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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Okay....deep breaths....inhale slowly....exhale slowly....breathe.....inhale slowly....exhale slowly....actually, as well as saying that to you....I'm saying that to me too!!! Afraid I'm not as gracious as Jerry as far as Roger's journey and all the extra hurdles you have had to face, the actual causes, the seemingly dismissive way you have been treated on different levels.....okay....I'll shut up now...expressing my frustrations not being helpful at all!!!
If I recall. it seems that you even "suggested" the wound needed another stitch or two.
Anyway, I digress. I'm sooooo glad he's getting that bandage removed and soooglad he's getting suture in the wound. I'm equally glad he is NOT charging you for this. Guess I'm trying to say HOPEFULLY he is not charging for this!!!! He did agree to an appt at 9 o'clock and you had to wait ......anyway.....I digress again and need to find "graciousness" again😉😉
(((((((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!
Thank you so much for the kind encouraging words. I don’t think I was too bad I did say I was not happy and that he had the back leg bandage/cast on for 3 weeks before he had the amputation and then for almost three weeks had the amputation and the front leg bandage on which is just a lot for him. When I spoke to the vet I remained calm and nice. He said he felt it was time for Roger to be out of the bandage as well. I guess it is good to know that it common for this to be a roller coaster.
I didn’t think about the different gait so that is good information to know. In this instance I think it is definitely the way the bandage is and leaves his two little nails out and pointed down but good to know may happen when we have all three legs back.
it is hard not to think that they don’t just do it for the money sometimes when you it just seems like more and more stuff coming up so that is good to know. The people at this vet are very good and they do really like Roger and he likes them. The vet is not charging any extra for the sutures or the stay. I do wish I could have him back tonight but I would not be able to pick him up before they close even if they are able to do it tonight.
I can’t wait to see him tomorrow without a bandage on. I am hoping he is so excited. He has been very tired of the bandage.
the bad news or somewhat bad news was I asked the vet if after the good news about the grade two diagnosis of soft tissue sarcoma and the clean lymph node if he would change the prognosis from 6 months to 2 years and make it closer to the 2 years. He said he would not. So that made me a little sad but I have read on this forum how several of your animals lived well past their prognosis date. It’s just really hard not to focus on it…but I am trying not to.
Benny——I just noticed your post. I love your being on my and Roger’s side. I think maybe a middle ground between you and Jerry!!!:-).
with that being said I was very happy once I spoke to the vet. When I do speak with him he puts me at ease. I do not believe that I ever told the doctor sutures were needed. I think he said they may be necessary possibly and actually I think I was against it. Not anymore! I do think they have done a really good job and would definitely recommend them to others and would go back to them. They have been very kind to Roger.
I do think the vet I have gone to for this actually has done a really good job and his amputation is great. All the vet techs have been so kind to me and to Roger. I think Roger and I have just had enough of this roller coaster ride and are ready to get off.
the doctor called me tonight around 8 pm to tell me that Roger made it out of the procedure and they put in about 10 stitches. 10 stitches seems like a lot for a small spot. He will be released tomorrow and have an adhesive bandage just over the sutures. In two weeks hopefully they will be removed.
I will be so happy to get him back tomorrow and hope he will be on the mend for good with regards to this.
Amy, you made me chuckle about Sally being the middle ground, I agree totally! 
This is such a difficult situation when it's "only" an amputation you are dealing with. Add other issues into the mix and it's very very hard. You are doing great, and your clarity about the treatment he is getting says so much about how strong and thoughtful you are managing to be in the middle of this tough ride!
I hope you are having a homecoming with him now. Don't let the stitches overwhelm you too much. I know that's hard not to. Let us know how it goes!
I picked Roger up this morning at 9:00 am. He has a gauze pad over the stitches with a clear plastic adhesive over that. Much less intimidating to me the huge cast he has had. I now see his left front leg which is the first time I have seen it in 3 weeks. He seems to love being able to use it. It is already so much easier to deal with than the huge bandage. He is walking better.
One thing I didn’t anticipate was a lot more shaving. Maybe they had issues with the iv because they shaved almost all his right front leg and then a smaller little shave on it as well along with huge shaved part for the wound area and then a small shaved spot on his left front leg and then another shaved spot on his remaining back leg. Not to mention all the shaving for the amputation that is finally starting to grow out. I think he has more shaved parts than full fur parts.
We got home he drank some water and I gave him doggy ice cream and then he went to sit in the sun on the balcony. Then he came in and he has been napping in his crate. Never believed a three legged dog would be so easy….until I had a two legged dog for three weeks!!!!
WELCOME. HOME ROGER!!!! Onward and upward from here on out young man!!
We can "hear in your voice" how relieved you....and we feel the same sense of relief 👍
Never believed a three legged dog would be so easy….until I had a two legged dog for three weeks!!!!
Hahaha......you've certainly had a very "different" recovery than we're use to seeing here! You and Roger are fighters! This will be an inspirational go to story when members feel discouraged about unforeseen hurdles they could face during recovery.
As frustrated and as defeated you must have felt these past several weeks, you stayed strong and you continuee to advocate for Roger and Mercer gave up! 👏👏👏
Yeah, sounds like a lot of shaving but it got the job done with no ossues now! YAY!!!
Now get some rest tonight. You deserve it!
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!
Awww welcome home Roger! So happy things went well yesterday. How is today?
Never believed a three legged dog would be so easy….until I had a two legged dog for three weeks!!!!
Oh my gosh ain't that the truth!
Sorry about all the fur shaving. Sometimes they do go a little gung ho on it but I'm sure they have their reasons. At least it's summer and not cold outside!
Thank you all for being so happy Roger is doing well!
Everyday since getting the bandage off has been great. He is so happy and pretty much back to himself. He jumped on the couch next to me yesterday. He still hasn’t tried to get up on the bed (and I am glad about that with the stitches) and he also doesn’t want to sleep on any of his beds still. Other than that he is his same old self. He is in his crate a lot but I do know he feels extra safe in there.
We have slowly been walking more and also staying outside just to sit outside and visit friends. He ran into his best friend the other day (person) with his dog. Roger went crazy and was so happy to see him. His friend said that Roger was handling this all just how he would have expected by just being Roger. Another friend who had seen Roger the day I first took him to the vet due to his frantically licking his leg with cancer during a walk said she thought he looked and acted better than before. I guess maybe he was really having pain in that leg.
Since getting the bandage off on Tuesday and picking him up Wednesday I have been exhausted. I think I have just been so stressed about him since June and then even more so with this wound that to then finally see an end to the wound problem coming and see him happy that all the stress just hit me and I realized I had pretty much just been holding my breath for something else to go wrong. Now I can see why I chose to amputate his leg and it was so he can just be Roger for as long as he has left, which I hope is a good amount of time.
We made our appointment for 8/13/24 to have the stitches removed from the wound site. Two weeks is the longest we have gone without going to the vet since this all started in early June. We don’t know what to do with ourselves!! I counted and when I picked him up on Wednesday from getting the wound stitch I had been at the vet 16 times since 6/11/24. So glad to have a break from that.
Two weeks is the longest we have gone without going to the vet since this all started in early June. We don’t know what to do with ourselves!! I counted and when I picked him up on Wednesday from getting the wound stitch I had been at the vet 16 times since 6/11/24. So glad to have a break from that.
Standing ovation for you qnd for Roger too!!👏👏👏👏👏
When you break it down like you have as far as number of visits basically back to back.....WOW!!! You can finally exhale now and move forward and enjoy the Bliss of being with Roger with all this behind you! Really, you should be very proud of the strength you have shown through all this. Roger is so lucky to have you as such a strong advocator for him all this time...... took a lot of guts!
So thrilled that you are seeing Rogers Sparkle finally come back quickly and so noticeably! Just the comments from the people who have seen him during all of this journey and to see him now really so happy validates ROGER IS ROGER again!!!!
Thanks so much for this glorious update that highlights all the delightful ways Roger is reclaiming his joy.♥️
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!
Oh yay yay yay! 
Life is slowly getting back to normal!
You described a lot of things that resonate with anyone who's been through this journey. There is a LOT of breath holding, and even more when you are dealing with extra complicated and expensive medical issues. That's a LOT of vet visits in a short amount of time!
And as you just noticed, you don't even know you're holding your breath until you see the light at the end of the tunnel and you let it out. You were under so much stress and emotional pain yourself!
Your friend who observed Roger's spunky new behavior is spot-on about how pain can creep up before we even see it. Only until the source is addressed and taken away, do we get to see our dog as they were before the ordeal started. When I look at before and after pictures of our Jerry, I'm blown away by the before ones. He was in so much pain and we didn't even see it! The after photos of him even just days after surgery say so much about how much better he felt. And I have no doubt that Roger feels the same way now.
Bravo for facing the decision, dealing with the situation with Roger's quality of life in mind, and moving forward with so much hope and courage for better days. They're here! YAY!
Hello Amy!
at last things are going well for real this time!! I am really glad your vet and you rose to the occasion and roger is home and back to his usual self! Both of you met a lot of challenges but it was worth it 🙂
I hope the stitches will be removed smoothly and then you will only have a good time together! It s alright if sometimes you felt lost or angry or mistreated because we are on the other side and vets do know that. They deal with difficult situations every day but for us it s not a standard.
We send you a lot of healing hugs from sunny Greece!! I am waiting to receive good news once again the next time you come back from the vet!
Gioukas the first born -*Ntoris the wise*- Kimi the cat
Roger got the stitches out on his front left leg from the wound today. He will have to have the cone on for another week or so if left alone, but they are off.
The doctor spoke with me and Roger is discharged from care!!!! He recommended that we continue Roger’s yearly check ups with his vet and possibly a yearly chest x ray. He also said I could have a referral to an oncologist if I wanted but the amputation got the cancer…not to say a cancer cell can’t pop up elsewhere at a later date but we got the cancer and no further treatment recommended at this time.
Roger wore his collar I was going to put on him for his birthday but that was when he started having leg issues so we didn’t really celebrate. It has bright beautiful balloons on it and it’s his celebration collar. We are definitely celebrating. Roger just finished his doggy ice cream and is ready for a nap after his big day! He is 90% to 95% back to himself.
Thank you to everyone for all of your help and kind words of encouragement during this difficult process. It really meant a lot to me and I am so happy to have made it through the amputation process and be able to just let Roger be Roger and have more time with him and know he is enjoying this extra bonus time we have together.
WOWEEEE!!! Roger has come so very far, and we couldn't be more thrilled! So happy to hear you both got the all-clear to get on with life and PAWTY!
It's stories like these that bring hope to everyone, and keep us cheering others on when things get ruff. We are so grateful you took the time to join us, felt secure enough to lean on us and ask questions, and happy enough about his progress to come back and share this fantastic news!
Please give Roger extra belly rubs and birthday smooches! And if you have any photos to share, here's how adding images works. We would love to see his gorgeous birthday collar and celebration!
HOPPY BIRTHDAY ROGER! Cheers to many many more!
..... and be able to just let Roger be Roger and have more time with him and know he is enjo++'ying this extra bonus time we have together.
Knowing Roger can be Rogwr again is a delightful example of why we do what we do!!
It has bright beautiful balloons on it and it’s his celebration collar.
To make it clear so much to celebrate with this post! We are so happy that he has been discharged and is fully healed! You know we have to have a picture of him with his celebration collar, right? And would love to see him getting another scoop of ice cream too!
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!
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