Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Oh Roadie is the sweetest thing and so very young. And, oh, it sounds like the little dear is suffering. My heart breaks for you in this heavy, overwhelming, and relentlessly chaotic time. Find some comfort in the fact that whatever you decide will be the right decision and absolutely, no matter what, a gift of love.
Give that little guy a smooch from us.
Sending good wishes for him and for you.
Carmen
Catie -
Birthday – November 4 2003
Amputation – January 13 2010
Crossed the Bridge – June 2 2011
"Does your pet's face appear furrowed or "worried", rather than relaxed and happy? Does it sit hunched or "hunkered" and tense, rather than relaxing and lying down? Lack of mobility can also be a sign of pain."
This is how I see him each and every day...no change.
Thank you Jerry for directing me to the 'coping with loss' section, although reading the posts had me bawling.
I am like the others in that I can't imagine making that final decision.
People keep telling me to follow my heart, but my heart flutters too wildly to make that decision.
Yet my mind clearly tells me that this dog is not bouncing back, not even in the slightest.
Thank you djblockman for thinking of us...we appreciate it so much.
Good morning Carmen...
You know what is really unique about Roadie? He has a perfect white cross covering
almost his entire chest. I've always called him my 'angel dog', because he has just always
been the best dog you could wish to own! (yup I'm bawling again)
Always so full of life running around, right there as soon as you walk in the door, a very
healthy appetite, and yes he used to dance like a poodle.
All of that has disappeared in a matter of weeks.....................
Oh Tammy. Roadie's still there; just keep giving him lots of loving. I know your heart must be fluttering - there's just so much uncertainty and grief and fear right now.
Remember to breathe.
Sending virtual hugs.
Carmen
Catie -
Birthday – November 4 2003
Amputation – January 13 2010
Crossed the Bridge – June 2 2011
Just sharing a recent post from Dr. Pam:
"don't know if this helps but the last dog I treated with vasculitis was a middle aged Rottie who started getting crusty skin sores that then broke open and would not heal. Her owners had been to a few other vets already and she wasn't responding to meds. We biopsied the sores and did an ultrasound with aspirates of her internal organs and her whole body was undergoing a severe inflammatory reaction with vasculitis. This dog had only lived in WA state and tested negative for heartworm and tick disease so her problem could have been autoimmune. Even with the steroids and other drugs she only lived 4 more months because her skin sloughed off leaving her tendons and muscles exposed. This happened to all four feet as well as parts of her face and body. The owner took great care of her and kept her bandaged but even the specialists could do nothing else for her so we had to let her go. Another very sweet dog with a very bad disease!
I think you either need to treat this aggressively by treating the primary cause (heartworm) as well as the secondary vasculitis or you need to consider euthanasia since this is a very painful and progressive disease. I am so sorry that you have to make this choice."
Pam
I wrote this and posted it just 8 days after I let my pug Maggie go. It was for a couple people who were close to the end with their pups. Maybe this will help you a little. Sending strong and peaceful thoughts your way.
Karen
Written and posted in Tripawds 6/10/10
Diane and Wendy,
I have been trying for an hour to compose this post. I know how I feel but I am having trouble finding the words…
One of my biggest stressors over the past few weeks was that I wouldn't know when Maggie was done. Over the past three months I asked her all the time to tell me when she was ready. Many people have said here that they knew when the time came, but I doubted and worried that I would get it right.
It helped me to have clear in my mind what quality of life was for Maggie, and to decide what conditions were not tolerable.
But beyond all my thinking and planning I knew- just looking at her I knew. I decided on that Tuesday night that she had reached the end of her battle.
Of course Mag gave me pause when my Dad came to see her on Wednesday morning- she played with him a bit and then went to the park with him. And the tiniest doubt crept in. But I thought about it and realized that she had had only an hour or two of good time in the past 24 hours, and that was just not enough.
We all have made gut wrenching decisions throughout this cancer battle. We decided on amputation, we decided on treatment, and we decided when it was time to stop treatment. We never could have imagined that we would have to make these choices, but when faced with it we found the strength.
If you reflect back on the cancer fight so far you will see how much strength you have gained. In some ways the cancer journey itself has
prepared us for the day when we come to the end of the road.
We have done the best we could, we have made all the hard choices. Everything we have done, all the decisions we have made, were made with love and only the best interest of our tripawds in our hearts. And because we made our decisions this way we cannot be wrong.
None of this makes the decision easy, I am missing Maggie every day. But what I do have now is a bit of peace- because I know with all my heart that I was right, I know I did the best I could, and I know Maggie is at peace, snoring a good pug snore on someone’s lap.
The compassion and outreach on this site to me is amazing! I thank each and everyone
who has posted their concern for Roadie.
Thank you for sharing your story with me Karen. I am sorry for the loss of your
sweet pug.
It truly is a battle within the mind to make such a decision, and I suppose we will
always question whether it truly was the right one or not. Well at least I will.
But it is a feeling that you get, a knowing that things just aren't right, and aren't
going to be again.
It's an instinctive knowing that your animal is on a path that will only bring them misery
or pain.
I feel it strongly, and I desperately wish that I didn't.
I had hoped that the amputation would end the illness/infection. I believe the doctor
when he told me that doing this would give the other leg a fighting chance. But the other
foot gets no better, and Roadie sits to me as if he is waiting to die.
Had the doctor went into detail as to the disease of vasculitis, I think now I may not have
done the amputation. He wasn't completely forthright with me whatsoever.
The heartworm is just one more thing this poor dog must deal with.
I just wish there were more honest vets out there such as Dr. Pam.
magicwabby said:
... but my heart flutters too wildly to make that decision.
We know it's hard, believe us, around here, we all know ... especially today on the 25-month anniversary of Jerry's passing. It's a shame our silly human emotions get in the way of that final act of compassion.
We documented how we coped with the unbelievably difficult decision to help release Jerry from his broken broken body in this two-part post about how we knew when to say goodbye. Review the comments there for even more advice and support. You are not alone.
The best Advice? Try to Be More Dog , look into Roadie's eyes, and let him tell you when the time is right to help him do what he cannot do on his own.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Yes, those good old emotions will get you every time. I am a highly emotional person,
so this feels triple hard for me.
I'm trying to step back from the emotions, and really look at what is happening to Roadie,
and what could in time happen to him.
He sits beside me now, I keep watching him fall over, as if he cannot get his balance at
all. Everytime I hear him slide to the side, I cringe for him. It's like he is so tired but he
won't or can't rest?
I look into his eyes, and they look lifeless to me. Like big, brown pools of sadness.
I see nothing bringing him joy.
I really wish I did................
thank you jerry's pack...I went to your blog, and he was truly a beautiful animal. May he
be resting in peace.
Sorry we just missed you in the Chat. Best wishes in the decisions you face, sounds like Roadie is helping you make them.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
I'm truly saddened by Roadie. I'm so sorry you had to put him through the amputation now knowing what was really going on. But you did what was best for him or so you thought. And just remember, you made that decision out of love. So, never feel bad about it.
Dr. Pam is an optimist so her advice is out of knowledge and compassion. She would never consider letting any dog go if there was hope of making them pain free.
I'm just so sorry.
You gave this little life a wonderful chance at happiness. That's really all dogs want whether it be a short or a very long life. Know in your heart, that did something amazing by giving Roadie love and a forever home. Had it not been for you, he may not have been rescued. But we know for sure, he wouldn't have been as loved as he was by you!
Again, we are here and will try virtually to help you get through it. We understand, so you are not alone.
Hugs,
Comet's mom
Comet - 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.
Thank you cometdog for your post, and your concern for Roadie.
I hate to say it, but I believe that last minute phone call before the amputation
was the vet second guessing his decision. I even asked him as he went on to me
about the problems, if he was telling me to put the dog down.
He didn't want to make the decision, he wanted me to do it.
I felt something was not right with that phone call.
His evasiveness with me since the surgery confirms that to me.
This amputation should never have been done in hindsight. There
were to many other factors going against Roadie.
Sigh...as soon as he comes to my side, he is gone again to be alone.
I am trusting in Dr Pam's advice, she seems to be straightforward and more importantly
HONEST. It is helping me to decide, as well as Roadie's actions.
Now to try to get through a job interview....push the emotions down, and smile I guess.
Thank you comet.
magicwabby said:
I am trusting in Dr Pam's advice, she seems to be straightforward and more importantly HONEST. It is helping me to decide, as well as Roadie's actions.
We are so sorry, this is a very difficult, heartbreaking situation.
We're glad that you have other great folks here to lean on, like Dr. Pam, but please remember that all of our ideas and suggestions given at Tripawds are for informational purposes only and not to be taken as medical advice. You should always consult with a vet who has hands-on experience with Roadie's situation and make decisions based on their expertise. Just had to put that legal-stuff disclaimer in there.
Hugs coming your way.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Jerry:
Dr. Pam has in my opinion given me information that my own vet has not.
She has told me what vasculitis IS , what it can do, and what the probable outcome
is if it is not treated promptly.
Think about it this way ok...this vet has been in business for 40 yrs. He knew it was
vasculitis/heart worm before he amputated. He should I would think also know that once
he amputated he could not or it would not be advisable to treat the heartworm/vasculitis
b/c it is dangerous to the weak, fragile dog.
So where does that leave us then?
We have a dog that he admits he cant treat for these illness b/c of the amputation.
So then we have a dog that is failing b/c he can't take the medicine he needs to stop the
progress of his diseases.
It seems like a really messed up situation to me, wouldn't you agree?
I'm just really devastated to see my dog ambling off to a corner, and just sitting there
listlessly. No matter how much attention/love we give him, it's like he can only take so much,
and he shuffles away. I feel his DEPRESSION....and it leaves me so lost and confused as to how
to help him, if I can help him at all?
Like most of us, you did what you thought was best for your dog. We can't see the future to know exactly how things will turn out. Easier said than done, but there is no point in wishing you made a different decision. You did what was best given the information you had. Many of us would have done things differently when it comes to vet treatment if we knew how things would turn out. But those worries tend to matter to us, not to our dogs. They enjoy our love, regardless of whether their time is short or long.
You seem to have said that the vets say there is no way to help him medically right now. Do I understand that correctly? Obviously we don't want our dogs to suffer when nothing can be done to change that state. Usually they will have a certain look when they are not interested in living any longer. In my dog's case, that change happened quickly - during the day he was lively and excited about a long-distance trip we were making (to a vet hospital very far away for treatment). By the night, he was increasingly uncomfortable and by the next morning, I could see he was in pain and no longer enjoying life. Unfortunately there was no possibility of rectifying that situation. All I could do to help him then was to find a vet to relieve his suffering. It is not enjoyable to make such decisions. At the same time, I am glad we have the option to relieve our dogs' pain. Sometimes, that is an extremely important way in which we can help our dogs.
I do hope you get some other news from your vet or that Roadie perks up. I wish you and Roadie all the best.
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