Hi,
My name is Matilda, I am a cattle dog/cross kelpie wine dog and live in the Hunter Valley, NSW Australia.

My dad and mum are winemakers and own Ballabourneen with our good friends Di and Alex.

They got me from the RSPCA as a puppy. I had 2 glorious years running around the vineyard and then one night I was hit by a car and lost one of my back legs.

I am just recovering now and mum saw this website, so I will send more photos soon. So call me another Tripawd dog in OZ.

Owners - Daniel Binet and Natalie Surian
New South Wales, Australia
Wednesday September 29, 2010

Hi,
I found your site just before my dog had to have an op to remove his whole front leg from his shoulder. I got a lot of comfort and knew what to expect thanks to all the stories posted. I thought i would tell you Hugo's story.

It's safe to say Hugo chose me, when looking through the rescue kennels he was a tiny pup who looked at me, sat down cocked his head and held his paw up to me. I was instantly smitten!

We were told he was a collie cross, but think he looks Alsation, Lurcher, and also a bit of Staffy??

Hugo had absolutely no health issues until the beginning of this year when he developed a lump on his elbow joint. Originally I was told it was a capped elbow so spent weeks putting an ice pack on it. It grew pretty large so I went elsewhere for a second opinion. There I was told it was a tumor. He underwent surgery to remove it and they discovered it was cancerous. The Op took away as much as they could as it was close to muscle. Within 6 weeks it was back and bigger. The vets were at a bit of a loss, so decided to keep a close eye on it. It got so big that the only answer was to amputate.

We agonised about the decision and booked the operation but eventually Hugo made the choice for us. The tumor got so big he lost the use of his leg and it swelled right up, he was miserable and in a lot of pain. We had to bring the op forward twice, but finally he had it done 4 days ago.

His recovery has been remarkable, he is my hero. Just this morning I woke up to find he'd got himself very comfortable on the sofa. The vet said absolutely no excercise, however yesterday I went to the rubbish bin and turned around to see him making a run for the gate. He is back to his mischevous self already which is such a comfort to see. If anyone else is agonising over the decision, I would say don't. You would be surprised to see how easy Hugo has adapted.

The only thing worrying me now is that he still hasn't been to the toilet at all since the op. Has anyone else had this experience? The vet advised it would happen eventually and not to worry too much, but 4 days seems a bit long now and I'm getting increasingly concerned.

Tracy Cooper
Friday October 01, 2010