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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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Member Since:
27 May 2011
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27 May 2011 - 7:56 am
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my name is gillian and live in the UK. My lurcher Dizzy had to have her leg amputated on tuesday as a tumour showed up on her xray. The vet xrayed her chest and that seemed clear .She is feeling sorry for herself but managing ok so far i look forward to reading everyones stories and i am sure i have a hundred questions

Dizzy diagnosed with osteosarcoma 24 may 2011 amputated same day doing fine hopping around on three legs giving the neighbourhood cats what for

On The Road


Member Since:
24 September 2009
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27 May 2011 - 8:53 am
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Welcome and thanks for joining. Your future posts will not require moderation.

It is much more likely that Dizzy is just doped up on the pain meds, rather than "feeling sorry for herself". You'll find lots of recovery and care tips in Jerry's Required Reading List, and for immediate answers to the most common dog amputation questions consider downloading the Tripawds e-book Three Legs and A Spare.

We look forward to hearing more about Dizzy... what kind of Tumor? Which leg? What medication is she on? See, we have plenty of questions too! smiley

Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet

In your heart, where I belong.
Member Since:
9 February 2011
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27 May 2011 - 9:08 am
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Welcome, Gillian! Nobody wants to join this club, but you'll be glad you did! Please give us all of Dizzy's details and post some pictures. Everyone here wants to know the good stuff and the bad stuff, but pictures are the best! If Dizzy has any problems during recovery, this is the absolute best place to come for help. Again, welcome!

Shari

From abandoned puppy to Tripawd Warrior Dude, Dakota became one of the 2011 February Furballs due to STS. Our incredibly sweet friend lived with grace and dignity till he impulsively raced over the Bridge on 12-15-12.

Dakota's thoughtful and erudite blog is at http://shari.tr.....pawds.com/

On The Road


Member Since:
24 September 2009
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27 May 2011 - 9:23 am
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Hi Gillian and Dizzy, welcome! It's always so neat to have UK members here!

What kind of tumor did she have? Yeah, we get into the nitty gritty here.

Well, just wanted to say welcome, and let us know however we can help OK?

Get well soon Dizzy!

Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet

Member Since:
27 May 2011
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27 May 2011 - 10:39 am
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thanks all   it is her front left leg the meds she's on are tramadol and metacam not sure if they are the same as in the states and she has antibiotics too. The type of tumour she had I'm not sure about as it was my husband who dealt with the vets and he can't remember we decided against a biopsy as we wanted to treat as fast a possible.  I will try post pics once i have found my way around the forum a bit and i will definitley have a look at the reading list. At the minute the biggest problem we are having is when she stretches while laid on the stump and she screams in pain. Well that and controling the other 2 dogs

Dizzy diagnosed with osteosarcoma 24 may 2011 amputated same day doing fine hopping around on three legs giving the neighbourhood cats what for

Member Since:
4 September 2010
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27 May 2011 - 7:56 pm
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Hi Gillian and Dizzy,

Sorry way to meet but so glad you found us. There are always more questions than you can ask the vet, usually you remember as you are getting in the car. Each dog is so individual in thier response to the loss of a limp and follow up treatment. Are you going to do supplements and chemo? How old is Dizzy, forgive me if you mentioned it already I was speed reading and didn't notice. Age has lots to do with how soon they respond to the recovery process. We have a 14 year old border collie that lost her back leg last Sept. and a tripawd cat that is not quite a year that lost his front left leg in January and the recovery time was so different and abilities were vastly different. There will be hills and valleys regardless of age and some days there will be more pain than others. We kept a soft comforter where Zip slept and made her stay on that till she was let out to walk or bathroom. Dizzy will learn and remember quite soon not to roll on that area and after awhile it won't hurt anyway. Hold on the first two-three weeks can be a bit overwhelming but you can get through it.

Best wishes and keeping the paws that are left crossed for  you, Dizzy.

Zip and Susan

Member Since:
4 September 2010
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27 May 2011 - 7:57 pm
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The monkeys made me misspell limb sorry.

Madison, WI
Member Since:
5 December 2009
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27 May 2011 - 8:21 pm
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I wonder if pain meds have her a little loopy still and that's why she forgets not to lay like that.  Though, it could have not much to do with how she lays and actually be phantom limb pain.  Just unuseful speculation from me, I guess – sorry!  My front leg tripawd (osteosarcoma and passed on in 2009) laid on his incision almost from the first day home and it never seemed to bother him, he just seem to like it.  Gerry though (injury, back leg amputee) did seem to have some sensitivity to lying on his.  Results vary!  Hang in there – you're doing great with a lousy situation.  It will pass.

Gerry has been a tripawd since 12/16/2009.

He was a shelter dog with a mysterious past and an irrepairable knee injury.

Videos and pics of Gerry's pawesomeness can be found at: http://gerry.tripawds.com

Chicago, IL
Member Since:
5 March 2011
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27 May 2011 - 10:03 pm
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Welcome, Gillian and Dizzy.  This is definitely the place to be, just post your questions and you will get all the answers and support you need.  We never would have made it without the Tripawds community.  I'm sure Dizzy will do fine, and trust me, it does get better.

http://tate.tripawds.com/
August 16, 2006 to November 28, 2011
TATE ~ Forever in our hearts.

Member Since:
27 May 2011
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28 May 2011 - 10:41 am
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she is a rescue dog so we think she is around 7 she had/has osteosarcoma she had her first post op vet check today and they are happy with how it is healing. The chemo route I'm not sure yet and I will need advice on if we should do it or not. The xray showed her chest as clear but I understand that that doesn't mean there isn't something small there. Our vet seems reluctant to go down the chemo route saying it would only give her 6 months to a year if it has spead but that time would be precious to me and worth it.

Dizzy diagnosed with osteosarcoma 24 may 2011 amputated same day doing fine hopping around on three legs giving the neighbourhood cats what for

On The Road


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28 May 2011 - 2:29 pm
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gillian said:

The chemo route I'm not sure yet and I will need advice on if we should do it or not...

Be sure to review this popular topic with members discussing chemotherapy for their dogs.

If we had a vet tell us any treatment option might "only give us 6 months" we would likely be seeking another opinion. Just remember, it's all about quality of life, not quantity. And if you decide to proceed with chemo but don't like the reaction or results, no law says you must continue.

You might also want to consider metronomics and/or immune boosting supplements like K9 Immunity, or Power Mushrooms.

Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet

In your heart, where I belong.
Member Since:
9 February 2011
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28 May 2011 - 3:23 pm
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gillian said:

 but that time would be precious to me and worth it.

Gillian, I think you have answered your own question about whether or not you want to do chemo. If–and it can be a huge if–the dog handles it well enough so that you don't regret doing it, then why not? As Mr. Admin said, you aren't committed to doing it for any longer than you and Dizzy think it's worthwhile.

Personally, I don't think I could do it to gain only a few months. Financially, it would have been impossible so I'm fortunate that I didn't have to face it. But a year? That's huge! And who knows, anyway, how long it could buy her? Nobody does, so you are left just following your heart. And your heart dearly loves Dizzy.

Shari

From abandoned puppy to Tripawd Warrior Dude, Dakota became one of the 2011 February Furballs due to STS. Our incredibly sweet friend lived with grace and dignity till he impulsively raced over the Bridge on 12-15-12.

Dakota's thoughtful and erudite blog is at http://shari.tr.....pawds.com/

Las Vegas, Nevada
Member Since:
14 August 2009
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28 May 2011 - 10:38 pm
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Welcome Gillian!

 

I'm sorry to hear about the diagnoses.  But you've come to the right place!

 

Just remember, there is no wrong answers when it's made out of love.  A lot here have done chemo and a lot have not.  But there are many that have lived a long, long time without it and many that didn't that had it.  So, you see it's not always the key to killing cancer.

It's a personal decision with no right or wrong answer. 

 

Wishign you all the best!

Her Retired AvatarComet - 1999 to 2011

She departed us unexpectedly  January 23, 2011 at the age of 12 1/2.

She was born with a deformed front leg and a tripawd all of her life.

Member Since:
14 April 2010
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29 May 2011 - 5:44 am
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Welcome to the family. I am going to suggest that the yelping could be phantom pain . Gus  started having that about 5 days post op, and when it first hit you thought he was hit by a car. He would have a couple spells a day, sometimes at night, I would just stay with him as it was happening, it usually lasted 10-15 seconds but it does rip your heart out. Gabapentin helped him with that, it lasted about 4 weeks but by that time his crys would be more like soft whimpers. We decided to not do chemo, partly for financial reasons but my fear was side effects, he was a very active dog and watching him lay around not being able to do what he liked would have killed me, so I opted to not do it. Several here have had good luck with it, it is a personal choice, you make the decisions with their best interst in mind and hope the outcome is positive. Personally, I'm glad you skipped the biopsy, we did it and it still came back negative, to me it was wasted money and time in addressing the problem.. Don't be afraid to ask anything,m experience gives the best answers. You will be amazed at how well Dizzy will do once her initial healing is over, just try to get some sleep if you get the chance, its something you might find rare the next couple weeks. Goodl uck and Paws up, Spirit Gus and Dan

My buddy Gus had a left front amputation on April 7, 2010 and lived a great life until July 26,2010

Greater Western Washington area
Member Since:
25 August 2010
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29 May 2011 - 7:22 am
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Hi Gillian and Dizzy,

Welcome!  How is Dizzy doing now?  What kind of dog is a lurcher? 

As far as chemo goes, everyone said it best.  I did chemo for my boy.  There are so many kinds of chemo!  We did both the injectable carboplatin, and then now we are doing the daily metronomic pills.  I don't know if it will give him more time, but I wanted to do all that I could for him.  Now my financial cirmcumstances have changed so if it happened to us now I wouldn't be able to do what I did back then.  All I can say for us is we just did what we could.

 

Diagnosed with osteosarcoma in the right front leg 8/23/10,

leg fractured 8/27/10,

leg amputated 8/30/10

http://sammyand.....pawds.com/

 

I couldn't begin to say how special Sammy is to us.  Living and laughing with and loving this wonderful boy is priceless.

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