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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Hi there,
Just a quick pop in to report how my cat is doing at 15 years of age and 9 months after his right front leg & scapula amputation. Jerry is doing fantastic. In fact, he wakes us all up around 3 am on the dot because he gets the zooms and will run back and forth in and out of the bedroom a half dozen times, then comes to snuggle back to sleep! He's a character.
If you were following before, you may recall that he had some crazy, severe itching and pulled out huge patches of fur - it was a bloody, scabby mess for months on end. He only has one little patch left behind his ear that he bothers now and then. Everything else has healed nicely and fur has grown back. He eats well, is playful, grooms regularly and just loves life - he's always purring.
We went in for a check up last week and vet says he looks great. We even got some snuggles from the vet clinic cat that donated blood for Jerry's transfusion two days after his amputation when he was rushed back for complications (internal bleeding from medication).
The amputation last summer was the right thing to do for him and our family - but everyone's situation is different. We are so glad to see him fully recovered and enjoying life on three legs. Just thought I'd share in case anyone happens to be struggling with the idea of amputation for an older pet.
Hattie & Jerry
Hugs,
Hattie and Jerry Cat (right front leg and scapula amputation due to chondrosarcoma at age 14, lived 2 1/2 years post amputation, succumbed suddenly to suspected lymphoma at age 16)
10/2001 - 10/9/2017 R.I.P ~ Love you always
Congratulations! What a wonderful story.
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.
Awwww . . . that's just the sweetest thing! What a wonderful update. Love hearing about him zooming and snuggling and purring. It just warms my heart.
Congrats!!!!
pam
Harmony became a Tripawd on 10/21/14 (MCT). She left us way too soon on 11/1/14.
"We miss you so much; our love, our heart, our Harmony."
- Pam, Ron and Melody, Meesha, Doublestuff and Mariah Carey
WOOHOO! 
Thank you soooo much for taking time to come back and update. Would you happen to have any photos you want to share? I'd love to feature Jerry in Tripawd Tuesday!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Awesome update! Thanks so much for taking the time to share.
Life would be so dull without 3:00 AM zoomies!
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 again,
Thanks for the good cheer, everyone. I took a picture of him today, but for some reason, even though I have the pics set to "public," I have a hard time getting my photos to show up here. I'll give it another whirl, though.
[Image Can Not Be Found]
Jerry would love to be featured on Tripawd Tuesday - thanks for the consideration!
Hattie & Jerry
EDITED TO SAY: Goodness, I cannot figure this out!!!! Here's the darn link:
Hugs,
Hattie and Jerry Cat (right front leg and scapula amputation due to chondrosarcoma at age 14, lived 2 1/2 years post amputation, succumbed suddenly to suspected lymphoma at age 16)
10/2001 - 10/9/2017 R.I.P ~ Love you always
boxerhattie said
Jerry would love to be featured on Tripawd Tuesday...
Please feel free to submit your story and a couple photos! Find simple instructions in any Tripawd Tuesday blog post.
Goodness, I cannot figure this out!!!!
Flickr does not make it easy to share photos, outside of Flickr... 
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Oh Hattie! I'm so glad that Jerry is doing so well! I remember when you were going through all that patchy fur issues with him. Yeah!!! Although it would be nice if cats weren't so nocturnal, wouldn't it? lol
Donna
Donna, Glenn & Murphy
Murphy had his right front leg amputated due to histiocytic sarcoma at 7 years old. He survived 4 years, 2 months & 1 week, only to be taken by hemangiosarcoma at 11 1/2 years 6/12/17
Read about Murphy's Life on Three Legs
Hi Hattie, it's great that Jerry is doing so well at 15 years old. He's a great example of an older cat adapting well to an amputation.
My tripawd Mona doesn't zoom anywhere but I hear her in the middle of the night scratching away on her cardboard scratching box. It always makes me giggle that she's giving herself a pedicure in the wee hours of the morning.
I love that your vet has a cuddly life-saver. I know that you went through a difficult time with the healing but you persevered. You were amazing. Did you ever find out why the incision wasn't healing properly?
Jerry's a cutie!
Kerren and Tripawd Kitty Mona
Thanks for the additional well wishes and comments for my cat Jerry 🙂
Thank you awesome human Jerry for posting his latest pic here for me, since I can't seem to figure out how to do it!
I will have time this weekend to look at the submission link for TriPawd Tuesday. Thank you for considering my cat 🙂
I appreciate everyone's feedback during the last several months. I did take Jerry to a second vet for another opinion and acupuncture treatment back when he was looking like he was living on the set of a CSI show - blood everywhere. She tested his skin before the acupuncture and said he had a raging infection and gave him antibiotic injections. I am assuming that did the trick because he is not suffering like he was originally.
I consider myself more of a "dog person" but this cat means an unbelievable amount to me for several reasons; I will be beside myself when his time with us is over but Jerry is doing so well and is incredibly happy and energetic that I hope that is something I will not have to deal with for quite some time.
Again, many thanks to such knowledgeable members of this board and also my awesome, quick acting vet (he rushed in on his day off) and his clinic cat for saving Jerry's life and helping my family navigate this change.
Hattie & Jerry
Hugs,
Hattie and Jerry Cat (right front leg and scapula amputation due to chondrosarcoma at age 14, lived 2 1/2 years post amputation, succumbed suddenly to suspected lymphoma at age 16)
10/2001 - 10/9/2017 R.I.P ~ Love you always
boxerhattie said
Thank you awesome human Jerry...
FYI: Rene posts as Jerry, you can read all about Tripawds Founder Jerry here.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
For pictures, I upload to photobucket and then I can share them here. There's a share link on each pictures that works.
For Tripawd Tuesday, just email your story & pictures to Rene, aka Jerry, and she'll post it 
You can even do that through the messaging here - do a member search and add her to your contacts.
Donna
Donna, Glenn & Murphy
Murphy had his right front leg amputated due to histiocytic sarcoma at 7 years old. He survived 4 years, 2 months & 1 week, only to be taken by hemangiosarcoma at 11 1/2 years 6/12/17
Read about Murphy's Life on Three Legs
Well isn't that a major facepalm moment!
I'll read up on the links this weekend!! Thanks 🙂
Hattie & Jerry
Hugs,
Hattie and Jerry Cat (right front leg and scapula amputation due to chondrosarcoma at age 14, lived 2 1/2 years post amputation, succumbed suddenly to suspected lymphoma at age 16)
10/2001 - 10/9/2017 R.I.P ~ Love you always
YAAAAAAAAAY FOR JERRY...AND HATTIE TWO!!! Both of you are doing a stellar job of getting on with life!!
So glad the pesky skin condition cleared up. You are such a great advocate for that cutie pie! 🙂
His picture is adorable...he looks so young!! Such an inspirational story for senior cats, or dogs for that matter!
Thank you so much for updating us with such great news!
Lots of hugs and 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!
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