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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Yay!!! Oh my DOG she looks wonderful!!! I am so glad you're all doing well ❤️❤️
Big hugs! Thank you for taking the time to share 🤗🤗
Jackie and Huck ❤️
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry 
😍 we are so grateful and thankful to have her with us! And the snow does motivate her to go out and walk around the park (almost 2 kms)
Belle is my hero! ❤💖
Look at you go girl!!! Dashing through the snow and loving it!! Get out of the way little kid on the sleigh, Belle is roaring past!
Grest video to show how well dogs do on three!
I bet she sleeps really well after these "motivational adventures"!
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!
Right! We even forgot about the sleeping problems! She is back to being the last one to leave the bed in the morning!! 💖😍😀
Awwww yay! Everypawdy's having a great time in the snow, she looks so happy!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Aww, this made my morning! Wheeeee! We're sledding!!!
Belle looks great!!!
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.
Not even a year after the amputation and we have bad news to share: Belle has been diagnosed primary lung cancer. (Not coming from her radial nerve tumor which was removed with clean margin) We cannot believe this and we are devastated.
Omd I am so sorry! I can only imagine how devastated you are. Best words I can give you are to keep loving her like you have been and live in the moment with her ❤
How is she doing? Is she still happy and playful?
None of us know how much time we have left. I am hoping she's still feeling/ acting ok. Maybe make a bucket list of things to share together.
My thoughts are with you as you process this awful diagnosis. Try to breathe and take it one day at a time.
Much love and many hugs,
Jackie and Huck❤
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry
Thank you Jackie and Huck for your kind words. I know everyone in this site understands our pain. It's hard to process.
She started by strongly refusing to go for walks (even to the corner of the street) But she had lost her interest after the amputation so we did not get that worried. Then she got an eye infection plus the panting at night started again and she lost part of her appetite (Belle had never lost interest in food ever before) and started caughing regularly. Again, we had never heard her caughing before. And all these happened abruptly in 1-2 weeks span. That's when we got really worried and did blood test, xrays.
She is now in a better mood, she eats as long as we mix her food with our food and likes to spend time outdoors laying on the kids sandbox.
We don't know how much time we have, but we'll try to make her happy until ... i am scared, thats the truth. We dont want her to suffer and i am afraid i will never be ready for a goodbye :'(
yaya said
Thank you Jackie and Huck for your kind words. I know everyone in this site understands our pain. It's hard to process.She started by strongly refusing to go for walks (even to the corner of the street) But she had lost her interest after the amputation so we did not get that worried. Then she got an eye infection plus the panting at night started again and she lost part of her appetite (Belle had never lost interest in food ever before) and started caughing regularly. Again, we had never heard her caughing before. And all these happened abruptly in 1-2 weeks span. That's when we got really worried and did blood test, xrays.
She is now in a better mood, she eats as long as we mix her food with our food and likes to spend time outdoors laying on the kids sandbox.
We don't know how much time we have, but we'll try to make her happy until ... i am scared, thats the truth. We dont want her to suffer and i am afraid i will never be ready for a goodbye :'(
Hi I am so sorry. My dog buster was diagnosed with nerve sheath tumor last April or May and he had his amputation in May 2018. We then did radiation and chemo. Cancer is awful. I live in fear of lung cancer, he gets a chest X-ray every three months, next one is next week. You are doing all you can and think about all this bonus time you got with your pup, even if that doesn't fully make you feel better.
very best, Ellen and Buster
Thank you Ellen & Buster. I hear lung cancer is very rare (1 % of cancers) We are asking ourselves what are the chances? Why Belle? Wasn't it enough the nerve tumor a year ago? ... i am just frustrated and sad
Of course you are scared, and frustrated and sad and angry and all those things that happen when you get news like this. It's such a kick in the gut. We get it.
After this initial shock wears off and the tears start to clear up, you will be able to get back in the moment with Belle and focus on making every moment count! Your love for Belle is soooo strong you will be able to do this.
Jackie gave uou some good advice. It is soooo important to remember that Belle knows nothing about those rotten xrays. Nothing has changed in her world. Being hooman sucks somet. Being a blissfully unaware dog can be utopia in scenarios like this!
When my Happy Hannah was diagnosed with lung met, I was determined, absolutely determined not to let that piece of crap disease interfere with our time together! I would NOT let it deprive me of our time together. To waste precious time worrying about the tomorrows would rob me of my time with Happy Hannah. That piece of crap disease was NOT going to make me waste whatever time we had focused on it, rather than my Happy Hannah.
Again, your love for Belle is so strong uou eill continue to be able to focus on spoil her, giving her cheeseburgers, scoops of ice cream, stinky liverwurst, bacon and eggs, donuts, all. Awhile giving her tumny rubs and ear scratches. And pictures, take lots of pictures! Make sure uou get selfies too!
You probably already are doing this, but adding prednisone andn cough medicine can help greatly. It sounds like sweet Belle is comfortable and still enjoying her life just fine. Being tired is not painful. My Happy Hannah got some really good extended qua6 rime bu using the Pred and an ocassional Tramadol or Gabapentin.
As you know, we are all right by your side this entire journey. We grabbed your hand when you first joined us and we have't let go. . We've got ya'.
(((((((HUGS))))))))
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
PS. We would love more pictures of beautiful Belle.....especially in the sandbox!
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!
I spend a lot of time trying to make sure we keep the "people food" that keep Mitch eating in the house. He does not have cancer. He is having a harder and harder time getting around and his appetite is not great, not that it ever was, lol.
I buy plenty of rotisserie chicken, plain whole greek yogurt, shredded cheddar cheese, cottage cheese (believe it or not!), and I rotate what goes together. I pressure cooked some chicken last night and drizzled the juice over his food with cheese and he was happy.
It is really hard to see them not thrive. I make a big deal every time he comes downstairs to go out, and let him roll in the grass to his heart's content. He wags and smiles and we just take things one day at a time. We were taking him for car rides, but he really isn't doing well getting in or out of the car now so that has kind of gone by the wayside.
It sounds like you are doing everything that you can for Belle. I agree with Sally on making sure you have good drugs from your vet for days that she seems less comfortable. ((((((hugs))))))) hang in there and yes please, a picture would be totally pawsome!
Jackie and Huck
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry
Jackie, Sally, thank you for sharing! I will take notes on those medicines to be prepared. It helps a lot to read your advice and reassurance.
We were just wondering last night if she knows what's going on. She was the one determined to point out to us that she just wants to pee in the side of the house instead of walking just half a block to get to the forest (where she would pull to go before...) This weekend we will drive her to a place with a lake to hang around without much walk.
A weekend ago we were planning to build her a walker, thinking she just needed some help to manage around...
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