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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We are meltdown friendly so don't be shy!
Take things one day at a time. Things can change quickly as far as lab results and all that, but your pup will never know the difference, all she wants is for the whole pack to be happy. Breathe and know that you can get through anything that comes your way, and we'll be here to lean on when you feel like melting down again OK?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
thanks every one, yesterday was a good day. We will get her lymph results back on tues morning and she will already be in the vets by 9am, so I've moved work around so i can have the day off as we then have to decide whether we go ahead with surgery or not. I don't think id be very client friendly if i had a meltdown at work- its never pretty and not fair on them or my lovely colleagues to deal with it too ! I'm relieved ill have a clear day for post christmas cleaning which helps me to vent on hairy dog carpets etc !!
Wow Leos mum you are in the uk too, so glad of this site i bet you are too.
you've probably heard of Haatchi who is an anotolian shephard he was dumped on train tracks and run over, lost his leg and tail and has been adopted by a wonderful family. Haatchi and their son who has a medical condition have saved each others lives and together show the world that being different is such a good thing and they help wounded soldiers and all kinds of charities over here. Haatchi is so huge and is an amazing tripaw ambassador. They had a wonderful book out last year about both their life stories.
Well off for a walk in the rain again, lilly happily wears a coat in bad weather. i thought id try one on jess yesterday- we've had so much rain I'm surprised she hasn't shrunk! but she was terrified and would walk a few steps then stand still shaking, so i ended up carrying the coat whilst she span round in joyful circles ! she is not as DOG as Lilly !
take care everyone and Leo- you rock x
Hi
i am still on the my puppy has 3 legs stage however I keep telling people his name is Leo not "that pup with 3 legs"'as he's a character in his own right. After all u wouldn't refer to a person in a wheelchair by any other name lol!
I have updated Leo's blog with all the photos from day 1 amputation all the way through to now 🙂
i took daily photos as I wanted to see any subtle changes before they became an issue for Leo 😘
Proud Mummy to Leo the Trio
People can be so insensitive. I think you have done an amazing job with Leo he has a huge big name to live up to as well, he will know no different as he never learned to walk on 4 legs in the first place.
the photos are fantastic , what great healers animals are they just want to get on with life and don't have our silly human thoughts and feelings to deal with
how are the other puppies with Leo? hope they are an enjoyable bundle of chaos and joy
I am afraid to say they are certainly chaos between them all lol.
But great fun to. Currently we are learning how to sit and ask nicely for strokes or treats which they picked up quickly but thankfully the puppy pen keeps them at bay! Or we wouldn't have a house left lol. I said the only time when my house looks like a bomb site when we have puppies 😂 but still great fun!
Proud Mummy to Leo the Trio
Aww i bet they are really cute.
We've had a lovely day with visitors who knew lilly from the day we first got her and went through all the lurcher puppy chaos with us.
Getting a bit jittery as lillys lymph biopsy is in the morning, i think she will just be cross to miss breakfast again
we are having snuggles on the sofa, she is slowly trying to push me off as she's already got most of the space and i am squished in the corner, I'm being grumbled at for being on the lap top instead of stroking her!
Will be back in touch on tues once we decide whether to go ahead with surgery x
Hoping for the best possible results from the biopsy.
No matter what comes back, no matter what you decide to do, we are here for you and Lilly the entire way.
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Ditto Karen!
Good thing Lilly loves in the moment and isn't worried about tomorrow. Otherwise, if she knew what she was facing....MISSING BREAKFAST...she'd really be ticked off!
Sending 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!
after long chats with our very patient vet and a lot of soul searching we have decided not to go ahead with surgery and chemo. We are going to go ahead with holistic and palliative care and enjoy being with Lilly for the time she has left. We will go to all her favourite places and get in some wintry beach time with doggy and human friends.
Lilly is happy, cheeky and painfree at the moment. We have a tonne of meds to help to keep her happy and she is getting on with them well showing no signs of side effects. She's made of tough stuff
It is the most difficult decision we have ever had to make and I'm grateful for the support of friends, family and the Tripawd family.
Everyone struggles with the decision to amputate or not and nobody here will judge you for making a different decision. Lily is loved, and the decision you made is made out of love. So enjoy your time together, try not to second guess yourselves, and just live each day fully as possible. Lily lives in the moment! And if you're with her, then this moment is good. That is all that really matters.
Denise, Bill and Angel Ellie.
Active 10+ Pyr mix suddenly came up lame with ACL tear in left rear leg. Scheduled for a TPLO but final pre-op x-rays indicated a small suspicious area, possibly OSA, which could have caused the ACL tear. Surgeon opened the knee for TPLO but found soft bone. Biopsy came back positive for OSA. Became a Tripawd 9/18/14. Carbo6 with Cerenia and Fluids. Pain free and living in the moment. Crossed the Bridge on 7/12/15 after probable spread of cancer to her cervical spine. A whole lifetime of memories squeezed into 10 months. Here's her story: Eloise
We understand completely, and are here to support you throughout your journey no matter what. It's never and easy decision and not everyone amputates here so don't be shy and let us know if you have any questions OK?
Work with your vet to manage her pain well and you will give her kind of end of life care she so deserves. You may also want to tune in to this Sunday's Tripawd Talk Radio, where we'll talk with veterinary pain management specialist Dr. Mike Petty.
{{{{hugs}}}}
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Amputation is definitely not innthe cards for everyone, that's for sure! You have an alternative plan and can move forward. There's always a sense of relief when a decision is made in your dog's best interest and from a place of love.
By not doing that in no way means you and Lilly are giving up! Holostic treatment has a lot of advantages and can certainly add a lot of extended quality time, as can palliative care! When a dog is happy and loved and spoiled and the pain is being managed, that can certainly help extend Lilly's quality time too!
Being able to fill Lilly's bucket list everyday and without being poked and prodded by a vet certainly has it's advantages!!
As Michelle always reminds us, take lots of pictures and make sure you are in some of them! I do hope you can figure out how to post photos. We would love, love, love to see Lilly!!
Lilly became part of oir family with your first post. We will be cheering for her and look forward to hearing all the different waysnyou have figured out how to spoil her even more than the day before!
Stayninnthe moment. Let NOTHING rob you of yoiur time together! Today is all that matters. And Lilly is having a great day!
Oh, a small bowl of ice cream with each meal is a great nutritional supplement...from a "bucket list" point of view!
Sending lots of 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!
Thanks for all your lovely comments. Typing this whilst Jess is lying on my feet and Lillys head is in my lap, so sweet and cosy. Ive been trying again to attach a photo and just end up with a blue box with a question mark in it 🙁
Im glad we have made a plan and a decision, i slept well last night for the first time in ages. We had a long meeting with our vet yesterday to discuss our plan and will see him in 2 weeks for a progress check. I know the chance is a very very small one but we decided to put her on antibiotics just in case its an infection and not OSC, think we are clutching at straws but as there are 4 dogs in a few thousand that turn out not to have OSC then someone has to be one of those 4 dogs?
she is so good at taking her meds- wrapped in ham of course, but doesn't like the antibiotics 2 have ended up under the fridge and noone wants to check under the fridge who knows what we will find thats been under there for years!!
virtual hugs back to you all, ill ask my bloke if he can get some photos on here x
l1lly said
Ive been trying again to attach a photo and just end up with a blue box with a question mark in it...
FYI: Here are detailed steps for adding photos to forum posts
. If you do not already share photos online somewhere, you can start a free Tripawds blog
and upload them there. If you need further assistance, post in the Tech Support forum
or send a PM and we can meet in the chat to help you out. 
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
If God..Budda...Universe...Spirit...(I think I covered them all), didn't want us to "clutch onto straws", they never would have been invented!! Heck ueah, try those antibiotics!
Hope youcan figure out to post pictures. Can't wait to see Lilly and Jess! For whatever it's worth, I have a tavlet and my screen is very different from "real computers". So sometimes when directions reference a certain "thing/icon" my screen doesn't show that "thing"! Sooo, point being, don't hesitate to ask for help. You can even email pictures to Jerry and they can post them for you.
I love your comment about what's u der the fridge!
I would hate to think what I would find!
The fact that you finally got a good night's sleep is a nice "intuitive" validation that you have made the best decision for Lilly. Sometw a "decision" like this is the Universe's way of preventing something far worse from happening, whatever that may mean.
Hugs to Lilly and Jess...and a few for you too! Now what "forbidden" great is Lilly going to have tonight? My Happy Hannah woukd have ice cream, and ...shhh...even an occasional M&M!
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!
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