Not sure WHY I’m going back in time, since these times weren’t the best of times for Mags but I found these two photo’s and thought I would add to her blog for the ‘history’ of her life and times as a Tripawd.
This first photo is obviously before amputation. She had just had her biopsy of her VERY swollen knee the day prior to this photo. See the swelling on the inside of her knee…that is from the biopsy. You can also see her muscle is atrophied up on her butt. It was a VERY long week from the time of the biopsy to the time of amputation. The day could NOT come soon enough to be rid of that swollen, VERY painful leg. I guess this photo just reminds me that I DID make the right decision for SURE! By the time her leg got this swollen, she was having a hard time in the yard on grass to get her foot placed correctly and not step on the top of it. A sad, sad situation…
And this photo was taken in November (surgery was October 20, 2009). The photo is dated 2007! My camera acts up on the date printed on it…so now I have it shut off!!! This was Maggie’s very FIRST walk after her amputation and recouperating from being so sick after surgery for 2 weeks with a low grade fever and not wanting to eat. This again, proves to me that Maggie’s life now is soooooooo much better! She’s a happy girl – even if she can’t do all the things she used to…she can, to a degree now AND without that painful leg!
Maggie’s treatments for her soft tissue cancer are as follows: each meal she gets Transfer Factors, mushrooms, Omega 3 oil, Vertex supplement for her muscles and Glycoflex III for her joints. She gets Sempervivum Tectorum LM3, Lapis Albus LM3 and Carc-P 200C+1 homeopathic remedies per her homeopathic vet, Dr. Charles Loops in NC. These remedies are rotated daily(twice a day) with two of them and then on the 5th day, she gets the Carc-P remedy. Each time I run out of a remedy, Dr. Loops sends another but increases the strength of it. ( www.charlesloopsdvm.com/ ).
I love my girl and I’m soooooooooo happy she’s still here with me! She’s been having pretty good times all in all…this was a picture I took of her last week…so I’d say she looks pretty content now 🙂 Sometimes she over does it and she has to have an occasional NSAID but all in all I’m very happy with how things have turned out for her. Yes, I’d LOVE it if she could do her walks like she used to be able to, for instance, BUT we do what we can do. We play agility(downscaled for her safety) and rally obedience or walk for shorter times and we just love that she’s still here with us and we get to spoil her even MORE than she was already!
So from the first picture of her leg to this last picture of her taking a break after playing for a bit in the water, I’d say she’s a picture of health – well, minus a leg I guess! 😉
Tracy, the very proud Mom of Maggie the STILL AgileCowDog on 3 legs 🙂
A picture of health indeed! Nothing wrong with a little NSAID from time to time now is there? And If I remember correctly I saw Maggie taking on a steep slope as well as helping the beavers with a little dam construction….or was that destruction.
That painful looking leg definitely brings the past into perspective. Look at Maggie now Beautiful, alert, and yes very content.
That is one beautiful and contented dog. Look at that sunshine bouncing from her.
That was some painful-looking leg. Sometimes I look back on pictures of Catie from the early post-surgery weeks and look at her now just to remind myself how wonderfully far she’s come.
Be proud. Be very proud. 🙂
Wonderful story….and yes, I still remember the days before the biopsy. I remember seeing how bad Maggie felt…in her eyes….
I’m sooooooo glad she’s here and doing so well!
Hop On Dude! 😉
XOXOXOX
Aunt Gina
Thank you all…yes, Brett, she got quite a workout going up that steep slope and yanking on that tree down in the brook and chasing my brother’s dog! 🙂 So, she had to have an NSAID this weekend…but she’s pretty lucky as she really only needs one maybe a couple times a month. I can live with that! Sometimes I let her push herself just a little too far ’cause I do want her to LIVE a normal life too 🙂
Gina…these pictures stir up sooooo many horrible emotions from those days, weeks, months of trying to figure out what was wrong with her but I think they are a good reminder to me that WOW has she come a long way & she’s doing fantastic – the pictures make me cry but they sure do put things in perspective..like you said with your girl, Carmen…
Tracy
maggie just ‘beams’ happiness and joy in her picture. she’s been through so much (as have all our sisters and brothers), but even so..she definitely captures each moment and squeezes the best from every one. alot of that has to do with you, tracy!! you set the bar high for her, and she knows not to disappoint!! job well done by all!!
Wow — that leg had to hurt your sweet Maggie girl. I think you can rest assured that you made the right decision to amputate the leg. I am still amazed at the wonderful videos you post of Maggie and her agility trials – with three leggs, no less. It is very nice to see her resting in the shade and just glowing as the picture of health.
XOXO,
Ginger, Annie and Brian
She looks fantastic, and who needs four legs anyway?
Happy, happy, dog…no question.
Lincoln’s Mom
Charon,
Your kind words are making me cry! So sweet…thank you very much.
Tracy
Ginger, Annie & Brian,
Thank you so much for your kind words as well…that picture of her leg is awful…but a good reminder to me that yes, indeed, I did do the right thing by Mags!
She really likes to ‘rest’ alot…..I may portray her as very active but really she isn’t unless I am involved with making her active…more so now as a tripawd…but she LOVES to just lay in HER yard and scope it out and make sure she protects it well 🙂
Tracy
Thank you Lincolns’ Mom….I think she’s very happy indeed… 🙂
Tracy
That knee looks incredibly painful, it’s a darn good thing you got rid of that nasty tumor Maggie. Ouch!
And now look at you, going out into the world and inspiring other pups and pawrents, and teaching your own Mom how even when life gets ruff, there are so many things to be thankful for. Cancer is awful, but the gifts it brings are priceless. Sometimes it just takes a 3-legged dog to help people see them, eh?
Tracy – I’m sorry I missed this post earlier. It really hits home for me. I know how proud you must be of your Maggie after what you’ve been through. When I look back at Mackenzie before her surgery – I see only the pain that she was in. It was heartbreaking on so many levels. We can all rejoice at how we gave our tripawds their lives back and they gave us our lives back too. I think about these last several months and how it wasn’t full of worry and stress and fear….it was full of just being.
Maggie seems to be doing so well and you have done a fantastic job with her! We are all proud of your Maggie Moo too!
Thank you Kami for your comments..no problem on missing my post! 🙂 We are ALL so proud of our Tripawds…and why shouldn’t we – when we look back at the past of where they were before amputation…..WOW, it sure hits home on how, yes, we DID make the right choice. The pain Maggie went thru was agonizing and it was almost as agonizing for me watching her.
Go Tripawd Power! 😉
Tracy
Hi Maggie,
I appreciate seeing your naturopathic regime. Too say I am overwhelmed by what to give Indi is an understatement. My naturopathic vet created an herb regime for Indi but when I went to the vet clinic to pick it up, I left without it in shock: one month’s supply of herbs was $250.00. My vet really wants me to do as many herbs as possible because I am not doing chemo, but I am overwhelmed by the money. $250.00 a month on herbs is not sustainable for me.
I make all raw, grain free home-made food for Indi. Meat and veggies, fish oil, flax seed oil, joint support, and Chineese herbs from the vet. I make peanut butter and garbonzo bean flour treats.
How much are your herbs? Any advice? Thanks for bearing with my essay!
Raina, Indi’s mom.
I don’t do herbs. I do homeopathics…which are really pretty cheap in comparison! She gets that twice a day…I put in 6 DROPS into 2 tablespoons of distilled water, mix it up and then syringe 2 CC’s into her mouth, twice a day. The little bottles last a LONG time.. When I run out, Dr. Loops sends me a higher dose of same remedies…costs me $60 for refills. She does get mushrooms, Dr. Dressler’s Apocaps, Transfer Factors daily and Omega 3 oil and Missing Link which I just started her on..oh and a joint supplement, which is usually Glycoflex III. And I feed Honest Kitchen premixes with Primal ground meats added.