Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hello Holly, Mark & co!
Seconding the idea on extra boxes etc for getting down from high places. My cat lost a leg in front earlier this year as well, and he could manage steps within the first week, but trying to hop down from the bed would get him a face-plant into the carpet. He'd probably be able to manage it now, six months out, but he's become accustomed to making his way down via convenient platforms. It depends on the cat of course, but steps seem easier to manage than ramps for my guy; he'll stop and sit on a step if he wants to rest or rethink his balance. He's an older cat, and does still sometimes misstep and stumble a little, but after about the first month, the occasional stumble doesn't seem to stress him out anymore. Purrkins being only six, he'll probably figure things out a little more thoroughly! Most of the younger cats I've seen here recover beautifully and regain their proper cat's grace.
The first few days are the roughest of course, but they'll pass quickly. I'm so happy to see my sweet cat eager for breakfast and pats every morning and I'm sure you will be too. Best of luck to Purrkins!
-Lith and Moe cat
Lith and Moe
Thank you
We have gotten Purrkins some steps this week he is using them already, so hopefully this will help them not be so new after his surgery next week. We have mostly hard wood floors , we are planning on get some of those foam exercise matts for the room he will recover in.
Scared for those accidents but trying to prepare for those and know he will have to learn on 3. Purrkins has a lot going for him, I pray this will all make it easier on him.
Its double sword right now waiting for next week, seems like a long wait since its cancer lets get if off and on the other hand its a scary dreaded day.
Thanks to everyone experiences its less scary.
Is it better to reply to each email or get on the site to reply. I see all the email replies don't show up?
Holly, Purrkins
Ah yes, mats are always a good idea. My guy Moe is fine on hardwood now but the first month or so he really needed something with grip to it to walk on.
-Lith and Moe cat
purrkins said
Is it better to reply to each email or get on the site to reply.
Always follow the link in notification emails to return to the forum topic and post your reply.
Simply replying to the notification email will only send your response into the ether....
I see all the email replies don't show up?
Exactly, other users will never see a reply sent via email.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi Holly and Purrkins!
I'm so sorry, I don't know how I missed your first post here! I'm just now getting caught up on your situation and am so impressed with all you're doing to prepare for the big day. As you can see everyone here has given such great feedback!
I too am also impressed with how well cats bounce back after amputation. Cats are so much more resilient than dogs when it comes to this, I have a feeling you will be amazed with Purrkins!
By the way have you seen our list of Tripawd Kitty bloggers? It's a great start to your research and the list of bloggers keeps getting longer, thanks to all of our feline friends who have joined us over the last couple of years. It's been such a learning experience for us, and with every new kitty who joins we are just truly in awe!
Hang in there. Pretty soon you'll wonder why you were so scared. This community is here for you every hop of the way!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
I did reply to all the emails prior to.
I wondered when they didn't show up here. Now I know thank you!
Yes everyone has been wonderful and helpful and truly We cannot wait until the scared and nervous is over and we have a new normal!
Yes have read all the tripawd kitty blogs its very helpful to see so much info & find some comfort. I think our comfort will come when we see Purrkins up and moving again on 3 and being his new happy self . Well then also when pathology comes back on his leg also.
In my missing emails to everyone I did ask about kitty Harness and going outside on 3. I emailed the company krazykfarm and they will custom make one for tripawd kitties!
We will just have to let them know if he will have a stump or not and which arm it is. That was a relief he loves going out on the harness and he just started that this year . I was frantic he would have to give that up. I
Thank you for this website really its nice to know your all out there its a great help!
I wanted to paste my emails to the ones that are in space somewhere. I now know what to do instead of replying to each email. Didn't want you guys to think i didn't reply. Just duh
Reply to quirky friend,
Thank you for your experience and would appreciate your ongoing experience on this journey. Im sorry about Jack and hopefully you took away the source and he can continue a happy long life.
I will take some time and go thru all the blogs that have been mentioned so far . I did a lot of looking and read all the blogs.
I measured his usual spots the window seats are 18 inches 45.72 cm according to google😬 my measuring tape doesn’t have cm on it. The highest perch would be 24 inches 60.96 cm . Since his biopsy he hasn’t been back up on the counter or on the top of the cupboards. That terrifies me.
The appetite do you think that was from the medication or just the general toll of amputation? Purrkins does have a few pounds we can lose going into this . So happy for that.
We added a lower litter box with a cut out for him he is already using that. yeah
We are good at getting the litter right away and that wont be a problem. We actually have a old phone set up as a monitor on the box now , we have IBD cat as well and need to closely monitor who and what is going on in the litter.
I plan on being here thru this and can get some breaks when my husband comes home. I am lucky to have that option. We have a spare room on fist floor we will set up for recovery and will stay in there with him. We did that with his biopsy surgery and it worked wonderful .
Do you guys have heated pet pads? Purrkins is always on his now it goes into a bed or under a blanket. Might be an option if it is available to you. I can explain more if your interested. His belly is shaved now form the ultrasound and X-rays and I know what you mean it is a drastic difference in temperature .
Also have you tried a Turkey with gravy baby food on Jack? It is a godsend for us in giving medicine and he loves it. It would be great for Jack as it is high in calories . We do tuna water also for medicine we will try the sardines as well,
I will follow your blog as well.
Thank you so much for your time and help.
We have had a overwhelming amount responses ,we couldn’t be more thankful for all the information going into this!
Thank you for your experience and would appreciate your ongoing experience on this journey. Im sorry about Jack and hopefully you took away the source and he can continue a happy long life.
I measured his usual spots the window seats are 18 inches 45.72 cm according to google😬 my measuring tape doesn’t have cm on it. The highest perch would be 24 inches 60.96 cm . Since his biopsy he hasn’t been back up on the counter or on the top of the cupboards. That terrifies me. Also do you have and upstairs ? How do they do going up and down the steps? Im so clueless.
The appetite do you think that was from the medication or just the general toll of amputation? Purrkins does a few pounds we can lose going into this . So happy for that.
Did you have to change size of the litter as in the height? Any problem getting in and out of.
We are good at getting the litter right away and that wont be a problem. We actually have a old phone set up as a monitor on the box now , we have IBD cat as well and need to closely monitor who and what is going on in the litter.
I plan on being here all the time thru this and can get some breaks when my husband comes home. I am lucky to have that option. We have a spare room on fist floor we will set up for recovery and will stay in there with him. We did that with his biopsy surgery and it worked wonderful .
Do you guys have heated pet pads? Purrkins is always on his now it goes into a bed or under a blanket. Might be an option if it is available to you. I can explain more if your interested. His belly is shaved now form the ultrasound and X-rays and I know what you mean it is a drastic difference in temperature .
Also have you tried a Turkey with gravy baby food on Jack? It is a godsend for us in giving medicine and he loves it. It would be great for Jack as it is high in calories . We do tuna water also for medicine we will try the sardines as well,
I will follow your blog as well.
Thank you so much for your time and help.
We have had a overwhelming amount responses ,we couldn’t be more thankful for all the information going into this!
Thank you Donna,
We are lucky to have MSU we unfortunately have used there services many times. Although this is a new experience all together.
Our oncologist is Dr. Vilar there. Couldn’t have been more happy with him. He referred us to a Dr. Rubin (surgeon) he is a soft tissue surgeon we originally thought we would do radiation the day we were told all of this, it was too much information to consume and make a informed decision.
We have since spoke to Dr. Vilar and informed him of our choice and we will still be seeing Dr.Rubin at least thats who we are schedule to consult with on the 26th.
How long was Murphy’s stay at MSU for the amputation? Can you give us an idea on your cost.
I will look at Mona’s video thank you for the link.
Thank your for ideas on where to go .
I hate to tell you this we are lucky its only 20 minute drive for us ,we are a little town right out of East Lansing. I can just come back home and go back easily .
Very fortunate to be this close.
I have planned to try getting a blog going for Purrkins I just have to get some time to get it going , I will keep everyone posted on this journey. Im sure everyones information put together will help so many others along this journey.
What a great site !
Holly and Purrkins
Hi Kerren and Mona,
We are getting great advice and learning a lot .
I can’t say enough how thankful we are to have a site like this with so many caring pet parents.
I watched Mona’s video thats comforting to see her get around and doing so well , even can still scratch ok .Wow
You mentioned her going up and down the steps she does ok with them?
I will make sure he will have some easier ways to get to his perches .
He did guarantee us that radiation would keep it under control for 2 years after that no guarantee and again we could then amputate after all of the radiation. We don’t think thats fair to Purrkins.
We also can’t put all that money into the leg and still be paying for the procedure to then amputate. Cutting off 10,000 dollars. I hate to bring money into this but its a factor when your talking about that much money and if only we did the pet insurance before.
Well can’t change that so onward we go.
Your are correct , I just recently read that on the chemo and this type of cancer it is not effective.
We know the one is the soft tissue sarcoma the one above it Oncologist thinks is the same we will see what pathologist comes back with.
Thank you for bringing that up. So many things to learn and to know. Never thought of that . I’ve got my Dad in and out of the hospital battling Myasthenia Gravis just a hard time all together.
We've got alot on our plate.
I hope I’m doing this right by responding to the emails?
Im still learning how to get around her and do things. 🙃
Holly and Purrkins
as you'll now see i wasn't responding right sorry everyone 
Benny55,
Thank you, we will take any perspectives 😉
I will be here with him at all times and my husband can relieve me when he gets home. We did it that way when he had his biopsy surgery .
I can only hope Purrkins will do as well this major surgery. He was the perfect cat patient. 😉
I can’t even imagine putting a cone on him when he wobbled with the cone on 4 paws, I immediately took it off then. I can’t imagine that at all ,learning to do on 3.
Hugs are appreciated thank you!
Holly, Mark, Purrkins and brother Saxton
kazann
Thank you, for cool cloth tip. Thank you for all the information and sharing it all. It is a great great help to read others experiences !
We will see what the surgeon suggest as well, but I can say for certain I just can’t do the cone with him. I will do other means if need be.
He wobbled on the 4 legs when we tried the cone after biopsy. We took it off immediately and he didn’t bother with surgical site. A few times as it healed as I mentioned before, he tried to lick, he listens like a dog to me. All I had to say was no you can’t lick that and that was that No issues .
I plan on doing the same as you did the spare room and we will just stay in there with him. We also did that with biopsy surgery and it worked out great. He is happy and secure in that spare room.
His bother scratches at the door when its close but we will gate off the hallway for this surgery. Less stress for us all going thru this. Can only pray for that! I will make a secure hiding spot , he didn’t want to hide for the other surgery but he may for this.
Purrkins goes outside on our deck now, always with us, he has a kitty holster he loves to walk with. Will that still be possible? Any experience with that? I carry him outside as well and walk thru the garden with him. This year so far as been good no mosquitos.
Another concern I wonder about is holding him after the surgery. I will be afraid to hurt him. I’ve been noticing how I pick him up now to see what different I can do after the surgery. I realize things will go back to a new normal at some point.
Purrkins was trained to stand “Up Up” for treats. So we have been doing those several times a day now ,since I read about building the core strength. Thank you for all the helpful information.
We ordered him some steps to get to his special high(window) spot. Trying to prepare the best we can to make things easier for him on 3. We are both so afraid for his first steps or possible accidents.
Im trying to retrain my thoughts each day!
I will have to watch on overprotecting him . That will be the hard to do.
Thanks again for your time and reply!
Holly, Purrkins and family,
Wow, you are ahead of the game by being so prepared! Remember Purrkins is a cat and will probably surprise you with something you didn't think of. I was just reading that scientists can study a dog's mind, but not a cat's because, as the scientists found, "cat's don't care what you want and they don't want your help." Perhaps with your guidance Purrkins will respond.
I think the "up up", as you describe it, is great for her core. I was also advised to ensure Mona always stretched her front leg far forward to ensure range of motion. I play with a feather with her to get her to stretch.
I had no problems picking up and holding Mona right away. It did not hurt her at all. I would not take Purrkins outside until the stitches are out, unless you are holding him. The halter would touch his surgical site which is not yet healed and you wouldn't want any soil on the site because of bacteria in soil. I learned about this by having to get a tetanus shot when I cut myself outside. Perhaps you could just hold Purrkins while you stroll in the garden. This is Mona about 2 weeks after her surgery with her stitches out:
Right from the beginning Mona would run up steps and bunny hop down. Since the power to jump comes from the hind legs, little will change jumping up however they do need an easier way down. I suspect Purrkins is no longer jumping up on the counter because it hurts to land when jumping down. I've seen Mona up on a high cupboard in my room and was surprised that she jumped 4 feet over to the 4" headboard to get down. She probably figured it out in advance.
Purrkins will do well and will let you know what he needs. He is resilient. And rest assured that many cats have survived the surgery with much less preparation than you have done. Soon Purrkins will be in the surgeon's skilled hands and all you can do is take care of yourself. Please go do something nice for you when Purrkins is in surgery. How about a massage or pedicure, walk or lunch with a friend?
Kerren and Tripawd Kitty Mona
I tell ya' what, this kitty contingent around here really knows their stuff! Such great tips!
Purrkins is going to handle this just fine. As most here will tell yoi, it's harder on the huma s!
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!
They had me bring Murphy in the night before his surgery and then he stayed 1 night after his surgery.
The cost for him was about $2500.
It's nice for you that you are so close. It's a whole day for us when we go out! I usually schedule Murphy's appointments for 10 or 11:00 so that I can leave after rush hour. Now that there is construction on I275, I don't know what I would do lol
Good luck!
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
Thank you, I will also work with the feather for stretching . We plan on setting up appointments for acupuncture after the surgery . The Holistic Vet thought a week afterwards. We haven't set up the appointments yet, we were going to see how all this goes and see how Purrkins is doing and when stitches will be removed.
We have a many questions to ask the surgeon tomorrow on all the medications, gabapetin and pain meds, What antibiotics he will use and what will be sent home.
Purrkins has been given Cerina antibiotic twice now in his life and both times without our permission. Both times we believe orals would of been great for. For his biopsy I told the vet no cerenia we would prefer oral. She gave it to him anyway. Very frustrated with a couple of vets ,this is the surgery were I would think it would of been useful! So will see what his plans are tomorrow .
We also have questions on if they will take his shoulder along with arm etc. I cannot tell did Mona have her shoulder removed also? I see ever surgeon opinion is different just wondered if one is preferred or better if we are given a choice.
I definitely wont take him out on his harness I have to order one for his new life. I'm glad to hear Mona wasn't bothered being picked up that was a concern.
One other question as I go back reading the blogs, how did you know Mona's was caused my vaccine? Did she have a vaccine in the front leg?
I agree Purrkins leg is bothering him, it has bothered him since the biopsy! I think he might be relieved that it and the pain is gone.
Thank you for all your help.
Everyones help really! Makes this a little less scary and have found a lot of hope and great info on this site.
Holly , Purrkins and family
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