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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Sometimes you have to measure improvement in small increments. He's eating, peeing, pooping, getting around, going up & down a couple of steps, his pain is controlled, the swelling is improving, his hair is starting to grow...all good things! The first couple of weeks are such a roller coaster of emotions, for all of us. One week is down, that's a start, so on to the next one. Front leg tripawds walk better when they walk fast - it's just easier for them to balance when they go a little bit faster.
It sounds like you are doing an amazing job with Rufio and he's doing great! 
Keep up the good work!
Donna
Donna, Glenn & Murphy
Murphy had his right front leg amputated due to histiocytic sarcoma at 7 years old. He survived 4 years, 2 months & 1 week, only to be taken by hemangiosarcoma at 11 1/2 years 6/12/17
Read about Murphy's Life on Three Legs
Donna nailed it! He's doing everything he should be doing, and sounds like he's doing it very well, at the point he's at. Celebrate all these victories! After just a week he's doing a stellar job! And your fiancé is spot on. It is harder on us humans watching it. Our furfaces figure it all out much more quickly and without regret than we do. That's why we always say "Be More Dog " around here. It's the absolute best way to live 😀 You're doing a great job with your handsome boy! Give yourselves a big pat on the back! Hugs!
Linda, Riley & Spirits Mighty Max & Ollie
My Mum is finding the watching and worrying hard and she's a supper trooper who has nursed human friends in their last illnesses. It's partially to do with not having the confidence that a beloved animal is doing as well as they can do - because they can't tell you in words.
Thing is, the animals here are all loved and we are all watching them for the slightest thing. Rufio would be saying "it's all a bit weird but my lovely human is here and it must be OK" if he could talk
I'm sure that is exactly what the Rufio is saying. 😀😀. As long as their precious humans are close they're happy. Rufio is not only incredibly handsome he's very smart too!
Awww, thank you both, I think he's smarter than I know! I try to compensate with lots of love and attention but often time I think Rufio has to set boundaries with the "Okay, too much mom" LOL. I am ready for that leg to hulk up though!
Thank you all for the encouragement as well, always such a relief to hear 🙂
Also, it appears my Rufio doesn't know no means no and hopped up onto the couch yesterday when we walked out the room. And yesterday was his one week anniversary of his surgery!
The guilty look he's throwing is cracking me up 
Looking good for 1 week post amp! It's great when some "naughtiness" returns, and funny how happy that makes us. Nitro didn't get back on the couch for several weeks (mostly because I kept folding chairs on them 🙂 Keep up the good work Rufio - tell your mom that Tripawds have a way of wiping the word "no" completely out of their vocabulary. Trust me, she won't mind as long as she sees you're happy!
Paula and Nitro
Nitro 11 1/2 yr old Doberman; right front amp June 2014. Had 6 doses carboplatin, followed by metronomic therapy. Rocked it on 3 legs for over 3 years! My Warrior beat cancer, but couldn't beat old age. He crossed the Bridge peacefully on July 25, 2017, with dignity and on his terms. Follow his blog entitled "Doberman's journey"
"Be good, mama loves you".....run free my beautiful Warrior
YAY FOR NAUGHTINESS!!
Ditto everyone!!
I know one week past MAJOR surgery seems like this recovery stuff lasts forever! It doesn't! We promise!
Isn't spoiling a tripawd fun?! It's a win/win for everybody 🙂
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!
Rufio! He looks SO great! Love the "Got caught" look on his sweet face.
I am going to echo everyone, as it sounds like an great recovery so far. And after all the drama before hand and the worry, it seems clear Rufio is going to make this Tripawd thing work.
Lisa, Minneapolis
On October 27, 2016, nearly 6 months after amputation, and 18 months since his cancer likely started, we lost Pofi to a recurrence of Soft Tissue Sarcoma in his spine quite suddenly. His canine sister also succumbed to cancer on March 1, 2019 - we lavished her with our love in the interim, but life was never quite the same without her only real canine friend. Cliff kitty had to leave us, too, suddenly, in August 2019. Lucia kitty grieved all these losses, but helped us welcome two new Lurchers into our home and our lives, Shae and Barley.
Oh, I missed him coming home from surgery and his recovery! Wow- first of all, he looks great. He's making the same face Jack made right after surgery when she knew she was doing something she shouldn't - it's a good sign he's interested in doing things like jumping up on the couch.
And your story about bringing him home, I can totally relate! We had the surgery done a few hours from home and I rode in the back seat with her. I had to move her into a better position at one point and accidentally poked her incision. She screamed and bit me hard. I felt terrible.
Don't worry if his improvement isn't quick or steady. Lots of us experienced bumps along the way and it can be discouraging when you hit one, but in general he looks like he's doing great.
Awe too cute. He looks great! You're doing a great job with him give yourself a huge pat on the back for getting through week one!
Hugs,
Linda, Riley & Spirits Mighty Max & Ollie
You all are so right, Rufio has been impressing me every day with his will and complete desire to move around better. I swear, every day I fall more in love with the guy!
Tomorrow I take him to get his staples out - do they sedate them for this? He has 36 and his hair has grown over them. I just hope he's not in too much pain.
Also, the biopsy STILL isn't back and it's been 14 days by tomorrow. Is that a little odd? I'm still very distrustful of this hospital based on how the whole amputation talk went (it felt very financial driven for them).
They want to start chemo tomorrow, is this normal to do it so soon? I'm worried if I start tomorrow and then a week from now I leave for my honeymoon - will he be okay with side effects? Lord knows I worry way more than I should but these are all things I'm not sure I can rely on my vets/specialists for sadly...I think we'd do the combo chemo but I can't recall the names as of yet (where you alternate two drugs every 3 weeks).
jewelzzey said
They want to start chemo tomorrow, is this normal to do it so soon?...will he be okay with side effects?
Don't miss this video interview with an oncologists discussing chemo treatments and common side-effects.
Tripawds News: Chemotherapy session for Daisee dog
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi Rufio and family 
No, they don't sedate our babies to get stitches/staples removed.
We went for chemo the day my girl had the stitches out and she had no side effects so far.
She takes nausea pills (Cerenia) for three days after the chemo and takes one the morning she is having her next session and she has been as good as gold.
Sending you pawsitive energy and lots of hugs and cuddles to Rufio
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 :-)
jewelzzey said
You all are so right, Rufio has been impressing me every day with his will and complete desire to move around better. I swear, every day I fall more in love with the guy!Tomorrow I take him to get his staples out - do they sedate them for this? He has 36 and his hair has grown over them. I just hope he's not in too much pain.
Also, the biopsy STILL isn't back and it's been 14 days by tomorrow. Is that a little odd? I'm still very distrustful of this hospital based on how the whole amputation talk went (it felt very financial driven for them).
They want to start chemo tomorrow, is this normal to do it so soon? I'm worried if I start tomorrow and then a week from now I leave for my honeymoon - will he be okay with side effects? Lord knows I worry way more than I should but these are all things I'm not sure I can rely on my vets/specialists for sadly...I think we'd do the combo chemo but I can't recall the names as of yet (where you alternate two drugs every 3 weeks).
I think sedation depends on the vet and the pet. Sheba has always been awake for stitches and staple removal, but pretty heavily drugged up on anxiety and pain meds. If you don't trust the vet, get your records and run! You need to be comfortable that they're doing everything they can for Rufio. And I'd ask for the rationale behind starting chemo without a solid diagnosis. If they're stuck between two cancers that get similar treatment, ok id start chemo, otherwise I'd be worried about him getting a drug that won't help or might make him sicker. Also, I'd be wary if they're pushing you to start chemo now, unless the cancer is super aggressive, it should be able to wait til you're home from your honeymoon.
Rufio had his surgery right around the same time as Sheba. we got the cancer results back by day 3 and fungal results last Friday, I think two weeks is too long not to have at least pending results. No wonder you don't trust them!
Cynthia and Sheba
Right rear amputation 6/30/16 due to osteomyelitis of fungal origin (Aspergillus Penicillium).
Final diagnosis - systemic Aspergilosis Penicilliosis, being treated with long term itraconazole.
8/15/16 - Probable spinal involvement, loss of appetite, neurology consult in the works.
We're blogging at: The Ongoing Adventures of Sheba
It took us almost 3 weeks to get a final diagnosis for Murphy - probably because it wasn't actually osteosarcoma, it was histiocytic sarcoma. It's not as common to find in the bone, more often found in organs such as the liver or spleen. Luckily for us, the oncologist at Michigan State University had done some research on this exact cancer.
You don't HAVE to start chemo right now, you can wait a little bit until you feel more comfortable. I would at least want a final diagnosis before I started anything - you want the correct medication to combat this. And there's also cost - you wouldn't want to spend a couple hundred dollars just to find out that it's the wrong medication and you have to start over. I also agree that if you're not comfortable with this hospital, perhaps you should find another for the chemo. Is there another oncologist nearby that you could go to? You can take the pathology report with you once you get it, along with his surgical report.
Murphy did fine getting his staples out. MSU is about 1.5 hours away, so our regular vet did it. It only took a couple of minutes.
Donna
Donna, Glenn & Murphy
Murphy had his right front leg amputated due to histiocytic sarcoma at 7 years old. He survived 4 years, 2 months & 1 week, only to be taken by hemangiosarcoma at 11 1/2 years 6/12/17
Read about Murphy's Life on Three Legs
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