Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hey Cassie, I feel for you two. Yep, a hemipelvectomy is a dramatic surgery so I can only guess how worried you are at the moment. We often see that procedure done for dogs but not so much for cats. Sounds like you have an excellent surgeon though so just keep them in the loop about the bleeding. I hope that’s a one-off.
Great job getting your home ready for him. Welcome home Gizmo!! If you are already purring and walking, those are excellent signs of a fantastic smooth recovery!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Quick update on Gizmo. His incision is healing well and looks good. You all weren't kidding about the fact that bringing home an amputee is like bringing home a new born baby. He isn't drinking much but the vet assures me that as long as he is eating wet food, 70% of that is moisture. He is eating, but he is eating with a bit less gusto than when he first came home. He has developed really loose stools which the vet thinks is the antibiotics. So they have added a probiotic. I lost a young cat to IBD a year ago so I have digestive sensitive food which Gizmo is not adverse too so I am trying him on that. And I plan to cook him some chicken today. He normally likes chicken.
Using the litter box has been a challenge. Gizmo was not amused with us switching his regular litter box for the cardboard DYI and the non clumping litter. I got from Amazon yesterday a Senior litterbox for cats with arthritis. Its big and wide and very low and he did use it yesterday. He needs help with BM's as he needs me to steady him and with the loose stools he needs to be cleaned after he goes all of which takes place at about 2:30 am.
I feel like he is moving around less than when he first came home but yesterday some of his pain meds hit his tooth and splashed out so I don't think he got the full dose. He is pretty lethargic today but I have put him up on our bed and he is lying with us cone free. He has been enjoying not having the cone. He hugged his tail like it was a teddy bear and has been rolling around and curled up in a ball sleeping. I have a soft collar but he can reach his incision with it. I have reached out to vet med to see about an amputee surgery suit but I think they are closed for the weekend. The ones on amazon all look like they would need a leg or a hip or something and Gizmo lost the leg, hip and part of his pelvis so I don't see how that would work
We keep telling him he will soon be feeling better and walking will get easier. The sunshine does seem to be putting him in a happier mood.
Quick update since I started writing this. We are having an unseasonably warm day 75 degrees. We have an upper balcony off our bedroom. We have the sliding glass door open with the screen door shut and have set up one of his pillows by it in the sun. He is LOVING being able to smell the outdoors and lie in the sun. Just having to watch that he doesn't lick the incision.
Best
Cassie & Gizmo
Hey Cassie, thanks for checking in. How nice that you had that sunny weather for Gizmos recuperation weekend. Sunbeams are medicinal!
What you are describing sounds typical if that makes you feel any better. Great input from the vet about Gizmo getting hydrated by eating the wet food, I hadn’t thought about that before. It’s a great sign he wants to eat at all, many cats don’t when they come home.
You are doing a great job monitoring all of his behavior and signals!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Gizmo! Can you postpone your 2:30 a.m. pooping sessions at least to 8: a.m. so your hooma. Can get some sleep? 💤💤 I'm glad you like the bigger litter box.
It made me smile big time to visualize Gizmo happily soaking up some sunshine. Also liked the visual of him curling enjoying his cone free time.
Eating wet food does have a lot of moisture I. It, so that's good. You can even add a little bit of water to the food.
Not feeling like throw a pawty yet and feeling a bit lethargic is to be expected this soon after such a MAJOR surgery, You're doing a great job!
Sorry about your little kitty that passed. But Gizmo now jas a very special Guardian A gel watching over him 💖
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!
Hi Cassie & Gizmo!
It is good to meet you, though obviously wish it was under better circumstances. While my cat did not have cancer, Tuxedo had a hemipelvectomy about 3 1/2 years ago due to trauma. He was 9 years, almost 10 at the time. So I have a bit of experience with that aspect of what you are going through.
First off, the rectal trauma, during surgery, they sew it shut, to prevent accidental pooping during the procedure. Needless to say, they remove those stitches immediately after. I suspect the small amount of blood you saw was due to that. As others have already said, keep a watch on it and get with your vet if it continues or gets worse.
From what I have read on here all rear tripawds have some balance issues at first with the litter box after surgery. Unfortunately, a hemipelvectomy has it even worse than the others. One thing I did and continue to do is ensure that Tuxedo's litter box is in a corner, so he has a choice of two walls to brace off of if needed. My vet recommended using coarsely shreaded newspaper (ie tearing a newspaper into 3-5 inch strips) as litter until the stitches were removed. Tuxedo accepted this change easily. I teamed the newspaper up with large pizza boxes and created my disposable litter system. I got both the newspaper & boxes donated to me locally, so no expense was an added bonus. When the box was dirty, I closed the lid and tossed it. I bet my trashman wondered how I was eating so many pizzas. Never had the loose stool issue here. Pain meds are kind of constipating. Maybe they will both help Gizmo's pain and that issue too!
Not saying this to frighten you, but Tuxedo's wound got infected and we had a long healing time (close to 2 months of solid cone wearing). So keep that in mind when you let Gizmo stay without a cone now. Hopefully he will not mess with his incision without it. I know only too well how cats hate that cone, but two weeks vs the potential of two months with no breaks...
Anyway, Tuxedo has been hopping around a long time following his hemipelvectomy, and does amazingly. It sure sounds like Gizmo is on the path to doing similar. Moving around, eating, using his box, and even just soaking up some rays are fantastic strides forward. Believe me, his feeling good enough to be interested in basking in the sun is a huge thing so soon following the surgery! He is telling you, in his own way, that he had got this!
I am not on here too often these days, but do feel free to drop me a private message if anything comes to mind that I might be able to help with.
Hugs and best wishes,
-Dawna, Tuxedo (2021 Mr February!), Lilly, and Angel Dazzle
Thanks so much everyone! Dawna really appreciate the insight into the hemipelvectomy. Glad to now he is on track. Its so scary to watch him. 4 weeks ago he was jumping running and it all seemed so normal.
Best
Cassie
Great input Dawna♥️♥️
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!
Quick update its been a rough couple of days. Gizmo stopped using the litterbox period. After 48 hours and not urinating I rushed him back to the hospital yesterday morning. They established he had no blockage and expressed his bladder. Vets think he might be avoiding the litter box because he doesn't like the new lower one and the non clumping litter. Decision was made to give him access to his old litterboxes with the clumping litter. This afternoon he got up, ignored his box when it was close to him but when placed in its traditional location 3 rooms away he suddenly got up and painstakingly he made it to the box and used it by himself. He then made it back and collapsed in total exhaustion but felt like it was a turning point. This is a long journey back.
Woaaaah. He sure has his preferences but I'm really glad to hear that you made this discovery. I hope the next few days are better, so sorry you guys went through this ordeal!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Wow. My only suggestion to that is to move the cat box he's using closer. Make sure you have another in place of the one you move but he just may like that box.
I know this is really wild, but cats do what they do.
On the other hand, I'm glad he went. He may sniff out the old box closer and use it with less trouble.
Only other suggestion is to move him and his bedding closer to the box.
Healing is so important right now. The less energy he has to spend, the better, right?
Sending healing vibes your way❤
Jackie and Huck❤❤
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry 
GIZMO!!! You are definitely a stubborn and determined kitty who likes routine!!! And good for upir hooman getting that bladder expressed and good for figuring oit the litter situation. 😎
Yeah, like the idea of Purrkins seeing if you can move his quarters closer.
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!
Gizmo!!! You should meet Mona. She would not use non-clumping litter either. She would stand on the ledge of the litter box with her bum outside and that's where they went - lots of accidents outside of the box. I finally threw out the new litter and got her old litter out of the garbage and she immediately used it.
The important thing is that Gizmo knows where his box is and is using it now. I hope he continues to progress with his recovery.
Kerren and Tripawd Kitty Mona
Quick update on Gizmo. The cone came off on Tuesday and each day he is closer to being his old self. He surprised me the other night by jumping up on the coach for some cuddle time. He has learned to use the big carpeted stairs I bought to get on and off the bed. He has lost a bit of weight but is now eating dry food again and drinking. He has been really active today. We are not yet letting him use the staircase as we are in our 80 year old lake house in NJ so as to be close to Redbank in case of any issues but the stair case isn't carpeted and very steep. (He loves this house as he grew up here before we moved 5 years ago). Next week I plan to take him back to our primary home in PA where the house is modern and all the staircases are carpeted. I think it will be the perfect place to finish rehabbing.
For the first time in over a month he appears to be pain free and its great to see him coming back! Glad we made the call even if its still a shock everytime I see him. Biopsy results were not great. The tumor was definitely Osteosarcoma and the cells where highly irregular so they are predicting it will be aggressive. We are scheduled to meet with the oncologist on 12/1 to discuss Chemo options. But for now I am so glad to have my boy back and out of pain. Thanks for all the support its been a rough few weeks..we don't know what the future holds but today he is doing great.
Gizmo that's pawesome, yay for getting that icky cone off your neck! Enjoy the little vacay in NJ, it sounds like a great getaway for healing. Soon you'll be ready to tackle those stairs in your new digs.
I'm sorry you got the osteosarcoma results. Ugh. Let us know what the oncologist suggests, I'm curious to see if treatment has changed at all over the years.
For now, yes, embrace having the old Gizmo back! He's not worried about the lab results and just wants you to be happy too. You are doing a great job of practicing acceptance and mindfulness even during the cancer journey, keep it up!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Yay!! Way to go Gizmo 
Short story, I had a cat named Gizmo. I got him when he was about 5 days old. Taught him how to eat, became his surrogate mom. People thought I was pregnant in the neighborhood because when he was tiny I made a knot in my tshirt and carried him everywhere 
I have a soft spot for your Gizmo already Mine is an Angel now but lived a long, healthy life.
So.. you have another house with stairs that are not carpeted. I have fantastic stair treads. Tape them and forget about it. Tape comes off if you need, I have extra treads in case one gets damaged. I got them in a neutral berber, they were reasonable, very attractive, and it took a couple hours to put in. Huckleberry does great with them and our old pup Mitchell did well also.
I guess this is where we need to Be More Dog . Serious. Enjoy what you have and love him to the fullest. He still does not have a time stamp on his butt ( as Sally says ) and you do not know what is ahead. It might be a lot better than expected so please celebrate his life. The prognosis is just as unstable as the disease, and we have seen many that beat the odds. I am not trying to set you up, but hope is the best thing for your heart and your boy right now.
So glad you posted. Sending you all hugs and kitty ear scratches
Jackie and Huck
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry
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