Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Thanks all - we officially did the happy poo dance at 3am! I'm sure our neighbours must think we are going mad!
Slept well with the extra gaba so will avoid Trazadone now. I don't want to jinx us, but I feel like we may have sorted out what works for her pain. Amazes me how every dog is so different, I assumed it would be the same and just different dosages for weight etc.
It's 9am and she's still asleep, so it's reassuring to know it wasn't the drugs that caused her to nap, just her comfort levels I guess. She still struggles to find the right position, but I imagine that's just a time thing, and she'll be able to lie on the other side one day.
Yay! So happy. Now lots of R&R hopefully - got her in to see physio on Tuesday.
Ok shall stop spamming you with daily updates now that my initial (and secondary!) concerns have been allayed, as this thread is now rather irrelevant my initial subject, sorry!
Christine 
Ppst anytime as mich as you want! We love following her adventures
And
WE LOVE CELEBRATING. 
!!!!!
We are all doing the hoppy dance around here!!!
Thanks for the GOOD crappy update!!!!
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!
It's amazing how much of a relief it is to see that first for you AND her I bet, hahaha.
I agree with you that she just needs time to figure out positions/laying on her incision side. Poor Ellie she would always rotate the wrong way (like she was going to lay on her incision side) and then she would start laying down and only then realize it was the wrong way and get back up, just to do that same thing. She eventually figured out how to just switch her back legs so she could switch sides without getting up and then she finally started laying on her incision side almost a full month after her surgery. All dogs are different in that regard! Her therapist also explained how they need time to build up that core strength to get up from the incision side without aide of a leg, and also the confidence- it can be a little scary to do at first!
Glad to hear she's doing so well! and I hope you continue to share your guys journey!! I always call those posts the blissfully boring ones. They are my favorite!
WOOHOO!!! That's wonderful news, and a relief lol!
You could never share too much news with us, good or not. Never hesitate to let us know how things are going, we are always interested in knowing how she's doing. WOOHOO!!!!
Oh blast, I wrote a fab lil update about Tori, but took so long to add pics, it timed out! Here's take two, but not so eloquent this time round 
Shall learn my lesson and send pics in one post, and words in the next!
In her doggy pram (too small for her so only the one trip in it)...
- not sure if this vid will work https://photos......vIZuBAfZG8
In beach buggy we ended up getting her, much better size wise
General post-op cuteness
Hi all!
So no questions or concerns per se, but I thought an update of how we're faring is good for others who end up in the same boat with an old, big gal who has a few hiccups along the way post-op.
Seemed to turn a corner (albeit small) on day 12, so that's reassuring. The first week was a bit hellish trying to get her meds right. Seems like she needs more than the average pup her size (31kg), on 600mg Gab three times daily + anti-inflammatories, as well as Panadol until recently. But I kept checking in with the vets and tweaking until she was comfortable. Made such a difference so glad we persevered, even if she may now be a bit top heavy - better that than her in pain I reckon.
She's been really wobbly on her back legs, as she was relying on her front legs too much due to arthritis. She's like a drunk swaying in the breeze.
We had a massage therapist come to our place on the weekend - she's an experienced vet nurse and gave us some valuable pointers:
- give her more physical space so she learns - even though we weren't always intervening or supporting her weight, until then we would be about a metre away so we were ready to stop her from falling. After she told us this, we now stay about 10m+ away - it's very stressful mind you, but it's helped her confidence so much, and surprisingly she hardly ever falls despite the strong sway. She now gets up and moves to different sleeping spots - before then, she used to look to us to be there before she tried.
- also suggested we no longer feed or offer water in bed. We've not had traction yet with the food, but she finally drank from the watering station yesterday, so that felt like real progress. I'll try the food again in a few days time (post-chemo).
- said to stop feeling sorry for her and to push her a little more. She was just sleeping in our bed all day, and would only go out to toilet. Vet nurse said to get her out every few hours to get her legs moving, even when she didn't feel like it. We have been doing that - even if she just moves to a different sleeping spot, it's making her move her legs, and she's been less stiff since we've been doing it. And now for the most part she does it herself.
That was on Saturday (day 8). We then had hoped for miraculous improvements now that she was walking solo, but she pretty much stayed the same until about day 12. We did get a bit down in the dumps as she'd plateaued, but we sucked it up and reminded ourselves (thanks to Tripawds anecdotes) to be patient.
It paid off as the last couple of days, we've seen improvements (albeit very small).
- drinking from watering station
- increased appetite
- showed brief interest in a toy
- moving around a bit more
- a little less wobbly in the back legs
She's still not a happy chappy and doesn't get excited by anything really other than food, but she will start being weaned off meds this week, so hoping that will help (as will stitches out).
Per the pics, we're also making more efforts to get her out and about to give her new smells etc so her world doesn't feel so small. We've finessed getting her in the car without hurting her, and now have a buggy we can push her around her walks with.
So it's not all roses - I'm still concerned about her mobility, and her mood is very muted compared to normal, but we're trying to take each day as it comes, while doing everything we can to help her bod do its thing (acupuncture/massage/naturopathy etc). The rest is out of our hands.
Chemo on Monday which I'm not looking forward to, but it is what it is.
Hugs to all you beautiful peeps and your gorgeous furbabies. I hope this helps someone in the future when they're not seeing much improvement.
Christine xo
OMD! Those pictures are melting my heart! LTori certainly is loving all the "Princess treatment" she's getting. And as sweet and cute as she is, she deserves every bit of it!! I didn't get the link to work, but the photos are absolutely priceless. Love the ine of her I the beach buggy😎
Thank you for taking the time to give such a detailed and honest update. Yes, we often call this a roller coaster ride as it is full of ups and downs.
The thing that stood out the most to me, is she really is making progress!!! I gave you a standing ovation for recognizing that every little bit of improvement is actually a huge Improvement and victory worth celebrating. The way the vet tech helped you out with tips and the way you are adjusting your routine accordingly is spectacular. Well done👏👏
Just throwing this out there FWIW. if she's just now getting her stitches out and starting to wean her off the meds, is there any reason why you couldn't wait maybe another 5 to 7 days before you do the chemo? I simply say this because I think you will see a difference once her pain meds are reduced. Of course, you don't want her to be in pain but it does look like she's on the high end of the dose Etc Ftom what you've described, she doesn't seem to be in any pain, just a little maybe over the top with her sleeping a lot, etc. Anyway, just thought I'd throw that out there
Does Tori have any special human friend that she gets excited when they come to visit her? If so, see if they can stop by and visit her and maybe bring her a cheeseburger, act all excited and upbeat when they see her Etc and see if you can get some good tail wags out of that.
Again, thank you for taking the time to give such an insightful update and one full of good tips. I cannot stress enough hell wonderful it is that you are recognizing every Improvement is a big improvement. That's so important from your standpoint as well as hers.
You are doing everything right by her. Absolutely everything!
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!
Thank you for posting all the details of Tori's experience. Such sweet eyes! I know what you mean about the sleep. I was so happy to hear Nicholas snoring as usual a few days in... seemed like restful sleep again, rather than drug stupor. There are so many good ideas in your posts. One hint I've found useful for a large/giant dog is to get down on their level and look for obstacles ahead as they perceive them and then simplify the path .... then leave them to it to explore (Forgive the preschool teacher jargon.. but this is the "prepared environment" !!) Suzanne and Nicholas
Hi all
It's been a while since an update, so here goes for high level ups and downs.
- Chemo round 1 went fine, she was back to her usual self after a couple of days
- Chemo round 2, her WBC count went down to 0.6 so she was quarantined at home for a week with more antibiotics, and her chemo pushed out to monthly at a lower dose. Another blood test this week to see how her levels are looking this time.
- Post chemo, particularly after round 2, much harder to get her to eat much. She's a massive foodie so it's been concerning to watch. I've been exhausted since her amputation doing all sorts of food variations. She got to a point where she was so jack of having supplements and pills hidden in things, she didn't trust anything, and I think she just got over everything being spiked.
So have been trying to balance getting her to eat enough, but without giving her an unbalanced diet (or food that cancer likes). They've said cooked food only so trying all sorts of combos. It's very hit and miss, what works one day, she refuses the next. I guess that's been my main point of stress this past month. For now I've just accepted that I can't give her any supplements, and her meds I am giving to her orally (rather than mix in her food).
We've tried appetite stimulants from the oncologist this week but no real change, other than causing further issues such as diarrhoea and upset stomach, so I think we'll take her back off them.
- the good new is she is very much her happy self, so I think I just have to accept she's going to eat less and sporadically, and we'll work with vets to make sure her weight loss isn't too substantial. She's still ok to lose a couple more kilos anyway. And the oncologist will decide if that means they want to drop her chemo further or try something else. She has probably 1/4 of her breakfast, and 1/2-3/4 of her dinner, so it's not nothing, but not as much as I'd like to see. And I'm sure it would be even less if I tried adding the supplements back in. We spoon feed her basically, as for the most part she loses interest after a mouthful .
- in terms of mobility, she now runs when we try to walk her so she's definitely back to her old self. We still limit her though and use the buggy and drives so she doesn't overdo it. Demands play time at least once a day still - thankfully we have thick mats everywhere, as she throws herself around like she is has eight legs, not three! Still relying heaving on her front foot in terms of weight distribution. Have been doing balance work with her on cushions etc, but thinking a balance/wobble board might be worthwhile to focus on those back legs more.
So overall, things are going great. A bit nervous if she will get worse with round 3 and 4 given the cumulative impacts, but trying not to think that far ahead. I do still find it overwhelming I guess but once we get into a rhythm with managing her new appetite, I think I'll feel better (until the next chemo round).
I think it's also just that now that things have slowed down a little, the emotional side of things is coming up - we amputated 2 days after the diagnosis and I had such an action plan and to do list, I don't think I've given myself time to just be a bit sad about it.
So I hope no-one gets deterred by my comments. Things are going well, just looking forward to getting to the post-treatment phase already 
.
Oh look at that happy girl! She is SMILING in that second photo! Her spirits look good based on that photo.
Yes it sucks when they don't want to eat anything at all, and it gets frustrating and sad to try to figure out what they want. Sometimes just backing off and following their lead is the best medicine though, and that's what this sounds like. You are doing great and respecting her needs while giving her the best treatment possible. You can certainly be sad and give yourself that space, you have every right and we totally get it. Accept the sadness, know that she is still the same happy dog even when she feels crummy, and that things are mostly on the upswing. YAY!
Your situation sounds similar to Eustacia and Honor's as far as appetite, low wbc, etc.
I agree with Jerry - that's a beautiful smile in the second picture!
I totally relate to feeling like my tripawd has more legs than a typical dog - not less. I've called her an octopus more than once! If she doesn't want to do something, she rolls onto her back, stiffens her legs and waves them around, plus her snout and tail. It's a very effective deterrent lol.
Hopefully she'll start to eat more readily once she realizes you aren't hiding meds in her food anymore,especially if she's highly food motivated.
Okay,I'll admt, I read thrpugh quickly to know ahe was doing okay so I could see her pictures!!! I just looooove her pictures!!!.
While I know the food issue is frustrating. The fact that she is playing and running and feeling good is EXCELLENT news!!! Hopefully the chemo adjustment, time exte soon, etc will make a difference. I will pass this on in the FWIW and completely unprofessional comment.....it was my understanding from what one Onco shared with me that three chemo treat,met s does have value. I'd you can fet to three and have to stop supposedly it can still be effective. Something you can ask uour Onco about
Your girl is sooooo smart when it comes to realizing her food is full of meds and supplements. Once they figure that out seems like it takes divine inintervention to get them to ear.. So yeah, maybe IF you can hold off on the pills a few days she might start trusting her food again. And I k ow you've tried this.but of you can put a pill in something stinky like liverwwirst... toos her a couple of rolled up balls without the pill....then toss the "loaded" ball....mayve you can trick her....maybe...
And goodness gracious, your post are informative and your honest com,ents do NOT deter in anyway! You have been on a roller coaster and things happened very quickly. Others feel more "normal" when they understand their emotions are felt by everyone on thos crazy joirney!!
Okay, keep us posted and thank you for sharing how Happy she is on "eight legs"😉😂
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!
Thanks for everyone's feedback and comments, reassuring as always.
Here is some super cute footage of her running/hopping, hopefully I did it right: https://youtube.....ture=share
Still not having any luck getting her appetite back, but she's eating enough for me not to be too concerned, and she's still her happy self. The holistic vet has given us chinese herbs to feed her (which is a massive struggle as I have to syringe feed with a lot of resistance), and she's on the max CBD dosage they suggested, but still no change in her appetite. It's very random but I guess we'll just keep plugging away and hope it fixes itself eventually. I've not noticed any change in her energy levels or behaviour since we increased the CBD dosage, so not sure it is nausea now. And it's so sporadic - one meal she will eat it all, and the next, hardly anything.
It's tricky when you have multiple vets giving advice and having to make a judgement call. The oncologists are happy with her bloods, and she's due for her third chemo round in a couple of weeks, but the holistic vets are concerned about the havoc it's going to wreak on her body. It's so hard to know what's best, and every dog is different - for now, we've decided to do round 3 and if she goes downhill, we won't proceed with the fourth round. Poor love has scar tissue on her veins, so it took them 5 goes and 4 vets/nurses to be able to give her the vitamin C infusion.
It just feels like this constant tug of war between letting her just live her life and have fun, vs doing everything we can to increase her odds. Not sure I get it right all the time. I get frustrated when I cook her something that she liked yesterday only to throw it away (we don't eat meat), and then I feel guilty that I get frustrated. We have these stability exercises and stretches to do with her - when I forget I feel guilty, and when I remember, I feel bad that I'm always getting her to do things she doesn't want to do/eat.
These last 2 months can't come quickly enough! Thanks for letting me rant.
I completely get feeling guilty about those little things. I was just thinking this to myself last night because Ophelia didn’t eat the dinner that i made her and then kept panting in the middle of the night when i was having trouble sleeping. So i got on to her a little bit. Nothing bad. Just raised my voice a little and said her name. But now that she has cancer, it seems wrong to get on to her at all, or get frustrated with her.
I think that it’s okay to be 90% good though. We are doing everything that we can for them. So many dogs have humans who wouldn’t do what everyone here is doing. The time, the work, the money. It’s a lot. And no one is perfect. I have to remind myself of this.
Notarant at all! We understand the frustrations on this crazy journey. And a dog not wanting to ear is so stressful.....too the hoomans, not so much the dog.
You've probably already tried using a hooman plate, not her food bowl. Also, act like you are eating off the plate and give her a "bite" off "your" food. Also, is there anyone else in the household who can do the "feeding time" that hasn't built of the stress level energy yet?
Also,are you giving your dog cooked meats? Noted you didn't eat meat (I'm Vegetarian) but didn't know if you were giving him anything like boiled hamburger, etc.
Also would you feel comfortable eliminating the herbs for now, and maybe even the CBD just to keep things down to the food? Based on what you said the hervs weren't having a y effect anyway other than to cause a lot of stress for her and for you.
All of this is in the FWIW column and I 'll add a few more, okay?😉
When I've done Rehab stretches and stuff with my dog, the Specialist told me if they protest it may be because it hurts. And that would mean "maybe" I was suppprti g the leg/hip properly.
Wont mention the name, but there is a relatively well known Holistic Bet who used to ve against chemo. Times have changed and he has since researched enough, etc to believe with osteo chemo is relatively safe to use and now adds that to his protocol along with holostic support.
We always have to keep quality at the forefront and that can be hard sometimes when we hoomans try to balance that woth quantity.
Yoj are doing a good job and always have her gest I terest at heart. Thanks for the update and we'll look forward to hearing how she's doing. Be kind to yourself and take care of you.
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!
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