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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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New tripawd kitty mom - mostly looking for cone/e-collar and stair blocking recommendations
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6 February 2021 - 12:39 pm
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Hi everybody! Our boy Jonesy had a rear leg amputated on Tuesday and is doing pretty well! He was ravenously hungry the first 24 hours he was home, and is still eating fairly well, but has started being a bit finicky. Figuring he was just super-hungry post op and is now greatly annoyed about having to wear an e collar. There are not any other red flags at this time. He is getting around well (been practicing for several weeks with a tucked-up leg), and is alert and fairly active during the daytime hours. He still has 11 days to go of collar wearing and I would like to get him something that will allow him to get back to his old self a little more quickly. We did pick him up an inflatable collar, which he tolerates much better than the hard plastic cone the vet sent him home in, but we're finding that he has figured out how to reach his incision in it. I don't think it will allow for long periods of cleaning, but obviously don't want him doing it at all. Any recommendations for a completely soft, less cumbersome option? 

2nd issue is that we want him to have freedom to roam one floor of the house, but need to keep him off the stairs. We have other cats who need to use the stairs for litter box purposes. Anyone found a way to deal with this? We got rid of our baby gates a while ago and wouldn't mind doing something DIY if we can figure something out that will allow those who need to, to have access. 

I was really happy to see that there is a community available for families of tripawd pets and appreciate knowing that there are helpful people out there who have been through this!

Thanks! 

Melissa

Melissa - mom to tri-angel Jonesy and (only) four other felines

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6 February 2021 - 12:48 pm
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Hi and welcome to you and Jonesy! I'm sorry you found yourself having to join our community but glad you decided to post! To answer your questions:

Any recommendations for a completely soft, less cumbersome option? 

Absolutely! Have you seen the VetMedWear Recovery Suit for Cats and Dogs?

2nd issue is that we want him to have freedom to roam one floor of the house, but need to keep him off the stairs. We have other cats who need to use the stairs for litter box purposes. Anyone found a way to deal with this?

Oooh that's a tough one. I was going to say baby gates but then you mentioned you got rid of yours. Honestly that's about the only way I can see managing this, other than putting multiple litter boxes downstairs temporarily. I'll let our expert Trikitty community members chime in with that one.

I hope this helps! Be sure to check out Cool Tips for Tripawd Cats and our What to Expect articles for answers to many common questions. Keep us posted!

Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet

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6 February 2021 - 3:55 pm
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Hi, Melissa; welcome to you and Jonesy,

We are sorry you had to find us. What was the reason for the amp?

The first issue Jerry gave you a great option. I don't know how quick it could get to you? We would have loved such an option years ago:) 

Purrkins is a front leg amp; we used a baby onesie with permission from our surgeon. That is not a viable option for a rear legger.

weathermel said

2nd issue is that we want him to have freedom to roam one floor of the house, but need to keep him off the stairs. We have other cats who need to use the stairs for litter box purposes. Anyone found a way to deal with this?

Baby gates and cats are tough; we use 3 stacked here and still have to be on watch because yes, they can scale three gates!!!

What works best is to use a room with a door to keep Jonesy contained, and yes, Jonesy will pester you at the door. The other kitties will pester on the outside, but it works to keep Jonesy safe/secure in one room and the other kitties not pestering so close. For a DIY option - make a so-called gate out of cardboard boxes- how secure would that be? You would have to tape it to the wall and test it. Cats are so clever and curious it makes our jobs tough!

The other option is to use a recovery tent such as this, where you would keep Jonesy safe! His litter, food, etc. all enclosed, and take the worry out of the steps altogether; you can walk away when you need to. Parkland Pet Portable Foldable Playpen Exercise Kennel Dogs Cats Indoor/Outdoor Removable Mesh Shade Cover

3 different sizes are available. I believe they could get this to you quickly? Other members have used dog crates - the same idea as above. 

I would keep one litter box for Jonesy close and keep your other kitties' litter boxes in their normal location, so you don't have issues with your other kitties!

Hopefully, this helps in some manner. 

I see Jonesy is a ginger tabby;) Smooch to Jonesy, please!

Hugs,

Holly & Purrkins

💝💝💝

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7 February 2021 - 10:06 am
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How old is the little chap?

You should always be cautious, but all cats are different.

I was lucky because my cat is old so she does not go running or jumping anyway, so there was no need to restrict her. Also she showed no interest in her wound so no need for a cone.

I would take the safe option, after all the consequences of opening the wound (from a fall or chewing) are horrendous, but also see how he behaves and take action accordingly.    

Having an active cat post surgery is a really nice problem to have, it is much better than the alternative.

  • "what shall be done for these innocents? I have been warned not even to raise the question of animal immortality, lest I find myself “in company with all the old maids”. I have no objection to the company" - C S Lewis (The Problem of Pain)
  • "Mr Toplady was touched by the cruelty of the scene, and exclaimed, ' Who could bear to see that sight, if there were not to be some compensation for these poor suffering animals in a future state' 'I certainly hope,' said my grandfather, ' that all the bulls will go to heaven; but do you think this will be the case with all the animal creation' 'Yes, certainly,' replied Mr Toplady, with great emphasis, ' all, all!" - Josiah Bull (recording a meeting with the great A. M. Toplady, author of "Rock of Ages" in "Memorials of the Rev. William Bull of Newport, Pagnel")
  • "Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God" Luke 12:6
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8 February 2021 - 8:22 pm
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Melissa,  which rear leg was amputated? Our Lucky just went through amputation less than a month ago.  He is a left rear amputee.  I have the recovery suit that Jerry mentioned and am willing to pass it on.  Let me know what you think.

Glad Jonesy is doing well!!!

Barb & Lucky

Barb, Doug, Lucky, Luna, Aurora, Rascal, Smokey & Ebby

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8 February 2021 - 8:31 pm
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Hi Jerry, Holly, and gnosis -- thank you so much for taking the time to reply! I meant to post back sooner, but work long hours, and spent lots of time watching (and spazzing) over Jonesy during the weekend. I did take the time to look at the recovery suit -- had seen them before, but nothing that would be suitable for a back leg amputee. The VetMedWear suit looks great, but by the time it would get here, he should have the all clear. Hope so, anyway. His incision site already looks so much better -- the bruising is all but gone!

I did order a couple more collars yesterday that should be here Wednesday. Hopefully he'll like at least one of them better and won't be able to remove!

As for the stair issue, we actually have the *exact* same playpen Holly posted.icon_lolWe started with two small playpens hooked together, but on the second day, he figured out how to escape from between them. My daughter was pretty surprised to come out of her room and find him lying in the middle of the living room floor -- with his recovery collar off -- looking happy as a clam. Turned out that a friend of mine has the 48" pen and was able to loan it to us. It is a lifesaver! I just wanted him to be able to have free reign of the upper floor while we're around, so that he can get some exercise without having to have eyes on him every second. On Sunday, my husband pushed one of the smaller pens in front of the stairs, and that has kept Jones cordoned off pretty well, and the four-legged cats were able to work around it. 9 days to go! 

To answer the other questions, he will be 12 in March. Long story short, he had been limping, and an x-ray revealed degradation of the tarsal bones. We tried a course of antibiotics and the situation didn't improve, and the area actually became more swollen during that time. Our vet and another vet who consulted felt that it looked/acted like cancer. With that being the case, and the obvious amount of pain he was in, we moved pretty quickly on the amp. We're having histology done on the limb, so will know for sure before long. At least it's obvious that he feels a lot better now - what a terrible decision to have to make! 

Melissa - mom to tri-angel Jonesy and (only) four other felines

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9 February 2021 - 7:27 am
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Hi Barb - that is so sweet of you to offer! And Jonesy is a left rear amputee as well! He goes to get his stitches out on 2/17, at which point I expect that he'll be cleared to go without any grooming deterrent. Do you think you could get it to me soon enough to be worth your effort? Please feel free to PM me. 🙂 

I hope Lucky is doing well!

Melissa - mom to tri-angel Jonesy and (only) four other felines

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9 February 2021 - 11:42 am
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Barb that is super nice! 

As for Jonesy, how's he doing today? Sounds like you've got everything handled really well! 

Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet

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10 February 2021 - 3:54 pm
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weathermel said
- what a terrible decision to have to make! 

  

Now that is a comment that we can all identify with, I am so glad that having to make that decision is in the past for me but it saddens me that so many people continue to have to face up to the same thing. 

Which is why I really value this website, it is a decision that many thousands have gone through, the majority of whom are lucky and (rather bizarrely) some even look back at with something approaching happiness as we love and value the happy little tripawds so much. 

My sadness is for those where it does not work out, but even there you have given your pet a chance.   

  • "what shall be done for these innocents? I have been warned not even to raise the question of animal immortality, lest I find myself “in company with all the old maids”. I have no objection to the company" - C S Lewis (The Problem of Pain)
  • "Mr Toplady was touched by the cruelty of the scene, and exclaimed, ' Who could bear to see that sight, if there were not to be some compensation for these poor suffering animals in a future state' 'I certainly hope,' said my grandfather, ' that all the bulls will go to heaven; but do you think this will be the case with all the animal creation' 'Yes, certainly,' replied Mr Toplady, with great emphasis, ' all, all!" - Josiah Bull (recording a meeting with the great A. M. Toplady, author of "Rock of Ages" in "Memorials of the Rev. William Bull of Newport, Pagnel")
  • "Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God" Luke 12:6
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11 February 2021 - 7:50 pm
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Jerry - Thanks for asking about Jonesy. 🙂 A little late with the update, but it has been a good week! He is eating really well, stump still looks great, and he's just super chill and seems happy. We've noticed that he is lying on his left side a lot, so it must not be hurting. The new collars arrived in the mail yesterday and one of them is working well for him. 5 days to go!

Gnosis - looking back with happiness does seem a little weird, but I am starting to see it! Jonesy seems happier than he has in weeks. It may be the pain meds, but we'll see. 😀 At this point, I am dreading getting the histology results back, but trying to just enjoy him and not think about it too much. His rate of healing is encouraging for sure. 

I should mention that I have been providing photography services for a cat rescue for the past 5 years. I am so glad to have found this site, not only for the community support, but it is good to know about the rescue fund. I'm sure an opportunity will come to pass the info along.

Some pics here! 🙂 🙂 🙂 

Melissa - mom to tri-angel Jonesy and (only) four other felines

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11 February 2021 - 9:09 pm
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What a sweet boy! Those photos are so precious, thank you for sharing them. May I post one in our Tripawds Gallery? I'd love to share that cone collar he is wearing. What is the brand? Very cool!

I'm so glad he's doing well. YAY! A lot of times, cats and dogs really do perk up after that bad, painful leg is gone so you are probably not imagining that he's happier. We'll keep our paws crossed for more good times ahead.

We are so glad you found us too!

Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet

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12 February 2021 - 2:24 am
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Excellent to hear Jonesy is doing well! smiley_clapWhoo Hoo, you can't ask for more & it's still early!

He is adorable smooch him or us, please! 

Also, we love the new cone; that's a unique style we have not seen. Please do report back when you can on the success with the cone. It will help many other rear leggers! 

Jonesy can eat and sleep and not reach his incision; that is HUGE! PLUS, it is dang cute too, hehe

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We will keep our paws crossed; the vet gives Jonesy the ok to be cone free and do all things cat. Also, keeping our paws crossed on pathology!

I don't know if you have seen this? Apply when the pathology comes back, ok?

Best Gift for a Dog with Cancer, or Cat: Kaiserin's Care Package

Hugs and scratches to your crew (all the kitties getting along so far?

Holly & Purrkins💝💝💝

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13 February 2021 - 1:26 pm
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Hi Melissa & Jonesy!!

Hope all is still going well!!  I'm thrilled that you finally found a collar that is working well for him! icon_lol  I am glad to see that he is well on his way to being mended.  Lucky also started lying more on his left side as he continued to heal and it did not seem to bother him either.  It's amazing how quickly some of our furbabies recover!  I watch Lucky run and play now like nothing ever happened (surgery) to him and it's only been 3 plus weeks.  I hope Jonesy's recovery continues on the good path!

Stay in touch and definitely let us know how the pathology report comes out.  Will be keeping out paws crossed!

Barb, Doug, Lucky, Luna, Aurora, Rascal, Smokey & Ebby

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15 February 2021 - 3:49 pm
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Hi! Late as always, but wanting to say thanks again for all the encouragement and commiseration!

Just ending a three-day weekend full of fretting. 😛 We finished up Jonesy's Torb (Butorphanol) on Saturday. I was thinking he had 14 days worth instead of 10, and was thinking I would check into gradually weaning him off it, but then found out from my husband on Friday that he had two doses left (he is the medicine giver). We did space those last two out by 24 hours instead of 12. 

So Saturday morning, he was full of beans (Jones, not my husband), and all he wanted to do was clean his stitches. He seemed to get really irritable after a while and ended up sleeping all day, and not as comfortably as he had in the past week -- seemed to be favoring his non-amp side and was stretching/extending his stump a lot. Sunday he slept a lot, too. 

I actually did a search of Torb in the forums and found a post where Jerry had mentioned that it's common for amputees to have a crash of sorts at 10 days post op. It totally makes sense that all the energy it takes to heal starts to catch up with them. And it's probably not uncommon for them to have 10 days worth of pain meds, too, and stopping can't be easy. So that was just what I needed to see. 🙂 

In Jonesy's case, I think the incision site is probably itching like crazy, which could be why he was moving his stump a lot. That has to suck.

I'm sure that on the weekends I have so much more time to focus on him (and spaz). I need to remind myself that before all this he slept a lot, too. He would sleep (with his wife, April the tortie) on the futon in my home office all day and into the evening sometimes. 

Anyway, this whole time he has been eating and eliminating well, so no worries there. He has been in good spirits today and napped in the sun this morning with all the other cats. 

Oh yeah, speaking of the other cats -- all good on that front. There was some intense sniffing and a couple of tentative hisses/swipes the first day, but the cat I was most worried about didn't hassle him at all. And April didn't miss a beat. She is so bonded to him and treated him no differently than before.sp_hearticon2

Thanks for all the nice comments on the photos -- my daughter took them, and said it is cool to use them in the gallery. As for the collar, it is from UsefulThingy. 😀 Link here. I can't say it 100% keeps him from the incision area, but it is a very good deterrent. He really has to work his way to it. We have the best-case scenario here, as I am working at home right now and we have two older kids, one who is very much a night owl, so he pretty much has someone watching him all the time. Between the collar and the level of supervision, he hasn't had a chance to get at it much. He can get the collar off, but that also takes a lot of work, and since it snaps, it is very easy to get back on. I recommend! His neck is 8 inches around and we did the size small. It is thin enough to move up so that he can scratch under it, and it is easy for us to scratch around, which he appreciates. There is a similar collar that I think always has the same-size neck hole, but you can get different outside circumferences? That might just be the one that could work 100% for the rear leggers -- if they can't get it off easily. Link for that one here

Thanks, Holly, for posting that link to the care packages. Still don't know if he/we will qualify, but will for sure apply if he does. Hugs to Purrkins as well!

And thanks again to Barb for offering the suit. Hopefully some other tripawd will be able to use it for the full recovery period. 🙂

You guys are awesome!

Melissa - mom to tri-angel Jonesy and (only) four other felines

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15 February 2021 - 7:49 pm
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Oh my goodness!!  Just catching up with Jonesy and his amazing hoomans!  So glad she's feeling full of beans and yes, not talking about your hubby!  That made  me laugh!😁

Ypu have gotten stell feedback and support.  I can only say that, if your kitty had to go thru amputation,  there is no better place to be than here!!

Looking forward to more updates and pictures!  

Hugs

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!

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