Hello!

Henri had his front limp amputation on Thursday, Feb 18th….the vet and all the staff thought he did very well…I visited him that night and of course he was so high on the drugs that I am not sure he knew I was there. He stayed at the animal hospital until Saturday afternoon. When I picked him up, he seemed confused and not like himself but I just figured it was all that he went through and the meds.
Well, I thought he was doing so well Saturday ( although tired ) to be expected. But Saturday and Sunday were ( I thought "good days!" ) Henri was eager to outside and eager to eat/drink water and slept well.
I have him on Tramadol which is what he was on prior to the surgery and he had no issues with that medicine. Yesterday was even a good day ( morning ) until early evening and he started acting different…Not sure if lethargic is the word, but tired…just laying there, not wanting to go outside.
We did have one issue yesterday…not sure if anyone has experienced this or not? But Henri decided to lay down and sleep ( about 3 hours ) on his wound/amputation side and he normally does not do that )…
He got stuck and could not lift himself up…I freaked out of course…and had no idea how I was going to get him up…I did everything….tried the sling, a sheet …nothing.,,,,he would not move…poor thing tried but gave up. SO I carefully scooted him to where I could take his body and carefully roll him to the other side….then I assisted in lifting him up and he seemed really stiff…and finally went out to potty. HE HATES me to assist him…he wants nothing to do with a leash or the sling….so I just stay close by his side when he goes out…..He seemed really quiet, sad and depressed last night???
I had to feed him his food laying down and was not too interested in it but did eat …thankfully!
This morning, he acted especially tired …and did not have interest in going outside ( he woke up at 3 am to potty ) and by 7 am…no interest in going out …he just wanted to lay there. He did get up around 8:45 and it took all I had to get him to go out and potty,….I dont know if he is in pain? Unhappy? Still tired or what?
Is this normal?
I am feeling sad about the amputation now and I am sure that is normal…Henri is having a tough time moving about…seems like it was easier the first two days than now?

Any advice?

Thanks so much!

Henri's mom!!!

Just remember that as every dog will fight the cancer differently, so too will they recover differently.  Henri will get it, he just needs to relearn how to do some things.  He will have to figure out how to use different muscles to get himself up, and it may take a while, but he'll get it!  The first 2 weeks he should be mostly laying around anyways, so it's good that he's doing that on his own.  As Mary said, if you are at all uncomfortable with the situation, send a call off to your vet.  They will let you know what is normal and how long to wait before coming in for a visit.  Hugs to you and Henri!!

<3 Laura and Jack

P.S.  Is it pronounced "Henry" or "Onree"???  In my head I say it the French way, but I'd like to know which one is correct :)

I agree "normal" is a ralative term.  Except maybe there is no normal.  All dogs recover at different rates but what you are describing sounds like what other tripawds seem to have gone through.  Focus on the fact that you removed not only the leg but the pain of bone cancer.  It is hard to watch your baby struggle.  Try to remember that amputation is a major surgery and Henri is on extremely strong pain meds. You and Henri are in my prayers.

Debra & Angel Emily

Hi Wendy,

As you've already read from others here… the first two weeks post op, there are alot of ups and downs. Someone once wrote here (I can't remember who it was) that sometimes, they will take one step forward to recovery, then the next day two steps back. It was definitely like that for Jake… (though I try to only remember the good times). Any time you have any worry or concern about Henri and his recovery, you should just call your vet… That's what they're there for! Even if it means bringing Henri in to be examined… Better to be safe than sorry!

Jake used to lie on his amputation side too, and I would freak, thinking that he's hurting himself… Some days he'd be super tired, and others, he just seemed to have some crazy bursts of energy. Remember, Henri is recovering from a pretty big surgery and his body and muscles are getting used to getting around without one of his legs…

I know that when he's not his normal self and looks like he's depressed, it's so easy to think about why you went ahead with the surgery… but just think of the alternative… He would either be in uncontrolable pain, or he would have been put to sleep. He has a fatal disease… there is no cure for osteosarcoma yet, but there are many dogs that have been able to beat the survival odds afterwards and live many more happy and pain-free months, some even a year or two!

So, call your vet tomorrow with your concerns… At least that will put your mind at ease, that nothing else is going on with Henri…

In the meantime… just love and spoil him!!

Angel Jake's Mom

Our prayers are going out to you and your GoldenHenri! I bet he is up and about in no time.

Fortis and His pack

Wendy,
Sadie is going through the same thing. She had a really good day right when she got home, and then she got really lethargic. She was so tired that she seemed to wait 'till the last minute to go out to pee, and then (because takes longer to get outside) she had quite a few accidents. Sadie also lays on her staples (which, thank goodness come out tomorrow)and that seems to be very uncomfortable for her, but she does it anyway She also likes to lay down in corners and tight places that make it hard for her to get up. I wondered too if I maybe made a mistake putting her through this. Then, tonight when I came home from work, my Sadie got up from her favorite corner and, with tail wagging, came over to greet me at the door! I know I made the right decision, and I think you did too.