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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Let me start by saying that this site is fantastic! In this past week of almost constant online research, I have found nothing else like it. I look forward to meeting other people in the tripawd community and learning more about adjusting to re-newed life with my own tripawd.
This is my story:
Almost 2 weeks ago, my 5yr old Saint Bernard, Peanut, suddenly had a limp and significant lump on her front left leg. It seemed to happen overnight! Just over 1 week ago, my regular vet examined her and took chest x-rays (lungs are clear, at present). His unofficial diagnosis was osteosarcoma. We were referred to the orthopedic surgeon. The surgeon admitted he assumed he would turn me away from surgery due to her breed and size. But then he met and examined her thoroughly. Peanut is so healthy and strong, not to mention happy, exuberant, and full of life… she turned out to be a great candidate for amputation. She was admitted to surgery yesterday. I've only heard good news since – she sailed smoothly through surgery, awoke quickly, ate all her meals, and was already up and out for a few potty breaks today! They've even spoiled her by giving her an entire exam room as her recovery room… the door's open but baby-gated, so she can enjoy watching all the activity. My crying out of fear and sadness has been replaced with tears of joy.
To say the least, this past week and a half has been a whirlwind of emotions, preparations, and determination. I feel SO overwhelmed and exhausted, yet excited and hopeful.
The orthopedic surgeon said he is 99% sure it is osteosarcoma, based on the xrays and examinations alone. Also, after the amputation, he informed me she already had a sizeable hole in her bone that the tumor was oozing out of. Thank goodness the leg is gone! I should have the official biopsy results in a week or so.
I leave in about 1hr to pick her up from the animal hospital, which is about a 4 hr round-trip drive. I am SO anxious to get her back home. Although I think my Bubba (he's my 4 yr old Springer Spaniel) has rather enjoyed time alone with me. 
Once we are settled, I can't wait to check back and really pore through everything on this site.
So… greetings to everyone out there. I would be receptive to any and all advice from those of you who have been through this. And I will support those of you who, like me, are new to the tripawd life.
I absolutely love my Peanut and Bubba with all my heart! Thanks for listening.
~*~*~ Peanut is strength, love, and happiness. ~*~*~ 11/30/03 – 12/26/09
Hello!
I just love the name! I'm so glad that everything has started out for so well with the amputation. Just to prepare you though, as you read through the site, you'll hear of the 'two weeks of hell'. It's funny but almost to a person (or dog) it's two weeks. Must have been committee meeting that we didn't know about.
Most of the issues are due to getting used to the new mobility, for us it was the pain killers made our baby completely squirrely and sick. You yourself will be going through rampant emotions, so don't forget to take care of yourself.
We also have another dog, a german shepherd (Tika's a malamute), so we made a special area in our living room so Tika could be with us but have some privacy from Caya. We slowly expanded her area as she got stronger. Caya did accidently bump Tika the first week home and it was horrible for all of us. She didn't damage Tika's surgical sight, but it must have hurt like you know what.
with the big kids, having something to support them is helpful. Tika's a rear amp so we use a fleece scarf to give her the extra boost when she needs it. You'll see/hear mention of the rough wear harness which is probably best for the front amps.
This is a great site, everybody is so willing to share their experiences, or advice, or let you cry on their shoulder. Good luck!
--Kim and Tika
Kim and Spirit Tika http://www.tika.....ogspot.com
Peanut, Bubba, and family,
Welcome to the wonderful site filled with caring contributors, experiences, advice, and more than willing to lend an ear. We are so glad that Peanut was a good candidate for the amputation because the alternative is ghastly. There will be ups and downs during the next few weeks of recovery but the longer term trend should be up and PAINFREE! For Cherry the chemotherapy was worse than the amputation. Her first treatment was literallyhours after the amputation. She lost all appetite and I had to stuff nearly every morsel of food for the duration. Having said that, I can tell you that there are no regrets as we complete our tenth month of recovery tomorrow and she is doing extremely great.
A few suggestions to help:
Remain as positive around Peanut as possible. The really do pick-up on our emotions and if we are down it will be hard for them to be up. Be prepared to see a three-legged dog and only shower Peanut with huggs and kisses. I often would leave the house and loose it during our worst period. It allowed me to release and Cherry not to see.
Remember to treat the spirit as well as the body. Find something that Peanut loves and exploit that love to provide a purpose. The days of our ten mile walks are gone for Cherry and I, but that has been replaced with her love of trips in the truck or car. It was during these trips that she first took food offered and one can see her excitement rise at the time for these trips gets closer. Even now – ten months into this journey – we take our rides together at least three times a week. More if I can find any excuse to go.
Lastly, I highly recommend keeping a journal. For me, it allowed me to look back objectively and measure our progress. With the roller coaster nature of the recovery, it is not always easy to remember yesterday, last week, last month and make a accurate assesment of our progress. A journal will help. During this last week, I referred to things that happend eight months ago.
A word of caution, "this site can become adictive!" You will find yourself attempting to help others, pulling for our corageous heroes, and sheding a tear. Also, there is a unique dictionary and a recient posting has attempted to pull it together. You can LINK HERE.
Please keep us posted, and nothing but Pawsitive Thought from California,
Bob & Cherry
Dear Peanut and family,
Welcome to the tripawd world. I have often said it is a group we didn't want to be a part of but we are grateful for the people in it...and grateful that by becoming three legged our dogs have an opportunity to have a pain free life.
I must admit that I cringed when I read St. Bernard and breathed a sigh of relief when you said she is already up. I think it is harder for a big dog so that was great to hear.
As Bob and Kim said, the first two weeks can be very hard.
A sling or harness would be a good idea espeially for such a big dog.
Also, it is so very true that our dogs will look to us to see if things are still okay. To me it was sad to see Emily with only three legs. She is so beautiful and sweet. But even more than that is the relief I felt to know that the OSA was off and it was no longer sending microscopic cancer cells everywhere. Once we made the decision I was in a hurry for the amputation to take place.
It sounds like you have a real positive attitude. That will help. But expect to be paranoid about EVERYTHING. As I told someone else just today if your dog breathes hard you will be sure the cancer mets are in her lungs, if she breaths slow you willl be sure her system is shutting down.
Check this web site often. Even if no one else has had the same experience we will be there for you and now you can be here for us. Welcome.
Give Peanuts and Bubba kisses for me.
Debra & Emily (5 year old doberman mix)
P.S. I also have other dogs, Bentley a 6 year old choc.. lab and Marley a almost 2 year old Min Pin that looks more like Medium Pin! The other dogs did great with Emily. They were actually pretty protective so we didn't need to seperate them like we had planned.
Debra & Emily, a five year old doberman mix, who was diagnosed with an osteosaecoma. She had a right rear leg amputation on May 19, 2009. On November 10, 2009 she earned her wings and regained her fourth leg.
Hi Peanut! We have a Mastiff named Tazzie who lost her RF leg a little over a year ago (8/26/08) to osteosarcoma. We did chemotherapy with carboplatin every 3 weeks for 5 doses and she had very minimal side effects (picky eating for a few days and a little soft stool). She is currently doing great and is still taking some holistic things to fight the cancer (Power Mushrooms, fish oil, artemisinin , plus others).
I do think the giant breeds have a few unique issues (Tazzie currently weighs about 185#). Tazzie hops around the yard just great but she no longer has the endurance that some of the other tripawds on this site have. She pants even if she crosses the room but she quickly recovers. We have to use the RuffWear harness to get her in and out of the van and we do not let her do steep flights of stairs. She also has occasional problems with a pressure sore on her remaining front foot so she wears a RuffWear bootie during the day and I soak her foot every night.
Overall her quality of life is still excellent and we have had to make a few adjustments such as a queen-sized mattress on our bedroom floor. We xray her lungs every 3 months and so far no mets! We know that we have been very lucky to get this much time with her and we hope that your Peanut also does well.
Pam and Tazzie
Welcome to you! You will find this site is such a comfort as you face this journey. The folks here are truly interested in you and are super supportive. Many happy thoughts headed your way, and lots of healing vibes as Peanut recovers.
Shanna & Spirit Trouble ~ Trouble gained her wings 3/16/2011, a 27 1/2 month cancer survivor, tail wagging. RIP sweetheart, you are my heart and soul. Run free at Rainbow Bridge.
The November Five - Spirits Max, Cherry, Tika, Trouble & Nova. 11/2008 - 3/2013 An era ends as Queen Nova crossed the Bridge.
Hi Peanut - welcome to our unique and wonderful family. It's been said, but you won't find a more supportive, helpful, resourceful, understanding and loving place to come when you have questions, need answers or simply need someone to listen and tell you that everything is going to be OK...no matter what.
The first couple weeks are ruff...we are all here for you while you go through them and we pray that they are uneventful as possible. You have a great pawsitive approach to this which is CRITICAL for you and your baby. We all understand how you feel about your furkids...we wouldn't be here if we didn't 
. Stay the course...GET SOME REST for you too - I always tell people how important that is. The difference between coping with these first few weeks (all the emotions, the physical difficulties and the worry) well and not coping at all is SLEEP for mommy and daddy.
We have all paws crossed and tons of prayers coming your way for a speedy recovery. Don't hesitate to let us know if you have questions...someone is always here for you.
Much love
Heather and Spirit Zeus
Heather and Spirit Zeus - Our life changing journey…from the earth to the heavens…one day at a time…always together
Hi Peanut
So it took the arrival of another Giant breed for Pam to finally pull out the picture of Tazzie in a tiara. Ha, poor Tazzie. Not because she has bone cancer, but because her mum made her wear a tiara 
I also have to admit that when I saw your name - Peanut - I thought it was some peanut sized dog and I wasn't even going to read your post (sorry small pals, but there have been so many new posts lately). But then I checked and saw Tazzie in the tiara and knew something was up. Welcome Peanut!
One caution. It sounds as though Peanut is coming home soon after surgery (the 2nd night?). Even if the vet tells you that she is up and running around, she might not be that way when she gets home. The vets could not hold back my Tazzie (a medium sized pyrenees cross), but once he got home his engine stopped and I could hardly move him for 2 weeks. I figure my Tazzie was on adrenalin at the vet. Once he was back at home, he needed some time for his brain to rewire to match his body. I watched him learning to walk and hop kind of slowly.
But your Peanut is even younger, so she might be quicker!
Best of luck and we look forward to hearing more about Peanut.
Susan & Tazzie 2
Welcome Peanut and family!
You have come to the right place....as you have discovered there is a wealth of information and support available at Tripawds. I am honored to be part of this community of loving and caring pawrents... we even have a few grand-pawrents! Emilysmom is right, we wish we didn't need to be here but oh how grateful we have each other.
I have a Black Lab, Paris who at age 4 was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma, followed by amputation in January and chemo treatments. She is still hanging in there, and we are thankful for that. My motto is that I love her one day at a time. She has had lung metasis since April and we are living with cancer.
You will discover that we all have different stories, that some of us chose different courses of treatment and there are no "right" answers. Your choices will be the right ones for you!
Your Peanut girl is beautiful and Paris and I wish you a speedy recovery. Reach out through these next 2 weeks when things tend to be tough, but you and Peanut will get through it! Give her lots of love....yes Bubba, you have share!!
Take good care,
Gineej & Paris
Grateful for every moment we had with Paris…..no regrets!
Honoring her life by opening our hearts & home to Addy!
Wow. Thanks, everyone, for the warm welcome!
I forgot to give my name... Hello, I am Melanie. I've been so focused on Peanut, that I forget simple things sometimes.
Peanut was as happy to see me as I was to see her yesterday. We saw a few doggies as we left the hospital, and she did her "I want to play" whine as she hopped past. Three vet techs walked with us to my car, and we were all very surprised when she attempted to leap into the back. Of course, this resulted in a face plant into the back of the minivan, as we were too slow to react to that surprise. But she adjusted herself and was ready to go. The vet techs said she is an amazing dog (I bet they say that about all the dogs) and much stronger than they had anticipated.
We stopped for McDonald's chicken nuggets on the way home... something I wouldn't have done otherwise. I've always been very careful about her nutrition and weight, to prevent problems down the road. I feel that her strength and overall good health (despite the cancer) will help her endure this journey. Not to mention her attitude - she's well known as a very loving, happy, independent and stubborn girl.
I wholeheartedly believe my positive attitude helps her, too. Sure, I have fears and doubts, but mostly I'm ready to make lemonade out of lemons. Peanut's diagnosis will certainly change our (including Bubba and my live-in boyfriend of 2.5yrs) lives for the time being. I've accepted that. Now we're on a different journey than we had planned, but life goes on. My focus is to make the best of it.
I lost another dog to cancer (hemangiosarcoma) when Peanut was still young. That experience has prepared me for this. It can be very bittersweet at times. But I learned then that dogs can still have an amazing quality of life with cancer. And I know, for me and Peanut, it is best to celebrate and enjoy every day together, and not let the outlook consume us. My mother swears that my Waldo and Jake (another companion who passed when Peanut was young) are Peanut's guardian angels now. That's a very beautiful and comforting thought.
Peanut's current companion, Bubba, has been great with her so far. I was afraid he would be too high-energy, as he always is. Apparently, Bubba has a lot more understanding and wisdom than I gave him credit for. He has not once tried to encourage Peanut to play with him. Instead, he will nuzzle her head, sit by her, or just watch and walk along side her when she hobbles out for attempted potty breaks. Or he just does his own thing. He's definitely curious, but very well behaved about the stuation. And he's still getting "Bubba time" - which means just me and Bubba at the playground or golf course. I want Bubba to feel that he will still be taken care of the same way, even though Peanut needs special care and attention.
I refuse to feel sorry for myself or Peanut. I don't want her to pick up on negative energy. I am doing all I can to remain positive and maintain a normal routine for her, and Bubba. Sometimes I feel like I have a constant lump in the back of my throat, and if I start crying, I might just have an emotional breakdown! But I think it's just all the stress, emotions, and exhaustion pent up from these past couple of weeks. All I need is a good cathartic cry, a good release, and I'll feel more relieved.
But first, I have to read so much more on this site! 🙂 There are so many opinions and suggestions out there. I'd like to pick through them all and come up with a good plan for Peanut. So far, I have a RuffWear harness and a telescoping ramp coming in the mail. Since her first vet visit almost 2 weeks ago, she's has been steadily adjusting to a new diet (Innova EVO in conjunction with home cooked meals of chicken, steamed veggies, cottage cheese, etc, and omega 3 supplements). I've collected blankets, towels, and tee-shirts for her recovery period. I've spread the word to all my family and friends, asking for small donations to help pay for the huge expense of her surgery and treament. Thank goodness for CareCredit - I wouldn't have been able to afford the surgery without it! But the charge is still money I don't have. I also took a week off from work. My boyfriend then took off for the next week's shift. So she'll have round-the-clock care for a couple of weeks. I've done so much online research, I think I have carpal tunnel syndrome!
Off I go for some more reading.... I've blabbed long enough.
Thank you, all, again. Your stories are all inspiring and touch my heart. I thank you so mch for welcoming us to the community. We'll be seeing each other....
--Melanie
~*~*~ Peanut is strength, love, and happiness. ~*~*~ 11/30/03 – 12/26/09
Welcome Melanie and Peanut!
I also found this site while researching like mad. It was a miracle!! In the week or so I've been on it, I have learned so much, and I think because of it, we were able to make the decision to amputate.
Jake (10yr old golden retriever, 85 pounds) broke his front right leg while playing, almost 2 weeks ago. They suspected osteosarcoma and did a bone biopsy soon after. But ended up waiting to get the results, before thinking about amputation. Once we received the horrible news, we went ahead and scheduled the surgery. Jake just had his surgery yesterday, and we brought him home last nite. My husband had to carry him, since he was so zonked from his pain meds. This morning, he was finally able to get up (with help of a sling) and actually peed! We were so excited! But that really wore him out, and he's been pretty much sleeping since then.
From everything I've read here so far, sounds like we are all in for a rough week or two. I took a week off from work to take care of Jake. We have another dog, Wolfie (4.5yr old German Shepherd) and he has been wonderful... lies next to Jake, brings him his toys, etc... Jake is Wolf's older 'brother'... What kind of meds did they send Peanut home with? Jake is on amoxicillin and liquid torbugesic. I don't care if he is doped up and sleeping most of the time, as long as he isn't in much pain, while his body tries to heal. It just breaks my heart to see him going through all this... but seeing so many other dogs on this site, we just had to try.
I'm looking forward to reading your updates on Peanut, and I hope that he recovers quickly and can start enjoying his life again!
Marguerite (Jake's Mom)
Jake, 10yr old golden retriever (fractured his front right leg on 9/1, bone biopsy revealed osteosarcoma on 9/10, amputation on 9/17) and his family Marguerite, Jacques and Wolfie, 5yr old german shepherd and the newest addition to the family, Nala, a 7mth old Bengal mix kittie. Jake lost his battle on 11/9/2009, almost 8 weeks after his surgery. We will never forget our sweet golden angel… http://jakesjou.....ipawds.com ….. CANCER SUCKS!
Melanie, Peanut & Family,
Welcome to Tripawds. We like to say, sorry you had to join, but together, we'll be there for eachother as we go through the journey together... So hoppy to hear that things are going well.
Do we have an incredible bunch of people here or what? We can't believe the pawesome advice, tips and ideas that come through these forums every single day. And now, Peanut's experience will serve to help others too. I'm so sorry that you've been through cancer before. You're the second person in two days who has had two dogs affected by it within a few years of eachother. Ugh.
You have a great attitude toward all that's happening, and that is worth its weight in gold. It will help get you through anything.
We love the irony in Peanut's name! She sounds like a very cool girl. What a lucky dawg she is to have you for a Mom.
Thanks again for joining and sharing your story. We look forward to hearing more, and helping out where we can.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi Melanie and Peanut! It's nice to welcome another big dog. Cemil is an Anatolian Shepherd, 148#, and he had his left front leg amputated because of osteosarcoma. A week from tomorrow it will be 8 months. It took him a little longer than some of the smaller dogs to get up and going after his surgery and he still doesn't run around much, but he's doing fine.
Keep us posted on Peanut's progress. She's our step-puppy now.
Mary
Cemil and mom Mary, Mujde and Radzi….appreciating and enjoying Today
I would like to just reiterate what Cherry said....dogs are so sensitive to our energies. Look for the positive in every day. Let "little" peanut sleep through the healing. Find something Peanut loves to get a smile. Caira Sue is a jumper and runner. She loves tennis balls more than life itself. We took her in the yard in the first week and just tossed it from a few feet away, so she could catch it in her mouth. Slowly, after a few days she took a few steps for the ball, after a week she took a little hop.
Journalling has been a blessing for me. I haven't done it enough, but again, it does help you have perspective. You will really realize how far you have come.
This website is a big help to all of us. I have never been in a forum or had a blog. Now I have both. Soon, thanks to Cemil, I will have trading cards (good grief!). But it's the resource and outlet both that has been a help. I can post all my pix on the blog (as well as send distant family and friends to her "website"). I can find answers to almost any question here, as there are so many people willing to help.
Take care of yourself this week too. Make sure you eat and rest too! We will be here.
mary and Caira Sue
May 2001-Jan 21, 2010.....I'm a dog and I'm AWESOME!..... Always.
Thank you for the welcomes.
This site is the best. I'm so pleased to know there are other large and extra large breeds to give Peanut encouragement. (Mary, I think Anatolian Shepherds are beautiful – always wanted one). I so love all the advice and support.
I just wanted to add a couple pictures of Peanut post-op… if I can figure it out….
Take care! Melanie.
~*~*~ Peanut is strength, love, and happiness. ~*~*~ 11/30/03 – 12/26/09
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