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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Awww! She is a girl of many expressions, what a sweetie!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
What harness is recommended for a front leg amp? Is there a harness that won't just slide off? I have a harness like shown in the link below but it just slides off her if I'm walking in front.
Oh my gosh she looks SO happy there! "I found my people! I found my people!"
As for harnesses, have you seen the Tripawds Gear store? Our best-seller for front-leg amputees is the Ruffwear Webmaster harness . I think you'll be pleased with it. PM me with any questions.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Ohhh she is such a doll 💕
Love the pictures, she is such a well loved dog 💗
As for the harness Eurydice wore a ruffwear harness , it did slide with only one front leg but that wasn’t a big deal.
Hugs and cuddles 😘🐮💫✨🌟🌹
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 :-)
so here is an update on Belle. The night panting significantly diminished -although is not gone. So we decided to postpone trying the anxiolytics that we were prescribed.
On the other hand, we find she has no motivation to go out. 🙁 I pushed her to do half a block and back and it is against her will. She used to love to go out and snif around -even when she was limping and we had to restrain her exercise- Is that 'normal'? I was hoping to do small walks 2xday to get her gradually back to shape and was expecting her to be happy to be out.
Do you have a doggie friend who could join you on the walk?
If not, can you take her in the car and drive her to places where she can sniff the air and see people (and other dogs)?
I know it is not the same (and I'm glad it isn't) but towards the end of Eurydice's journey whenever she didn't feel like going for walks I would get her in the car and drive to a parking area near a forest or on the beach and she loved to stay in the car with me next to her and just look at the action.
Of course, there were always cuddles from others who would arrive or leave the area.
If you would do this, I think Bella would start taking an interest in the outside world and gradually would go further afield.
You can even park at a shopping mall or supermarket, the important thing is that she sees action and gets to interact with other people.
Hugs and cuddles, 😘🐮💫✨🌟🌹
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 :-)
oh, and I agree with you reg postponing the anxiolytics.
Much better she doesn't take them and if she is improving that is a very good sign ☺️
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 :-)
You may be correct. They are all different, you know her better than anybody. She's not a spring chicken, and younger dogs have taken longer than this with a worse transition. Baby steps will never hurt either of you. I mean this to encourage, not discourage. I know you want your dog back more than anything. I feel like a broken record saying patience is a virtue but it really is. I'm glad that you love her enough to step back and look at what she possibly needs instead of what you want. You're a good pawrent, keep hanging in there! I know it's been a long road, i truly feel your frustration.
❤️❤️
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry
Well said Jackie. Good points. And Teresa had some good points about driving her somewhere she would like to visit (assuming she likes carrides).
Probably a half block at this point, with rest stops to stop and smell the scents of Nature, would be plenty right now, But then she has to turn around and go back! That may be too much this early, especially if it's in the summer heat and humidity.
I have a feeling Belle is far more interested in staying by your side and getting spoiled and getting massages than taking walks like she used to. Spoiling trumps everything!
A member here had a sweet boy named Otis. He was a big Lab and younger than your Belle. His limit was five houses. He would hop (with rest) to the fifth house and just lay in their yard and chill. This became his new routine.
One thing many members use is a cart/carriage for dogs. Dogs seem to love these strollers. They can hop for a bit, get in their stroller and be pushed around like Royalty, then hope out again, etc, etc.
BTW, her pictures are BEAUTIFUL!!! She has such a pretty coat of fur...and a happy smile! And she looks younger than her years! Thanks for sharing your pretty girl with us.
Yeah, patience is a virtue, but our motto around here is..."Give me patience... and hurry the heck up!"
Hugs
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie!
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 ladies for your encouragement! Otis story is also reassuring, and yes, age might affect her energy but I decided to continue with the short walk twice a day and hopefully she'll ask for more when/if ready.
And thanks for the compliments (she's always a puppy to me) I should take a pic of her teeth (her daddy has been brushing them every single day since adoption!) And we've exercised her every single day as well -until she started with the limp end of last winter 🙁 So it's also part of probably re-building her endurance from 5 to 6 months of no walks to hopping (which looks hard and energy consuming)
Hugs
Hi, I've been blogging about my dog's recent peripheral nerve sheath tumor experience. Highly recommend amputation to alleviate pain although your vet can advise if that's right for your pup. My dog's life got better almost immediately after amputation. Prognosis with this tumor is tough. Depends on whether malignant, tumor location, mitotic index and more. Good luck to you. I had a really agonizing spring figuring out what to do. My dog is 12. Decisions were hard, except the amputation decision was not that hard for me.
I love Buster's story, it is so inspiring. Thank you for sharing and providing pawsitive support! Belle has had a tough road, and her recovery has been a very stressful time but slowly she is coming around. It does my heart good to see you and Buster reach out to share the pawsitive, sometimes we all need that
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry
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