Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat

Just checking in for an update. Is Rory feeling better?

We are just over 6 weeks with Otis, a 100-ish pound lab/Dane mix, front leg amputee, 8 years old  9 houses is his max walk, usually we do 7 and he lays down to rest for 5 minutes or so at house 5.  We used to go over a mile, so it is a big change, but he is enjoying it and I guess I think it is ok too.  My vet said to think about going the same distance hopping on one leg - put it in perspective for me.  The fact that he has a nice activity level in the backyard and house helps too - again, not what it was before, but enough to feel that he is at a comfortable level of activity for him.

Kaycee is 16 months old.  We rescued her 3/26/16.  Prior, left  hind leg amputated Feb 10 from car accident.  First week home, she was walking a block, playing with toys, eating well, good bowels.  Suddenly, 6 days ago, she started an occasional short shriek [pain?], will not walk except to urinate or move bowels, and sleeps 22 hours a day total.  There is no tail wagging when we get home and only gets up to lay across our feet.  Appetite is good.  Vet put her on Tramadol and Prednisone [3 days], but no difference in her energy level or behavior.  Help!!  I cannot help thinking she may be in pain.  Vet said blood work great, but not sure to pursue further testing [X-rays] at this point.  Am I being impatient with her recovery?  

krun15 said
Hello and welcome, your future posts will not have to wait for approval.

What kind of dog is Kaycee?  How big is she?

I also have a 16 month old rear amp tripawd, Elly, a pug mix about 15 pounds. Elly lost her leg at about 7 months old after she was hit by a car, her owners turned her into a rescue group who paid for the surgery.

Kaycee is about 2 months out from amp surgery and young so I would think she would be past any pain from the surgery.  Did the vet find any sore spots during the exam?  Do you know what her activity level was like before you adopted her? Is she doing anything really different now, such as climbing stairs?  Is it possible there was another injury from the car accident?

It is not unusual for newer Tripawds to hurt themselves- pull muscles or tweak their back.  You should consider a visit with an orthopedic vet and/or a rehab vet.  They may be able to find a reason for Kaycee's issues and give you some exercises to strengthen her core. 

Also- please consider starting your own thread in the 'Share Your Story' or 'Beyond Cancer' forums so you can introduce your girl and so your story doesn't get lost her in this older thread.

Hang in there with Kaycee- I'm finding it difficult to judge the appropriate activities and level of activities for Elly since I've only known her as a Tripawd.  Once you get her issues sorted out you are in for a wonderful and inspirational journey!

Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls

Thanks for your response - Kaycee is a Chihuahua/terrier mix who weights 10 lbs.  Don't know about pre-adopt activity....but since she has come home, she has been feisty, walking a few blocks, playful, and an absolute delight.   So this new behavior is causing me a concern .... and it is possible that she somehow may have hurt herself or her back or pulled a muscle.  It's been a short time since adoption and since amp, I know.  My vet has run blood work which is fine.  Not sure if I should just be patient for a few more days while she is still on meds - or - just dig in and get to an ortho or rehab vet.  Has your experience noted that a few more days on meds are in order?

We have an almost 8yr old shepherd mix Quincy approx 60-65 lbs who is a few days behind Otis (who posted above) in terms of amp recovery (he will be 8 weeks tmrw). Every dog is different as several have noted but I think the key in terms of recovery and knowing if they are in pain is kind of their overall behavior/attitude/energy level.

For example, Quincy does all the things he used to and acts just like himself (and pretty much has since 2-3 weeks, once his staples came out and stopped with the heavy pain killers). That said he does them for much shorter times - e.g. - he obviously can't walk as far but wants to (we just don't want him to hurt himself or get stuck midway and have no way to get him home), he still plays and chases the ball out back just in shorter bursts.

He also has been/did do the weird yelping thing similar perhaps to what is mentioned above.  Typically one quick yelp that was preceded by nothing unusual and followed by either going back to what he was doing or being dazed momentarily, looking at us and then going back to what he was doing. That didn't start until almost a month post op and well after Tramadol, Rimadyl and Gabapentin stopped. For about 4-5 days I did give him a Gabapentin in the evening to see if it would help and it did lessen the yelp incidents but not eliminate. We asked last week at his 3rd round of chemo and vet said after full physical exam he was ok and she couldn't illicit any yelps and nothing seemed out of the ordinary physically. She said Gabapentin wasnt hurting anything if we wanted to keep giving it but that she didn't think he needed it either - i.e. our call if we thought it helped. We stopped and he has yelped a few times but it is less overall than before. I don't know - it is strange and certainly unsettling because you think the worst and don't want them in pain but in our case he is fine otherwise - probably just adjusting (we all are).

I guess bottom line is it takes time and is an adjustment for you and your dog be it 3 weeks or 6 weeks so you have to be patient and go easy and yourself.  Also if there is additional therapy like chemo or other meds or vet visits that could be affecting endurance/behavior.  You know your dog best and if something seems off, definitely ask the vet (and check here because chances are someone here has experienced something similar).  Good luck!