Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Our beloved beautiful Lab Molly has been diagnosed with osteosarcoma. We love her so much and are devastated. We have decided that if she has any chance at all we are going to give it to her. On Monday when we went in to talk to her Vet. We had him take X-Rays to see if the cancer had spread to her lungs.So far her lungs look good although he said there is always a slight possibility that there are tiny growths there that didn't show up yet. If something had showed up that would have probably changed our decision. Molly is going to have her leg amputated at the shoulder on September 24th. The surgery will be done here in town. After that is healed we will take her down to Phoenix for probably chemo and radiation, depending on what they say once they see her. I don't know yet when we will need to do. Right now I am worried about what to expect when we get her home. Luckily we have a one story house and she will have no stairs to climb, but I am concerned about what to expect about helping her when we bring her home. What do I need to do about being prepared?
Hi Sharon, Molly and family, welcome. You've started on the right path by coming to our community, we are here to help.
Have you seen Jerry's Required Reading List yet? Or the Tripawds e-books library? We have great tips about preparing for amputation and life afterward. Here's an abbreviated run down or two for you:
The Tripawds Recovery Shopping List
and
https://tripawd.....-to-expect
Another important tip: please make sure your vet has 24/hour care for Molly. You don't want to leave her alone at night after the surgery.
I hope this helps you feel more at ease. Stay tuned for more feedback from the community!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Sorry you find yourself here, but as you can already see from Jerry's response and links, you have some to the right place for support and information!
You have a plan of action now, and there is some sense of relief in moving forward to help sweet Molly have a pain free quality life! And YAY for good xrays!!
Hopefully Molly will be able to stay at an overnight staffed clinic. Obviously, that's not always possible,
As you read through the links and posts here, you will see that recovery is no picnic for a couple of weeks. pain management takes some tweaking sometimes based on Molly's individual needs.
Most Bets will send you home with Tramadol, Gabapentin, Rimadyl and an antibiotic. She may not feel like eating at first, so keep lots of yummy food available. Pooping may take a few days also. Peeing and drinking are important though.
Nothing but rest, short potty breaks and more and more rest for the first two weeks.
STAY CONNECTED!!! We've all been through the recovery process and we can help you navigate through the ups and downs. Eventually her sparkle will start to come back bigger and brighter than before!!
We'd love to see pics of your sweet Molly. Here a link to help adding images
Extra 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!
Hi Molly and family 🐾🌸
You’ve got great advice already, I would just add you should pay special attention to traction if you’ve got hardwood or slippery floors.
If you do, please get carpets, rubber underlay or yoga mats to create paths for your Molly to hop along safely.
Also, it is very advisable for her to wear a tshirt to protect the incision until stitches come out.
We’re here for you so do not hesitate to ask any questions, big or small.
Hugs and cuddles 😘🐮💫✨🌟🌹
Eurydice 77kg/170lb Great Dane limping end of April 2016, amputation (right front leg/osteosarcoma) 4 May 2016 6 courses of carboplatin followed by metronomic therapy, lung mets found 30 Nov 2016. 3 courses of doxorubicin, PET scan 26 Jan 2017 showed more mets so stopped chemo. Holistic route April 2017. Lung X-ray 5 May 2017 showed several tennis ball size mets, started cortisone and diuretics. Miss Cow earned her XXL silver wings 12 June 2017, 13 months and 1 week after amputation and 6 1/2 months after lung mets, she was the goofiest dawg ever and is now happily flying from cloud to cloud woof woofing away :-)
Help. I am feeling overwhelmed and stressed. I purchased a Webmaster Harness for Molly in preparation for her surgery on Monday. I am trying to get it adjusted to fit her before the surgery so things will be easier later. I have watched a video over and over on how to adjust and fit it, but I am obviously doing something wrong. Also, the video shows it being put on a dog with all it's limbs and I need to know how to put it on her so nothing will rub on her incision.
Okay Sharon. this is usually Sally's job, but breath. Breath again. Deep deep breaths.
This is all incredibly stressful. We know, we've been there, but you're probably a week or two from a harness. Many folks use just a towel or pillowcase at first to help support their new tripawds. A fabric shopping bag with the end panels cut out is another option. We used a pillowcase for Casey (he too lost an arm) for the first couple days, but we very quickly migrated to a T-shirt knotted at the top with a hair tie. That distributed his weight over his entire torso while providing a great handle to support him.
And breath . . . it's going to be okay.
Can never have too many of us coaching you on BREATHING!!
As Casey's Mom said, this is an extremely stressful time, so be kind to yourself. As noted, you probably won't use the harness right away anyway while the incision is still so raw. One of the techie 's will come along and show you video on how to put it on. I know you want her to get used to it and that's a good idea.
Now, back to those deep breaths,,,,,,,, we're watching....B R E A T G E......B R E A T H E.....
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!
sharonf said
Also, the video shows it being put on a dog with all it's limbs and I need to know how to put it on her so nothing will rub on her incision.
Hmm. Not sure what video you are watching, the only one we have features our Tripawd Wyatt Ray . But no worries! I will give you a call now OK? It's not as hard as it might seem, hang in there!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
sharonf said
I purchased a Webmaster Harness for Molly in preparation for her surgery on Monday.
Sharon we are not finding you in our customer database. Did you buy it from the Tripawds Community Gear blog ? We can't seem to find a record so if you did please call us OK?
Meanwhile please check out these links about fitting the Webmaster:
How to Lengthen Webmaster Harness Straps
How to Put the Webmaster Harness on Front Leg Tripawds
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi Sharon,
So very sorry to hear about Molly. We are three months into this with our rotti/corso. We have been very impressed with our oncologist here in the Phoenix area. If you would like more details shoot me a PM.
jerry said
sharonf said
I purchased a Webmaster Harness for Molly in preparation for her surgery on Monday.Sharon we are not finding you in our customer database. Did you buy it from the Tripawds Community Gear blog ? We can't seem to find a record so if you did please call us OK?
Meanwhile please check out these links about fitting the Webmaster:
How to Lengthen Webmaster Harness Straps
How to Put the Webmaster Harness on Front Leg Tripawds
Hi Jerry,
I had followed a link from one of your shopping gear links and clicked on a link for places to buy the Webmaster Harness.The link I clicked on took me to Amazon.com and that is where I purchased it from.
I also followed a link to the soft e-colllar. It also took me to Amazon, but the collar is no longer available from them.
Ah OK. No worries, please check out the links and videos above, they should help. If they don't, come over to Hopping Around and ask any questions!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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