Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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After seeing my vet this afternoon, we decided it is in Pixie's best intrest to have the leg removed and also taking the scapula. He feels that with her size and weight (15 pounds) that she will adjust well. He said we could try another removal, but there is not a chance we would get margins as well as last time, and it came back. I was wrong on how long ago the surgery was, she had it removed the end of this last February, so it came back fast.
Being a Frenchie, like Pugs, she is top heavy and that will make it a bit harder, but I feel good, or as good as I can, about this. He is an excellant orthopedic surgeon, and had done work on our other dogs and cats. We have been with him for 11 years, and he is very up to date on things, so no worries there. I just feel bad for my little girl. He said that since the breed has bowed legs to some extent, that she will find her new normal and the leg would start to gravitate to the middle a bit over time, helping her with balance.
He had a large breed dog there than had the same surgery today and is going home tonight that is doing well, and went to their potty area and did ok, so that makes me feel a bit better, I guess. I just know I am going to lose it when I drop her off tomorrow and when I see her when I pick her up.
My son (who I have mentioned is an amputee) just fell apart when I told him, but I think he will feel better when this is all over. He joked that he has a spare prosthesis Pix can borrow, so it was a brief funny moment in a day of fear.
Best wishes for a perfect procedure and quick recovery!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
What a brave son you have. I like humor how ever small or brief in times of uncertainty. Fortis and I are sending lots of positive thoughts your way for a very successful surgery and a fast recovery.
Thoughts and Prayers,
Fortis'Dad
Sending you our prayers for a successful surgery and speedy recovery - for you all.
Tana and Sophie
Sophie (1998 – 2010)
"Going Dog" def: living every day in the moment
"It came to me that every time I lose a dog they take a piece of my heart with them. And every new dog who comes into my life gifts me with a piece of their heart. If I live long enough, all the components of my heart will be dog, and I will become as generous and loving as they are."
–Unknown
Hey Alicia,
I'll be thinking of you and Pixie tomorrow.
Remember you will need to be strong for Pixie when you pick her up. As hard as it might be you have to act normal and accepting of her new shape so she will know everything is alright.
You have read up in the forums, you know what to expect- you can handle this. It will probably be a rough couple of weeks- but lean on all of us here, we have been through it.
Karen and the pug girls
p.s. I just updated Mag's blog. One page has her amputation and chemo treatment - you can see what meds she came home with after the amp. I also updated Maggie's Story- it now reflects her whole cancer journey.
Sending you much needed pawsitive energy for tomorrow so you don't get too upset! Pixie will amaze you! She'll probably do like the vet said and move her leg to the middle. That's how Comet stands. She also tucks one of her back legs under her body to adjust. She looks deformed but, hey - whatever works! She doesn't know any better since she was born with a deformed front leg.
How old is your son? I personally think he's going to get you through this! He'll totally get it when you may not, I just know it!
Yep, it's gonna be brutal for the recovery. Major surgery always is. But come over and keep us updated! We are here to listen. AND FOR SURE, let us know when Pix is out of surgery, okay?
Comet's mom
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.
Sending good thoughts for a speedy, uneventful recovery and a little extra strength for you. Even uneventful recoveries are gruesome, there is just so much adjustment in those first couple of weeks. Trouble, like Comet, positions her leg in the middle and kinda turns it in a bit. Also, she is a pitbull, so she is top (front) heavy also. Keeping them thin helps with the mobility for them.
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.
Sending Pixie lots of positive thoughts and hugs for her surgery tomorrow!! You'll probably be a little shocked when you first pick her up... but then that will go away, and you'll just be happy to have your baby back without her painful cancerous leg...
Angel Jake and Wolfie's Mom
Jake, 10yr old golden retriever (fractured his front right leg on 9/1, bone biopsy revealed osteosarcoma on 9/10, amputation on 9/17) and his family Marguerite, Jacques and Wolfie, 5yr old german shepherd and the newest addition to the family, Nala, a 7mth old Bengal mix kittie. Jake lost his battle on 11/9/2009, almost 8 weeks after his surgery. We will never forget our sweet golden angel… http://jakesjou.....ipawds.com ….. CANCER SUCKS!
Thank you, all of you. I had dreams about Pixie all night, but not bad ones, just dreams that she was in. I was more than ready to get up at 5:30. I called and talked to her breeder and he agreed with our decision, which made me feel a bit better. I just hate to do this, I really hate it. Have any of you heard/seen that smaller dogs have a bit of an easier time with amputation than larger dogs? I heard that from a few people, but is it true? (grasping at positive straws here, obviously)
And how will she "walk"? Will she fall down at first, what can I expect? What about going outside? What should I do about taking her to potty? We have an ex-pen being set up in a quiet area of the house, away from the other dogs, but will let "her" cat it, if she wants it (they sleep together and it is a laid back cat). We will have her crated at night so she is in a tighter enclosed space. I have a few of her favorite toys and I am stuffing marrow bones for her to have something to do in a couple days.
Cometdog, my son is 23 now, the amp was done when he was 21. He is just having a really hard time with this. He has been up all night, holding Pixie.
Karen, as soon as I get home from the vet, I will go read more of your story, thanks. I remember how hard it was to see my son, after the surgery. They were not able to close the residual limb for a week, so it was very disturbing. I know if I can get though that, I can do this, also. But just the thought of it....it makes me weep. I keep telling myself that the leg is not her, her personality and crazyness is in her heart and her head, neither of which will be touched today.
Oh, how will she run, or will she, ever? Will she know something is wrong, and grieve the loss? Can I hold her when she comes home or is it better to let her be?
I am so sorry for all these questions, they just keep flooding my brain right now. We leave in 30 minutes and I m getting nervous.
Again, thank you, ALL of you, for your kind replies and personal experiences. It means more than you will ever know.
Alicia
Hi Alicia,
I have heard that small dogs can do better, but I have seen mostly medium and big dogs and they do fine. One advantage we have with our little pups is that we can easily pick them up if needed. However- resist the temptation to carry her around. She needs to find her balance- and she will. You should have a cloth shopping bag split open, or towel ready to help support her if she needs it. Mag never needed my help to get around. She did fall sometimes, especially at first, and I will be honest she got discouraged. She would just sit where she fell and look at me. It was hard to see, and I did question if I did the right thing. But she figured it out and got better and better as her balance and strength improved.
As far as holding her- let her tell you what she wants. She may just want to be left alone to rest and sleep. If she wants to sit with you that should be fine too. Again- I wouldn't hold her and carry her around too much.
I really wish I had a site like this when I went through Mag's amp. That way I would have known everything she (and I ) went through was normal. We went through Maggie's amp alone- hers was actually about 2 months before Jerry's, and Tripawds didn't yet exist.
Back to the small dog vs big dog question- I have also heard that big dogs don't do well with amps. But our buddy Cemil is a 148 lb Antolian Shephard who is doing fine and going strong- I can't remember exactly but I think 16 or 17 months past his amp.
You might browse through the blogs this afternoon and see how some of the front leg amps get around. Check out the video I made last January at our monthly Tripawds meet-up. There were seven tripawds at that party.
Karen
alicia said:
I just hate to do this, I really hate it.
Have any of you heard/seen that smaller dogs have a bit of an easier time with amputation than larger dogs?
Why would you hate to eliminate Pixie's pain and reduce tha chance of her cancer spreading? Many members having the same feelings have found the book Without Regret to be very helpful in coping with these human emotions. Or, just try to Be More Dog !
With much less weight to carry around, smaller dogs do indeed usually have a much easier time on three legs, as long as they remain fit and trim and have no other compensatory issues.
Please keep us posted and try to remain strong around Pixie. She needs to be reassured that life will continue as normal.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi Alicia,
My dog is a boxer, a small one, full grown at only 44 pounds, with a front leg amputation done on March 2nd. First, they all go through recovery a little different, but Roxy never had issues getting around. It was obvious she wasn't feeling well that first week or so, she worried me a lot during recovery, but she was walking around the same day, slow as it may have been. I was nervous for her because she was a stray and obviously was never taught to "tell" us when she needed to potty. It all worked out fine when she first showed up because we have a dog door that she can use whenever she wants, but I didn't think she'd be able to get through it as a front leg amputee. Well, she showed me. First thing she did when she got home was hop back to the dog door and hop right through it. She didn't even pause to think about it, she just did it. Which brings me to another point I wanted to bring up.
You asked if she'll know something is wrong and grieve the loss. The way my vet explained it to me is that dogs don't have expectations like humans do. They don't expect life to be a certain way, they don't expect to look a certain way, so they don't waste time worrying about it. If you think about it, that's one of the beautiful things about dogs and the way they live. She will be the same sweet, crazy girl...just a little lighter. She's still going to love you 100%!!! There will be no grudge. I worried about that.
Roxy runs all the time! She runs around the house, she runs out in the yard, she jumps up to give lovins when you invite her and she also jumps around and plays rough with her boxer brother and sister. Both of them are regular size boxers, 70 and 84 pounds. But she holds her own with them. She plays tug of war and they generally just beat each other up. She's right in the mix and never misses a beat.
I too have a close family member with an amputated leg. Going through that and watching her recovery, and then watching Roxy...they are nothing alike. I promise you that. I mean, yes, the fundamentals are the same. The leg will be gone and her recovery will be painful for a couple weeks. But all of the emotions just won't be there. Dogs don't have vanity, they don't worry about how they will be perceived, how they will get around, how they will earn a living, they don't have to go through therapy, it's just not the same. Know what I mean? I don't know about your son, but in my experience it took a long time for my relative to feel really comfortable getting around and just being herself again. It wasn't anything like that with my dog. If you read the blogs you'll see that in most cases in just a few weeks the dog is doing well and acting like a dog again.
Pixie will amaze you the same way all of our dogs have amazed us! They are so much stronger and more resilient than us humans are! We're praying for you all!
Leslie
Roxy's Mom
P.S. Sorry this is so long, I get a little windy sometimes. 
Thank you, Jerry and Karen. Karen, BTW, I see you are in Livermore. I am in Fresno. Leaving Pix at the vet was horrible. I cried handing her over, I cried signing papers, I cried in the van. I felt the way I do when I have had to put a pet down. It was just so hard, although now with a bot of time and distance, I am feeling better. I will get her "room" set up, so that should keep me busy today. Thank you all, so much and I will post when I hear from them or get her home tonight.
lesliec said:
My dog is a boxer, a small one, full grown at only 44 pounds, with a front leg amputation done on March 2nd.
Thanks for your feedback Leslie. Please consider starting a new topic to share your story and be sure to log in when visiting the forums so your posts appear immediately without requiring moderation.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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