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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His ACL injury is what is going to take our sweet puppy from us. What a nightmare. It's getting worse. His appointment is made. I'm so angry this whole thing turned out exactly as I didn't want. We amputated to get him out of pain and now this is how it's going to end.
I'm so sorry to hear this. Is there nothing that can be done?
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
You made the right decision for the right moment at that time for what your fur kid will always thank you for. Is it worth having a second opinion by another vet before the appointment?
Sending hugs
I am so sorry to hear this. You made the right decision for him. I remember watching the videos of him romping and playing in the snow, having the time of his life. This journey is oh so hard. There are so many ups and downs and emotions attached. Know that you have given him the best life ever. He is so loved, so treasured. He knows that. Hugs from, Lori, Ty and Gang
TY GUY, Best Black Lab ever! Diagnosed and had amp in January, 2014. Kicked MRSA's butt. Earned his angel wings on April 16, 2014. Run Free my boy and don't forget a shoe. Ty is a proud member of the " April Angels". Ty sent us Daryl, a Tripawd rescue in Sept. of 2016. Daryl is 5 +or -. We are also Pawrents to Chandler, a Border Collie mix who is 15 and 1/2, Lucy, a Corgi who is 7, 2 minis, 2 horses, and a feisty cat named Zoe. Zoe had a non skeletal Osteosarcoma removed in July 2015. No Chemo, she was at least 16. She is going strong although she is now completely blind. She is now close to 20 and her hobbies are eating and sleeping in front of her personal heater.
I am soooooo sorry... this journey is truly horrible. IN the end, it wasn't Shelby's lung mets but brain cancer and we didn't/hadn't watched for that. I felt blind-sided. I am so sorry for this and know that Marshall had so much love and joy in his short time with you. You gave him the BEST life he could ask for!
Sending you love and healing energy...
alison (with the spirit of shelby fur-ever in her heart ) and little jasper too
Shelby Lynne; Jack Russell/Shiba Inu mix. Proud member of the April Angels of 2014.
October 15, 2000 to April 8, 2014
Our story: Broke rear leg in June 2013 - non-conclusive results for cancer so leg was plated and pinned. Enlarged spleen in September 2013 and had it removed and was diagnosed with Hemangiosarcoma and started chemotherapy. Became a Tripawd January 8th, 2014 and definitive Hemangiosarcoma diagnosis. Three major surgeries in 7 months and Shelby took them all like a champ only to lose her battle to cancer in her brain. We had 8 amazing extra months together and no regrets. #shelbystrong #loveofmylife
The appointment is for tomorrow. I'm waiting to hear back from his Vet but this seems cruel. The injury is getting worse bc he can't stay off of it. There are so many what ifs going on....what if we could have him rest it and it got better in a few days....things like that. It's been almost 2 months since we found out about the big tumor in his lung. I think that bc so many times he has pulled a "Marshall" and rallied we feel like he will do it again but I don't think it's possible this time.
I hope I'm saying this right...with everything he has going on and knowing that, although he may rally with good days, the chances of this *&$#$*&# disease taking a downward spiral at anytime is always there. And that would be far harder in him that the leg issue. And he still may pull a Marshall though!
Talk with the vet about recovery time needed for the leg. Get real clear on it. You need clarification on recovery time if you are having any doubts at all!Now this is different, but Merry Myrtle (a four legger), just tore a ligament in her ankle. The vet thinks I should see imlrovement in about ten days or so. This is a different situation for sure. But if your vet thinks a lot more recovery time is needed, and if the disease progressed rapidly during that time, that would not want to be the experience you remember.
Talk to the vet about giving him some more pain meds.
Leland's family jad to make the same kind of decision when his back leg gave out.
You can always make the appt. and you can always cancel it.
REGARDLESS of whether it's his time or not, you are still with Marshall right now and he is with you!! He's uncomfortable but that's not the same as excruciating pain. Give him ANYTHING he wants to eat! Junk food has healing powers sometimes!! Stay in the moment!!! IF it's his time, then that means Marshall is ready to be released. It's not something we have control over. Marshall makes that decision on a soul level. If he's not ready, he'll pull a Marshall. Remember, he's not fearful, he's not worried, he's just enjoying being with his family.
We are all right here with you. We understand. We are wrapping you in love and support.
Now go give him some junk food and watch his tail wag! And this moment is all that matters right nkw! Let NOTHING rob you of your time together right now!!
Love to you and sweet Marshall
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle
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 spoke to his Vet. She reviewed his X-rays from Saturday and he has hypertrophic osteopathy in his legs from the Cancer. She wants to wean him from prednisone and put him back on metacam. I think that it's not going to go well bc he needed the prednisone. The appointment for tomorrow is cancelled but I think this is a bad decision.
There are NO wrong decisions at this point in the journey. You KNOW and Marshall KNOWS thst every decision you are making is the best we can do given this brutal deck of cards our dogs are dealt.
On this lart of our journey we are revisiting our decisions everyday. What we were certain about it at one moment, we are uncertain about it the next...and back and forth we go!!
I'm gonna have to google it, but nkw the vet things is something related to that piece of crap disease and the the fall on the stairs?? Is this a different vet from the one who saw him the other day?
My heart just aches for you as you struggle with this phase. Yes, it can be a cruel time right now as far as your own emotions, but you WILL stay strong a d positive and FOCUSED ON THE MOMENT because you love Marshall so much! You are doing an extraordinary job of caring for Marshall...EXTRAORDINARY!!!
Did you discuss with the vet the dow slide Marshall took when he was on a lower dose of Preda d when he was off of it? Does she feel that the benefits for the leg with Metacam outweigh any side effects of taking him off the Prednisone? How long would it take for the Metcam to kick in??
Gosh,we all are hoping for the best! If we only had a cyrstal ball!!
PULL A MARSHALL MARSHAL@!!!!
Stay connected a d keep us posted! We care so deeply!
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle 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!
Same practice different vet. The hypertrophic osteopathy is from the metastatic osteosarcoma in his lungs. I don't know what were letting him suffer for. In his heart I think he's a puppy but his body is tired.
He's so young. I know this is unbelievably hard.
You aren't "letting" him suffer. You are doing everything possible to combat that disease and keep him comfortable!! I think you've asked yourself a very important question though. What do you come up with when you answer it?
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!
If the decision was mine only I would let him rest and run free of his pain. Trying different medicine and weaning him off prednisone which he clearly needs doesn't make sense to me. My husband thinks he isn't ready. Marshall has unbelievable heart and I get the same vibe from him that he isn't ready but I think if we wait until there is no life in his eyes then we made a huge mistake.
That's a well thought out answer...and you and your husband both validated each other.
I would just get real clear from your vet why she thinks metacam is the way to go...a d why she thinks the weaning off period won't cause him harm. Why does she think it will be more beneficial OVERALL than Pred. To take him off an anti inflammatory for several days (4 or 5?), does sound scary. I think your concerns are very valid.
You know Marshall best. Ugh, trying to make decisions when nothing is really clear cut anyway is just so darn tough.
I know this sou ds simplostic...but you just have to trust...to go with your gut and trust. You and your husband "sense" .Marshall isn't ready. You could be reading Marshall's energy exactly right!! You are so connected.
Maybe if your "gut" is telling you to keep him on Pred., that's a "message" too. So darn tough!!
The bliss of being dog! Marshall isn't agonizing over a thing!
Talk with your vet tomorrow and see if you can get more clarity. That should hell determkne which path you take.
(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((HUGS)))))))))))))))))))))))))
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 am so, so sorry you and your husband have to go through this. Making the "final" decision is soooo hard, you know we all get that here. Maybe if you and your husband could take a look together at these links about measuring quality of life it would help, maybe not, maybe you have already read them. Just wanted to make them available to you because they are we links we all remember seeing and have even posted for others but I, for one, never remember where to find them.
Hospice: Quality of Life Scale Tips with Pet Hospice Expert Dr. Alice Villalobos
Tripawds News: Penny Jars Measure a Dog’s Quality of Life
My last experience losing a beloved friend was 10 years ago come December. Here is what I wrote about that experience in the forums 7 years ago :
Just writing ... brings back all the emotions I felt as if it were yesterday. My Rosa was diagnosed with hemI still cry over losing my sweet shepherd girl nearly three years ago. Jangiosarcoma .... she was at risk of hemorrhaging at any time and dying, or not, painfully, or not. There were no firm answers. No one I consulted with recommended surgery and none gave her more than a week or two to live. I was not able to let her go at that point so I took her home. I took time off from work to be with her, I fed her whatever she wanted to eat by hand, I took lots of pictures of her. I even took her out to the woods for a few short walks, as far as she wanted to go. Mostly I just watched her sleep, and breathe, hoping that she would pass away quietly in her sleep, so I did not have to make that final call. She rallied for a few days and I thought maybe everything would be OK, and then she began to fade, a little more each day. There was no longer any question of taking her to the woods, and finally, a little over a week after her diagnosis, she stopped eating. I can barely look at the photos I took of her but when I do I can see how tired she was. I was so afraid that she would hemorrhage again and that it would be painful and frightening for her. I made the call.
I never thought I would survive her loss, and I never thought I would be able to make the decision to let her go. But the time came and I knew it was time and I was able to let go. The pain is still razor sharp, but I feel privileged that I was able to help Rosa leave this planet and give her peace ... You must trust that you will also know when it is time to let go. I think you will.
Ten years later the pain still cuts like a knife, and I sometimes still wonder if I let her go too soon or kept her too long. We all do, I think. But it all really comes down to a very personal decision, between you, your husband, and Marshall. I totally understand when you say you don't want to wait until there is no life left in Marshall's eyes. Marshall is a trooper. But I swear you can really see it in their eyes when they are ready, even if they buck up now and then, you can see how tired they are, that they are ready to stop fighting and just rest.
I apologize for the length of this post. I just hope it helps a little.
sending you lots of peace, love, and tripawd strength,
Martha, Codie Rae, and the Oaktown Pack
Woohoo! Tripawds Rule!
Regulator of the Oaktown Pack, Sheriff of the Oaktown Pawsse, Founding member and President of the Tripawd Girldogs With 2 Names ROCK Club, and ... Tripawd Girldog Extraordinaire!
I'm sorry Marshall is in such pain. Did the vet call it hypertrophic osteopathy? We don't see it here often but it does come up. One of the first tripawds Maggie met in 2009, Caira Sue, developed it as did Abby.
You can read Abby's mom post about HO here.
What I know about HO is not good, although there are always the exceptions. I didn't want to scare you, but at this point if it is HO then pain management is where you are at, and I don't think metacam will do it. I think he is on pain meds too?
I know you are worried about his life quality, and if it is HO and it has progressed then resting won't help. Maybe if you read up on HO and talk with vet and husband you guys can come to a consensus.
I'm not trying to push you, but it doesn't sound like your vet gave you much info on HO.
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
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