Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Our 7 yrbeagle mix had a rear amputation on Friday due to a may cell tumor. He seems to be recovering very quickly. Even our vet was kind of surprised by how quickly he wanted to get up and hop around. Needless to say we've been making sure he relaxes as much as possible. After all today is only day 3. He is his happy go lucky self for the most part. My question is about my other dogs reaction. is it normal for his little brother (a 2yr old daschund mix) to be upset by this? He is usually a ball of energy, but since we brought Ranger home he seems very sulky and depressed. We have made sure to give him some extra attention so he wouldn't feel left out. But he still just sulks around occasionally staring at Ranger. Just wondering if it is normal for other dogs to react to their buddy getting an amputation.
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I'm sorry you are dealing with mast cell cancer, my little pug Maggie lost her left rear leg to a MCT. You can read her story if you are interested- the links are in my signature box below this post. I'm glad Ranger is doing well!
There must be some disruption in your normal routine? How sensitive to change is little brother? One of my current pugs is very sensitive to changes in routine, he gets agitated when things aren't right. My other pug could care less. How much interaction do they normally have? Has that been reduced?
I had a very unusual homecoming. I brought Maggie home after her surgery and my Dad kept her little sis Tani at his house for a few days so Mag could rest. Mag had always been the alpha pug, but Tani challenged her once in awhile. I should have been better prepared when I re-introduced them. Tani saw Mag in her bed and immediately attacked her! Before I could intervene Mag had Tani on the ground (4 or 5 days after surgery!) and that was the end of it.
Other members should be chiming in with their experiences.
Karen and Spirit Maggie
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Sorry about Ranger's amp and MCT, but you've done the right thing -- and you're definitely in the right place!
As Karen said, I think different pack mates have different reactions, and much of it depends on your quad paw's personality. He may just be very sensitive and could be picking up on your emotions if you're still worried.
If your doxie likes routine I'd try to do as much as you can to replicate what normal was, even if you have to leave Ranger inside (like going for walks at a certain time, playing ball in the yard, etc.) until he's cleared for post-amp activity.
If both dogs like visitors, I highly recommend having people over -- especially the first couple of weeks. It's not uncommon for dogs to 'crash' a bit 5 - 10 days post amp. Lexie really brightened up when we had people over, and so did her little brother. Car rides were another thing we did that both dogs could enjoy.
Hope that helps. Good luck, and keep us posted!
Deb and Angel Lexie* Diagnosed at age 13. Tried radiation first; wish we had amputated upon diagnosis (even with lung mets). Joined Club Tripawd April 2014 & Lexie loved life on 3 legs! Advice: Start physical therapy as soon as your vet clears it, especially hydrotherapy if available :-) See Lexie pics here.
Hi and welcome! I think that like Karen said, it's the disruption in routine that throws other packmates off. And often what humans think of as depression is just a dog needing some extra space, or perhaps in this case a sibling giving your pup that extra space he needs for recovery. The extra attention will definitely help! It's terrific to hear everything else is going so well!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thanks everyone. i think you're right. My little McCoy is just used to being able to rough house with his big brother and right now that's obviously not the case. He just really doesn't like things to change. Today for the first time we had to put the cone on Ranger while we went to work and McCoy was not happy about Ranger wearing it. Lots of barking commenced. Needless to say we are all going through a bit of an adjustment phase. Thanks for all the well wishes!
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