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.
Join The Tripawds Community
Learn how to help three legged dogs and cats in the forums below. Browse and search as a guest or register for free and get full member benefits:
Instant post approval.
Private messages to members.
Subscribe to favorite topics.
Live Chat and much more!
Register
Log In
Members
Add Topic
Offline
Aloha, Our ten year old chocolate lab Moose had front leg amputation on Monday, he has osteosarcoma tumor in the top of his humerus. The first couple days he was doing great, but starting Day 4 things turned. Lots of abdominal bruising...maybe from us carrying him and lifting him in and out of the truck? We have had ultrasound and bloodwork twice which is all normal. The vet thinks all of the dizziness, trouble standing, walking, lethargy, and more are from his medications. He's on tramadol, prevacox, gabapentin, and antibiotics. I've been reading about them, and don't like them at all. Has anyone has similar problems or advice?
this is so so hard
Hello and welcome, your future posts will not have to wait for approval.
I'm sorry cancer has brought you and Moose here- but this is a wonderful community where you will find information and lots of support.
First off, as hard as it seems now Moose does seem to be in the normal relm for this point in recovery. Many pups have bruising after surgery- how are you carrying and lifting him? Did the vet give you a sling to help him navigate? You can make one out of a reusable shopping bag- cut the seams open and the handles are built in. You might also look at some pictures in our Gallery, scroll down to the Surgery and Treatment Pics section. There are some bruising pictures you can compare to Moose.
Many pups here seem to go through a 'crash' at the 3 to 5 day post op point. Surgery meds are done, and the effects of hopping and all the new meds catch up to them. That being said many dogs have issues with pain meds, especially tramadol. My pug Maggie got really agitated and didn't sleep when she took it. The mix of meds you have sounds good- keep working with your vet on dosage to get Moose as comfortable as possible. If you want to share the doses and Moose's weight you can get some comparisons from other members on what doses worked for them. Again- other than Dr. Pam we are not vets so keep talking you yours!
Most of us went through a 'what have I done' phase during recovery, hang in there, it's hard but will get better. You did the right thing for Moose, taking his pain away.
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
And Aloha to you and Moose!
Ditto everything Karen said! This is sooooo early in recovery. Moose has just gone through MAJOR surgery and is learning to adjust to three legs while on pain meds!!
The meds he's on are all the ones we see most often given here. . You can speak with the Vet about smaller doses more frequently or larger doses spaced out more. There's usually a vit of leeway when the Vet first sends you home with the directions.
Yes, the pain meds can cause some wooziness, some lethargy, some whining and panting. And pain can cause a lot of the same symptons! It is crucial ro keep the pain managed as it helps the healing process.
How is Moose doing otherwise? Eating? Drinking? Pooping and peeing? Is he restless? Can he seem to get comfortable?
Yes, this recovery IS hard!!! Getting to this point is exhausting, stressful, scary and full of uncertainties! Really glad you posted as we can all tell you it does get better! Every dog's recovery is different. Based on whst you've described, Moose is having a "normal" recovery.
And just like humans, bruising gets worse before it gets better! Email your Vet a ohoto just to keep him in the loop. As Karen said, check out the photos in the zGallery for perspective.
It took me about three weeks before I could finally say I did this FOR my Happy Hannah and not TO her! Just keep in mind again, it IS MAJOR SURGERY! A human would still be on a morphine drip and in the hospital!
STAY CONNECTED!! You'll get through this! And be lrepared. If you think you spoiled Moose before...HA! Spoiling a tripawd is so much fun! 🙂
Hugs!!
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too! I
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!
Hello and welcome. I'm sorry about the diagnosis, but so pleased you have found your way here. There's no place better for information and support.
As Karen and Sally have said above, it does sound as though Moose is having a fairly typical recovery, and you are going through the typical 3-5 day crash, which can happen as the hospital meds leave their system It's really tough, but the good news is that it absolutely does get better. It may be that Moose's meds need some tweaking in terms of dose and/or when you give them, but the lethargy, trouble standing/walking etc., are pretty understandable, given the scale of the surgery and the fact that his body needs to adjust to his new three-legged gait. He will, with plenty of rest and lots of spoiling and a little more time. It's really tough, but I promise you, it does get better. Stay connected. We're here for you.
Meg, Clare and Elsie Pie xxx
Ruby, Staffy, born June 2022, became a Tripawd, 23 November 2023, adopted 12 January 2024.
Also Angel Tripawd Meg (aka The Megastar), who died in April 2023, aged 14, after seven glorious years on three, and Angel Staffies Pie and Bille. In the pawprints of giants...
Thanks so much to everyone for the responses. This website has helped me dramatically in both making the decision to have the surgery, and also in getting through this VERY hard time post surgery.
Moose is now 8 days post op. He is hanging in there, I cut way back on his meds and am using a bit of THC CBD tincture to help with pain... the bruising got way worse, than a bit better...
He is still eating, although being picky and not excited about it for the first time in ten years, and he's still pooping.
He doesn't want to walk much, we have to coach him into standing up.
But little by little he's starting to wag his tail, got him to the park to hang out in the sun yesterday, finally saw some excitement in him.
Can't wait til he's back to himself, and til I can sleep through the night without being up all nite worrying and comforting him!
cafarias12 said
Moose is now 8 days post op. He is hanging in there, I cut way back on his meds and am using a bit of THC CBD tincture to help with pain... the bruising got way worse, than a bit better...
Just wanted to say to make sure the tincture you're using is low/no THC. The CBD is good for then but the THC will just made then stoned and out of it. CBD is where the anti inflammatory and pain fighting properties are.
Just my two cents...
Hope his recovery continues to go smoothly.
11 year old Australian Shepherd with soft tissue sarcoma.
http://princess.....ipawds.com
1 Guest(s)
