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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Hello there! I'm sorry for my english but i'm italian and fortunately i've found this super community, and i'm so thankful.. so thank you everyone coz in italy is not so common going thru amputation and chemo.for dogs!
On 12/1 we decided to amputate her front left leg and shoulder! I was and i am so devasteted! She is my best friend and my sweet girl!
She's recovering very quickly, she surprised me every single day! We already did her 1 chemo on 12/10.. and she had no side effects. Just in her second day after chemo she didn't eat all her food at lunch!!!The morning of the same day she run for about 10/15 minutes at the mountain, she had so much fun and she was very happy! She run with 3 paws as she did with 4! Fearless and happy as usual, i was so impressed !
She's teaching me a lot.. i'm super proud of her! It's me the problem, because i'm so emotional and so scared to loose her! When i adopted her i was very young, just 26 yo, and i'm grown with her! Sometimes i start crying and loose my strenght.. i kown that she feels everything.. but i can't help myself.. i'm not strong enough!
Hope she has the will to fight with me... and her little bro Rudy
Hi Mary and Lola, welcome! You found the best place for emotional support, we are so glad you posted. Your next posts won't need to wait for approval.
I'm sorry about the diagnosis. As you can see though, Lola is taking it much better than any human does! Animals are incredible and we learn just how awesome they are at a time like this. You ARE strong enough, I know it! Don't doubt yourself. You made a tough decision in a place where three-legged dogs are uncommon, and that took lots of strength.Â
The more you see how well Lola does, the more you will feel more confident. It just takes time. You will get there!
Sounds like she is getting terrific care, what a lucky dog. Chemotherapy treatments don't last forever and it sounds like she is handling things very well!
Do you have any photos of Lola? We would love to se them!
This is how adding images to the Forums works.
- Upload pics to a photo sharing site like imgur.com or your own Tripawds blog.
- 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 how to do it, let me know or just email a few photos to me.
Let us know what questions you have OK? We are here to help.Â
Oh be sure to check out the amazing Three Paw the Two Legged Cat, she was from Italy too!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Lola is a very lucky gal to be so loved by you.....and she is clearly very .loved!!
Yes, our dogs teach us so much on this tripawd journey. She jas already taught you your strength is greater than. you realize. After all, she picked you years ago because she knew you were strong enough to be by her side thrpugh thick and thin....and you knew she would do the same for you💖
Hearing how well Lola has recovered is why we do what we do! She's .loving life and gets to be a pain free Lola😎  Thanks so muc for sharing this sweet Soul with us. You are doing a great job!
Looking g forward to seeing pictures of Lola and Ridy too!!
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!
Thank you for your support and your sharing love...
I would love to share some pictures of her and her new condition! She loved and she still loves life!Â
Guess that after her leg amputation, she came to me and my husband on her own! When we came home from the vet she suddenly went to the back yard and pee on her own 3 legs, alone! After that she jumped to her favourite place , her sofa and she felt asleep! After 1 hour i made dinner and she ate everything! I was so confused but so happy.. so scared but so incredibly astonished!
In her recovery she never cried, and she didn't take any kind of pain relievers, just the antibiotic for the wound!Â
We've started the third week after surgery.. the only thing that make me doubt about all the situation is that our oncologist told us that she has to do chemo for the rest of her life!Â
I've read so much in these days, and usually dog has to do 4/6 session ofchemo after surgery! Why Lola has to do till the rest of her days? What do you think about it?Â
Also he didn't prescribe her any kind of supplements! Like calcium , vitamins.. anything.. i really don't understand why!Â
Moreover i've noticed that when she fell asleep she has a lot of muscle spasms. She always had, actually, but after surgery they increased a lot. I should tell to the oncologist/vet?Â
Now she's sleeping next to me,and she's in peace!
Lola's weight is 15 kilos, a little bit overweight actually, but we are trying to help her to lose some! She's a small/medium dog and nobody expect osteosarcoma in a dog like her 
I would love to share her pictures with you just dont undestand how to do! I think that i'll send you my fav ones by email!
Thanks for your help! Thank you for everything you do for me and other people all over tje world in my situation!Â
Big hugs from us, mary lola and rudy
Hi Mary,
It's so good to hear back from you. Your English is GREAT by the way. I wish my Italian was as good (I don't know ANY!). I'll try to answer your questions:
I’ve read so much in these days, and usually dog has to do 4/6 session ofchemo after surgery! Why Lola has to do till the rest of her days? What do you think about it?Â
Hmm. What kind of chemotherapy drugs is she getting now? And when your oncologist mentioned chemotherapy for life, was he talking about metronomics , which is a low dose pill form of chemo that you give at home? That wouldn't be too unusual, it's often done for osteosarcoma. Our Jerry took it and many here have.
Also he didn’t prescribe her any kind of supplements! Like calcium , vitamins.. anything.. i really don’t understand why!Â
Many vets just don't have the background for what is known as "nutraceuticals." You can ask for a referral to see if your vet knows someone who specializes in natural medicine. If not, I recommend the Dog Cancer Survival Guide for some guidance on nutrition and supplements. It's an awesome book.
Lola’s weight is 15 kilos, a little bit overweight actually, but we are trying to help her to lose some!Â
Good for you! Losing the extra weight will help her get around even better. Check out our Tripawds Nutrition blog weight loss tips for some ideas.
Hope this helps. I'll be on the lookout for your email with photos!Â
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
And now, here's Lola! What a beauty.
That last one is Lola and her brother Rudy.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
CUTENESS ALERT!!! Lola is absolutely adorable!!! Cute and very pretty too! And her brother Rudy is a very handsome fella! Two adorable pups!!
Keep the cuteness coming😎
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 guys... sooooo much for helping me in sharing my little tripaw!
I really don't remember about what kind of drug she's taking at the moment! I think carbo (something).. her first day of chemo i was so scared, much more than her, so afraid about side effects that i didn't listent to my vet so carefully! When he said that she has to continue to the rest of her life i thought :" well, she's a lost cause, she will never be free of chemo!"
Thank you so much for nutrition advices and supplements! I'll talk to my oncologist about everything and this time i'll promise to be more "pawsitive" and careful! I'll let you know guys what will say!
Next app will be on 01/07. Do you have any advice for 2 chemo? What should i expect this time?
Can't wait to show you some other pictures of her!Â
Wishing you a great day!
Big hugs from us 3!
Yeah, I think I'm going to remember everything the Vet says at the app and by the time I get out the door I can't remember a thing!! On really "import" appointments now, I take my tavlet to video the appointment including all my questions and all their answers. That way when I get home I can rev in a relaxed state.
Sou ds like Lola is on CARBOPLATIN. Carboplatin is the main treatment given for osteosarcoma. It usually anywhere from four to six treatments every three weeks. Bloodwork is drawn about a week before each inject to ,ake sure the white blood count is normal. Some the wbc can indicate a "reaction" and chemo may be delayed a week or so while an ant is given. Â
Often a Vet will send a dog home with an anti nausea pill called Cerenia. Sometimes a dog may show a little nausea around the third day or so after treatment.
,eep yummy food around in case she doesn't want to eat for a day or so. Â
Everything I just mentioned is no biggie and can easily be handled, and may not even happen..
Hope this answers soe of your questions and gives you some solutions.
Your doing such a great job👌👌
HugsÂ
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!
Aww she isn't a lost cause at all. Ask your vet about metronomics and see if that's what he is talking about.
I think the biggest thing to prepare for her next chemo is to make sure you have some anti-nausea medication on hand, like Sally advised. Here in the States the most popular one is Cerenia but Ondansetron (Zofran) is another. Also having some canned pumpkin pulp on hand is good too, in case she gets runny 
. She may not, and if that's the case, great! You can bake pumpkin dog treats for her!Â
The Tripawds Nutrition blog has appetite boost tips you may want to check out.Â
For now, just snuggle up together and enjoy having your girl here, happy and joyful, loving life with you and Rudy!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
She is Beautiful! I can't really answer much about chemo. But I would say don't waste time wondering how much time she has left. With or with out cancer no one can answer that question. Not even the vet. Brownies vet said two, maybe three months and he lived one year and eight days.
Brownie taught me to Embrace each day! As they say on this site "Be More Dog " and live in the moment.
As Jerry said the book "The Dog Cancer Survival Guide " is a great book! I had it for Brownie. There is recipes. For dogs with cancer you want to feed high protein, and Stay away from sugar and carbs as much as possible. Cancer feeds on sugar. They also have alot of supplement suggestion. You can look on the nutrition blog and see K9 immunities. They have a mushroom powder that you can mix into her food. I do wish I would of started Brownie on joint supplements at time of amputation. I recommended starting that as soon as possible.
It sounds like Lola is in great hands, and it is clear how much you love her!
Nancy and Angel Brownie
My Beautiful Beloved Brownie was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma on February 26, 2019. With all odds against him he lived an additional one year and eight days with amputation, love, and prayer. I was honored to be his mom, and I have never been so proud! He will live forever in my Heart!
04/01/2007 - 03/05/2020
"March Saint"
Hi. The pics of Lola are great. My Maggie lost her right front leg going on 3 years now. We are still amazed how well she does with just three legs. Her case is different as she did not lose her leg due to cancer. Her case was due to neglect. Even after what she went through, she is still very loving to humans. We are blessed to have her in our lives and look forward to what ever the future has in store for her. Lola is going to teach you so much. They bounce back and get on with life. Remember, enjoy your time with her now and not dwell on how long or what will be next.Â
Please take advantage of all of the information and support available within this site. Everyone that I have met here are really caring people.
Dave & MaggieÂ
I can ditto everything Maggie's dad said. Brownie and I had the prilege to meet Maggie and her family. She is one happy and lucky dog to find such a loving family.
Nancy and Angel Brownie
My Beautiful Beloved Brownie was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma on February 26, 2019. With all odds against him he lived an additional one year and eight days with amputation, love, and prayer. I was honored to be his mom, and I have never been so proud! He will live forever in my Heart!
04/01/2007 - 03/05/2020
"March Saint"
Good morning everyone and thank you so much for your advices, tips, suggestion and you support.Â
i'm so blessed to have found you and this community. Your words really made my days.Â
i'm trying to be positive and living each day not thiking about what will be, or about future. It's so hard for me, but i'm trying to be strong and positive for her.Â
We had a wonderful weekend. we went to the mountain on saturday evening and we enjoyed sun ( finally ) and some fresh air. She was very happy. She enjoyed every seingle moment over ther. She fell once because she was running very very fast, but immediately she got up and she kept running all over, and played with her favorites toys '' stones ''
i just noticed one thing, i don't know if you noticed too with your boys 🙂Â
When she can run freely she gets less tired than when we go out for a walk with a leash. I think that running is easier for her then walking. She run so fast.. she run after stones and wooden sticks licke she did before with 4 paws.Â
Just when we got back home she proved to be tired. she jumped over the sofa and she lyied down next to me till dinner time. She ate everything obviusly. I forgot to mention that our vet call her '' the famelic lola '' 🙂 🙂 she loves food.. so you can immagine that helping her in loosing some fat is a very hard battle to fight.
she is so strong, so joyful. I'm very proud of her! she is adapting so quickly to her new condition, i've never imagined that! Of course there are days when she is more tired than others, but she is always super joyful. I love her so much!Â
Today i'm free from work so this evening i'll go to Animal's shop to look for some supplements as you suggested.I'll let you know what i'll find.
https://www.dro.....jpg?dl=0Â Â Â can you see this picture?Â
wish you a wonderl day 🙂
big hugs from us.
When you walk her are you using a harness? My vet told me you should not use a collar on a front leg amputee. Brownie had a webmaster Flagline  harness. It also jas a handle for helping her when she needs it. You can find it on the gear blog. Just an idea.
My Beautiful Beloved Brownie was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma on February 26, 2019. With all odds against him he lived an additional one year and eight days with amputation, love, and prayer. I was honored to be his mom, and I have never been so proud! He will live forever in my Heart!
04/01/2007 - 03/05/2020
"March Saint"
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