Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Tazzie said:
Even though half his body is shaved, they still say how beautiful he is. And people seem a lot more familiar with amputation and cancer than I expected. One person even said "three legs and a spare" when Tazzie hopped over to her. I nearly fell over.
The worst comment is "how old is he" implying that he is very old, but of course they aren't really being rude (I ask many people the same thing about their dogs, but I don't want people to think that cancer dogs are necessarily old). It just hurts a bit because everyone thought he seemed like such a young lad before the cancer diagnosis.
We find that people are much more willing to come up and talk to us, and pet Dixie, than before her surgery (big black dog = scary I guess). People usually tell us we are "brave." It's like saying we "rescued" her when we adopted her. To us, we just did what most people would do. We are no more special… (Don't get me wrong, I take their compliments to heart though.)
First question is "How did she loose her leg?", next is "How old is she?" Funny how that is the second question that comes to people's minds.
I think little kids are hilarious. They are always confused when they see her. They'll bend down to see where that fourth leg is hiding. "Silly dog…" they say. Teenagers think it's cool.
Some people are just mean though. Laugh and point! Really?! Now we know how some people with obvious physical disabilities feel.
It is amazing though, how animals can teach us how to be nicer and more tolerant towards our fellow human beings. Just have to be open to it.
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With Jerry missing a front leg, many younger kids would often point and say, "Look! That dog has one leg!" We always had fun explaining how he had three! I totally remember quite a few bending over to look under him for the fourth.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Dixiedog...Since our vet did not have gabapentin at his clinic, Oslo has his own prescription at our regular drugstore. It is not that expensive. It's about 60$ (canadian dollars) every two weeks . I guess it would be less expensive for your dog because Oslo is pretty big (125 lbs. Up to now, no side effects on him.
We tried to wean Oslo off gabapentin 3 weeks ago and then the yelping started again and became louder and more frequent as days went. So we are back to his initial posology. Up to now, we are still not sure that it is pain-related. It looks a lot like a reflex. Anyway, gabapentin is working really well on him.
By the way, Dixie is very pretty 
Oslomoka
So Oslo is still on Gabapentin? I didn't know it was something anyone used for a long time. Do you think she feels phantom pain when you take her off the drug?
Thought of your big girl tonight. I ordered a horse blanket for dogs from Orvis. The on-line reviews indicated that their sizes were small so I ordered the very biggest. (I couldn't even fasten the large Ruffwear portage float coat around him.) Well, the size might be perfect for Oslo. It seems kind of big and heavy for an 35 kg dog to carry around, but probably perfect for a 55 kg dog. The fleece shirt we ordered is also really really big, so I guess they are truer to size than those reviews indicated.
Susan & Tazzie 2
Susan, that horse blanket sounds interesting. Do you have a link for it?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Jerry asked so I better deliver:
http://www.orvi.....t_id=10569
My neighbours gave me the Orvis Dog catalog. I didn't know they had doggy things, but they have lots of nice beds.
The horse blanket looks very nice and overall fits well, apart from the fact that I probably could have gotten one size smaller (I got the very largest size). It looks perfect for a giant dog. Tazzie is weird because he has an enormous chest for a dog that does not weigh that much, I've noticed by comparing with other dogs' stats on this website.
Ruffwear also has an over coat. But the Orvis one covers the flank, and that is one of Tazzie's most naked places due to the most recent surgery.
I don't think too many of you live in a climate where you'd need this. But when you come to visit us, you might need it!
Wow you're quick Susan, thanks! That is a pretty sweet looking blanket coat thing. You're right, we haven't seen one with a good butt-cover like that. Looks very toasty warm! Let us know how Tazzie likes it. What a lucky pup to have you for a Mom!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
That coat/blanket looks great for camping. Unless it's summer, Dixie always gets cold when we camp and ends up in one of our sleeping bags.
Speaking of camping, we went this weekend in Patagonia/Sonoita, AZ (among border crossers!). I don't think Dixie did a single yelp/run while we were out. So strange…
While we were in Tucson, AZ, we talked to many people about Dixie's amputation. An herbalist recommended Herb Robert for Dixie. She felt it would be a good edition to her vitamin regimine. It helps oxygen get to cells in the body, which helps healing and fight disease. We aren't big into naturopathic medicine, so I don't know if we will try it out.
You can read more about Herb Robert at http://middlepa.....tianum.php.
Hmmmm, that herb is a new one here, we've never heard it mentioned. We Googled it but could find little information about it other than what the seller had to say on their website. Our recommendation is, to try to find a holistic vet who knows something about it, before trying it out, just to be safe.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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