Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hey everybody,
Huckleberry is doing really well, he's like my shadow and if you can believe it he has become quite the lap cat at night.
Andy and Mitchell went in today for rechecks. Andy almost died last October because he blocked and couldn't pass urine. He has taken 2 rounds of antibiotics for reoccurring bacteria and crystals. Finally today he had a totally normal urine sample. The doc said she could tell we changed the diet to include fluids and more soft food because his urine was so dilute. We were thrilled.
Then it was Mitchell's turn. Mitch has had an incontinence problem that has gotten increasingly worse. His urine showed many red and white blood cells = urinary tract infection. We kept chatting and I told her that he had a couple of tiny bladder stones when being x-rayed for his knee surgery. We talked about his difficulty getting around and she asked if she could take him in back for a minute. She had decided to ultrasound him real quick and found more stones and a larger stone. She also found a mass on his spleen and his abdomen was tender. She strongly recommended a splenectomy and a biopsy of the mass. We had chest x-rays done first just to make sure his chest was clear. No sense in doing surgery if his body was full of cancer. Chest rads were clear. She took a good look at his liver too and that looked good.
Mitchell went in for surgery about an hour and a half later. She asked me if I wanted to stay for the procedure.... Any of you that know me at all know the answer to that question lol. I got to see the whole procedure and Mitchell was a champ under anesthesia. When she pulled his spleen out we all just gasped. His spleen was the biggest I have ever seen. It was a good foot long. There were 2 other small fluid like masses on it that we hadn't seen on x-ray. Please keep him in your prayers that these are benign and not hemangiosarcoma. This doctor was just phenomenal and I was so much better there with him than I would have been at home. She's even let me do a quick dental on him before we woke him up.
I know he's not a tripawd but he's a rescue and he's part of our family. I don't know what I'm going to do if his biopsy comes back bad, I can't even think about that right now because I won't stop crying if I go there. I have pictures, I'll post some soon.
Hugs,
Jackie
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry 
I know he's not a tripawd but he's a rescue and he's part of our family
If he is part of your family then he is part of our family here!
I sure hope the mass is B9! B9! B9!
I'm glad that Andy seems to be doing well. Wouldn't it be great to have everyone doing well all at once!
Karen
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Thank you Karen, it sure would. I'll be working till I'm 80 if this stuff keeps up, lol. It's going to be a long week waiting on results. Keeping all fingers and paws crossed. He's such a good boy and had such a hard start at life.
Thank you for caring
Hugs,
Jackie
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry
ANYBODY WHO IS ON THIS SITE IS FAMILY...WHETHER TWO LEGS, THREE LEGS, FOUR LEGS, OR IN THE CASE OF UNO THE CHICKEN, ONE LEG. AND IN. THE CASE OF VIVIAN AND VALENTINO, TWO WINGS!! 🙂
Okay, we've got some good news on Andy, and we'll take that as a good sign! 🙂 And Mitch is out of surgery and that bum spleen is gone, so thats good too!
The stones sre gone, so that's good too!! Mitch has got to start feeling better now with that issue resolved, as well he's having that big spleen removed!! Obviously he'll need some recovery time, but you know how to handle that!
WOW, what a long day you've had! Ups and downs and a lot of stress!! You have to be exhausted emotionally and physically. Try and get some good rest tonight. Right now, the facts are that Mitch is on the road to recovery and the tests he has had all came back clear. Andy is in a really good place healthwise too.
We're all sending positive energy for sweet Mitch!! He's a tough guy!
Hugs and love
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!
Thank you Sally 🤗🤗🤗
Yes it's been the longest day today, I'm wiped out. I hope the next week flies by, I don't think I'll rest until I get his biopsy results. He will keep us busy though once he gets home. That was a big surgery, actually it was 2 major surgeries so he's probably going to need help getting around for a bit. I might take a day or two out of work to help David. He won't be home until Monday or Tuesday depending on how he does. The hospital is only about 10 minutes from where we live so it should be an easy ride home. I'll post some gruesome pictures in the morning lol. All three of us said holy s*!t when that spleen just kept coming out. I swear it looked endless for a moment.
Hugs,
Jackie
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry
Mitchell came to us in 2012. He was a rescue living at the only no kill shelter that I know of around here. According to them he was brought in when he was an older pup, not quite an adult. He lived there for about a year, and one of the volunteers adopted him. They only had him for a couple of months and then somehow the volunteer lost his job and his home so Mitchell was relinquished back to the shelter where he lived there for about another year.
We had lost Rosie and Chuckie just a few months apart. The house was so quiet. I was not really ready to adopt anybody, but we decided to go for a ride and see who the shelter had for adoption. We walked a few dogs, and the shelter was getting ready to close. On our way out David saw Mitchell in his room. We did not walk him. The shelter was closing up and there was not enough time. On the way home and for the next week David spoke about Mitchell quite a bit. The next weekend we went back to the shelter to see if he was still there. When we asked about him, they just looked at us funny like of course he is still here, he has been here forever. Nobody was interested in him because they were all afraid of his big fat blockhead. I guess he scared them off. We took him for a walk and he was wonderful. David was head over heels in love, and I was surprised at how good he was. The shelter offered to let us take him for a "test drive" to see how he did with our cats. No pressure. Mitch came home with us and ignored the cats totally. He never went back to the shelter. He is just the sweetest dog.
I learned some things yesterday. The horrible appetite and weight loss can be attributed to spleen problems. The acute back end weakness can also be attributed to the spleen. I had no idea. I feel like such a bad pawrent. Mitch has not come upstairs in quite a while. I just assumed that his knee surgery made his leg sore and that was it. When he came rushing up the stairs last weekend in a panic to wake us because he had to pee, I jumped out of bed to let him out. I was behind him as he was going back down the stairs and I was scared to death that he was going to lose it and fall. His back end was having an awful time on the stairs and his legs looked like they were twisting. I have always questioned his age, and honestly thought his back end was just not good on the stairs anymore. Mitch was 75 pounds when we met him. Yesterday he weighed in at 64. He stayed at 70 pounds for a long time, but recently his weight started to go down quickly. I still cannot believe how huge his spleen was. I am concerned about why it was so enlarged, but I am relieved that it is out now. Here are the pictures, they are graphic. I circled the growths that are being sent out for biopsy.
Mitchell recovering from surgery
My favorite Mitchell pictures ( the kitty is my Gazoo who has earned his angel wings )
That's our boy
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry
Ok, well, Mitch is simply adorable! A blockhead? I think not. He is gorgeous - so handsome. I still cannot believe that he lived at a shelter for two YEARS. Thank goodness David was pulled back to that shelter and you guys opened your hearts and home to him. In the past I've volunteered for a dog rescue group and I know you already know this too from your work history, but at the first sign of pee issues, sooooooooo many people would have tossed him in the car and dumped him right back at the shelter. You guys have done so much to ensure a great quality of life and a good level of comfort. Those spleen pictures are no joke! Wowwee. All my fingers & toes will be crossed for you until I hear some news. I hope Mitch is able to come home tomorrow and those results come as quickly as possible.
I'm glad to hear that Andy is doing much better with the dietary changes. It looks like you guys have been dealing with constant pet health issues. I hope Mitch's results show the growths are benign and everyone is happy and healthy for a long long while!
Thinking of you!
Hattie
Hugs,
Hattie and Jerry Cat (right front leg and scapula amputation due to chondrosarcoma at age 14, lived 2 1/2 years post amputation, succumbed suddenly to suspected lymphoma at age 16)
10/2001 - 10/9/2017 R.I.P ~ Love you always
MITCHELL IS THE BEST LOOKING BIG FAT BLOCKHEAD evvvvver!!! 🙂 🙂
And make no mistake about it, you and David are the best things that have ever happened to that handsome bou!!! 🙂 And he is soooo handsome!! 🙂
Obviously after this post, we will all be aware of possible spleen issues with his symptoms. But prior to this post this would not even be on our radar! We would have thought the way you were! So let go of wudda-shudda-cudda right now! 🙂
Whatever the future holds, and we hope it's all sunny days, Mitch wouldn't trade one second of it no matter what, just as long as he can have you as his hoomans!! 🙂 Besides, Rosie and Chuckie are watching over all of you! They guided him tonyou in the first place
Love and 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!
We are home! Thank goodness... Mitchell seems to be doing a lot better today, (it was the can of food yesterday, lol) we picked him up when I got out of work. They told me he had much more pep today and was quite the vocal puppy in the kennel. We eased him into the car pretty well and he was good for the ride home. David took him out when we got in, and then he promptly layed right in the middle of the floor on the rug, has been there since. He is sleeping like a baby right now, I think he is a high stress pup when he is not home. He hasn't whined once since we got in. He has several good sized beds on the floor, I am going to try to keep him down for the next day or 2 but if he wants the couch it is not too far off the floor. He should be ok with mama and papa help. He hasn't been going upstairs so I don't think we have to worry about that. He didn't even want to go up the 2 stairs into the kitchen from outside.
I think tonight is going to be an early night for mama...
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry
WELCOME HOME MIGHTY MITCHELL 🙂 🙂 🙂
Nothing like HOME SWEET UOME to heal whatever ails ya'!! So glad to hear you're comfy and catching up on some good stress free rest! And we hope the same for your Mom tonight too!
Hugs to all the crew!
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!
paws120 said
Hey everybody,Please keep him in your prayers that these are benign and not hemangiosarcoma. This doctor was just phenomenal and I was so much better there with him than I would have been at home. She's even let me do a quick dental on him before we woke him up.
I know he's not a tripawd but he's a rescue and he's part of our family. I don't know what I'm going to do if his biopsy comes back bad, I can't even think about that right now because I won't stop crying if I go there. I have pictures, I'll post some soon.
Hugs,
Jackie
Jackie, you're all in our hearts! I wouldn't have gotten through the last 3 weeks without your support. Sending good vibes and hoping for the best, he has the sweetest face and love him with the sunglasses!
Hugs,
Camille & Otis
Yay for home!
Still chanting B9! B9! B9!
Karen
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Thank you so much, we had a good night last night and a good day today! He ate last night and today, and he found the couch. He actually seemed to have a better time climbing on to it, I know that sounds crazy. It's not high up, and he just had major surgery, but he is getting up gently even before we can get close enough to help. He has spent most of his time sleeping, and he hasn't had an accident yet. I was a little worried about the tramadol after everything I've heard in here, but it's not giving him any anxiety at all. Tonight I put his food in his bowl and he ate while on his couch. At first I got that "you're not gonna feed me?" look... But I just kept talking to him and he ate it all. Mr. Fussy is liking the Royal Canin S/O diet, YAY!
❤️❤️
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry
Yes I deedy, Mitch OWNS that couch!! Look at him all snuggly and cute! Smoooooching him! 🙂 🙂
To hear how well he's doing after all that surgery is just wonderful!! Paws crossed for no pee accidents. It looks like getting those stones out is working!
So glad he ate his supper! 🙂
Keep on healing up quickly Mr Mitchell!! You've got a lot more cpuch owning to do! 🙂
Lots of 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!
I was a little worried about the tramadol after everything I've heard in here, but it's not giving him any anxiety at all.
I've given Tramadol to 4 pups in the last several years- 3 have done just fine, no reaction at all. Maggie was the only one who flipped out- she was special that way 
Glad he is comfortable on his couch and is eating the special food OK. My 'special' girl would not touch the prescription diet we tried.
Karen
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
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