Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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I have noticed a couple of posts recently where members expressed that they felt bad about posting their tripawd's ampuversaries or triumphs, knowing that some of us lost our tripawds much sooner. Sure, it is hard to see a post and wonder why one dog has lived longer than another. But, no one should ever feel bad because their dog or cat is doing great! On a personal level, I hope that every dog or cat on this site becomes a miracle dog or cat and blows away the statistics. I think I can speak for the whole "sad" group when I say that we want to share in your joy. And your joy is important for this community - we need to be able to celebrate together, so that we can also grieve together. So please, post away. Fill your blog with photos of your tripawd doing tripawd things. Share each milestone and each ampuversary. 🐕🐕🐕
Otis - 106 pound lab/Dane mix, lost his right front leg to osteosarcoma on Febuary 9, 2016. Four rounds of carboplatin completed in April, 2016. Lung mets August 25, 2016. Said goodbye too soon on September 4, 2016. Lost his adopted sister, Tess, suddenly on October 9, 2016. likely due to hemangiosarcoma.
Wherever they are, they are together.
This is such a generous post, Christine and I hugely appreciate your thoughtfulness in saying what you have. As someone whose Tripawd is not facing cancer, this is something I have agonised about. Though we went through hell before Meg's amputation, her journey since has been exceptionally straightforward, right from her recovery onwards. I am aware that more or less all my posts are celebratory (or just plain silly) in nature and I have worried a great deal over whether this is insensitive. At times I have actually withdrawn from the community and not posted for precisely this reason. I came back, I guess, because I missed you all 
, but also because I think that had I been a member of this community from the start of Meg's problems, and had access to the support and experience members have to offer, our experience would have been very different. It's possible Meg might not even have lost her leg and it's certain that she would not have been put through such a huge ordeal before doing so. I would like to try and avoid what happened to us happening to others.
I've never felt bad because Meg is doing well, but I have sometimes felt bad about shouting about it. There is a purpose though, beyond pure celebration. I want people to know that a great life on three may be possible, even when you've been told it's not. Even when they've said, 'No way. Your dog cannot manage on three legs.' I want to say LOOK AT HER, YES SHE CAN!
I think of you and Otis often. I think of Otis because he lost his leg exactly a month before Meg did. I know that her ampuversaries are Otis's too. Otis is no longer here to celebrate and Meg is and there's no way that isn't hard. Please know always that even as you celebrate with us, we are also grieving with you.
Sending love,
Meg, Clare and Elsie Pie xxx
Ruby, Staffy, born June 2022, became a Tripawd, November 2023, adopted January 2024.
Also Angel Tripawd Meg (aka The Megastar), who died in April 2023, aged 14, after seven glorious years on three, and Angel Staffies Elsie Pie and Bille. In the pawprints of giants...
ReallyReally glad you posted this Christine! The other 
sad post really needed this
joy post ro balance it! Thank you!
YES!!!!!! We MUST have the success stories, the victories, the milestones, the laughter and the fun as we traw through this journey!! And we DO have survivors and we DO have dogs and cats who beat ALL the odds!!! And for everyone starting this journey, they have every reason to believe they can beat this piece of crap disease, until, and if, there is a reason to believe otherwise! The vottom line is, no matter what, MAKE EVERYDAY COUNT because none of us know when our last earth day is!!
To hold back on sharing the reasons to celebrate is NOT what this journey is about!! So please, everyone, don't deprive us of the joy and happiness we feel when you give us reasons to CELEBRATE, or reasons to LAUGH or reasons to give everyone HOPE!!! To give us that kind of joy is ABSOLUTELY necessary to our ability to stay here and help others!!!
And yes, we also grieve hard, really, really hard over and over when one of our family members transitions!! And it's important that we are here for those who are going through that phase and support them in anyway we can. Expressing their feelings of sadness to those who understand is crucial to healing. And as others learn more and more about this miraculous site and our membership grows, we may experience this more often AND.....a really BIG AND.....we will also experience more VICTORIES and reasons to CELEBRATE and more reasons to laugh and smile and learn more life lessons that empower us through life! 🙂
So for anyone starting this journey, PLEASE stay in a state of HOPE and in an ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE for every single moment you have with your furbaby, or feathered baby 🙂 🙂 Use the sadnesses of our losses by honoring those at the Rainbow Bridge by learning the gift they all gave us....THE GIFT OF LIVING IN THE NOW!! THE GIFT OF BEING MORE DOG!!! THE GIFT OF MAKING EVERY MOMENT COUNT! EVERY ANIMAL BEING HERE IS AN INDIVIDUAL!!! No "statistic" is able to take in their own individuality! PLEASE, do not let any fears and worries about the tomorrows rob you of your time today!! And today is all that matters!!
All our animal beings are pure expression of divine qualities and they just looooove it when we recognize that about them and embrace it!! And when we give them cheeseburgers and ice cream and puppy lattes!
Love and light
Sally and My Eternal Light 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!
Thank you Christine..."we need to be able to celebrate together, so that we can also grieve together". What a powerful statement; while I always knew that people were happy to hear of Nitro's success, I didn't know they also NEEDED to hear of Nitro's success. My eyes have been opened, and I will no longer feel guilt when sharing how he's doing.
Paula and Nitro
Nitro 11 1/2 yr old Doberman; right front amp June 2014. Had 6 doses carboplatin, followed by metronomic therapy. Rocked it on 3 legs for over 3 years! My Warrior beat cancer, but couldn't beat old age. He crossed the Bridge peacefully on July 25, 2017, with dignity and on his terms. Follow his blog entitled "Doberman's journey"
"Be good, mama loves you".....run free my beautiful Warrior
I used to feel that way like not wanting to share the joy I had with Sassy when she was alive by celebrating those special moments but Christine is right we have to have the happiness along with the sadness.
We want to celebrate those moments so post them please. Just because I may not comment at the time doesn't mean I don't read them. We love all the positive moments. 🙂
xoxoxox
Michelle & Angel Sassy
Sassy is a proud member of the Winter Warriors. Live long, & strong Winter Warriors.
sassysugarbear.tripawds.com
07/26/2006 - Sassy earned her wings 08/20/2013
05/04/2006 - Bosch, Sassy's pal, earned his wings 03/29/19 fought cancer for 4 months.
"You aren't doing it TO her, you are doing it FOR her. Give her a chance at life."
I also thank you, Christine, for posting this. No matter how much I may wish we had a different outcome for Pofi, I never am less than delighted to hear happy news for our newer members or our bona fide exception club pups and cats. And even though the animals who have had amps due to accident or other than cancer reason don't have the looming spectre of cancer, they face the same challenges and ongoing concerns with their remaining limbs and stamina, etc. There is much to be celebrated in all the small victories and large.
Knowing there were dogs and cats out there beating the odds gave me a much more positive outlook and really helped me Be More Dog and to truly enjoy the miracle that was Pofi's recovery and his joy in the simple things all summer. I cannot imagine what those months would have been like without knowing all of these stories. All our pets will end up somewhere on that continuum of time allotted post diagnosis or injury. You all helped me focus on quality....
I celebrate Nitro and Murphy and Meg and Tank and so many others. But I come here to grieve, too, because no one understands my sorrow as well as this community does.
Lisa, Minneapolis
On October 27, 2016, nearly 6 months after amputation, and 18 months since his cancer likely started, we lost Pofi to a recurrence of Soft Tissue Sarcoma in his spine quite suddenly. His canine sister also succumbed to cancer on March 1, 2019 - we lavished her with our love in the interim, but life was never quite the same without her only real canine friend. Cliff kitty had to leave us, too, suddenly, in August 2019. Lucia kitty grieved all these losses, but helped us welcome two new Lurchers into our home and our lives, Shae and Barley.
You do have a heart of gold Christine, this is so sweet of you.
From our earliest days we noticed that when our community goes through waves of losses (which sadly isn't uncommon), people hesitate to post about ampuversaries and milestones. Spirit Jerry wrote this post as a result:
Does Good News Make You Feel Guilty?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
"JERRY" NAAAAAAILED IT
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!
This is a great post Christine! I am coming back from a few weeks off and I relish the good and the bad and the ugly. Because it makes us human and real - not robots. Am I sad that Shelby didn't beat the odds even better? Of course but does that take away from my job of reading about those that have lived a year, two years, 10 years!?! Heck no!!! I am SO happy those babies make it and survive and thrive. The new ones are the ones that are hardest for me but I am working on my "glass half full" way of life! 🙂
So joy is definitely always appreciated and I LOVE celebrating milestones here!!! I hope those that have milestones keep sharing because I know those milestones ALWAYS gave me hope when I was going through Shelby's illness ... and hope is one powerful thing! 
Shelby Lynne; Jack Russell/Shiba Inu mix. Proud member of the April Angels of 2014.
October 15, 2000 to April 8, 2014
Our story: Broke rear leg in June 2013 - non-conclusive results for cancer so leg was plated and pinned. Enlarged spleen in September 2013 and had it removed and was diagnosed with Hemangiosarcoma and started chemotherapy. Became a Tripawd January 8th, 2014 and definitive Hemangiosarcoma diagnosis. Three major surgeries in 7 months and Shelby took them all like a champ only to lose her battle to cancer in her brain. We had 8 amazing extra months together and no regrets. #shelbystrong #loveofmylife
I totally agree!!! NEED MORE JOY!
Harmony became a Tripawd on 10/21/14 (MCT). She left us way too soon on 11/1/14.
"We miss you so much; our love, our heart, our Harmony."
- Pam, Ron and Melody, Meesha, Doublestuff and Mariah Carey
Without the joyful posts we would wither away. All of us that have done this journey to the end could not come here without those joyful posts too. Love hearing about those wonderful milestones from everyone. They are so important to this entire community. Every single pup or kitty or chick who comes here deserves to be celebrated. Thanks Christine for starting this topic.
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