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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Peet used only pee pads 2 years before surgery. He goes to his pads easily but can’t seem to stand up to pee. Lays down and pees and gets soaked with urine. Still hasn’t pooped yet and I’m anticipating a mess anyone else have this problem. Did they get stronger? Vet thinks he will. Thanks quite distressing. For us both
Nancy, I'm sorry you are going through this with Peet. What pain meds is he on? How much and how often? Many pets need their meds adjusted around this time. Peet may be overly medicated so he's woozy, but don't change anything until you consult with your vet.
How is his appetite and is he engaging with you at all? Lethargic in any way? Jot down all symptoms so you can give your vet as much info as possible.
Oh what was the reason for his amp?
Peet is a 17y/o cat with finally very controlled diabetes and inflammatory bowel syndrome. Lots of personality but then developed fibrosarcoma of left front leg. We live in isolated area but vet consulted with oncology surgeon and medical vet oncologist Who all said only course was amputation and not put off by his age or conditions. So when tumor got so big it was painful we made the heart wrenching decision for amputation
Thanks for your response. Saw vet yesterday for evaluation since his eating was sporadic and I squirted his AM pain med on side of face when he jerked!!
she said he didn’t appear to be in pain so stopped opioid. Now on Metacam every other day. Will continue to evaluate.
Last night he appeared able to pee without laying in it and miraculously pooped at last. Hard for him but he did it. Eating voraciously still resting a lot. Looks at me now sometimes and seems more alert.
she also did acupuncture, gave us a recovery supplement, B12 shot and said incision looked great. So I’m feeling relieved and knowing this forum is here has helped a lot.
Ohh he was still on an opioid? That'll do it! I'll bet you'll see a big difference, even more than last night. I'm so glad you took him to the vet! She sounds awesoe, doing acupuncture too? YAY!
Here are some examples of older cat recoveries that you can check out, you'll see you aren't alone. Keep us posted oK?
Thanks for support and response. Today he once again can’t rise high enough to not get soaked in urine on his legs and underside Ever hear of this ?
do legs get stronger in first weeks after surgery so he can stay lifted up? Or any other suggestion? I hate to see him live the rest of his life in a tiny controllable space.
I know, be patient:) it’s only 4 days but feels like a month
thanks so much
Hi Nancy,
Yep, patience grasshopper, things DO get better. Did you see this story about Pittens?
Senior Cat Pittens: 18 years and going strong on three!
It was very similar, and I promise there have been others who have had similar experiences. Four days is not a long time as you know. Imagine how you would be if you just lost a leg? We tend to expect more from our animals than we do of ourselves in these kinds of situations. They feel pain and recovery similarly to us, and need time, and good pain management .
How far away is his litterbox? Are you using a low-sided box to make it easier for him to get in and out of? And what is his daytime activity level like? If he is free-roaming the house at all, that will make him really tired. It sounds like you're confining him to a small area so that's probably not it but just wanted to throw that out there.
The fact that he has no signs of infection, is eating and pooping is pretty awesome! Pooping can sometimes take several days so that is a HUGE WIN! How is is emotional behavior? Is he affectionate? Making eye contact? Interacting in some way with you?
During recovery we tend to only focus on the difficulties and not the wins, so don't forget to do that.
If he is at all overweight, even just one pound, that will affect his mobility, especially in the early stages. As he loses the extra weight, mobility will get better.
Your vet sounds like she is really on top of things. If he shows pain signals it's definitely worth mentioning to her sooner rather than later.
Please let us know how tomorrow goes OK?
Peet at day 6 post front leg amputation and his personality is back! Opened his pen door this morning to feed him and he hopped out into the room!!!
those first days of him being under the influence of drugs and surgery were the worst. Well, making the decision was even worse…but to see his personality come back is a game changer! Still problems with getting soaked with urine while using pee pads (has not used litter box x 2 years…only pee pads. But we will figure that out. He’s very smart.
I can’t thank you enough for talking me through those first days.
WOOHOO!!!! Oh I needed to see this today, thank you for letting us know.
We are here for you so holler if you need anything at all, and do share more good news when you get a chance! GO PEET! 
Day 6 evening Peet decided to climb his new pet stairs…..had to nap at the top….then jumped over to bed, stretched out and fell asleep again. Will work on that again today if he’s up for it. Not bad for a 17 y/o but they are all on their own journey and his has just begun
Worried re backsliding in recovery
peet is 10 days post amputation of L front leg
yesterday he was up and moving around a lot for the first time and vet said let him start walking around more. He was amazing and then had hard night last night. Ungraceful dismount from bed in mid nite and agitated with pooping then diarrhea. He has IBS
today he has mainly slept. Up to pee only. And eating when brought to him. Quite a contrast with yesterdays activity. I’m hoping he is just tired and this happens so I’m posting to see if that may be correct. Front limb appears to be in alignment and he’s using it when he sits up.
thoughts? Seeing vet Monday to have stitches removed.
I'm more familiar with tripawd dogs than cats, but I think being tired and sore after an active day is a strong possibility. I'd try not to worry too much just yet. I know with dogs a bit of a regression is very common. I would guess it happens with cats, too. And you already have a vet appointment scheduled Monday. I would think if Peet is just tired/sore, he is likely to feel better and be more active in a day or two.
Texted vet and she said to observe and if continues mostly sleeping , will see him tomorrow
Peet is up and cruising again! Eating drinking. All ok. Just wore himself out and needed a day of rest. What a roller coaster! Glad I’m not on this ride alone! Thanks
Oh what a relief! Thanks for letting us know.
Yes, it takes so much energy work to move around on three legs, and it can really wear out any animal but especially an older one. The more time he can heal and be watched so he doesn't do any crazy acrobatics, the better. Rest is medicinal!
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