Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
Tripawds is your home to learn how to care for a three legged dog or cat, with answers about dog leg amputation, and cat amputation recovery from many years of member experiences.
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I'm not sure if I mentioned it, but Cooper is an 80-pound dog. Your dog will probably be about that size, too, so I wanted to give you that encouragement. If they waited and tried to do surgeries on a puppy so young, there would potentially be growth plate problems, so it's better that the puppy grows without a leg and that way there will not be any of those growth plate issues to contend with.
Please let us know how the surgery went and how you are (both!) feeling later today.
Hugs!!!
Cooper (11/11/11 - 3/29/24) was a hound-collie mix "mutt" who was badly injured as a puppy and lost his leg at 7 months of age. We adopted him after the operation. He' was wonderful companion and comforting presence in our family for 12 years. He lived a fabulous life on three legs and was an inspiration to all. We will never forget our Coopie-Doopie-Doo.
You have already gotten the best of advice, I'm just here for the support 😎 you already have tons of that here too but you can never have too much support and compassion. Thoughts are with you today, will be looking for your post saying she did fantastic and it's resting comfortably!!❤️❤️
Hugs,
Jackie and Huckleberry ❤️❤️❤️
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry 
Thank you so much for the kind words everyone. It definitely helps. We had an eventful morning, as we are also having our roof replaced today so our other two dogs were losing their minds with all of the activity around the house. We had to pack everyone up in the car so we could take the other two to my in-laws house, so they can stay there while the roof is being done and for the first day or two of Poppy's recovery. She was losing her mind too because she didn't get to have breakfast (at 5am) like she is used to.
It was pretty tough to have to leave her at the vet, and it is very eerie in the house now without any dogs. I will be so glad when this day is over! 
I will definitely keep everyone posted. You can also follow her on Instagram, my wife started a page for her there. https://www.ins.....yhopsalot/
Poppy is out of surgery and is recovering. The vet that did the surgery said that the injuries appear to be consistent with a bite from another dog that must have happened at an early age when she was on the reservation. They had to remove the scapula as well. So she has been through a lot in her short little life, but it is upward and onward from here.
They are going to keep her sedated for a few days and are going to keep her for a few more hours before we can bring her home. She will likely have some bleeding, and there will be some swelling for the next 2-3 weeks. They had to stitch some of her muscle tissue back together as well. I will keep you guys updated of her progress.
YAAAAAAAAY!!! SURGERY IS DONE!!!😁
Now, ma y Bets keep dogs overnight IF it's a 24/7 clinic. So just know that it can be cery rough on hoomans watching dogs shake off the anesthesia the first night. Some dogs jave the morphine patch and that makes them even more vocal.
The Vet should give you Tramadol, Gabapentin, Rimadyl and an antibiotic. Make sure you have a supply for at least two weeks. If you don't need it all, it's always good to have on hand.
The pictures on Instagram are adorable 😁
Stay connected and let us know how things are going, okay?
Hugs to all ylir great pack
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie 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!
Followed you on Instagram!! I am @travdoglady on there.
Thanks for the update. It'll be nerve-wracking for a few days, but I bet she will amaze you with her resilience. Wow, a bite from another dog, that never occurred to me. They never told us what actually happened to Cooper, so I wonder if his was something like that as well. I will probably never know.
Sending you all good vibes, and looking forward to the Instagram updates. Good luck with the roof and stuff, too. Wow, stressful times!
Cooper (11/11/11 - 3/29/24) was a hound-collie mix "mutt" who was badly injured as a puppy and lost his leg at 7 months of age. We adopted him after the operation. He' was wonderful companion and comforting presence in our family for 12 years. He lived a fabulous life on three legs and was an inspiration to all. We will never forget our Coopie-Doopie-Doo.
YAY!! Surgery is over and she is on her way to healing and recovery! I just made an Instagram account a couple of days ago and followed you, your pictures are wonderful! You guys are going to rock this, just watch 
Stay tuned and get some rest before your girlie comes home. Get your house and her recovery suite the way you want it. She is going to keep you on your toes for a while but that's ok, we'll be here to help any way we can.
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry
She's home but it has been a very rough go. They had her walking at the vet, but she was not agreeable to it and they had to do it for her. She randomly cries and thrashes around on the floor. Moving her causes screams and more thrashing. The vet believes it is likely a combination of the anesthesia drugs and narcotic painkillers.
On the positive side, she happily ate a cup of food fed by hand, a piece of cheese and some crushed ice.
It is going to be a rough night...
Hang in there, a lot of this is anthesia and super pain meds messing with her cognitive functions. Some pups get quite vocal and emotional with the anthesia in their system. This will pass and you're doing great.
What medications did they send you home with?
Please make sure you keep her in a confined area where she cannot hurt herself. I'm sure you are going to stay next to her anyways but it sounds like she's pretty gorked out and probably not totally aware of what's going on.
Might be a long night, buckle in and keep in touch. If they want you to start pain meds please do so. Hopefully they have given you gabapentin and that might just knock her out so she can sleep. She needs lots of sleep and quiet time right now.
Hugs,
Jackie and Huck
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry
They sent us home with Trazodone and Carprofen, both of which she has already had. They also gave us acepromazine, but she can't have that until tomorrow.
Ok, not a doctor and not trying to tell you what to do, (i know you saw the BUT coming) but it might be a good idea to ask your doc for some gabapentin. It is such an important medication for avoiding phantom limb pain and it can make a big difference in recovery. It dulls the nerve endings that are still trying to send signals to the brain.
In the meantime getting her to eat small amounts, drink supervised while she's still out of it, and keep her warm. She may settle in with you if you lay by her. The anesthesia drops their body temp so you might want to try a light blanket on her and see if you can ease her. Soft music might help too... Laugh at me but Alexa and i got to be pretty decent friends throughout Huckleberry's recovery. I played music for him a lot. Just soft soothing music.
You got this! The first night while they are recovering from anthesia can be really tough, especially if you're not used to seeing it.
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry
Shushu's pawrent (sorry i don't know your name) you are awesome! Don't apologize for being new, you walked this walk too and your support is truly valued!!😎
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry
Did you mean Tramadol instead of Trazadone?
I don't think they would give you trazadone and ace.
Welcome by the way. Bringing home a pup the day of surgery is tough- hang in there!
My current Tripawd Elly was hit by a car when she was 7 months old and lost a rear leg as a result. She is now 3.5 and loving life like any dog her size and age (15.5 lbs).
FWIW- be careful with the ace. My pug was given a tiny amount after some type of allergic reaction to something (we never figured out what) and a subsequent panic type attack. He was out of it for hours and hours. I'm guessing they gave it to you to keep the young pup quiet- but be sure it doesn't mask pain.
What we have seen here is the youngsters bounce back really quickly- I'm thinking your biggest problem is going to be keeping quiet during recovery (hence the ace probably).
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Yes, she is on Tramadol...not Trazodone. Hard to keep everything straight these days.
When she is awake and eating ice cubes, food or cheese she seems "normal" and with it. But when she is sleeping off and on, she starts breathing heavily and eventually cries, freaks out and thrashes. Does that sound like dysphoria to you guys? She also gets that way any time we try to move her at all.
As a result, we have not attempted to have her walk at all. She has not been outside to eliminate at all either. Should we try to do that? Or should we leave her be?
We will ask the vet about gabapentin tomorrow to see if it is something we should try.
Well, if you think you can get her outside and assist her standing to see if she will eliminate that would be great. Some of her fussiness might be a need to go but she doesn't know what to do. If not, do you have any pee pads to put under her? Likely at some point she will go, i would try the first one but it really depends on your comfort level. You can use a long towel to support her tummy and assist her in walking, like a sling. Just hold on to the ends after you slide one side under her.
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry
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