The Tripawds Foundation holds events around the country, such as this one in Colorado Springs, Colorado. (Photo courtesy Tripawds)
When Powhatan County resident Sally Holladay’s bullmastiff, Hannah, needed to have a leg amputated because of cancer, Holladay found a supportive community online through the Texas-based Tripawds organization.
Now, she’s hoping to raise awareness — and hope — for others in similar circumstances through a two-day Tripawds event this weekend in Chesterfield County.
“Dogs and cats can thrive on three legs and it is not a death sentence,” says Holladay, the Richmond Tripawds coordinator. “Most of all, we want everyone to know that they are not alone. We are all here to support them and provide cutting-edge information.”
She says her veterinarian discovered Hannah had osteosarcoma (bone cancer) in February 2013 after the bullmastiff began limping. "It became clear that I would need to pursue the amputation and give her a chance, or else it would just be a matter of weeks before the pain could no longer be managed, plus there was always a risk of fracture," Holladay says. When she went to pick up Hannah after the amputation, "she was wagging and hopping around on three legs as if she always had been." Although the first two weeks of recovery were challenging, Holladay says, Hannah "continued living life to the fullest every single moment" for another 14 months.
"I loved just like she did — in the moment, with no worries about tomorrows," Sally Holladay says of Hannah. "I stayed fully present with her and made every day the best day ever!"
More than two dozen Tripawd members are expected to attend the event, traveling from places such as Colorado, California, Germany and England to celebrate their pets and raise awareness about pet cancer. The event is open to the public and will be held Saturday and Sunday, May 27 and 28, at Rockwood Park, 3401 Courthouse Road, from 3 to 8 p.m. Pets are welcome.
Jim Nelson and Rene Agredano created the Tripawds website in 2006, after their dog lost a limb to osteosarcoma. The site offers resources, discussion forums, a chat room and more than 1,000 free three-legged dog and cat blogs with more than 14,000 members registered.
They formed the Tripawds Foundation in 2014 to help families with three-legged pets and pets with cancer. Tripawds provides a toll-free phone number to help pet owners that face a limb cancer diagnosis or amputation for their pets and free outreach materials to veterinary clinics. The foundation also provides veterinary financial aid, free assistive devices and reimbursements for veterinary rehabilitation services. Nelson and Agredano travel around the country attending Tripawds events with “spokesdog” Wyatt Ray, a three-legged German Shepherd who lost his leg as a puppy due to neglect.
“For many of these animals, limb amputation is the best way to alleviate pain associated with limb cancer and it can provide a good quality of life,” says Agredano. “This comes as a terrible shock to pet parents. Tripawds is here to show parents that their dog or cat's life on three legs can be great, even while coping with cancer.”
It is both uplifting and disturbing to see how large Tripawds has grown over the years, says Nelson.
“No animal should suffer when losing a limb,” he says. “We are honored to now have a global support community for their people, since they tend to need more help during recovery than the dogs and cats do.”
Adds Agredano, “We are passionate about increasing pet cancer awareness, as half of all pets will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives."
