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 guys my dog is about to go in for amputation surgery in a few hours and im scared and overwhelmed...
Can someone please tell me how you got through the day and when you went to pick them up. thanks in advance
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Welcome and thanks for joining! The best thing you can do for your dog is to remain strong. As to how to get through it ... try to Be More Dog .
Please share some info about your situation so members can provide better assistance and help. What's your pup's name? Why the amputation?
If you have not done so already, be sure to bookmark Jerry's Required Reading List for lots of amputation recovery tips and advice from the past few years. Best wishes for a quick complete recovery!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Her name is Lily a four year lab mix with a soft tissue sarcoma on her front right leg. I know this is for her to get better but it still feels like Im taking her to go do something awful!
Hi
I'm sorry your dog has to go through this. You too. It's hard to settle when there are so many unknowns.
I can only tell you how it was for me. My dog was in the hospital for three days after the surgery and I went to visit him every day. I hand-fed him so he'd eat and I went with the techs when they took him outside to practice hopping. So when it was time to take him home, I already knew what to expect. He was able to do much more than I thought he'd be able to–in fact when we got home, he hopped immediately up on the bed.
You don't say whether your dog is big or small–mine is big. Too big for me to lift. Fortunately, he could do everything he needed to do on his own. I made a raised platform for him to use getting in and out of the truck and that works really well. I also have a ramp, but he's scared of it so it sits unused in the garage.
It is overwhelming, but if you visit her in the hospital, the techs are there to help and you can learn a lot about what it's going to be like so it's not so scary. As Admin said, being strong is important. Your dog looks to you for direction and you want to make everything seem as normal as possible.
Let us know how it's going.
Mary
PS You're taking her to get rid of the awful pain. She'll be grateful.
Cemil and mom Mary, Mujde and Radzi….appreciating and enjoying Today
Do you believe in the power of coincidence? I just now heard this quote on the radio...
"The only way to get through crap and not smell it is to look past it." — Dave Ramsey
Fear, uncertainty, and doubt are silly human emotions that only make matters worse. It may not help you with how you feel right now, but many members have found te book Without Regret very helpful in coping with such emotions.
Be Pawsitive!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Sorry to hear about Lily's sarcoma. What a sweet name! This is a hard time to be going through right now. You found the best place for support and help from people who've been through this with their dogs.
You'll get through it! Our golden Honey had her amputation surgery 3 weeks ago today. She has osteosarcoma in her left front leg and we wish we had done it sooner. She was in a lot of pain - but not anymore. Many people find that it takes about 2 weeks of a lot of ups and downs to start recovering - some longer, though. Honey had an infection and it took her a little bit longer but she's starting to feel like herself again - just a little slower for now. The first week after the surgery was hard.
It feels awful right now but Lily will get through it. Check out some of the resources on the website - I seen some videos of our tripawd friends running, swimming, catching frisbees. I laugh through tears watching them doing their favorite doggy things!
Please post and let us know how Lily's surgery goes. Our thoughts and prayers for you and Lily.
Alice
Dx Osteosarcoma 3/31/10. Amputation 7/21/10. Honey put up a valiant fight and lost her battle 9/22/10. Missing her and treasuring 9 years with our Honeygurl.
hi lily and lily's sister. gayle had a soft tissue sarcoma on her right front leg, amputation february 17, 2010. she's a lab mix too, 10 and a half years old. she is doing well. gayle came home the next day after surgery, had some pain for the first week, and really got through the 'two weeks of hell' pretty well. she also had five rounds of chemo, which went pretty well considering the poison... you can check out gayle's blog http://etgayle......ipawds.com to see her story and how she's doing.
remember that how you react to her, will be 'how she reacts to you'. if you are fearful and sad, she will be fearful and sad too. jerry's required reading list will be a good place for you to start learning about lily's future and how to make the most of it. paws crossed for a successful surgery and speedy recovery.
don't hesitate to come to the site with questions/rants/etc...it's what we do here. it's a wacky sort of family, but it's the best sort as well.
welcome, and good luck!!
charon & gayle
Life is good, so very, very good!!! Gayle enjoyed each and every moment of each and every wonderful day (naps included). She left this world December 12, 2011 – off on a new adventure.
Love Never Ends
One thing that helped us a lot for that initial sight of the amputation was to look at pictures online so we would know what to expect. The pictures are really hard to look at, but it helped us to not break down when we first saw Skyler after her surgery. It can be pretty scary, so the more prepared you are the better off you'll be. The first 24 hours were hell, but it did get better after that. Give Lily lots of love and reassurance and you'll be surprised how well she responds.
Good luck!!!
Jane, Cathy, Chloe and Angel Skyler
Skyler – 10 year old Golden Retriever. Diagnosed with Mast Cell Tumor on 2-26-10. Right rear leg amputated on 3-4-10. Crossed Rainbow Bridge on 6-11-10. Chloe – Joined her sister on 4-4-11, due to hemangiosarcoma. The beloved Golden Girls are now back together.
Hi and welcome to the club no one wants to join, but this is the best place to get information and support for the journey that you and Lily are embarking on today.
Surgery day is agonizing- until you get the call that everything is OK it is hard to think about anything else. Maybe you can spend some time on the site reading about what to expect, then spend some time preparing your house for when Lily comes home. That way you are being proactive and doing something positive, and maybe will distract you a little from the worry.
I know there is a lot to take in. But you know you are doing the best thing for Lily. She won't be mad at you, she won't hold a grudge. Once through the recovery process she will get back to her old self. Dogs don't miss what they don't have- they just go on with their lives.
The first two weeks of recovery can be bumpy and emotional- so don't get discouraged. And it is very important that you are strong and positive around her when you see her. You have to act like everything is normal and she is fine. It can be hard, but our pups take ques from us, if we act normal then they will be more comfortable.
Almost everyone here has been where you are and understand what you are going through. We have a lot of collective knowledge and support to share.
Let us know how the surgery goes.
Karen
Hi, all of the above plus this: I got through surgery day by obsessing over this website all day. My 8 year old black Lab Ajax also had a type of soft tissue sarcoma (chondrosarcoma; tumor of the cartilage; falls in the same category as soft tissue sarcoma medically, though often discussed in books and articles along w/ osteosarcoma).
Ajax's amputation was 23 days ago - just a little bit before Honey's - and he's doing awesome. I have no videos b/c I am tech challenged, but if you search "Ajax" you can read my posts for the weeks following surgery. Bottom line - it has been SO much better than I imagined! Hang in.
Read about all the things Ajax has done since the surgery. And he doesn't hate me. And I don't think he was in pain, so that I was taking away a horrible pain - I was just doing something medically necessary. And looking at him didn't upset me as much as I thought it would - probably because of this site preparing me. Good luck! Your young guy will bounce back faster than you ever imagined.
I agree with what everyone above has said - my dog had his surgery today and just got word that all is good. I kept myself busy at work, but when there was a lul, i would be thinking of him - the power of positive thinking got me through the day. Knowing what good hands he is in and that we are doing to start a new and different life together kept me on the good side of things.
Keep positive - sending all the positivity I have in your direction.
Ryan
Just another "I agree" post, but you can never be reassured too much in this situation.
I would definitely search through the gallery page. See pics of post amp dogs to get an idea of what Lily will look like. Then go to the videos page to see just what Lily will be capable of as a three legger. Keep yourself busy gathering as much info and reading as many stories as you can. Your girl will be fine.
It's important to be positive and realistic at the same time. You need to try to keep your spirits up for Lily's sake, and at the same time prepare yourself for some possible rough times in the next couple weeks. My dog is a front leg amputee. The first couple weeks, when I would see the painful parts of recovery, I kept coming back to the thought of "why did I do this, I've made the wrong decision." But once she broke through that two week barrier she very quickly improved. Now she runs and plays right along with her brother and sister. I wouldn't take back my decision for anything in the world.
Keep your head up and let us know how Lily's doing.
Leslie
Welcome Lily and family! (and even Ryan)
I'm so sorry that you are having to go through this. Surgery makes us all upset, so we totally understand. All pup pawrents & family members were so scared beforehand at the thought of only 3 legs. It's just normal human nature. But it's all going to be okay.
As everyone has said, it's ruff going for 2 weeks but that's because it's a major surgery!
And if you have any doubts, just take a look at Miss Roxy (Leslie's pup - above post). This will put a smile on your face and have something to look forward to!
Best wishes! Keep us in the loop on what's going on!
Comet - 1999 to 2011
She departed us unexpectedly January 23, 2011 at the age of 12 1/2.
She was born with a deformed front leg and a tripawd all of her life.
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