Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Pirate The Great Pyrenees will lose his front left leg to Osteo Carcoma 
next week!
We are not prepared for this change... buying a harness and maybe a front wheelchair ?
Please advise 
James n Elizabeth
San Bruno, CA
Hi James, Elizabeth, and Pirate! Welcome to the club nopawdy wants to join. I'm sorry you had to but are glad you found us. Nobody ever expects this kind of news, but many of here have been through the situation and all of us are here to support you.
For starters, do check out the Tripawds Start Here page which can guide you on how to navigate our community.
Our Giant Breed stories will inspire you, as will our Size and Age Matters Forum.
Also, see our What to Expect articles for a good overview.
And although Jerry's Required Reading List needs some updating, the basic info still applies.
Meanwhile, don't rush into any wheels just yet. Tripawds Foundation has a rehab reimbursement program where we will reimburse you for your first rehab visit . Let an expert decide if Pirate needs wheels or not. Most dogs don't, but if he does you want to make sure a professional sizes it correctly.
Oh, and being that you are in San Bruno (we are originally from SF!), you may be interested in the upcoming Tripod Dog Party in SF on July 16! I'm thinking Pirate could be ready for a short appearance, hopefully! See:
https://tripawd.....francisco/
Please let us know what questions you have, we are here to help!
P.S. I deleted your phone number from your post, to keep it safe from spammers and robocallers. Instead, we have our Tripawds Private Messaging System you can use to communicate with others (look for the little envelope icon at the top right of your forum post), and give your tel # there if you choose to talk on the phone. You can also call the Tripawds Helpline any time!
As you can tell from Jerry's response, you have come to the right place for support and information. We all know what a kick in the gut it is to hear that diagnosis, but we also know you are on the right path to get that bum leg removed so pirate can have a quality pain-free life.
I really can't add anything to Jerry's post and the links she gave you will probably answer most of your questions.
Just keep us informed on when pirate goes in for surgery and his homecoming. We'll help you navigate through recovery. The first couple of weeks are no picnic, but with proper pain management and taking things slow and easy. Pirate will be on the road to recovery before you know it.
Guessing Pirate will be staying at a fully staffed 24/7 overnight clinic. He'll spend at least one night if not more. When you do go to pick him up make sure you greet him with a strong and confident and happy energy. Don't even bother to look at his incision or draw attention to it. He just wants to see your smiling face and hear you tell him what a good boy he is and he's going home!
Pirate may be off food a little bit when he first gets home and he may not poop for several days. Drinking and peeing are important though. He only needs short least potty breaks and then back in for more rest, rest, rest,.
If you have hardwood floors, you'll want non-slip scatter rugs for traction . He needs to avoid stairs at first and not be allowed to do any jumping up on the sofa, or the bed, Etc at first.
You'll find most of this and more in the links that Jerry gave you but I just wanted to highlight a couple of things.
We are here right by your side to help you navigate through recovery and look forward to celebrating all of pirates victories as he regains his Sparkle. Stay connected! You are not alone!
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!
James,
We just went through all of this with one of ours. 3 months in and today was the day I have been looking forward to: watching my big lug trot in a prosthetic. Back to being outdoors and on walks. Back to leading on a leash instead of following.
My wife and I had all sorts of fears, didn't know what was next, and had concerns since Boomer is kinda the alpha and we didn't know how he would react to it.
They HOP back.
They figure out the tripod-hop on their own, but vets usually have PT sessions too.
My concerns with Boom being a large breed, was wear and tear on his remaining front leg, bearing all that weight. So it was a no-brainer to go the extra mile and order a prosthetic. If he is going to be around at least another 3 years, I plan to make it the best years possible.
The first few weeks will be gentle, concerns with the wound healing and cleaning it and such. After that its all PT and progress.
And like I said, 3 months later and we are relatively normal, and progressing on walks again.
Dogs adapt much better than humans for sure. We have a LOT to learn from them.
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