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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Hi Tripawd Community - We're new to the site and already very relieved we found this community; it's been so reassuring to read about many of your stories and decisions. Our 4-year old girl Millie was diagnosed with osteosarcoma - she has a very large tumor in her front right paw - and we're scheduled for an amputation in a couple weeks (very tough to schedule these days!).
Her prognosis of course isn't great and we're crushed with this coming up at such a young age for her, but we're excited to finally get rid of her pain spot (our first x-ray was in August so it's been a while to get to this point) and give her as much of a quality life as possible for however long she's with us.
For now we're just doing our best to control her pain and prepare our home for her 3-legged times, which we've already found some great tips here for how best to prepare. Any thoughts on how you all prepared (or wish you prepared) are welcome!
Look forward to sharing more and hearing your stories as well - I'm grateful to have this community available. It's always great to know you're not the only ones going through something like this.
Talk soon,
Tim
Hi Tim and Millie, welcome! We are so glad you decided to share her story. We all learn from each other and stories like Millies go on to help others in the same situation. You are definitely not alone in this journey, and we are glad to be of help any way we can.
You sound like you are doing all your research and getting ready, which is great! Have you seen Jerry's Required Reading List or our What to Expect articles yet? How's your home? Do you have traction down to help her get around easier? Baby gates to block off any stairs? What about other dogs in the home, do you have any?
Any thoughts on how you all prepared (or wish you prepared) are welcome!
There was so much we didn't know when our Jerry went through amputation recovery. Along the way we've learned that while we can do everything we can to prepare our home physically, one of the most beneficial things we can do is to keep a pawsitive attitude, and not do too much babying. Our dogs mirror our emotions so the more upbeat we are, and the sooner we allow our dogs to try to do things on their own, the easier the recovery can be.
Also, pain management is HUGE. The better the pain control, the easier the recovery. Now, it may not start off easy, because many times you need to get that pain control dialed in before things are smooth sailing, but as long as your vet is aware of the newest pain management protocols, it sure makes for an easier recovery even if there are bumps in the road.
Yes, it's a nutty time out there for veterinary care. I'm glad you got her in sooner rather than later. WHEW!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Howdy from Texas. My wife and I adopted Maggie, a Black Lab mix, almost four years ago. She had just lost her right front leg when we brought her home. This site and community has been very beneficial for in navigating life with a tripaw. We had just moved into a new home where we had luxury vinyl tile installed. Well, we now have carpet runners and carpet throughout the house which helps Maggie from slipping and sliding. I had to learn that Maggie can only tolerate short walks, no longer than 20 minutes. Of course, she always let me know when she has had enough. We have learned a lot here when it comes to supplements like cosequin and managing her weight. You can always count on great advice and support here. Keep us posted.
Dave & Maggie
Maggie is amazing! Thanks for stopping by today and sharing. I can't believe it's been almost 4 years on 3!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thanks, Jerry & Dave for the welcome and kind words! Definitely preparing our best for traction around the home - lucky for us, she's basically already not using her to-be-amputated paw so we're getting a nice test run of where we may have issues. And definitely blocking off stairs.
pain management will certainly be a big focus and appreciate the resources on this site so far in researching. We haven't spoken to our vet yet about specifics but will be top of mind when we go in (less than two weeks away!)
Thanks again for the kindness and support. Will keep you updated!
Tim
Tim you are so welcome! Please let us know if you have any questions before your appointment. We are sending Tripawd Power your way!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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