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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It's been three weeks since the amputation, and tonka seems to be doing great!! I took him for a walk for the first time since surgery a week ago. And people were coming to the street to look at him. I kind of find it rude and frustrating, I wish they would just ask me instead of whispering to there friends. They look at him like he is some kind of freak! I guess I should get use to it!
sometimes people are just stupid, they can't help it. when they are staring at gayle, and wondering how she could get by with only three legs...i've been know to tell them i've had breast cancer and would love for them to see my scar too. they soon stop staring..... pity the fools!!
charon & gayle
Life is good, so very, very good!!! Gayle enjoyed each and every moment of each and every wonderful day (naps included). She left this world December 12, 2011 – off on a new adventure.
Love Never Ends
Glad to hear Tonka is doing well. We get a lot of folks staring too, but usually with a smile. Ive had people stop their cars in the middle of the street to stare/comment on her. The most common reaction is that people are really impressed with Abby. I'd say the number 1 comment we hear is, "wow, she really gets along great, huh?"
So, next time you see them staring, just say something like "aren't dogs amazing?" and I'm sure they'll agree with you.
All the best for Tonka's continued good recovery!
Jackie, Abby's mom
Abby: Aug 1, 2009 – Jan 10, 2012. Our beautiful rescue pup lived LARGE with osteosarcoma for 15 months – half her way-too-short life. I think our "halflistic" approach (mixing traditional meds + supplements) helped her thrive. (PM me for details. I'm happy to help.) She had lung mets for over a year. They took her from us in the end, but they cannot take her spirit! She will live forever in our hearts. She loved the beach and giving kisses and going to In-N-Out for a Flying Dutchman. Tripawds blog, and a more detailed blog here. Please also check out my novel, What the Dog Ate. Now also in paperback! Purchase it at Amazon via Tripawds and help support Tripawds!
Trouble always drew attention also. I always found a way to turn it into something positive. I always included how lucky she was to be diagnosed early, and how her treatment had saved her life.
Shanna & Spirit Trouble ~ Trouble gained her wings 3/16/2011, a 27 1/2 month cancer survivor, tail wagging. RIP sweetheart, you are my heart and soul. Run free at Rainbow Bridge.
The November Five - Spirits Max, Cherry, Tika, Trouble & Nova. 11/2008 - 3/2013 An era ends as Queen Nova crossed the Bridge.
It's so funny. Last year we had a midwest Tripawd pawty at a dog park, and other owners with their quadpawd pups would stare and leave the park, like they were afraid something was in the water or something. It was kind of amusing at the time, because the Tripawds were having much more fun! Keep taking Tonka out, because you will find that you will meet lots of great people. People are always stopping me when I take Nova out, and when they ask about her story they are amazed.
Sue and Queen Nova
Dane Mom Sue at nova.tripawds.com and Mom to Beautiful Great Dane Queen Nova, a Blind Tripawd, who kicked cancer's butt from 11/08-03/13. The Queen is Spirit Nova now, but her legacy lives on here at Tripawds!
Try to look at it this way: You may end up educating someone who will run into osteosarcoma at some point. They may remember Tonka and decide to give their dog a chance rather than assume euthanasia is the only option. That's worth a few weird glances.
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/
We get the pity, "What happened to her leg." I just say "cancer sucks, but this little warrior has been kickin' it's butt for almost 4 1/2 years!" That usually makes them really smile, and tell Rio what a trooper, how strong she is, etc. And then they wanna pet her and love on her, and she loves all the attention.
Rio's mom
 |
~ ~ Rio ~ ~ |
I'm glad Tonka is doing well.
Here is an old post of mine on what people would say when they saw me and Maggie the tri-pug:
Usually when I am out walking with the pug girls I end up in a conversation about how Maggie became a tripawd. I've heard all different questions and comments, but today I heard a new one.
Usually it goes something like this:
them: "oh, he only has three legs" (that is if they notice, sometimes they ask why she is limping and I have to point it out)
me: "yes she does"
them: "was she born like that or did she have an accident?"
me: "no, she lost her leg to a cancer tumor"
them: "aaawww" followed by looks of pity, then an awkward silence.
them: (tentatively) "she, um, seems to get around OK"
me: "yes she does fine, most dogs do well on three legs…"
But today I heard one that I didn't really know how to respond to. We walked past a couple who smiled at the pugs, they watched us go by, then the woman said:
"look how cute, she only has three legs…"
And I was thinking yea, she was cute when I got her but not cute enough so…
Karen and the pugapalooza
Karen, that's pretty funny because I'm thinking of Evelyn's name and Aidan's (my12-year-old's) response to Dakota's amputation. Evelyn belongs to Aidan and he named her after a great, short Frank Zappa song. Our first AKC dog. Her papers say "Evelyn, a Modified Dog."
When Dakota came home from surgery, Aidan looked at Evelyn and told her if she didn't shape up soon, she would truly be modified, just as Dakota had been. I thought it was pretty funny, especially since Evelyn has always been so naughty. Maybe you could have messed with those people and told them just what you said: she wasn't quite cute enough till you modified her. Just a thought.
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/
HAHAHAHAH! I have to laugh when I read some of these stories. The other day I was at Menards outside waiting for my husband with Cadence and an older man came up to her and said, that's a fine dog. Then he proceeded to say, "Can I buy her for $5.00?" I said no way, she is priceless. Then he went on to tell me that he had a friend who had a "three legged dog" (never said the name only kept referring to it as a "three legged dog") and that dog played with some baby foxes the owner found on his property. He also went on to tell me he was having an oral cancer removed from the inside of his cheek. I have had people stop to look at her and ask me what happened and then go on to tell me their own personal cancer stories. Or they will tell me ALL their negative stories...Like their dog that just got put down or their friend's dog who had some kind of tumor. And it is always negative things. That sometimes drives me crazy. The cutest was a little boy who was riding past our house and stopped to look at her and asked me what happened to her leg. I try to keep it simple with kids and just explained that she was not well and the leg was sick and had to come off so she could feel better again. He just went on about his business. In conclusion, expect people to stare, expect some not to even notice it (they often do not notice Cadence is missing her leg because they are so busy looking at her cute face), expect some to ask lots of questions (my MIL asked me if it could spread to her own dog), expect some to move to the other side of the street in fear, and expect to receive great compliments. When I am out walking her the people we come across are amazed that she is only four weeks post surgery. I tell them that she is walking around, jumping in the car on her own, taking stairs, and running. They also commend me for what I did and I tell them you would do the same thing to keep your dog healthy and out of pain. I didn't do anything out of the ordinary I think. I think my dog is extra-ordinary and why would I not want her to have a great quality of life and be with her as long as I can. Sounds like common sense to me!
Cadence Faye: Born 10/30/04, stepped into our hearts 12/23/2004. Rear leg tumor found 7/24/11 by mom and dad, Xray on 7/25/11, Osteosarcoma suspected 7/26/11, amputation 7/29/11, Carboplatin started 8/23. Met free so far!
If you are in a fiesty mood while they are staring, just say "if you're wondering, if tasted like chicken" and keep moving!
Abby: Aug 1, 2009 – Jan 10, 2012. Our beautiful rescue pup lived LARGE with osteosarcoma for 15 months – half her way-too-short life. I think our "halflistic" approach (mixing traditional meds + supplements) helped her thrive. (PM me for details. I'm happy to help.) She had lung mets for over a year. They took her from us in the end, but they cannot take her spirit! She will live forever in our hearts. She loved the beach and giving kisses and going to In-N-Out for a Flying Dutchman. Tripawds blog, and a more detailed blog here. Please also check out my novel, What the Dog Ate. Now also in paperback! Purchase it at Amazon via Tripawds and help support Tripawds!
I guess I've been lucky because everyone's been really positive when they see Ranger. They want to know what happened and I tell them he got hit by a car. Everyone seems impressed by how well he gets along. Sadie had osteosarcoma, and I did get some "oh bless your heart" and "poor baby" comments. On Ranger's blog, there's a video from our nascar weekend that shows peoples reaction to Ranger. I also think the reactions are stronger when they see a tripawd with a recent amp when the fur hasn't grown back and it still looks more like a "wound"
Sadie is my 9yr old Rott/Shepherd mix. Diagnosed with osteosarcoma in her right scapula 1/28/10. Our brave girl had her amputation 2/13/10 and her last chemotherapy on 6/6/10. Unfortunately, a tumor appeared in her back right leg and on 10/7/2010 Sadie's earthly journey came to an end. On 10/24/2010 we adopted Ranger, a handsome Rott/Lab mix tripawd (got hit by a car) I think Sadie sent him to us.
http://ranger.t.....pawds.com/
One of the things I love about all of you is your sense of humor!
I didn't have the opportunity to take Hope out in public before she passed, but we were able to talk with the kids on the street about her amputation. They were very interested in what happened to her leg, as they knew her when she had all four. They asked a lot of questions, but were very respectful and I loved the opportunity to share Hope's story. I hope they will remember Hope when they see a dog with three legs, a blind dog, or humans who are "different."
Your experiences reminded me of a story about Hope. Our golden retriever rescue was "hired" to serve food and drinks during a foo-foo golden retriever club conformation event. Our mixed goldens were rolling on the floor, playing with each other and having a grand old time while the foo-foo goldens looked on with envy. Their owners wouldn't even allow their dogs to get close to ours–guess they thought that would make their AKC papers null and void. We just laughed and referred to our dogs as "trailer trash goldens!" The highlight of the day was when one of the uppity owners asked me how many hours a day Hope had to wear her dark-lens glasses to correct her vision! Duh!!!!!!!!!! That gave us all a good laugh! Hope loved wearing her glasses and really strutted her stuff when she was wearing them because of the extra attention she got from people who thought she looked cute. Sunglass prescription for a dog–how ridiculous!
"Hope wears those glasses because she's in a top-secret, government program to send dogs into space. The glasses correct the dogs' color blindness so they can see in colors and know which button to push when they're told to push the red one to separate the rocket stages."
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/
For the first couple of months, I would get so bummed out from telling people over and over why Rumbles has three legs. I would hesitate to take him to the park some days. But then I learned to keep my explanation simple. Because Rumbles LOVES to go to the park. He runs through the grass until he's exhausted. He gets all wobbly and eventually plops down in a happy heap. I always lay down next to him and in these moments I feel like the decision to amputate was the best decision I ever made. I feel so content to have my furry baby next to me, no matter the stress or the cost to help him beat this disease. So when someone comes along and asks what happened to him, I smile and say "Cancer". And we keep moving on...leaving cancer behind us and keeping happiness in front of us.
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