Loving Life on Three Legs

Hi, thanks for being here. This is Krista with Episode #153 on the Wag Out Loud pawdcast. Have you heard that feeding your dog a raw food diet is unsafe? Or maybe that raw food has a much higher potential for bacteria contamination? Well, that is false. And a recent study debunks that myth and confirms the safety of raw pet food. Yay! Now this is a mouthful, but the title of this study is called The Low Number of Owner Reported Suspected Transmission of Foodborne Pathogens From Raw Meat Based Diets Fed to Dogs and/or Cats. It was written by independent researchers and published recently in the journal Frontiers in Veterinary Science. And the authors of this study found that not a single confirmed case of raw pet food transmitting disease-causing microbes to humans, was reported in the entire world. And this is great news and hopefully gets more pet owners to think differently about feeding a species appropriate diet to their pets.

Welcome to the Wag Out Loud pawdcast, where we are obsessed with bringing you helpful tips on canine health care, nutrition, and overall wellbeing. If you'd like to support the show, check out the amazing online events, products and resources that I personally recommend on the Wag Out Loud website. I'm your host, Krista and I'm super excited to be bringing you yet another tail wagging episode.

Jim Nelson and Rene Agredano created Tripawds in 2006 when their dog Jerry lost a leg to cancer. The Tripawds Foundation now hosts 1800+ three-legged dog and cat blogs with numerous pet amputation resources and assistance programs. They tell the whole story in their book, Be More Dog: Learning to Live in the Now.

Welcome all dog lovers! Today we are having an inspirational chat with Jim Nelson and Rene Agredano, who created Tripawds, and they are going to cover Loving Life on Three Legs, how Tripawds is helping all amputee pets. So Jim and Renee have been on the calendar for quite some time. So I've been looking forward to this. If you both can please introduce yourselves and tell us why you started Tripawds.

Sure, happy to do that. Thank you for having us here. I'm Rene and I am known as Jerry on the Tripawd website. Jerry was the whole reason we started Tripawds, but we'll talk about that in just a sec.

I'm Jim and I am admin at the Tripawds blogs and forums, and we'll get into what Tripawds is like Rene was saying, but she acts as Jerry, because Jerry was our first dog. And you can explain how that turned into what we do.

Yeah, so Jerry was our first dog. He was a German Shepherd mix who had all four legs when we adopted him as a puppy. And he was our Chief Fun Officer of our business, we like to joke and call him that because he was the one who broke up our day and got us outside. We've always worked on our own, and we were starting a business and Jerry came along and, and really showed us how to have fun during the day. This was way back. This was 1998 when we adopted him. That was a long time ago. He was an awesome dog. And we went hiking, we did beach trips, we did all kinds of fun things together. He was a very active dog. So when he started limping at eight years old, we thought it was kind of unusual. And we took him to the vet. And the vet said, Well, it's probably arthritis, he's getting old. Here's some NSAIDS. Go home, and this should take care of it. Well, it didn't. And about three visits later, we were really frustrated looking for a reason why our dog was still limping. And that's when the veterinarian technician took us aside one day as we were leaving the clinic, and she told us, Hey, I think you guys should get a second opinion. How about you just go to this other clinic up the road and do this very discreetly? And he told us, yeah, and she said, I think we should try try another place. So we did and that veterinarian said I don't know. So she sent us over to University of California Davis. And within about 15 minutes, we had a reason why Jerry was limping.

Cancer

And that’s when we discovered dogs get cancer. Up until then, we didn't even know what osteosarcoma in canine forelimbs meant. Then we learned dogs get cancer and long story short, Rene sat me down one day and well, we proceeded with the amputation but we were lost and alone not knowing how he would pee. You know, we had no idea if he could ever swim again or what hikes would be like so we turned to YouTube and saw a video of a Great Dane digging up a gopher with one front leg. And we thought, if that dog can do it, Jerry could do it. And on Thanksgiving Day 2006, the surgeon came in and led Jerry out of the hospital hopping along with a smile on his face. And Rene sat me down and said, Let's sell everything. Let's let's, you know, sell the house, buy an RV and travel with Jerry, since he only has six months to a year to live, they say. So we made a promise to him to hit the road. And after six months, we hit the road and he lived two years and loving life on three legs.

Oh my gosh, you guys, that is an incredible story. And obviously Jerry’s situation was for a reason. He was here to help out so many more dogs. And you are sharing that message of Jerry.’s So you're living out the most amazing dream, I can't thank you enough for taking that step. And I just think it's so amazing how adaptive dogs are. If they become blind or deaf, or in this instance, you know, a limb is amputated. They just acclimate. It's just incredible. So I love what you guys are doing. What is Tripawds? Why did you put together this organization?

The Start of Tripawds

Exactly. That first couple of years on the road, we just started a little blog at Tripawds.com. And that's P A W in the middle… Tripawds, just to share videos and photos of Jerry loving life on three legs. But then we started getting tons of email from people with different types of dogs and different types of cancers. And we installed discussion forums, and then we added a live chat. And now, Tripawds is a network of 1800 plus three legged dog and cat blogs, live cat videos, we've got the Tripawd Talk Radio Podcast, sharing information from credible sources, because we don't want anyone to ever feel lost and alone like they did. So we created a community of support because the animals usually adapt pretty quickly. And the people freak out.

Yes, that's how it usually is.

What you were saying about animals being resilient. We didn't know that when we agreed to have Jerry’s leg amputated. And and we really thought he was going to be this sad, sad dog when we brought him home. And the first lesson we learned was that Jerry just wanted to get on with life. He wanted to continue doing what he always loved to do. And that was a lesson that that took a lot of learning over and over again. He just kept showing us look, I'm okay, I'm okay. And then other people learned from that. And then other people learned from them. I mean, it was just like this this wonderful chain of events. That happened once Jim put up those discussion forums and other people could we could all share stories and support one another so that we could see that there is a light at the end of the tunnel after amputation recovery.

Right. And what did you to learn about Osteosarcoma, because it is more prevalent than a lot of people realize.

Yeah, that came as a really big shock. So this was, you know, like we said, this is way back in 2006. And veterinary oncology was just becoming a thing. But you know, we just we didn't even know that dogs got cancer, we thought we did everything right with him. And we kept blaming ourselves, maybe it was his diet, maybe it was his environment, we had no idea what caused the cancer. And as more people started coming over to the Tripawds website, we started learning, man, this is this is a lot more prevalent than we even realized. And other types of limb cancers, too, that can cause amputation, like mast cell cancer, or soft tissue tumors that aren't cancer, but they can invade the vascular system in the limb and require an amputation. So you know, one of the first lessons we learned was deal with the pain first, chemotherapy and and all that stuff to treat the actual cancer. That's your second decision you can make later but first, help your your animal get out of pain. And unfortunately, amputation for a lot of those cancers is the the fastest way to go to help your animals feel better.

We learned with especially with bone cancers, that amputation it won't cure the cancer, it won't get rid of the cancer, but it will get rid of the pain because a bone tumor is just going to continue growing and really degrade that bone causing a pathological fracture and it’s a way to help improve the quality of life after surgery.

That makes sense. Well, let's get into this. Let's assume that we have a dog that needs an amputation. I mean, after the surgery, of course, there's a lot to think about. So if you both wouldn't mind, I'm just going to bring up a topic and if you can just expand on that. That would be great.

Sure. Happy to do that.

Well, let's talk about once the surgery is complete, pain management, what options are there? How long are you probably treating for pain? What does that look like?

Pain Management

Oh, wow, you know, I would say that the the number one factor that can make or break an amputation recovery is pain management. And it actually should begin before the surgery happens. So we really encourage people to have a conversation with their vet, and ask what kind of pain control is my dog or my cat gonna get? And what does that look like? How often do I need to give them medication? What are the possible side effects? How do I know if I'm giving too much or too little? It's really it's a separate conversation with the vet before surgery. Because a lot of vets have found that if you start giving gabapentin, which is a nerve pain reducer, we start giving that before surgery, when those nerves are severed during the procedure. Afterward, they aren't as angry. So you get your dog started on that or your cat started on that before surgery. And then afterwards, it makes recovery just a little bit easier. There's really no standard of pain management that like, like a recipe for every animal because each animal is different. And cats have different needs than dogs. But in general, they should come home with an NSAID, Gabapentin, and oftentimes, a lot of animals are now coming home with a drug that was given during the procedure. It's called Nocita and it's a three day injectable pain reliever which makes those first three days a lot easier.

Okay. And are you familiar with any maybe more natural supplements that people have found useful maybe in conjunction with actual medications, you know, whether that's CBD, THC, any other anti inflammatory maybe?

Natural Treatments

Um, as far as that goes, you know, that's really something to discuss with your veterinarian. There's a lot of really good quality cannabis based products out there. But because amputation is just such a major surgery, it's really not the time to solely rely on any kind of non pharmaceutical pain relievers. You can certainly talk to your veterinarian about incorporating them. But honestly, you know, we have found that the things that help the most are the ones that come from a pharmaceutical prescription. And also, laser therapy is definitely something that helps. Acupuncture, that can help during the recovery process as well.

And as far as CBD goes, that's a real hot topic these days. But Rene is speaking as a certified veterinary cannabis guide. That's a thing now. It's a certification process. And she knows what to look for and how to read a certificate of analysis. But there are natural things like hot cold therapy, especially right after treatment, a hot cold compress applied the right way, the cool is going to reduce inflammation while the warm is going to increase circulation. And if you do that periodically and end on cold all the time, you can help reduce the amount of swelling and bruising and that sort of thing.

Oh yeah. And then there's also an EMP therapy. So the Assisi Loop and pulsed electromagnetic frequency. That's also a natural remedy that people can try. It's hit or miss. I've heard some people say their their pet responded really well. And I've heard some people say they didn't notice anything. There is another product called a feral block blanket, which is a product for human amputees that we have found works really well in cats and dogs. And it's just a sheet of fabric with a mesh, a metal mesh embedded into the layer, very lightweight. And what it does is it blocks electromagnetic frequencies, from your pets environment, in order to promote wound healing and reduce any kind of nerve pain that's aggravated by this EMF flooding around your home.

There are also two very important all natural modalities per se, when it comes to you know, helping the animal through recovery. And one is moderation of activity. You know, unfortunately, there are vets out there that still say, you know, here's your pain meds, go let him be a dog. But that's to an extent if we moderate their activity and keep them confined and play brain games to stimulate them and keep them engaged, that can really go a long way to a quick speedy recovery. And the other one is our human emotions. The dogs are going to adapt and overcome and persevere. Whereas the people who freak out the most have been the worst recoveries we've seen. The people with the dog having the worst time tend to be the people who are you know, picking them up and going everywhere and hand feeding them because the dogs get used to that behavior and then that goes on and on. But regardless, when it comes to actual pain and nerve pain, we stick with the tried and true pharmaceuticals and we recommend people speak with certified pain management experts or go to an AHA accredited clinic that's the American Animal Hospital Association, because they have certain guidelines that are very current. Like for instance, many vets tend to disagree on how effective Tramadol is when it comes to actual pain management unless it's used as part of a multi modal approach.

Okay, well, Jim and Rene, I am going to stop you right here. This is a great chance to take a quick commercial break. We will be right back.

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We are back with the second half of Jim and Rene talking about Tripawds. And they were talking about their dog Jerry who had osteosarcoma, and I just wanted to alert everybody of another episode, Episode #117. Angela Ardolino was talking about how she is treating her Doberman Pinscher who has osteosarcoma and has been in remission now for two years, I believe. So if you want to check out that it's Screw Canine Cancer is the title. And again, that's Episode #117. So far, her dog has not needed amputations. Okay, so we talked about pain management. All right, let's talk now about how do you care for the incision? And this would be good for any dog that went through any surgery.

Care for the Incision

Oh, yeah. So when when our Jerry came home, he came out of the clinic with without a bandage. And that was the last thing we expected, we thought he was going to be looked like a mummy, you know. And when we picked him up, and no the veterinarian said, You know what the best thing for this wound right now is to just let the air hit it, keep it clean, don't let him roll around in the mud. And he was right. Now, as time went on, we're starting to see more veterinarians use a compression bandage especially well, really just for front leg amputees. And what that does is it reduces swelling and it lets the fluid buildup from the residual limb. It pushes the fluid buildup around the body so that you don't end up with what's known as a seroma. And that is something that really freaks people out. It's a fluid buildup from the where the limb was taken, you know that all that fluid that was floating around in the leg that has to go somewhere in the body and generally it piles up at the point of least resistance which is the incision area that can look like a big puffy bubble and it can leak and be really, really scary for people. But in general, if you apply a warm compress to it and let the fluid drain out and as long as it's not smelly, or, or discolored and more watery than bloody, it's generally pretty normal and and part of the process.

I think I think the most important thing to answer your question would be to follow your vet's instructions and not turn to social media and have people tell you Oh, you want to put ointment on it? Oh yeah. Oh, manuka honey will do great. If you hear those things, ask your vet because we first thing we ever say at Tripawds is we're not veterinarians, but for going on 15 years now we've interviewed many of them and most of them suggest keeping the area clean with a T shirt and some vets will insert a drain that actually is a little tube that will leak out some of that serum to reduce a seroma and they should tell you how to care for that, and or how to drain it if necessary, but follow the vet’s instructions. And usually it's keeping the area clean, padding it with some warm water, but not actually putting anything on it. But vets will have certain things you can apply. But when it comes down to it after that.

Okay, and what about phantom pain? Because I know that when humans have amputations that could happen, do dogs suffer phantom pain as well?

Phantom Pain

Absolutely, yeah, it's been a known a known issue with human amputees for many, many, many years. And, and what that is, is it's basically a misfiring between the severed nerves and the brain. They're not talking to each other. And so so your body still thinks there's a limb attached. And when you try to move that invisible limb with your brain, there's like, whoa, what was that thing and human amputees describe it as like, a very sharp, sudden, electric shock. And it's scary. And so when it happens to pets, you know, they'll be sitting there one minute, and then the next they're screaming. And usually it passes pretty quickly, maybe a few seconds later that it's gone. But in some cases, it will continue. And that is something that we have found that Gabapentin really helps with. There's dry needling acupuncture, which is also pretty effective. And there's other like, oh, the feral block blanket for that. Yeah, that was designed for humans with phantom limbs.

Things to look for, or like sudden outbursts, yelping and guarding and nipping at the area that used to have a limb.

Yep, that makes sense. And what happens when right after the surgery? I know you must have to restrict movement and exercise, how long is that for? And then when do you get to let them learn how to walk on three legs?

Movement and Exercise

Oh, sure. Well, every every animal who comes home from amputation surgery should be able to stand and go to the bathroom, when they come home, they may not be as mobile on three legs, as they will be later because they're loopy from the pain meds and just tired. It's so much work to maneuver on three legs. And we actually tell new Tripawds parents to get down on the ground on all fours with the limbs that your pet had amputated. And try to get around like that and see how much effort it takes the end, it will really put you in your pet paws. Yeah, just feel that kind of workout, basically. But recovery. Usually, gosh, two to four weeks, depending on the age of the animal, the size of the animal, senior pets take longer. And you don't want to confine your pet to a crate like you would with a TPLO surgery, but you want to keep them in a small section of your home. We like exercise pens, you know, set that up in the living room so your dog can see you and be part of the family still, but not run around and do stairs or slip on your hardwood floors or anything like that.

Yeah, you want to keep them from by confinement, we mean keep him from jumping on the furniture. And really the only thing they should be doing during that first two weeks is short leash potty walks. And that's why brain games really come into play. Because how do you engage and entertain a young energetic dog? Yeah, snuffle mats and Twister games, and sent type work is really good. It's low impact things, and out about 10, 12 to 14 days is usually when stitches come out. And that is when we can start focusing on rebuilding strength, because the animal’s now compensating all that extra weight on one remaining limb in front or back. And that's why we strongly encourage every single new Tripawd parent to get rehab with a certified rehab therapist. And with that consult, they'll learn about weight management and certain exercises they can do to help. And we're so passionate about that, that our Tripawds Foundation will pay for the first visit.

No way! That's amazing. Well, the last thing I want to hit home because I know you guys are just adamant about this. Weight control for your three-leggeds.

Weight Management

Oh, yeah. Well, you know that the size of an animal shouldn't exclude it from being an amputation candidate. So if you have a pet who's already overweight, and then you find out they have to lose a leg, it is going to make their recovery a little more challenging, but it's not going to make it impossible. And it's actually a really good time to start introducing weight control measures to your pet’s lifestyle. And that's, of course, something to work on with your vet asking about how much food I should reduce their intake to. But basically, it's a three legged animal needs to be slimmer than its four legged counterpart. So you really want to keep them a little bit lower on the body condition score than you would if they had all four legs. And what that does is it just makes it easier to get around.

So dogs will carry 60 to 70% of their weight upfront. So if you picture a front leg Tripawd, all of that weight is now on one remaining limb. And over time, high impact exercises can cause you know, hairline fractures. And they all adjust their gait and stance. So keeping them fit and trim is very important.

That makes sense. Well, Jim, you mentioned just a few minutes ago about the Tripawds Foundation and the assistance that it can provide. Can you talk a little bit more about the organization vs the Foundation vs the Rescue Fund?

Tripawds Foundation & Rescue Fund

Certainly. So Tripawds.com is where we have all of our free resources and blogs and chat and forums and things and we wanted to keep that free forever. So in 2014, we founded the Tripawds Foundation. It's a 501 C 3, that is the primary purpose is to keep the community resources online and free. And overtime, we've developed a number of assistance programs. One is the rehab program that will pay for the first visit up to $200, which is about the average cost for any evaluation from a certified canine rehab therapist. And then we have the ASAP Fund, which is an Amputation Surgery Assistance Program, that one's income qualified, but it helps to pitch in to pay for amputation surgery for families in need. We host a toll free helpline that anyone can call and you know, have a shoulder to cry on and get some basic understanding. And you mentioned our Rescue Fund and I thank you, because what that is it's a matching grant for any rescue organization, any nonprofit shelter or rescue that is actively raising funds for an animal in their care that needs an amputation. So many times there's a dog or cat that ends up needing an amputation in the shelter, and they're scrambling on social media to raise money. So we've set it up so that as soon as they hit $500, we will pitch in another $500. The Tripawds Foundation Rescue Fund is basically the ASAP Fund for rescues.

That is incredible. Oh, the work that you guys are doing. It's just amazing. Thank you Jerry!

We’ve just scratched the surface. We didn't talk about Wyatt. Oh, well following in Jerry's footprints, pawprints we had Wyatt for 12 years. He was our second Tripawds spokesdog. And he lost a rear leg to neglect. And he taught us so many things about rehab and aging Tripawds and how they all will develop osteoarthritis and how carts and wheelchairs can help. So I just had to get him in there too.

So any dog can still have mobility no matter what.

Absolutely. And every dog is different. One of the biggest things we like to say is don't compare. Because on social media, people will share their videos and inspirational three legged dock diving dogs. And that's great. And we knew a hunting dog that would be able to hike for miles. But every dog is different. And you have to, you know, get the proper direction to make sure your dog lives a happy, healthy life on three legs. And that's why we exist.

I love it. Well, you guys wanted to make an offer to the Wag Out Loud listeners. So you want to talk about that?

OFFER

Certainly. So everything we've talked about, we summarize in our book, Be More Dog: Learning to Live in the Now. it talks all about the lessons we learned from Jerry, and how we turned our passion into a full time labor of love. It’s available at the https://bemoredog.net.shop and the coupon code WAG50 wi'll get you 50% off our ebook.

That is fantastic. And everybody all of the links that are mentioned here by Jim and Rene, they're going to be in the show notes. So you can just click on those and be taken to where you need to be. So again, they are offering 50% off their Be More Dog, it's an e book, and the coupon code is wag WAG50 at https://bemoredog.net/shop So I can't believe this. This always happens. We run out of time on such an amazing topic. Jim and Rene, I can't thank you enough for all the work that you do and the lives that you change. So where can everyone find out more information about you and Tripawds?

Oh, thank you so much. We are so grateful that you're allowing us to share our work here. Everybody can go to https://tripawds.com If you're new to the community and looking for help https://tripawds.com/start/ is the first place to go for a general overview of the services and programs that we offer.

And then https://tripawds.org is the Foundation and the assistance programs and the toll free helpline and where we encourage everyone to request free brochures for vet clinics to help people face amputation for the dogs and cats and then There's the https://bemoredog.net/ where you can use WAG50 coupon code on the ebook. And on social media. We are @tripawds everywhere. And on Instagram, we're @tripawdscommunity.

Social Media Tags

   Instagram:  @TripawdsCommunity  https://www.instagram.com/tripawdscommunity/

   Facebook:   @Tripawds  https://www.facebook.com/tripawds/

   LinkedIn:     @Tripawds  https://www.linkedin.com/company/tripawds/

All right, so there's no excuse for not reaching out. And again, it's spelled T R I P A W D S. Tripawds. Jim and Rene, thank you so much. I really appreciate your time on the show. And hopefully, we have given some people things to think about, you know, you might not have a Tripawd right now, but you might know somebody in the future that has to face this decision. And it's all good. There's help and support. So thank you to both of you.

Oh, thank you. We're so grateful.

Yeah, so we really appreciate you helping us spread the word. Thank you,.

You bet.

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Thanks for listening. You'll find some helpful links in the show notes and if you enjoy the show, please be sure to follow and listen for free on your favorite podcast app. And please, please share your feedback. Visit WagOutLoud.com for great product recommendations with discounts, amazing online events and fantastic resources. That's also where to visit our Bark About It page where you can suggest topics, guests or products. Be advised that this show offers health and nutritional information and is designed for educational purposes only. You're encouraged to do your own research and should not rely on this information as a substitute for nor does it replace professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you have any concerns or questions about your dog's health, you should always consult a veterinarian or a nutrition expert. Have a tail wagging day and we'll catch you next time.

Hey Winston was that another tail wagging episode?

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The purpose of this podcast is to educate and to inform. It is no substitute for professional care by a veterinarian, licensed nutritionist or other qualified professional. The host as well as guests who speak on this podcast express their own opinions, experience and conclusions, and Wag Out Loud LLC neither endorses or opposes any particular views discussed here.