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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Glad you got into the trial - that is great news!
We are also big fans of the Ruffwear Webmaster Plus harness - you can learn more about it in the gear blog. For the big guys, raised food bowls are good if you do not have them already. I also barricaded off the sofa, stairs, etc. until the staples came out, to keep him from jumping up. I spent several weeks sleeping with Otis downstairs on a mattress - once the staples were out, and he was able to get up and down from the sofa with ease, I added the box spring. Stairs came later (almost month 3 I think), but some dogs can do them faster and some dogs (especially the really long bodied ones) do not. A log book also helps you keep track of meds, outdoors, and other important things. Many dogs don't really want to get up much at first. With Otis, I knew how long he could "hold it," and when it was getting critical to get him up and outside. Bribes are also great, as are stinky things to give pills with (liverwurst, peanut butter, cheese, hotdogs, whatever works for you).
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.
Congrats on getting into the study! I'm also glad to hear that surgery is done and was successful.
I know you miss him but it really is a good he is spending so much time at the hospital- his pain meds should be dialed in and they will probably make sure he can get up on his own before sending him home.
I think you've gotten good advice from everyone already- can't wait to see the 'he's home' update!
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Yay Murphy is home!!! We are so happy to have him back home with us! Murphy is also very happy to be home with his family and comfy bed 💕🐶💕
Awww yay Murphy! How's his pain level? Is it being managed?
I'm so glad to hear he's home.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Welcome home Murphy!
I hope you have a restful night.
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Hi Murphy and family 🐾❤️
Sorry I haven't been in touch but I am travelling for a couple of months so not always easy to pop in here.
Murphy is now 8 days after surgery, I missed the initial difficult recovery period ...
How is he doing ???
And how are you doing ???
He should be getting his stitches out in the next couple of days, right?
That was the first landmark date for us, Eurydice got better by the day after that.
Hope you are both well, send us an update when you can ok?
Sending you a big hug and cuddles to your sweetie 😘🐾🐶
Eurydice 77kg/170lb Great Dane limping end of April 2016, amputation (right front leg/osteosarcoma) 4 May 2016 6 courses of carboplatin followed by metronomic therapy, lung mets found 30 Nov 2016. 3 courses of doxorubicin, PET scan 26 Jan 2017 showed more mets so stopped chemo. Holistic route April 2017. Lung X-ray 5 May 2017 showed several tennis ball size mets, started cortisone and diuretics. Miss Cow earned her XXL silver wings 12 June 2017, 13 months and 1 week after amputation and 6 1/2 months after lung mets, she was the goofiest dawg ever and is now happily flying from cloud to cloud woof woofing away :-)
They used dissolvable stitches so he doesn't need to go back in to get those out. He has done so wonderful. His pain levels at home have been managed very well. They took great care of him at Tufts and made sure hos pain levels were ok before he got to come home. I am surprised at how quickly he has been able to adjust. He is going back to Tufts tomorrow to see if he will be ready to start his chemo treatments. I have been doing well also. I think reading everyones advice and knowing that this was the best option to keep him pain free that I was prepped for his return. So happy to have him back home with us and he is also very happy to be home.
Sending everyone love and tail wags 💕🐶
What a great update! Sounds like he is doing wonderfully. Hopefully he will breeze through chemo!
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.
GEE WHIZ!!! How on earth I missed all your posts...UGH!!
Obviously you have been well supported by this wonderfully caring community!!
Looks like I got here just in time ro say YAAAAAAAAAY FOR MURPHY!!!! SURGERY IS OVER AND HE IS DOING WELL...AND SO IS MOM! 🙂 🙂
My Hapoy Hannah, a somewhat "fluffy" 125 lbs rocked three legs!! Now, granted, she enjoyed layi g arou dd getting tummy rubs a lot after the amputation...just as she did before the amputation! So in her world, nothing really changed...other than getting more spoiling than either she or I knew could be possible!! 🙂 And, of course, she was pain free!
PICTURES!!! We have ro jave PICTURES!! The avatar is just a tease!
Lots of love!
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!
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...
katrina said
How do you post pictures?
Here are detailed instructions for adding photos to forum posts . If you don't already share photos online somewhere, you can start a free Tripawds blog any time and upload them there.
Need further help? Post in the Tech Support forum !
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi Katrina and Murphy
Where are the photos ??? We need to see photos of your beautiful boy 
Lots of hugs and ear scratches to your sweetie
Eurydice 77kg/170lb Great Dane limping end of April 2016, amputation (right front leg/osteosarcoma) 4 May 2016 6 courses of carboplatin followed by metronomic therapy, lung mets found 30 Nov 2016. 3 courses of doxorubicin, PET scan 26 Jan 2017 showed more mets so stopped chemo. Holistic route April 2017. Lung X-ray 5 May 2017 showed several tennis ball size mets, started cortisone and diuretics. Miss Cow earned her XXL silver wings 12 June 2017, 13 months and 1 week after amputation and 6 1/2 months after lung mets, she was the goofiest dawg ever and is now happily flying from cloud to cloud woof woofing away :-)
Hi Katrina and Murphy,
Congrats on getting into the trial. We were briefly in Dr. Barber's trial at Tufts, too. We passed all the tests, got his liver enzymes under control, got the $1000 towards him amputation, but then the pathology came back poor for him and we got the boot. I believe we were her third dog in since December, and her third dog out. Bummer. But we were lucky to have Dr. Barber treating Milo like royalty for the month we worked with them.
If at any time you are fretting about Murphy's pain, gait, etc -- please see Dr. Alicia Karas at Tufts. She is an anestheseologist, but she also does acupuncture. She evaluated Milo and recommended a chiropractor. We saw Dr. Rogers in Bolton a few times and she worked magic on him.
Best of luck with your guy.
Peace,
-Jenifer & Milo
Hi everyone just wanted to give an update on Murphy.
He has completed his chemo and went in for some follow up chest xrays right before the new year. The good news is there were no masses in his lungs yay!!! We did find out some other news though he has dialated cardiomyopathy with afib 🙁 Poor guy can't catch a break. He had to spend a few nights in Tufts ICU but he is doing great on his new medication regiment for his heart. This guy sure is a trooper and is doing so well. We caught his heart problem just in time if untreated he might not be with me today. He is totally getting back to his silly, goofy, loving self
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