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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Firstly, how happy were we to come across this great website.
Our beautiful 5yr old Great Dane, Maddie was confirmed with oesteosarcoma a few weeks ago & after a bit of deliberation we decided to have her rear leg amputated & she will commence chemo treatment once recovered.
We certainly have our up & down days. The day we brought her home, we thought what have we done to our poor girl. How quickly she managed to get up & walk around, it was so surprising. We are almost 1 week post op & know it is still early days. We have been mostly impressed with her recovery, we are very proud of her.
Everytime we start to feel regretful, I jump onto this website & it is great to hear stories from other people & know that what we are going through is OK.
All our fingers are crossed that our lovely, playful, cheeky girl will return. At the moment she seems very depressed & we sometimes wonder if she is angry at us for putting her through this. Your stories tell us that it could be weeks yet, so thank you all for sharing your experiences.
I know we did what we thought was best for her. She has a lot of spirit & we hope she is around with us a little longer yet.
So thanks again for this great website & to everyone who contributes their stories, it certainly helps us out!!
Welcome Maddie and pack,
Your future posts will not require moderation.
Sorry you found yourself here with a cancer diagnosis- but as you said there are tons of stories and experiences here to share.
Sounds like your girl is getting around OK. Is she still on meds? That could cause her to be down. Also- how does she usually deal with change? My little pug Maggie HATED any change to her routine. After her back leg amp it was 4 or 5 weeks before she didn't seem unhappy. But that was how she dealt with change her whole life- by being unhappy with me! She did come around and lived her happy pug life for almost 4 years post amp (she had mast cell cancer).
Please come back with any specific questions you have. And definitely keep us posted on Maddie's progress.
Karen and the pugapalooza
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I second what Karen says: the meds could really be affecting her. Our dog Max didn't seem to be back to "normal" until about 4.5 weeks after the surgery, then it was like a light switch flipped! Just give your girl some time, and stay positive around her. Keep us updated on her progress!
Hi Maddie and family!
Welcome to the club nopawdy wants to join 😉 We're sorry about your diagnosis but if you've been perusing the community for a while, you can see that there IS hope for a good life ahead.
You know, it was a Dane pup, Moose, who inspired my pawrents to proceed with my amputation. Once my folks saw that this front leg amputee could get along and love life, they knew that I could do it too! Here's a great story about him for some inspawration.
Sounds like she's getting along pretty good. And yes, it can be a few weeks before things start to seem normal again. In the meantime, remember...dogs do not feel silly human emotions like anger, blame or regret...that's a human thing. She is not mad at you.
It's entirely possible that she can be feeling down and not herself but for other reasons. The meds really do a number on their spunk and tend to keep most dogs really mellow (or sometimes completely nutty!). Also, as Karen said, many pups don't like a change in their routine and it tends to get them down. This is why it's SO important to normalize your routine as quickly as possible. Try not to baby her or feel sorry for her. If you show that you can be a strong pack leader, she will believe in the power of her pack and get her confidence back.
Keep us posted on how she's doing, we're all here to help. We look forward to following along with your Tripawd adventures!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Welcome Maddie & her pack. Wow - I see you are from Australia. We are definitely going more global lately!
I'm sorry you had to find us here, but you won't be sorry you did.
If you are only 1 week post op, you are still deep in the thick of what is usually "two weeks of hell" - some people have an easier recovery, some have a longer harder one, but it is normal for her to not seem herself at this stage. And she's definitely not mad at you. We worried about the same thing with Abby. She would normally follow me everywhere, but after her amp, she didn't want to be near us. She wanted to hide and be by herself. The folks here and our onc. assured us that was normal due to the surgery and the meds combined making her not act like herself. Once her staples were out and the meds were done, she was her usual lovey, playful self.
Be sure to come here if you have more questions during the recovery and also to keep us updated. She's a gorgeous girl. It's pawesome to be a tripawd pawrent! Welcome to the club,
Jackie, Angel Abby's mom
Abby: Aug 1, 2009 – Jan 10, 2012. Our beautiful rescue pup lived LARGE with osteosarcoma for 15 months – half her way-too-short life. I think our "halflistic" approach (mixing traditional meds + supplements) helped her thrive. (PM me for details. I'm happy to help.) She had lung mets for over a year. They took her from us in the end, but they cannot take her spirit! She will live forever in our hearts. She loved the beach and giving kisses and going to In-N-Out for a Flying Dutchman. Tripawds blog, and a more detailed blog here. Please also check out my novel, What the Dog Ate. Now also in paperback! Purchase it at Amazon via Tripawds and help support Tripawds!
I agree with everyone else....the meds make them feel and act differently than normal....
With Riley, it was about 72 hours after she had her last dose of meds that she lost the glazed over look and was back to her sweet self.....
It is amazing how well pups can do on 3 legs even just after surgery....and its just going to get easier from here.....
Welcome to Maddie and her pack!
Those first few weeks are tough. I encourage you to keep coming here for support… you will find a wonderful community to help you through this rough patch. I too am a Dane Mom and my Nova is one of the "old-timers" here… an 8-year-old Dane, she is an osteosarcoma survivor over 38 MONTHS post amputation… and STILL cancer-free!
Nova is a front leg amputee but I also had a rear leg amputee pup in the distant past. They each have their challenges, but I can assure you that Maddie will soon be back to normal and running around again. Nova was not herself until she was entirely weaned off the pain meds.
Please check out Nova's blog at nova.tripawds.com if you want to read about her journey and PLEASE do not hesitate to send me a private message if you have any Dane-specific questions or just want to chat about your girl.
Dane Leans to you from Queen Nova!
Dane Mom Sue and Nova
Dane Mom Sue at nova.tripawds.com and Mom to Beautiful Great Dane Queen Nova, a Blind Tripawd, who kicked cancer's butt from 11/08-03/13. The Queen is Spirit Nova now, but her legacy lives on here at Tripawds!
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