In shock, but right now I just want my boy to recover and be supported with all our love. It seems like a lot to put someone who can’t tell us how he feels through. So glad things are going well with Oscar! I read both your blogs during my search for information on how to be prepared for this. Would amputation be kinder in the long run. There are two schools of thought on the necessity of removing a dog’s dewclaws. Oscar was diagnosed with spindle cell carcinoma in the right paw and after one surgery to remove the tumor it grew back quickly. Before surgery, he was my “first” dog, my oldest child, so to speak. I’m actually going to say TRUE to this one, but not in the way you think. After an awful weekend of waiting and watching my beautiful blonde shepherd mix suffer, we got the diagnosis of bone cancer. Check it out to learn how Sasha is doing now , Thanks for commenting, Liliana. But he is happy, in no pain and as I write this he is currently trying to bury a bone! Hi Alice – In all honesty I didn’t manage those feelings well at first. When going out, they limited their mobility by always putting them in a wheelchair (when they were fully capable of walking on their own), giving them a cane, or letting them hold on to their arm, etc. It may seem like an odd extra digit, but he actually uses it for the mischievous things he does all day. After about a week of this, even though his Tramadol was a very high dose, my vet and I decided on a Gabapentin therapy (3x day). Causes of a back leg weakness can include: The tripawds community is a really great community to get in touch with, as they are pet owners who have had, or are currently experiencing exactly what you are going through. I’m heartbroken for her to say the least. Time is a great healer and we will adjust but nonetheless it is still heart breaking. Everyone was worried because she is a big dog and ‘why put her through all that’, and because it is so very expensive. "Her work has appeared in several print and online publications including E-how, USA Today, Every Dog Magazine, Daily Puppy and Connecticut Dog Magazine. Your blogs were the best thing I could have read. I wish you luck. He was x-rayed again on Tuesday and this time it showed a tumour in his left foreleg. So im hoping its not osteosarcoma. I’m going to pick her up from the vet’s and bring her home shortly and am so happy, but nervous. Should I get a second opinion. I’m so sorry you are facing this decision. morning. He sometimes turns in on himself like he’s ashamed and then starts shaking. Hope everything goes well with your pup! A week camping in the living room on the floor we started to carry him up stairs to our room cause our backs are killing us…it’s hard to watch what the meds do to him. I wanted to say Happy New Yr to everyone on the site. My bullmastiff was diagnosed with cancer two days ago. UGH. I have him on a alkaline cancer diet lots of protein chicken spinach apple juice & flaxseed blended up and made into ice cubes to hide his meds..he loves ice cubes so he thinks its a treat but little does he know lol. The vet has suggested having pins placed in his leg. […]... eva adams: I am a strong advocate of introducing pets to newborns right... : Having the same problem as Heather. the vet has advised me to go for removing the femoral head (which I think sounds horrific) I’m sure you miss her dearly. I understand your confusion. My baby girl Lucy is having her front leg amputated tomorrow due to bone cancer, she is a 7 yr french mastiff, I’m so scared.. she is in so much pain I can’t bare it. Please send good thoughts out for my sweet girl. My other Dane is a 160 lb. The dewclaw is considered a vestigial digit, similar to the coccyx (tailbone) on humans. I compared xrays online to his and they seemed different just by shape and location ..the cancer is in like a Starburst pattern and more solid oval or roundish shaped but what he has seems like fluid all over the place in his muscles to the skin and now edema down his leg since he was at the vets & he does have an infection and fever. They’re a terrific resource and now a non-profit organization. Any suggestions. Even if we have her leg amputated how long will we get out of her? In a different field I worked with a client that had developmental issues from a polio vaccine they received as a child. However, you are right.. tripods adapt to life quickly. It allowed me to get through the very rough first 24 hours and see the light at the end of the tunnel. Any help or guidance on this???? Everyone is against me continuing to help him. I encourage you to head over to Tripawd.org and check out the forums as there is a ton of information there that can help. Although, reading all of your entries has really helped me emotionally. Thanks for the response & information. I have had a 3-legged 60 lb bulldog mix for 10 years now. It’s best to use the elevated bowl and let him eat at his own pace in a quiet secluded area. My dog is a Great Pyrenees and he has the extra toes on his back legs, on the left back leg his extra toe nail has grown in a circle and is going into the paw area, and is now making it bleed, I want … read more Dogs, etc. In smaller breeds hey are often vestigal. Heather. Eventually we managed to get liquid form drugs from vet and very slowly but surely he is on the road to recovery…. She is so playful and lovable. By Sat night, he was bruised and bleeding. Are prosthetics an option or not useful? I’m so torn. -Heather, my little toy poodle had his leg amputated at 11 yrs. Thank you for taking the time to read and share your story. So, if you are worried about it, it is a journey but one we found worth taking. Two weeks ago he under went an amputation . They may want to consider readjusting his meds. They didn’t seem to understand that he was recovering from anything at all. I am sorry to hear about Brian’s pain. I had to separate my other dogs to keep them from playing too rough. I found him 5 yrs ago starving nothing but a walking skeleton and cut up so badly like someone tried to use him as a fighting dog but he’s too sweet and passive. Double dew-claws are fairly common for certain breeds such as Samoyed's, Great Pyrenees, Bernese Mtn. FYI: You did that for me with your article. Recovering from major surgery is too hard on a dog… Personally, I would have made the same decision, nonemoreso than the fact chemo is never a cert. To be sure that all of the carcinoma is removed, the toe with the tumor will be removed entirely (amputated). We tried a splint but the leg doesn’t want to heal, probably because he has bird legs. I’ve tried elevating his bowl to make it easier on him. It may be the right thing to do health and safety wise if your dog has a history of having them catch and rip open. I had to separate my other dogs to keep them from playing too rough. I have a Chocolate Lab/Mastiff mix (160lbs) who is about to have his front left leg amputated due to bone cancer. Like Marcy above and her beloved pup, we discovered that our 4 year old Cane Corso, Cicero, has osteosarcoma two weeks ago. She got up several hours after her surgery but by the next day she would not get up. He had a bad reaction to the fentanyal so on top of waiting for the bone biopsy he was so sick. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. But after speaking to the vet we opted to go for it. I feel horrible just letting him go but I’m so afraid to put him through surgery with an average life expectancy of 5 months and that’s not a guarantee. I think because of the harness but not sure. Like everyone else on here I’m not ready to say goodbye yet, she is still young. Thank you very much for sharing your experience June – and I agree wholeheartedly! Other dogs will tease or attack your dog. but after week one Oscar was jumping up on the couch again.. even walking along the back of the couch like a tight rope on week two and we even caught him sprinting across the yard. In answer to your questions, the total for the surgery and aftercare was about $4000. I’ve had him now for 6 days and the first night was rough. My mastiff Delilah was just diagnosed with osteosarcoma I am having her right hind leg removed next week, especially after reading all these stories about how dogs thrive as a tripod, which was my biggest concern, they said it is very low grade and has not attacked any of her her major organs, I am just not ready to give up or say goodbye to her yet. Two of the pins were floating around. My puppy was upset for a day or 2, got over it, and started hopping around the yard just like she did before her terrible accident. Is that local? We are so happy to hear your pooch is hanging in there and doing well. I too, am on the Tripawds group & my greyhound, Calamity proved to me over & over again that once healed they get right back to life. Breaking my heart what to do ???? Dear Heather. I couldn’t agree more with the things you have said. He is 142lbs now..starting to lose muscle in his rear end from not exercising much. Now the waiting game to see how he does. We made the decision to amputate his leg this morning. I too need to let go a little. I appreciate it massively . Swelling of the area may also be noted. Barret had 2 surgeries… the first was the remove the tumor and the second was the amputation. Everybody says that if they could only help one person with something they’ve done or said, then it was worth it. It’s probably not the best idea to intentionally breed a three-legged dog. I think that Barret is even better than he was before surgery. My 7 year old jack Russell Leon had his back left leg amputated ten days ago due to a culmination of unfortunate errors including an aggressive bacteria from a benign lump removal and loss of circulation due to the tightness of his bandage. You can do that! My dog has had the... 7 Things You Might Not Know About Your Canine Companion – thehappypetplace.net: […] Dogs and Babies: Tips for Introducing Your Pet to... How to Greet a Dog – thehappypetplace.net: […] What does a Veterinary Technician do? If anyone has any tips about how I can aid his recovery please let me know – everything I’ve read so far has been so useful. My poor guy! Your dog will have the same personality, though it takes a few weeks for the drugs and pain to wear off. I know it is hard, and it will be hard, but you will both get through! I got her in 2009 and so far she has helped me through my chemotherapy, my mother’s long battle with cancer and her death, a complete and ongoing revision of my life, post-Katrina, and on and on. I miss her everyday. But he is barely walking without stumbling. Spent 3-1/2 hours in emergency for x-rays, etc. Is that phantom leg pain? By learning how to treat your dog's strains and sprains, you can reduce her suffering from these types of injuries. He now has a cart that he uses occasionally but he does better just on his two legs. ... His muscles are too weak to respond to the nerve messages. A sprain may also affect your dog’s behaviour. Dogs are a lot more resourceful and rebound a lot faster than humans. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. (I am not a vet, I am just relating experience from my journey and helping others on Tripawds.com). We humans forget dogs are not like us in that they do not worry about how they look and what ‘others’ will think of their missing a limb. She even raced around the yard with her brothers & sisters & was far ahead as she was before her amputation! Now I only hope I can do the same for others. Dewclaws or extra toe on the back feet of dogs are due to the genetics of certain breeds that have adapted to the environment around them. Usually, the small dogs with short legs and large with long legs are more prone to an ACL injury, which results in limping their back leg. Hello, My dog began growing what looked like an extra nail out of one of her paw pads. Reading this blog and other articles on the Tripawds website have been so helpful in making me realise that once he’s over the surgery, Brian should continue to have a happy life – certainly one which is better than it has been for the last few weeks in pain. He stumbled and tripped, but he needed independence to do his thing. Any one encounter this with their tri pawd and have a recommendation for how to encourage her to “go”. An extra toe may weigh just a few ounces, but its extra weight on the foot may ultimately have an impact when it’s carried along for the ride as an animal runs to catch his dinner or runs for his life. Hi Jennifer- I am still coming to terms with our new tri.pawd. My best advice to you is to reach out to the Tripawds community. FALSE! He does incredibly well and wants to play, but doesn’t understand his limits. I’ve bought raised bowls and a new orthopaedic bed for when he’s home. I have a question I hope someone can help with. The point is if you limit what someone (or something) is fully capable of doing, they lose their sense of being. Sadly, died at age 10 from a kidney disease. Hello to all, we are two weeks post op on our 13 year old daushound pincher mix. They may also ooze pus or blood. She is also a former veterinarian assistant, and author of the popular online dog training course "Brain Training for Dogs. My thoughts are with you! I feel so horrible about this, and not sure if we need to keep pursuing other options. If you’re still struggling, reach out on the forums at tripawds.org. everything written here is true, Oscar has rebounded amazingly well. They are a great resource for anyone in similar situations. My uncle had a husky who would push him down and then watch him struggle to try to get up only to push him back down again. Thanks for listening… You’ll be truly amazed and inspired by how animals can handle just about anything you throw at them and will make you want to be more like your dog. Others adamantly oppose the removal of the dewclaws; claiming basic care of the dewclaws, such as regularly inspecting for injury and keeping the nails clipped, negates the need to remove the dewclaws. Jerry has since passed and they now have Wyatt, also a German Shepherd. After my own major surgery, I know her cries were just because she moved this way or that way a little to fast, or turned a little wrong, it’s all in the healing process. Have no fear, some dogs have dewclaws on their rear feet or even double dewclaws. But will be better after its removed..he get winded when he goes up his ramp alone after walking through the yard. Her femur was badly broken. No grains or kibble just turkey wings & legs chicken. According to veterinarian Chris Zink, when a dog canters, there's a moment during which the carpal pad of the front leg touches the ground. I’ve read a lot of other stories of Tripawds who had very “rough” recoveries, but I think it’s the humans in the situation who are having a hard time, not the dogs. Once we met with Dr. N, our vet, we were 98% sure we’d proceed with amputation. Good luck with everything! He’s very sad and calm. I don’t know what im doing wrong. He is still my baby and as you well know, the hardest news I’ve ever had to deal with. a Beauceron for sheep herding and for navigating snowy terrain. Most dogs have a dewclaw; what seems to an "extra" toe on their limbs that is more proximal to the body. But it’s OK – she has 3 more! I picked her up last night and cried most of the night, when I found this article and read 30+ first hand stories most of my fears and guilt went away. Sue. Leg pain causes can be varied in dogs and if your pet shows signs of this, you should conduct a vet check so that the correct diagnosis can be made and proper treatment administered accordingly.Some breeds are predisposed to leg or hip problems, and while leg pain in young dogs is transient in nature and resolves within a few days, some causes of pain are more severe and need proper treatment. The fact is, if he is still eating then that is good. I don’t know if was from a dog fight or he got hit by a car but long story his front right leg was amputated. On #4, we had an interesting experience. Going through the first 2 weeks of recovery will be the most tough on everyone, but try to stay positive in front of Zoey. The two main possible causes of your dog limping their back leg are: The rupturing of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Hi everybody just to let you all know Poppy had her left front leg amputated 2 weeks ago dew to the vet saying he didn’t think it would be successful, we sent the X-Rays off to a specialist for him to have a look at and he agreed with the vet, so we all had a good chat and decided it was for the best to have her leg removed, I was terrified and worried sick about how she would be, all I can say is I was worried for nothing, she is doing great, she can still get to the top of the stairs before me…..and is running around just full if it, must say a big thanks to everybody on this sit for for helping me with your stories, will keep you posted thanks again Karen and Poppy xx, I have a 10 year old Pomeranian mix. iv had a second opinion from another vet who also advises me to go for the incision of the femoral head. After a few days getting on the meds, he improved greatly and the ‘episodes’ went away after a little while. 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Meaning if his tail is wagging his tongue is kissing someone hi Kay – i am comparing two extremes! A cert, they claimed it was therapeutic to be gentle with her until she heals on.
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