Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi,
My dog Sadie is a 7.5 year old Rottweiler. As we live in North lake Tahoe she is very active running and swimming and chasing squirrels through the forest. In November she hurt her front leg and, as seams to be the usual case with Osteosarcoma, I thought it was a sprain. I kept her on leash walks only and she got better only to keep re-injuring it when I let her loose. In January I took her to see her veterinarian and was given the shocking diagnosis. The X-rays showed a lesion in her upper humerus.
A friend mentioned that UC Davis had some clinical trials and I looked online and applied. They wanted to see her and I took her in. They did an aspirate of the bone and it was conclusive with Osteosarcoma. Amputation was recommended and on Thursday 2/11 they did the amputation as part of a clinical trial evaluating long acting local anesthetic pain control .
Every thing went good and she stayed there two nights. I picked her up on Saturday night.
The Doctors, nurses and staff have been very good.
She is recovering at home now. She needs to rest for two weeks until the stitches come out.
I was surprised that she walked up the stairs pretty well when we got home.
It is hard to see her so inactive but hopefully she will bounce back when she is healed.
Thanks for creating this site to help us go through this!
Loooove Sadie's avatar photo! She is adorable-
Sorry you fj d yourself here. But you are jn the best place for support, understanding and knowledge. We know it's a shock to hear the news, but Sadie is already showing you she's unfazed by what Vets have to say and she's just ready to get on with being Sadie!!
She absolutely will bounce back. Right now though se needs rest and recovery time. She just had MAJOR surgery, all while adjusting to life on three! Just short leashed potty breaks for now and back in for rest.
How is she doing eating, drinking, pottying, etc? Pain seem to be managed?
Let us know if you jave any questions, okay? Try and get some rest yourself. Recovery doesn't last furever....it just seems like it.
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!
Hi Tony and cute Sadie, welcome! So that's your blog? I see it! Been meaning to check it out all day, going to head over there but first, welcome. I'm sorry you had to join our club but thank you for sharing your experience. It will be so helpful to others! Also you are in GREAT hands with UC Davis! They are amazing vets! Check out our UC Davis vet interviews.
Let us know if you have any questions at all about her recovery or life on 3 legs. We are here to help!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi,
Thanks for the nice replies. Right now she is eating fine but not drinking much. I am feeding her cooked meats and vegetables. Today her back legs are a little shaky but maybe that is because she was bloated and adjusting. She did not poop until tonight. She is definitely tired an getting a lot of rest.
Yes that is my blog but I think, like the admin said, the forums will be better.
Thanks,
Tony
Hi Tony and Sadie. Welcome. You'll find lots of support and help here! I am so sorry about Sadie but she will sail through this.
Yesterday I posted a video of my dog Jake on this forum under "Jakes Journey". It is his 10 month ampuversary on the 21st. So check it out so you can see how quickly our furballs recover and prove to us that their 4th leg is "only a spare"
YAY FOR 💩💩 !! And YAY for EATING!!! maybe you can add a little extra water in her food which, btw, sounds like a gourmet meal cooked by her own personal Chef😎
IF possible. try to avoid stairs for now. And if you jave hardwood floors, put down some nonslip scatter rugs for traction .
Curious about the trial on the long lasting a anesthetic pain control. Did they send her home with any pain meds?
Tha ks for the update. Try and get some rest.
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!
Wow Jake looks great and he does all the things Sadie loves to do! It gives me a lot of hope.
Sadie seemed to walk fine but now here back legs seem a bit stiff, but she is only a few days post surgery. Did that happen to Jake?
Did you do any Chemo or anything after?
Sadie will be wonky for a while but she will get there! Remember, if we put ourselves in our dog or cat's paws and try to picture how we would be after amputating a limb, we wouldn't be handling it nearly as well as they do. Animals are so much more resilient than we humans.
You can try to get her to take in more water by offering her no-sodium broth, or even water spiked with Gatorade.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi Tony. I think Sadie is doing much better than Jake was at this point! Jake had a rough first 2 weeks because he wouldn't eat and had to go back to the vet for IV antibiotics and pain killers. You'll see a remarkable difference in Sadie in 1-2 weeks. At least she is eating well. She is now getting used to her "sea legs".
Jake had a soft tissue sarcoma in his left front elbow. Due to it's location it couldn't be excised. So the oncologist did xrays to check Jake's lungs and the cancer hadn't spread. He said if we removed Jake's leg the cancer would be eliminated. If we waited to amputate there was a higher chance of it spreading. So we did the amputation right away and they said he didn't need chemo or radiation. It was so hard but we're real happy we did because Jake seems very happy. I have a carriage for long walks that he jumps into when he gets tired.
Keep hugging Sadie and she'll be good as new by summer! You'll be amazed at how fast she bounces back
Sadie is doing better! Today was the first day she wanted her ball since she came home. She is going up and down stairs well. I have to slower down! We walked up the street a little to day and she was so happy. She wanted to walk more! She get her stitches out on Thursday.
So happy to read this. Seeing your Sadie start to do some of her refular routines and seeing her sparkle come back....YAAAAAY!! These are the updates we love to hear! And, it's still early!
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!
That's wonderful! YAY SADIE! It's so great to see the sparkle come back, isn't it?
Now, I know it's hard but take things slowly and remember there's gonna be loads of time to go cray cray on three. Build up your stamina and strength (have you seen Loving Life On Three Legs ?), and you'll stay healthy and strong for more adventures!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
We will take it easy. Luckily, she loves to swim and we live by lake Tahoe so we are planing to do a lot of swimming. She swam the weekend before the operation and does not get cold.
I ordered both books with the Flagline harness and I will read "Loving Life On Three Legs " after the first book.
Thanks for the great advice and support!
Aww you bet! Lake Tahoe? Lucky ducks!
Keep us posted on how things are going. Thanks for your support, holler with any questions.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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