Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Sorry I missed this earlier! I will chime in as we were in a similar situation to you. Sam didn't have the breathing issues, but he did have a mid-grade heart murmur, an autoimmune condition, and arthritis and dysplasia in his rear legs and back. Being an almost 13 year old large breed, he was also elderly (although I guess I never thought of him as such ;-)).
We did PT with Sam, including hydrotherapy, laser therapy, massage and strength work, and also accupuncture. Not your "typical" PT patient, but it was a huge boon to him as far as quality of life went. The acupuncture and laser therapy, especially. We continued with that right up until his death.
As far as the stairs...I hear you! Sam LOVED to sit up on the loft balcony and watch...keeping him off the stairs lasted all of about two days. 
We managed to build a VERY sturdy barricade that lasted a couple of days more, but in the end, he was just unstoppable. (FWIW, he also refused to use any ramps or anything in and out of the house) Again--I think the PT and associated things we did gave him the strength and flexibility (relatively speaking) to be able to handle the stairs right up until the end. You pick and choose your battles in this game, and, for us...well...even though he was a front amp, this just wasn't one we could win
One more side note: I actually found that our sedan was a much better car for Sam, esp. at the end, b/c he did NOT like having to be picked up to get in and out of the SUV and would often try and jump--even the day we brought himj home. He could get in and out of the back seat of the sedan on his own, and so it gave him some "dignity" (<--in quotes, b/c if you knew sam...you knew he actually had none :D)
"Let us think the unthinkable, let us do the undoable, let us prepare to grapple with the ineffable itself, and see if we may not eff it after all."
-Douglas Adams, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
"May I recommend serenity to you? A life that is burdened with expectations is a heavy life. Its fruit is sorrow and disappointment. Learn to be one with the joy of the moment."
-Douglas Adams, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul
Rocker - thanks for that!
Sam sounds like he was independent for sure. Orion is as well, but he's adapted to the ramp already, getting in and out - but 3 legs will be a new learning curve. I'm sure the pain was the main issue keeping him from jumping up there on his own, because he certainly still has the strength. We'll just work with him on that. It's the stairs in the house I'll have to keep him off until he can navigate them without issue, or with help.
When he was younger, he destroyed about 4 sets of gates keeping him downstairs in our old house. In the end, we just gave up. 
I think he'll do fine with time, but it's really just this next couple of weeks while he gets his new walk down.
If I use the car to pick him up and use the ramp, it might just take a while to coax him out of the car - but who knows?
I call this second guessing "dog logic" - it's an oxymoron for sure, but all of us here knows what I mean by it.
Hi Nordy -- Just wanted to check in and ask how Orion is doing now that he's 5 or 6 weeks post op. Hope he is doing great!
Deb and Angel Lexie* Diagnosed at age 13. Tried radiation first; wish we had amputated upon diagnosis (even with lung mets). Joined Club Tripawd April 2014 & Lexie loved life on 3 legs! Advice: Start physical therapy as soon as your vet clears it, especially hydrotherapy if available :-) See Lexie pics here.
Ditto, keep us posted!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
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