Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi, Buck's mom here. You all were so kind to us the day of the diagnosis that we wanted to give you an update on her progress.
Buck Leigh's story actually started out 10 years ago when we adopted her from Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, but her tripawd story started when she had her left hind leg amputated on May 19th, honestly one of the worst days of our lives. We thought we were going in for knee surgery and got hit with a diagnosis of bone cancer and shown an x-ray with an already broken leg. Only 2 options there, but we couldn't decide right that minute. We came home with her and after watching her come out to the car on her own dragging around a busted leg, we felt she was telling us she wasn't ready and that only left 1 option. So . . . here we are as a new member of the Tripawd community!
Tomorrow will be 2 weeks since surgery and she is doing very well for a 12+ year old flat coated retriever mix with 3 legs. So far she has a good appetite and loves to give kissies, but not a lot of energy, which we figure is probably pretty much to be expected. We went thru the "rush" trip to the vet 4 days post surgery due to swelling in the right hind leg, but within 2 days we had that reduced to normal by using the heat pack the vet suggested. Wish we had read more of your comments and realized how "normal" that swelling was!
We go in for staple removal in 2 days. We have not made any decision on chemo and have not spoken to the oncologist yet. Any suggestions and advice would be wlecome. We'll keep you posted.
Thanks for being there and such a great support for all of us new "tripawd" parents!
Buck Leigh said:
Thanks for being there and such a great support...
No, thank you for joining the forums and sharing your story! And ... thank you for being so good to Buck, she's lucky to have such good people.
There is plenty of discussion about chemo throughout the forums. Just use the search function above, or check out the Treatment and Recovery forum wiith this brand new thread about what chemotherapy for dogs is like.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Buck's mom again. Had our 1st outing today; short trip to the park. We hopped and sniffed and had a big time! It definitely seemed to pick up her spirits to get out and "be a dog" again!
That's great to hear about Buck! Just remember to take it easy for a while ... more, shorter walks with lots pee and water breaks.
My mom didn't let me be very active at all until my stitches were out. And now whenever I act stubborn on a walk, we all sit down until I'm ready to go.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Buck Leigh is definitely setting the pace and we do whatever she is comfortable with, but we took your advice; it was a very short trip to the park with a lot of time laying in the grass under a tree. We also read your forum post about chemotherapy and now have an appointment with the oncologist a week from Tuesday. Thanks for the info.
Oh yeah, the breaks are definitely important. Gives us time to catch up on pee mail. Mom and Dad are used to our very different, walks now. We don't go as far, but our breaks give us lots more time to spend together.
Good luck with the oncologist, and don't forget to ask about any clinical trials you might qualify for. Please let us know how it goes. Thanks for the update!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Today is quite probably Buck Leigh's last day with us. I cannot believe how quickly she has deteriorated after recovering from the surgery so well. A week ago she was hopping on the couch and jumping 1 1/2 foot high "natural" benches in the park and now she has complete paralysis of her hind end. It all happened within a few days. We ran out of glucosamine on Wednesday and I just assumed I had not realized how effective it really was because she was noticeably slower gettting around. By Saturday, she was dragging her rear leg, yet if placed properly under her, it could support her. We quickly realized even though we had gotten the glucosamine, that was not going to fix this problem. Nothing visibly wrong with the leg, but it does not appear to have any feeling so we can only assume spinal or neurological problems. My sweet, strong girl has kicked butt her whole life, and I did not see this complication in her future only 2 months post surgery. We opted to skip the chemo and we knew our time was limited, but this was never in the equation. We do not regret our decisions, but I cannot tell you how much this hurts.
Buck Leigh said:
We do not regret our decisions, but I cannot tell you how much this hurts.
You have no reason for regret. You made the right decision, as you will again. Though a more difficult one I'm sure. We feel your pain and you have our most sincere wishes.
Thank you for the update. It just goes to prove that this nasty disease does throw curve balls. Every story is different. Please find a little peace knowing that sharing yours, will help others cope with their own.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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