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
Purrkins said
Welcome Rusty & Gina,I’m sorry to hear about Rusty is this a VAS?
We are waiting on the test results back from the leg for more information.
Rusty "The Bunnyman" adopted us in 2014. Aug/Sept 2017, back left leg amputated (HSA cancer). He remained cancer free over 900 days. Cancer returned as of emergency visit on day 931. 15 days later, he gained his wings 04/18/2020 due to congestive heart failure. He will always watch over his fellow tripawds and their hoomins with Head Scritches and Sand Paper Kisses.
Sounds like a much better morning to me!
YAAAAAY for kitty Rusty in the carrier!!!!!! You are not going to screw Rusty up in any way !! Please don't be so hard on yourself! I say YAAAAAAAY he didn't escape and run! You did great!! You did great getting Rusty in and getting pain meds and the antiboitic, you have to feel relieved now !?
Jerry did a post on recovery suits Easy DIY Pet Surgery Recovery Suit Ideas for Cats and Dogs
Easy DIY Pet Surgery Recovery Suit Ideas for Cats and Dogs
One of our members with rear leg kitty Tia used a Pet Good recovery suit that may be a option also?
( I copied this from her blog!)
Today her larger sized suit arrived from Vetgood. The medium was so tight on her torso it was making her “freeze and flop”. The large size fits better in the torso, but the bottoms were too big. So, I am using the smaller size bottoms and the large top. She no longer freezes and flops over and seems to be mobile in this new configuration. She is happy to have the cone off, I think.
https://vetgood.....-and-cats/
In her comments section a member asked her what she thought about it
azrael
It worked OK. She tended to get it dirty when using the litter box, so it was rotated with the cone for washings fairly frequently. It did keep her away from the stitches and she seemed more comfortable vs the cone.
If one was a little more crafty than me, you might be able to sew up the extra fabric where the missing leg is, which might help keep it cleaner when using the box.
http://tiatheca.....om/page/2/
You may have options if the cone continues to be a problem! I would run it by the vet if you need to try other options. I did get approval for the baby onesie from our surgeon.
As I mentioned earlier not everyone can medicate their animals did you see how to medicate forum that might help you on the hows.
Administering Medications to your Cat
I see where just there
Please don't blame yourself its cats they are not easy it takes practice !! Your stressed & emotional as it is and then to try to get the meds in on a surgery like this its stressful! You have to try to be calm to give meds they pick up on all our emotions. I sit & put my guys in-between my leg Indian style and that keeps them locked in;) I realize not everyone may be able to do that but it works for us! I like syringing our cats it easier for me to do!
Are you asking what we fed with the cone on? If possible and your right there in the cage with him can you take the cone off for him to eat?
Dawna will have more answers for you on what she did with Tuxedo.
If your asking in general I got Purrkins canned food really smelly foods Tuna & Salmon , Chicken and Herring Etc. I don't normally feed him those but I knew in our case if he was going to be fussy he would likely eat those and he did! He loves fish anything ! Smelly foods work great wet food is great so you don't have to worry so much on water intake.
Your doing great so breathe you will get thru this OK I promise recovery doesn't last long and things will get better for you both!!
We are all here to help you thru this!
Hugs!
Holly & Purrkins
THANKS DAWNA for all your rear leg & cone experience ! I think the feeling was mutual for You Tuxedo and Dazzle
I am looking for cone on feeding tips. Once that cone comes off, it is not going back on.
Positive:
He was eating with the cone on this morning! I put a regular dish of stinky wet food and he was able to navigate the cone around it.
I will have to change the blanket/mats in the cage though as the water was knocked over while he was trying desperately trying to knock the cone off again. I'll take it!
Rusty "The Bunnyman" adopted us in 2014. Aug/Sept 2017, back left leg amputated (HSA cancer). He remained cancer free over 900 days. Cancer returned as of emergency visit on day 931. 15 days later, he gained his wings 04/18/2020 due to congestive heart failure. He will always watch over his fellow tripawds and their hoomins with Head Scritches and Sand Paper Kisses.
mommatux said
Tuxedo managed to get out of all the various cone collar types except the rigid plastic one, that had to be both fastened skin tight to his neck and secured to his collar. Even then he would continually and repeatedly bash the thing into anything he could find to try and flip it off. It sounded like someone beating on the house walls and woke me up many nights. Let me tell you those weeks where he had to wear the thing due to the infection were pure torture for all of us here. I am not sure who was more relieved when he finally was healed to the point it could be removed. Since it sounds ike Rusty is another of the houdidi type, I suspect that going with the donut or soft cone would end up being a waste. Tuxedo was able to get out of those types very easily.
So far, the softer cone, with collar AND gauze holding in on has lasted for 12 hours with multiple attempts for removal. He was quite vocal last night. I guess he is feeling a little stronger.
Rusty "The Bunnyman" adopted us in 2014. Aug/Sept 2017, back left leg amputated (HSA cancer). He remained cancer free over 900 days. Cancer returned as of emergency visit on day 931. 15 days later, he gained his wings 04/18/2020 due to congestive heart failure. He will always watch over his fellow tripawds and their hoomins with Head Scritches and Sand Paper Kisses.
Hang in there- you are doing great!
This is not basic kitty care- it is the advanced version and not many of us had experienced anything like it before dealing with amputation recovery.
Sounds like Rusty is making progress- take note of all the good things that are happening and soon the good things will outnumber the bad.
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
ANY IMPROVEMENT IS A HUGE IMPROVEMENT DURING RECOVERY!!!! SO YAAAAAAAAAY FOR EATING!!!
And YAAAAAAAAAY FOR FAILED ATTEMPTS TO REMOVE THE CONE!!!
You're doing great! Give yourself some credit, okay? OUTSTANDING JOB!! 🙂
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!
Haha, Rusty met his match - YOU!!! You are just as determined to keep Rusty safe as he is to be collarless. You are doing great!
The vet send Mona home with wet kitten food and she devoured it. It is high in protein and fat compared to adult cat food.
I don't think a raised water and food bowl is important. I know some people recommend it but I see it as more work for the cat to hold itself up to reach it. Maybe you can try it later when he's all healed and out of the cage.
I slept in the room with Mona and after the second night she jumped up to cuddle and sleep with me. My other cat slept with us too because he hates missing out on anything. Rusty might be ready to go to another room, such as a bathroom, to sniff and hop around. I even took Mona to the deck to enjoy some sun.
Hugs to both of you. This is not easy.
Kerren and Streaker Mona 
kazann said
Haha, Rusty met his match - YOU!!! You are just as determined to keep Rusty safe as he is to be collarless. You are doing great!The vet send Mona home with wet kitten food and she devoured it. It is high in protein and fat compared to adult cat food.
Good start to the day!!
Thanks everyone! So I decided working on two hours of sleep multiple nights in a row was not going to help Rusty, me or Nick so I gave Nick the nighttime duty last night and I slept on the couch. It was the best sleep since this began!!
I was greeted with a kitty that still had his cone on (YES!!!) that flopped over on his back and presented me with his belly when I walked into the room with his food. and purrs, lots of purrs as I scritched his head inside the cone.
He ate some of his breakfast too. And had some presents for me in the litter box.
I will look for the kitten food as it has the proteins and fat content.
Rusty "The Bunnyman" adopted us in 2014. Aug/Sept 2017, back left leg amputated (HSA cancer). He remained cancer free over 900 days. Cancer returned as of emergency visit on day 931. 15 days later, he gained his wings 04/18/2020 due to congestive heart failure. He will always watch over his fellow tripawds and their hoomins with Head Scritches and Sand Paper Kisses.
YAAA! This is such great news, congrats on making progress. Amazing what a little sleep and a happier kitty can do to brighten your outlook eh? Pawesome!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
YAAAAAAAAAY FOR RUSTY!!! Cone is still in and Mom got some sleep!!! GREAT NEWS!!! 🙂
Hopefully things will finally start to be easier for you now!
Tha ks for shariw the good news! 🙂
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!
Yaaaaaay Cone is still on 👏🏻🎉Rusty is happy flopping over and purring!! Using the box , eating & you got some sleep !!
All FANTASTIC NEWS!!
It will continue to get easier for you all!!!!
Hugs & Belly rubs to sweet Rusty!
Holly & Purrkins
yeah Rusty! It sure sounds like you are doing very good.
in addition to slipping out of the soft cone, one of the tricks that Tuxedo did was to flip it over backwards like a bib. When he had done that then it was no good in protecting the incision area because he could bend right back to it and lick it all he wanted. So be very careful and watch out for that as Rusty progresses with healing.
As to eating, after he got through with his I won't eat anything mood (around a week), Tuxedo had no issues with eating dry cat food out of a regular food dish. He just centered his head over it and chowed down. The dish was slightly smaller in diameter than his cone opening. As the dish got low, he used the cone as a scoop/shovel to get to the food. Tuxedo refused all wet food no matter how smelly. Go figure, he just had to be different.
One thing Tuxedo had a lot of trouble with was moving on soft surfaces. Getting up from a sitting or laying position was very difficult and frustrating for him. I made a special couch cushion for him to rest on next to me out of some very stiff cardboard and a favorite blanket of his. He no longer needs that. But it might be something to keep in mind for Rusty in about a week whe he starts exploring his house again.
Best wishes
-Dawna, Tuxedo, & Dazzle
mommatux said
yeah Rusty! It sure sounds like you are doing very good.in addition to slipping out of the soft cone, one of the tricks that Tuxedo did was to flip it over backwards like a bib. When he had done that then it was no good in protecting the incision area because he could bend right back to it and lick it all he wanted. So be very careful and watch out for that as Rusty progresses with healing.
As to eating, after he got through with his I won't eat anything mood (around a week), Tuxedo had no issues with eating dry cat food out of a regular food dish. He just centered his head over it and chowed down. The dish was slightly smaller in diameter than his cone opening. As the dish got low, he used the cone as a scoop/shovel to get to the food. Tuxedo refused all wet food no matter how smelly. Go figure, he just had to be different.
One thing Tuxedo had a lot of trouble with was moving on soft surfaces. Getting up from a sitting or laying position was very difficult and frustrating for him. I made a special couch cushion for him to rest on next to me out of some very stiff cardboard and a favorite blanket of his. He no longer needs that. But it might be something to keep in mind for Rusty in about a week whe he starts exploring his house again.
Best wishes
-Dawna, Tuxedo, & Dazzle
So far Rusty hasn't figured out the bib flip! Must make sure Tuxedo doesn't fill him in 😜!
I am trying multiple size and style food bowls. Positive about using a soft cone is it's more comfortable for him over all I think, and so far there has been no cone removal. The negative since it doesn't keep a perfectly round shape, sometimes it is awkward when he tries to eat out of the food bowls. I think we will all be happier when cone removal can happen.
Stitch removal is scheduled for this coming Thursday, which will be two weeks after the surgery date. I don't know who will be happier… Rusty, his daddy, or me! Two weeks of being in a 48 x 30" crate with a cone… I think we're all going to be rejoicing l😊
Rusty "The Bunnyman" adopted us in 2014. Aug/Sept 2017, back left leg amputated (HSA cancer). He remained cancer free over 900 days. Cancer returned as of emergency visit on day 931. 15 days later, he gained his wings 04/18/2020 due to congestive heart failure. He will always watch over his fellow tripawds and their hoomins with Head Scritches and Sand Paper Kisses.
Purrkins said
Yaaaaaay Cone is still on 👏🏻🎉Rusty is happy flopping over and purring!! Using the box , eating & you got some sleep !!All FANTASTIC NEWS!!
It will continue to get easier for you all!!!!
Hugs & Belly rubs to sweet Rusty!
Holly & Purrkins
Funny thing, he now accepts belly rubs!!😻
Rusty "The Bunnyman" adopted us in 2014. Aug/Sept 2017, back left leg amputated (HSA cancer). He remained cancer free over 900 days. Cancer returned as of emergency visit on day 931. 15 days later, he gained his wings 04/18/2020 due to congestive heart failure. He will always watch over his fellow tripawds and their hoomins with Head Scritches and Sand Paper Kisses.
Thats a huge compliment to you from Rusty!! Not all cats like their belly rubbed or allow it! It is a honor!!
A Cat showing you his belly and letting you give belly rubs it is the ultimate trust if you didn’t know that it’s a good tidbit to know;) 😻 Not all cats like their bellies rubbed or allow it!
I have the honor with Purrkins he has always allowed and asked for belly rubs. His brother is what I always say a normal kitty and rarely asks or allows to have his belly rubbed on occasion we do get the honor! Purrkins doesn’t fit in the normal kitty category never has.😽
Glad to hear the stiches are coming out Thursday!!! You all will be rejoicing and starting your new life on 3 ! A new normal! Rusty will show you how well a cat gets along with 3 legs !!!
I know when we let Purrkins out of his room I was terrified he went thru the entire house up and down all the stairs! Purrkins was soooo happy to be a free guy he explored everything and exhausted himself rested and back up again!! It's a day I will never forget ! You will be amazed how he gets around!
Hang on Rusty it’s coming!!
Hugs Holly & Purrkins
❤️
4 Guest(s)
