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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He looks great. You are a lot braver than I was to let him give it a go on his own. I helped support for a couple of days, but it was a long way from our bedroom through the house to the front door and outside to Trouble's favorite spot.
Shanna & Spirit Trouble ~ Trouble gained her wings 3/16/2011, a 27 1/2 month cancer survivor, tail wagging. RIP sweetheart, you are my heart and soul. Run free at Rainbow Bridge.
The November Five - Spirits Max, Cherry, Tika, Trouble & Nova. 11/2008 - 3/2013 An era ends as Queen Nova crossed the Bridge.
well he and i are one , i think sometimes he talks to me telepathically . i just know what he can handle and he tells me when he needs help ..
Awww he's looking good. I love the cheerleading squad!
He may be a little wobbly after the pain meds wear off, but that's to be expected when you've just been through major surgery. I hope you both are having a restful night.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Every time I see it I am just amazed how fast our pups cope!
Remember there may be some ups and downs so don't get discouraged if Rock seems to regress after getting home. Hopefully he is one of the lucky pups who has a smooth and fast recovery.
And I agree with Jerry- GREAT cheer leading squad! It is so important to be strong and encouraging.
Karen and the pugapalooza
He looks great!
Like the others said, don't be surprised if he "crashes" a little after a day or so - that's pretty common. He might seem quite depressed and not like himself, but generally folks start to see their pups' personalities return once the pain meds are done and the staples are out.
We're here if you have questions! Hope he breezes through!
Jackie
Abby: Aug 1, 2009 – Jan 10, 2012. Our beautiful rescue pup lived LARGE with osteosarcoma for 15 months – half her way-too-short life. I think our "halflistic" approach (mixing traditional meds + supplements) helped her thrive. (PM me for details. I'm happy to help.) She had lung mets for over a year. They took her from us in the end, but they cannot take her spirit! She will live forever in our hearts. She loved the beach and giving kisses and going to In-N-Out for a Flying Dutchman. Tripawds blog, and a more detailed blog here. Please also check out my novel, What the Dog Ate. Now also in paperback! Purchase it at Amazon via Tripawds and help support Tripawds!
He is looking really great. As others have said, you may see Rock crash a bit OR try to do more than he should. But good to see he's off to a wonderful start.
Karen and Spirit Magnum
Magnum: 30th May 2002 to 5th May 2012. Lost her back left leg to osteosarcoma on 5th Sep 2011. Lung mets found on 20th Mar 2012 but it was bone mets in the hip that ended her brave battle. Magnum's motto - "Dream as if you'll live for ever, live as if you'll die today" (James Dean). Loyal, loving, courageous and spirited to the end. My beloved heart dog, see her memoirs from Rainbow Bridge ...... http://princess.....pawds.com/
so rock had to get bandages changed today . vet said hes doing more then expectated. with that said he said rock will start chemo in about a week and will come back every 3 weeks for a total of 4 chemo treatments .Does this sound to light?
That sounds pretty normal. It varies some depending on the type of cancer, the vet's preference, the type of chemo, etc. Zeus had six rounds of Carboplatin - one treatment every three weeks - but I have seen reference to other dogs doing only four rounds. Glad to hear Rock is doing well!
Zeus was a Husky mix diagnosed with Osteosarcoma at age 11. A visible lung met and suspicious spot on his liver meant a poor prognosis-six weeks was our vet's best guess. We decided to fight for our boy and his right front leg was amputated on 12/1/11. We did six rounds of chemo, changed his diet and spoiled him completely rotten. We were blessed with 10 great months after diagnosis. Against the odds, the lung met remained a single met and grew very little over those months. A wonderful furbaby with the most gentle spirit, he fought with a strength that we never imagined he possessed. We have no regrets...
http://zeuspod......pawds.com/
Ditto to everything Zeuspod said.
We did 6 rounds of Carboplatin. After the 4th round we did further xrays and since they were clear our oncologist suggested doing 2 more rounds. They were the hardest rounds. The effects of the chemo were more pronounced with those last 2. But, I think it helped us buy more time and Magnum still tolerated it quite well.
Karen and Spirit Magnum
Magnum: 30th May 2002 to 5th May 2012. Lost her back left leg to osteosarcoma on 5th Sep 2011. Lung mets found on 20th Mar 2012 but it was bone mets in the hip that ended her brave battle. Magnum's motto - "Dream as if you'll live for ever, live as if you'll die today" (James Dean). Loyal, loving, courageous and spirited to the end. My beloved heart dog, see her memoirs from Rainbow Bridge ...... http://princess.....pawds.com/
Some dogs will have 4 treatments, which is the way it's always been, while some have 6 depending on the type/stage of cancer. The newest protocol is to do 6 rounds of carboplatin for treating osteosarcoma, but some vets are still doing 4. Recent studies have shown improvement in survival rates with 6 treatments, but some vets feel the studies aren't strong enough to support the additional treatments. I would ask your vet why s/he chose 4 versus 6. Either way, he has better odds at a longer life span with the chemo so try not to worry. Good luck! Glad things are going so well.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
I don't remember exactly what our onc. said about 4 v. 6, but I think he said at the time that studies showed somewhere in the 4 - 6 range was optimal, so to be on the safe side and "hit the cancer hard" we went for 6 treatments. Like Karen said - those last 2 hit Abby the hardest and she was quite tired after both of them.
We also "hit it hard" by doing treatments every two weeks, since Abby was young and strong. Most people do every 3 weeks. Sadly, even with hitting it hard, we didn't hit it hard enough. But the time we did have with her (15 mo) was awesome.
Like Jerry said, you might just want to ask your onc why 4 instead of 6. 4 would definitely be easier on your pup and also easier on the pocketbook. (I know sometimes folks don't like to bring the financial side into the equation - but I don't think there's anything wrong with considering that side of things in your decisions.)
Hang in there!
Jackie
Abby: Aug 1, 2009 – Jan 10, 2012. Our beautiful rescue pup lived LARGE with osteosarcoma for 15 months – half her way-too-short life. I think our "halflistic" approach (mixing traditional meds + supplements) helped her thrive. (PM me for details. I'm happy to help.) She had lung mets for over a year. They took her from us in the end, but they cannot take her spirit! She will live forever in our hearts. She loved the beach and giving kisses and going to In-N-Out for a Flying Dutchman. Tripawds blog, and a more detailed blog here. Please also check out my novel, What the Dog Ate. Now also in paperback! Purchase it at Amazon via Tripawds and help support Tripawds!
I thought at the time we had the normal treatment, but maybe not. Trouble had five rounds of Carboplatin each 3 weeks apart.
Shanna & Spirit Trouble ~ Trouble gained her wings 3/16/2011, a 27 1/2 month cancer survivor, tail wagging. RIP sweetheart, you are my heart and soul. Run free at Rainbow Bridge.
The November Five - Spirits Max, Cherry, Tika, Trouble & Nova. 11/2008 - 3/2013 An era ends as Queen Nova crossed the Bridge.
hey guys just an update. Rock is doing great he put on 4 lbs weight is perfect doc says and hes getting around better then expected . Hes started chemo last week and reacted fine to it . His wound is healed almost 100% heres a video i took a couple of days ago
Charles, I am so sorry to hear about what you are going through. We are going through the same thing with our American Bulldog. She presented with the same symptoms as Rock did. We are going in on Friday for the amputation and Im so nervous about it. This site is great for answering alot of questions you will have. I down loaded the three legs and a spare book and I cant even beging to tell you how helpful it was for me when we met with the oncologist. They give you great questions to ask the vet.
I live in California and the surgery is estimated to be between 4600-5600 dollars. She will be staying overnight and it includes all the followups and medication but not the chemo. Everything in California is more expensive it seems.
I struggled with making the decision but from everything I have read here and what the vet tells me, dogs adjust to life just fine with three legs. I know how you feel about Rock having alot of life left in him. I feel the same way about Cadence.
Do what you feel is right in your heart. Dont listen when friends think you are crazy for spending the money or whatever they will say. It sounds like your Rock is your heart and when you love a doggie that much, we will do whatever to keep them safe and happy. Keep me updated on what you decide to do.
michele
“Dogs are our link to paradise. They don't know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring--it was peace.” ― Milan Kundera
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