Maggie is a 12 year old shepherd-border collie (we think) mix who loves chasing squirrels, herding kids, guarding her ‘people’, and getting scratches under the chin. She was our first baby (and holds a suitable grudge against the human kid who came into the family 8 years ago!) and has been our faithful friend for a dozen years. In August 2015 she was diagnosed with a liposarcoma on her front right paw, had biopsy surgery in early September, and became a Tripawd on September 21. Her tumor was later categorized as ‘undifferentiated sarcoma’ and although there is a chance it will rear its ugly head again, we are loving life every day, making sure we take every chance to do things that Maggie loves to do, and taking the time to appreciate having her in our lives every day.
I’m so grateful to have found the Tripawds site and community. Like so many others, I was adamantly against amputation when it was first suggested, and finding the stories here was 100% what convinced us that it really was a possibility. I played videos to reassure our son, who was inconsolable when I told him that Maggie’s treatment meant she would lose a leg – and it made all the difference. Now we know that amputation has given Maggie a new lease on life, and we’re going to make the most of it!