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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I am really excited to find this page, and so much information useful for this process.
Kyra is my Labrador mix dog, she is 9 years old. Last year, a soft tissue sarcoma was detected in his right front leg. The tumor started to come out very slowly, it even looked like a lipoma. The doctor decided to extract it, and that's when we detected the cancer. It lasted at least 4-5 months without the tumor, then it reappeared right in the same area of the surgery.
At first we considered a local surgery, only removal of the tumor again, but this time it was no longer just 1 mass, at first there were 3 masses attached. The doctor suggested amputation because he saw that the masses were very attached, and that removing them would be difficult, and if he managed to remove them, it would surely grow back, and also we ran the risk of metastasis.
Ultimately, I ended up accepting the amputation, with all the pain that decision brought with it. Unfortunately, there were not many options, in Colombia they do not do radiotherapy for dogs, and I understand that chemo for this type of sarcomas does not work well. 8 days ago she underwent surgery. The surgery was a success, thank goodness.
We are now in the process of recovering with antibiotics and pain reliever. After this, we will go to a physiotherapist to support us in rehabilitation.
Thank you all for telling your experiences, for asking. I have learned a lot from the forums. I still have many questions, but I hope to solve them over time.
Hello and welcome to you and Kyra! I'm so glad you decided to share her story. We learn from each other and we learn even more from members in different countries, so thank you 🙂
Sometimes amputation is the way you want to go with a cancer like this, so you did good! Kyra is on the road to healing and hopefully she will never need more treatment for the cancer. Your vet sounds great, by the way!
That is wonderful she is going to physiotherapy! Remember the Tripawds Foundation can pay for your first rehab visit as long as the therapist is credentialed with a "CCRT" or "CCRP," "CERP," or "VMRT" after their name.
Just let us know what questions you have, we are here to help! And if you'd like to share photos, this is how adding images works here:
- Upload pics to a photo sharing site like imgur.com or your own Tripawds blog (https://tripawd...../supporter). Pictures and video have to be hosted (live) somewhere other than in the forums.
- Once the photo is uploaded somewhere, right click and copy the Image URL or just copy the image if you’re on a phone
- Return to your Tripawds Forum post and paste the image URL (or the image itself) in your post. It should automatically appear.
If you’d like help figuring out the process let me know.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
hello I would like to ask your advice.
My dog is constantly slipping on the tile in my house.
I have been reading about non-slip boots or non-slip socks, the truth is I don't know which is better, if the socks or the boots.
Could you help me with some advice for this case. Thank you so much
Hi! I'm so glad you came back. Is Kyra in physiotherapy yet? Just wondering.
As for your dog slipping, that is a huge issue when you have slippery floors. We make a big deal out of traction here (link has tons of info), as you'll see in our Hopping Around Discussion Forum Topic. Here are our thoughts about boots and socks:
Boots and socks are a great temporary tool to help your Tripawd in certain situations, like hot sidewalks, or when visiting someone's house. But they are not ideal for long-term use. Why?
Boots and socks don't allow your pet's feet to breathe. Since dogs sweat through their paws, if the sweat builds up it can cause yeast and bacteria to grow, and possibly cause your dog to overheat.
Also, as humans, we aren't really good at remembering to put them on our dog's feet every single day. Imagine doing that for Kyra's entire life? That one day we forget, our dog will probably slip and possibly suffer an injury.
The BEST thing to do is put as many carpets with rubber backing on them throughout your house. We call them "runners" here, like this:
The second best? Dr. Buzby's Toe Gripsare pretty awesome, if Kyra doesn't mind you touching her feet every month or so to change the grips as they wear out and she needs a nail trim.
Adding traction is exactly what you would do anyways for a senior dog, so you're just starting earlier with Kyra. Let us know what you decide to use!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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