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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Give that sweet velcro pup some extra smooches for us, okay? You two def share a special bond.
Hiw much does she weight and what is the dose, frequency of the Gaba and codeine? She definitely could be a bit more sore from the xrays, extra handling, etc.
I know you are anxious to have a clear path forward. Hopefully you can get results quickly and get that bum painful leg removed.
Hang in there and know we are all right here by your side to help support you and Luna!
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!
Pain really affects emotional and physical behavior the same way in dogs as it does in people. So besides the needle aspirate, the cancer itself is probably making her out of sorts. You will likely see a huge difference in her perkiness once she is on the road to recovery! I know we did with our Jerry. The difference between him before surgery and even just a few days afterward was remarkable. Many other people report the same, it's shocking how much they are able to disguise and cope with pain that would otherwise leave us in bed!
That is so awesome she is already accustomed to the dog stroller ! You are so well prepared.
May you and Luna have a peaceful New Year's Eve snuggling on the couch tonight. The coming year will bring better days for both of you! 
Hello and a late welcome.
You've received great input from everyone so far. You sound like you've made decisions so far that you are comfortable with and that's huge!
I wanted to share a couple of things from my experience.
Doing or not doing chemo is a personal decision. I have dealt with 3 cancers in two dogs. All three times chemo was recommended, I chose to do chemo once and declined the other two times. The one I accepted was right after my Pug Maggie lost her leg to mast cell cancer. Unfortunately the cancer had moved into her lymph system before her surgery (we found out after her surgery) and her prognosis was poor. I did choose chemo for her in this instance- honestly partly because I had expected the amputation to be curative and was devastated when the mets were discovered post op. Maggie's little sister Tani developed mast cell cancer as well and in the later stage I declined chemo and when Maggie developed a second cancer I declined surgery and chemo. Many things went into the decision to decline including overall health and how they did at the vet.
I would recommend that you write down your thought process somewhere when you are making the big decisions. I did that when I declined chemo for Maggie's oral melanoma. We humans tend to second guess ourselves when things don't turn out they way we hoped. Mag passed just 3 months after the second cancer was diagnosed and I did find my mind going down the 'what if' path. Looking at my notes helped re-assure myself that I had made the best decisions for her.
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls and Boy
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Online
Oh I like that about keeping notes. I am up and down on so many things. Sadly I think Chemo is out of my budget. I live only on Social Security and I'm in my 70's. I am taking the amputation money out of my savings but I don't think I should do chemo as well. Even amputation I've wondered about but when I hear Luna let out one of those painful yelps I know this has to be done. There is still life in her. Though life for Luna is walks cuddling and eating. Her favorite pastimes. No running on a beach or backward. I do feel guilty about not doing chemo. I think writing down all my thoughts will help. And one stage at a time. I will wait to hear from surgeon on Friday.
Pain Medicine:
Codeine 30 mg tablets. 1/2 to 3/4 every 8-12 hours a day
Gabapentin 100 mg q1 capsule 8-12 hours
Loxicom (meloxicam) 1 .5 mg (10 ml) 1 a day
I started her on every 12 hours for the first couple of days. She seemed to be uncomfortable - in pain. Yesterday I increased it to every 8 hours and that seems to help. By 4 hours after her pills she seems better and wants to go for a walk.
She hasn't lost any weight and needs to. She's 24 pounds and should be closer to 20 pounds.
As always thanks for your support.
I agree, keeping notes helps! It's one reason we started Tripawds blogs. Looking back helps you see what you were thinking at the time.
That's good news the medication is helping her feel a little etter. I would let your vet know that the original Gabapentin dose didn't do the trick. That's a pretty low dose for this level of pain so they may want to adjust it so she's more comfortable.
Let us know how the conversation goes tomorrow. And please don't feel guilty about no chemo. It's not good medicine when someone decides to do it, but the cost stresses them out. Luna just wants you to be happy, that is the best therapy there is for her.
Oh I forgot to mention about the weight loss....yes, this is a good opportunity to start that weight loss program so be sure to let your vet know you are eager to help her drop the pounds. Vets can sometimes feel very uncomfortable talking about this with clients so if you bring it up they will probably breathe a sigh of relief! And remember every 1 pound of extra weight on a dog is like 5 extra on a human so good on you for wanting to help her move and feel better!
Tomorrow is the day. Dr.Simon called this morning to say all test results weren't conclusive. Though the fungus was able to be ruled out. But he was leaning towards the Osteosarcoma. He said the only way they could check for anything else was a bone biopsy. But he said there was enough damage in the bone from the X-Ray the leg should come off anyway. Good news is so far lungs are clear. Regarding her weight it was the doctors suggestion. But she's not bad. This is hard. I'm going to work on getting ready for her homecoming.
Alrighty, we'll be sending lots of tripawd pawsitive energy for a successful surgery for "velcro pup ".
he said there was enough damage in the bone from the X-Ray the leg should come off anyway.
That's really all you need to know to reassure you and confirm that this surgery must be done. I'm glad it is going to be tomorrow as a long wait may indeed have caused a fracture.
Update us tomorrow. You may have already mentioned, is she spending the night at a fully staffed 24/7 clinic or will you be bringing her home the same day? Not everyone has the ability or the access to an overnight Clinic, so bringing dogs home the day of surgery is often a necessity. Just know that the first night can be rough as they shake off anesthesia etc etc. We are here right by your side to help you navigate through that and through the subsequent recovery.
You are doing the right thing for Luna!💖💖💖
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!
The title of this was "am I doing the right thing?". I can now comfortably answer yes. Luna seems daily.to get worse on her leg. She wants so much to be out walking but too much walking on that bad leg seems to make it worse. Being comfortable with the surgery center really brings comfort. And yes she will be there overnight. They have a full emergency all night facility. I have picked up all the food I need for Luna and myself. I have bought 5 yoga non slip pads. And an air mattress for me on the living room floor with Lunas favorite day mattress. Have potty pads - she's already paper trained. I think I'm ready - but I'm shivering likes its freezing cold, my heads aching and I'm so worried. Guess that's all normal. I am hoping and looking forward to a couple weeks when she feels better and has that cute smile with her little underbite.
I'll be thinking about Luna today, hoping for a quick and easy surgery, as quick and easy as possible!
Sending some extra good luck from my 'Pom mix with an under-bite' Callie:
And good luck from Tripawd Pug Mutt Elly (also with an under-bite) Elly:
Keep us posted.
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls and Boy
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Ah. Callie's ears are like Luna's also. Thank you both Callie and Elly.
So Luna was to be at hospital this morning at 7:30. I decided to leave a little early. But I couldn't find my car keys!!! Was this something I did subconsciously?? It came to the last minute to leave and I ended up asking my neighbor if she could take me. It is only 8 min away. Thank goodness she had time before work and she was ready. It meant quickly dropping Luna off. But now I think that was best no emotional goodbyes. Now I'll be busy trying to find those darn keys.
I was watching YouTube videos last night when I came across the video with Jerry's mom and dad from 4 years ago. Interviewed on Dog Cancer Answers. Great interview . I'm convinced to get the Dog Cancer Answer book now. Might change my mind about Chemo. Especially since all estimates have been higher than actual charges. Something interesting. I lived on Maui for over 30 years. I still have family there. When I moved to California in 2006 I had a Golden Retriever. Dr. Dressler was my vet. He was fantastic.
Wowwwwww Cindy! The coincidence of having Dr. Dressler as your vet way back when just blew me away! How lucky you and your pup were to work with him. Yes, the Dog Cancer Survival Guide is really helpful even if you still opt out of chemo. Lots of nutrition advice and mindset shifts they give input on. I wish it was around when our Jerry got cancer.
I'm glad you were able to make it to the vet. Gonna bet those keys are somewhere so obvious! At least you were ready to leave early and you have a terrific neighbor. Maybe after all this you and Luna can go spend time in Maui and relax, livin' the good life you both deserve after all this!
We are thinking of you and sending tons of love and pawsitivity so keep us posted.
krun15 said
I'll be thinking about Luna today, hoping for a quick and easy surgery, as quick and easy as possible!Sending some extra good luck from my 'Pom mix with an under-bite' Callie:
And good luck from Tripawd Pug Mutt Elly (also with an under-bite) Elly:
Keep us posted.
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls and Boy
LOL those girls crack me up! 
Soooo cute!
