Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Layla Update:
ICU vet said she was eating today. More alert. Only on oral meds now. Needs help getting up and sitting down, but once up is able to walk. The incision is swelling some and leaking a pinkish fluid. Plan is to put an extra stitch in and perhaps keep her another night. I am to check back later today. Thanks to the information on this sight, I didn't freak out at these 2 occurrences!
FYI Jerry, the icu tech said they like to have pawrents come visit while the dog is still kind of out of it on iv pain meds so the people can adjust to what they see before they come to take their pup home and see her hopping out for the first time. I guess that is helpful for people who haven't found this site for support
!
Thanks,
Lynn
Online
Hi Lynn and Layla! Thanks for the update!
Progress is being made...slowly but surely !! And YAY she's walking and eating!! WOOF! WOOF!! Swelling, a little fluid..nothing unusual there.
I like their rationale and timing behind the visit. Makes sense.
I do hope you get to take her home today and doesn't have to have snother stitch and go back under. If not though, another night at the vet's to help her gain more mobility and get good rest is a good thing. Again, not too unusual to keep a dog several days for their own good...and you'll get rest too!
Can't wait for pictures and following her recovery as she gains all her sparkle back!
Love and hugs to all!
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle too!
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
I love how the clinic is keeping you updated. And sooo glad you found info about seroma leakage. I know we panicked when our Jerry had one, so knowing that the info here eases worries for new Tripawd pawrents is so fantastic.
Interesting approach about how your clinic encourages the visits and as you explained it I can see why they do it. Sounds like your clinic needs some of our Tripawds amputation informational brochures 🙂 PM us if you'd like us to send some, or we can send them to you and you can give them out yourself.
Paws and fingers crossed that she has a great day today!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi Lynn and Layla
I am a newbie to Tripawds. I have no expert advice but hoping to pass on positive thoughts and encouragement as you two go through this journey! Ada is 5 weeks post amputation and she is doing great! There were lots of ups and downs. Be patient and things will get better. Some of the best advice for me was realizing that Ada lives in the here and now. She doesn't know what is wrong. All she wants is love. She has made us stronger because of her resiliency and living for the moment.
Hope Layla is home and getting lots of love!
Deb and Ada
I am having trouble getting this sight to load on my computer. I am trying an update on my phone...
Sorry about that, today's a technically challenged kind of day behind the scenes and we thank you for your patience. If you can let us know what exactly is happening via a post in the Technical Support Forum that would be great.
http://tripawds.....l-support/
Remember, copy your post before you hit "reply" to ensure it doesn't disappear on you. Again, thanks for your patience till we get this fixed.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Layla came home Saturday after spending 3 nights at the vet due to swelling and leaking of pinkish tinged fluid. The leaking had stopped by Sunday and she has been eating well, is getting around, even up and down a few steps, and has figured out the bathroom. We were surprised at how well our 10 year old girl adapted! Her swelling is going down and her bruising has lessoned, but I am glad I had seen photos on this sight before seeing it on her. Most of her days are spent sleeping but there are times when she is awake and just doesn’t seem to know how to get comfortable. Monday night she was up and restless for a few hours in the middle of the night, but does seem to calm down when we are around her.
I have had some question as to when to give her T. Our directions say every 8-12 hours as needed for pain. She is also taking an anti-inflammatory and an antibiotic. She has never let us know when she was in pain, so it is hard to know whether I should just try to stay ahead of pain or to wait for some sign. It really zonks her out when she takes it. The vet has given us some leeway as to how many to give her at a time, so I have made some changes (a little less, but more frequently) and she seems to be a little more content and easier to rouse.
Outside in the back yard (where she is used to chasing rabbits and chipmunks), she just stands and stares, looking at me and not moving, that makes me a little sad. In the front when I take her a little ways away from the house since she has never liked using the bathroom in our yard, she starts pulling and wants to take me on our usual walk around the block. Her spirit is willing even if her body is not ready!
One week down! (this time trying to post without drug names)
Lynn
Hi Lynn and Layla!!!
Sounds like everything is "normal"...as normal as it can be for a dog recovering from major surgery while adapting to three legs!
As yes, you are exactly right, it is very important to stay ahead of the pain. Once they start showing "signs" of pain, it takes longer for the meds to "catch up".
Pain usually shows as restlessness, perhaps ears pinned back, maybe some whimpering, just can't seem to get comfortable, etc.
What's Layla's weight? How much Tram are you giving her at each dose? I'm not a vet so check with yiur vet, however, in my non professional opinion, 12 hrs. in between doses is too much time! Depending on the dose amount, every 6 hours...or as much as 8 hrs may work better for Laya. You know your dog better than anyone and it seems smaller doses more frequently may work for her. You'll be able to decrease soon, but for now the pain from the surgery is still present.
So glad to hear she's moving around now....even if she has trained you to take her out into the fro t yard or she's not budging!
There is nothing in the world that compares to spoiling a tripawd! It's imlossible not to!
As far as abbreviated the T! Good job! I'm probably one of the few who can still type the pharm words because my typps are so horrific Id never type them right anyway!!
GOOD JOB LAYLA.....AND MOM!!!You are both doing great....and it only gets better!!
Love and hugs!
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle too!
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
Day 8 post op. Less tail wagging today and more resistance to getting up. When she first gets up, for awhile she seems to lean way over to the left (opposite leg from amputation), and has even figured out to use the furniture or me to hold her up. After a few minutes, she can put it together again, but this was not happening earlier in her recovery. Her swelling and bruising is lots better, but emotionally she seems depressed maybe. Normal?
I just got caught up on things, sounds like a really normal recovery to me. Day 8 is not a long time. I know it's hard seeing her like this, but try to picture where you would be 8 days after getting your leg amputated. Dogs are so much more resilient than we are, we're just not used to helping them over a hurdle like this.
You are correct in your theory about staying ahead of pain with more frequent, manageable dosages. Pain is much harder to control once it actually hurts. And when a dog shows they are in pain, they are really hurting so don't let it get to that point. Stick to a schedule for at least another week or per your vet's recommendations and see how it works. You really want her resting. Check out our Pain Management Tips for suggestions.
As for the wobbling, again, she's doped up and not herself because of what she's been through in the surgery and the meds. We often mistake this for depression but it's just recovery. So yes, it's normal.
If you think that there is something really wrong, of course, call your vet and let them know. And keep us posted, we'll try to help OK? Hang in there.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Yep, ditto everything Jerry said.
Every recovery is different...every dog is different. For the first two weeks all I could think of is "What have I done TO my dog?" Finally, going into the third week, I was able to say, "Look what Ive done FOR my dog!"
Try a little gentle massage snd gentle leg stretching before she gets up. The drugs do make them woozy and unsteady, but so etimes a little massage sort of hells stimulate their muscles. I love that she's using you and the furniture as a crutch! That's a smart girl!!
Try and keep your energy upbeat and positive. One thing that may help, nave someone come over she likes. Get all excited and have them knock on the door and come in happily and with treats. See if that helps.
Once you're s u re she's not in pain, you'll see a difference when you reduce the meds. Rest is what she needs for now though. Along with a scoop of ice cream and a steak!! Chocolate for you!
Stay connected. Let us know how she's doing.
Love and bugs!
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle too!
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
Thanks so much for the responses, you guys did cheer me up. One of my friends did drop by and Layla got up to see her wagging her tail. The leaning to the left seems to be a problem whenever she gets up but she figures it out once she has been standing (and leaning) for awhile. She is sleeping on her left side, but her chest is straight on the floor with her front paws in front of her. It almost looks like she stays in that position when she gets up which ends up putting the left rear paw very much too far to the right when she gets up.
Any way, thanks for being there!
Lynn
Sounds like she's slowly figuring things out. Just continue the gentle massage and gentle stretching before she gets up. I think their legs can "go to sleep" sometimes and it takes a few minutes to "shake it off". Being a little druggy fuzzy can perhaps make her mind a little blurred when she's trying to position her legs correctly for the new norm.
I'm glad you got to see her perk up when your friend came over. Little "tricks" like that seem to really help in their recovery...and in yours! YAAAAAAAAAY FOR TAIL WAGS!!
Down the road, perhaps a Rehab. consult would help should she need it.
Thanks for keeping us updated.
Hugs to you both!!
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle too!
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
Sounds like the recovery is going overall pretty smoothly! I think by the 10-12 day mark, our senior golden Mac made a 360 and started acting more like himself again. I think it was because of the tapering of the pain meds, which, believe it or not makes a huge difference! We would make it a game to try to get Mac to wag his tail and make him happy. I thought he was depressed, too, since he went outside during the first week and did not move for 8 full hours!
It will take her a couple weeks (or more, or less) to get her balance figured out. Mac's walk still doesn't look GREAT but hey, it's his new 'normal' and when that dog runs after something, it looks like he still has 4 legs!
I know that swimming is an excellent resource for dogs (once their wound is healed, of course) since it helps strengthen their core and their leg muscles without any impact. Maybe you can get her in the water after she is recovered!
Glad to see things are going well. Hang in there - the worst part is over!
Hugs,
Jamie and Mac
We adopted Mac in June 2014 from the GRCGLAR and he is our little baby boy, despite the fact that he is 11.5! Almost a year of bliss turned into complete devastation when he started limping on his front right leg and it was discovered on April 16, 2015 that he has bone cancer - specifically Osteosarcoma. We were luckily directed to Tripawds by our oncologist, Dr. Avenelle Turner, which changed our lives and guided us through the amputation process.
Read more about Mac's incredible story on his blog: http://teammac.tripawds.com/
We are at day 13 post surgery, and I am a little worried. It seems like it is more difficult for Layla to get up and get around than it was earlier in the recovery period. She is easing herself up and down very slowly, and she is less likely to get up at all. Once she does get up, her body is so curved that she is hopping in circles to get her balance. It does get better as she is up, but everything seems much harder than it was for her earlier. Her stitches are scheduled to come out on Thursday, and she does not seem to be bothered by pain from the amputation, I think more from the other leg maybe? I have slowly cut down on her Tram from 5 pills every 8 hrs to 3 pills every 8 hours and she has 1 more day of rimadyl....thoughts? advice? help?
Thanks,
Lynn
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