystal ball told you that you could have months? Would you take them?
Think it through and do what you know is best for Purdey. If you give her a week and reevaluate, you may find that she's got some spark back and just needed a little more time. If you took my leg off and expected me to be my old self again after 8 days or 2 weeks or even a couple of months, I'd probably have some choice words about it! When you think about it, our dogs are much better at this than we are.
Shari
From abandoned puppy to Tripawd Warrior Dude, Dakota became one of the 2011 February Furballs due to STS. Our incredibly sweet friend lived with grace and dignity till he impulsively raced over the Bridge on 12-15-12.
Dakota's thoughtful and erudite blog is at http://shari.tr.....pawds.com/
Hi Darren and Purdey. Purdey just had her surgery two weeks ago correct (Aug. 13th if I read the previous posts correctly)? If so she is still in the recovery stage. Daisy's worst week post amp was her third. Most dogs will go thru a period during their recoveries where to us they seemed depressed but it is a normal part of recovery. I still had to hand feed Daisy boiled chicken at that point. She had no interest in getting up to eat/drink and all she would do is sleep. I could only get her up to go outside to do her business.
Please don't give up just yet. Some dogs can take up to a month before their sparkle and personality come back. The recovery is actually a lot harder on us people than our dogs.
Marla and Daisy
My Two Tripawds...Biscuit 
and Spirit Daisy 
Darren....Readng Dakots Dawg's respnse and the stark reality of some of her comme ts remnded me how terrified and agnizingy scared I was for several weeks that I had made the worst decision possible for Hapy Hannah. And then when the "diagnosis" came back, they gried to throw in some crap about hmh nodes...even though no ymh node samples were presented. Because I couldn't see any sparke, or veey little, and was soooo stuck in the fear that I was puttng her through torturet and thinking this was ow her last weeks n earth would be....and I did this I couldn't even celebrate there were good thngs going n! Eatng! Drinking! Pooping Peeng! I think I've knd of packed away those dreadful emotins.!
And, li,e Dakota Dawg said, she would ot be here now had I not had the trust and stength and support and knowledge and compassion of this commuity! People who had been through it"
Hapoy Hannah did take longer to recover than others. Hapy Hannah did need to stay n sme pan meds longer than others If I recall, although tapered down, going i to almost four weeks.
But this community....and Dakota Dawg was one of them...stuck by me like glue and kept assurng me she woud get better!! They PROMiSED! I trusted them AND SHE GOT SOOOOOOOO MUCH BETTER!,
It's been a half a year plus and still counting (knock n wood) and this has been the MOST JOYFUL, MOST BLISSFUL, MOST TREASURED TIME TOGETHER EVER! She is pain free! She is spoiled beynd anythng I could ever imagne possible and she is loved loved, loved til the end of tme plus one day
Darren,regardless of the future, I will always k ow I made the right decision. And as soon as yo see Purdey's sparkke come back and yo strat having quality time, you will know you made the right decisin!
This is all just our two cents worth vut we just want to share ur experiences, which no two are exacty alike, that's for sure!
Snoop Dakota Dawg, Jerry, Daisy and myself and others here all understand and we are here for you We support you. You are ot alone.
In fact, I'm gnna post mething under "Treatment, Recovery....." Hck ' I've forgotten the title.....but it will pull up the thread....'Six days after rear leg amutation and scared I made wrng decision".....But I changed that to ".......now I made the right decision"..........anyway, hope it helps.
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!
Sally, I didn't want to dredge up old and bad memories for you, but you are an overcomer and Hannah's path here is a perfect example of a path with a lot of stones and potholes at the beginning. But on down the path a bit, the rocks were fewer and the path gentler. Hannah and you are far enough along now to be old pros at a tree limb or a boulder to walk around every now and then.
Darren, none of us (including your vet) can know what is going on at the cellular and molecular level with your dog. But we don't know any of that for ourselves, either, and I can guarantee you that someone on this site likely has something brewing that they don't know about and maybe don't want to know about. But we take it on faith that we will have a happy life and we work to make it better. You and Purdey as a team--that's what it's all about.
You'll do what's best when it's done from love.
Shari
From abandoned puppy to Tripawd Warrior Dude, Dakota became one of the 2011 February Furballs due to STS. Our incredibly sweet friend lived with grace and dignity till he impulsively raced over the Bridge on 12-15-12.
Dakota's thoughtful and erudite blog is at http://shari.tr.....pawds.com/
If anybody has heard from Darren of facebook, give us an update....here, maybe?
I'm learning that a lot of people start here and then post on facebook.....leaving us people "with no face on the book" dangling and wndering and sometimes worrying!
Shari, I think you'll see this. Just for grins, I went back and looked at my original thread (?) Ugh! But "ugh" with a really great outcome! I really should be the "poster child" of how collectively you guys patiently.....ever so patiently....pulled me out of the abyss onto solid ground ! It exhausted me just re-reading the first three weeks! Can't imagine what it felt like to you guys!!
Your metapnor up above about stnes and potholes...or more like sinkholes in my case......perfect!
But look at your student now!!
Perserverance paid off!! On both ends!!
I will always bow down in gratitude and ALWAYS, ALWAYS pay it forward as best I can. That's the best way I know to try and thank you guys and acknowledge your gift of compassion!
And Purdey......this is called "hijacking someone's post"......thank you and let's hear from you!
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!
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