Willy is a 9 y.o. Bichon Frise who had his front left leg amputated (had MCT on pad of foot) and a dozen bladder stones removed on 10/12/11.  Surgery went well and he came home that night with a pain patch and medication.  They told us he would most likely whine/cry for the first day, which he did but not too bad.

Walking was a bit awkward at first and the front of him would sometimes fall on the floor.  He had not yet learned how to center his body on the front leg.  We also quickly realized he was afraid to walk on slippery surfaces as we noticed him hopping from from carpet to carpet.  I moved around the scatter rugs in such a way that he had traction to easily hop on throughout the house.  I also bought a cheap indoor/outdoor carpet that I put down in the kitchen for him to easily eat and get around when home alone.  Stairs are still a bit of a challenge, but he can manage three without too much effort.  Thankfully we only have a few and they are outside.

The stones he had are calcium oxalate and he was prescribed Potassium Citrate granules twice a day sprinkled on food to help prevent reoccurence.  I have been trying to give him this, but his current lack of appetite is not allowing it to happen.  I'm not sure if he has just lost his appetite or he doesn't like this supplement.  Has anyone had any history of using Potassium Citrate good or bad? 

After surgery he was not too interested in eating or drinking the first few days, so I went to the meat/rice mixture for awhile just to get him to eat.  I did that for a while and slowly got him back to dog food (Dr. Harveys that he transitioned to just before surgery).  Soon after he started to vomit what looked like white bile.  We brought him to the vet who said he seemed fine, but was running just a slight temp.  They gave him a little IV fluid and an anti nausea medication.  They said there is a slight possibility of Pancreatitis, but to bring him home, see how he does and call/come back if he doesn't improve.  He ate that night, the next few days and seemed to be fine.

Now he is not only refusing Dr. Harveys, but any type of canned "natural" and/or "organic" food I put down in front of him.  He is a bit of a nervous eater too; and will not necessarily eat unless alone in the house or given table scraps.  We do not usually give him table scraps and have stopped them altogether during this food transition period.  Since he stopped eating Dr. Harveys I have been trying to find a canned alternative as canned food is recommended for dogs susceptible to bladder stones.  Most dogs devour canned food; I don't get it.  I'm a bit worried.  Should I be going back to the meat/rice mixture again or will that be "babying" him too much?

Outside of this food issue, Willy has done wonderful.  His spirits are up and he doesn't seem to miss the leg he lost.  Both surgical sites look good and his fur is growing back.  I am glad we decided on amputation and have no regrets.

I'll be contacting the vet again about the food issue, but if anyone has any helpfull hints; I'd greatly appreciate it.

Many thanks.

1st- welcome Willy!

Sounds like poor Willy has been through alot. Samson wasnt a tripawd but he is a stone former….and he hates the prescription dog food. We had him on Hills U/D, Purina NF and Royal Canin. He would eat ok for a week and then refuse to eat. So now we rotate all three so he is not eating the same thing week after week. We also supplement Sams diet by giving him low purine "table scrapes" or what he thinks are table scrapes. Cottage cheese, yogurt, shredded cheese on his prescription dog food, cream cheese on toast as a treat and a bowl of wheaties with a little skim milk on top<<<  (Many people here feed a no grain diet but Sam doesnt have cancer, he loves his bowl of cereal and at 14 Years old I don't think its going to hurt to much.)

Check with your vet to see if these dairy items are OK first