Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi there, I have a great Pyrenees named Pebbles, 9yrs about 85-90ish pounds, twice my size, and she's about to get her front right leg amputated on Monday. She has soft tissue sarcoma level 1 so she's likely able to get along well.
I however am between having anxiety attacks to being confident i could handle this. I live with my parents and she's my mothers dog, right now the two of us are really going to be her only care takers. I've done a lot of looking around and have a shopping list of what to get while she's at the vet. But I am clueless on how to actually handle the loss emotionally.
We never had a tripawd dog before but God forbid we would just put her down for something thats likely gonna turn out okay. But basically what I'm asking is how did you all deal with it? I assume I'd just get over it in time and I've been trying to put on a decent front for my mom because she needs the emotional support, but I'm honestly freaking out just a little.
Any advice is appreciated. Thank you.
Hi Sybil and Pebbles, welcome! Your future posts won't need to wait for approval so post away!
I'm sorry that you are facing this situation. You may have heard this before, but it really is harder on us than it is on the dog. We tend to worry and fret about their recovery, but they don't! Sure, there is some level of discomfort they will feel during recovery, but if pain management is good, that discomfort and wonkiness will dissipate in a few weeks as they get their strength back. Eventually, they start to get their bearings and start doing normal things again. They don't mourn the loss of the limb, they don't cry about being different. Some dogs will have some emotional adaptations, for instance, when you must shorten their walk because their body isn't ready for more than a few minutes. But eventually they find a happy place with activity and what they can do.
But us humans? We still worry! And that's why we exist, to help with your concerns, and share our stories so that you may find the courage to face this situation as bravely as Pebbles will!
I will tell you this: the hardest recoveries we see around here are the ones where the human just has an emotionally difficult time coping. If the human can project confidence outwardly, because inwardly they really truly believe that things get better (they do!) and their dog will get along fine eventually (they do!), then the dog will pick up on that emotion and reflect it right back. That makes recovery sooooo much easier.
You don't always have to put on a happy face when you're not feeling it, nobody can be pawsitive all the time! But the more you can try to show your dog that you believe they will be fine, the better off they will be. So how do you do that?
Don't focus on the incision when you pick her up. Look into her eyes, tell her how much you love her and know that she will get strong again.
Don't cry if she takes a stumble (totally normal in the early days, especially with a front leg missing). Just see if she needs help, don't baby, and move on from the incident. Just put down some good traction so she has less slipping, and she will find out where it's safe and easy to walk in your house.
Don't baby her by hand feeding when she can get up on her own. I know that's hard not to do it, I sure did! It's OK during the first days when they are still out of it from pain control, but after a few days she should be getting up on her own to eat and drink.
If you check out our What to Expect articles I think that will help prepare you a little more. And stay tuned for feedback from others OK? I hope this helps! Please ask any questions.
Hello and welcome to you and Pebbles.
I'm sorry you are facing this journey but I'm glad you found your way here.
What you are feeling is normal- this is a big change and there are lots of unknowns. I don't think it matters how many stories you read or how many of us tell you it will be fine, until you live it and see your dog recover it's hard to see how things will ever be normal again.
Spoiler alert! Pebbles will heal up and get on with her life and you will be amazed at her resiliency!
The recovery weeks (usually 2 or 3) can be bumpy and you will probably think at some point that you made a mistake, most of us did! Stay positive when you are around her and be patient. Take note of every little victory and celebrate. Hopefully Pebbles will be one of the lucky ones that bounce right back, but most take some time and we do see that the bigger dogs sometimes take a little longer to find their balance.
My first Tripawd was a little Pug named Maggie who lost a back leg to cancer, this was before Tripawds was established so we went through surgery and recovery alone. Her vets assured me that dogs adapt just fine to life on three. Mag had no medical complications, she could even take a couple hops on her own the day of surgery. Maggie spent 6 weeks post surgery mostly in her bed, she wouldn't play with me and she looked pretty miserable. I was sure I had made a huge mistake and that I had the only dog who was not going to adapt. She was grumpy, I was grumpy and we fed off each other. I spent all that time mourning the things she couldn't do anymore and wondered what kind of life she would have. In hindsight it actually made perfect sense, Maggie was stubborn and set in her ways, she hated any changes to her routines. But I couldn't see it in the midst of recovery- I know I made things worse with my attitude around her.
Around 6 weeks post op her sparkle came back. She would play with me again, she was enjoying her outings and she was figuring out how to do all the things she wanted to do. After recovery she never missed the things she couldn't do anymore, that was just me. The biggest change I saw in her was that she was even more stubborn than she had been!!!
As I said before, most dogs get back to themselves quicker than Mag did, but every dog heals and accepts their new normal on their own timeline.
Be sure Pebbles has good pain management post op and stay positive and patient. As Jerry said, this is harder on us than them. Focus on what you are doing FOR her- taking the cancer away.
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls and Boy
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Just want to add my welcome to uou, your Mom and Miss Pebbles.
I can only say DITTO to everything Jerry and Karen posted. Veing able to get support from members who have been where you are and understand every nuance of this journey is sooo.helpful!
We'll be thinking of you Monday and send pawsitive healing energy. Will she be staying overnight ?
Stay connected! You are not alone!!! We are here for you, okay?
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!
She will be staying overnight after surgery and we will get her back on Tuesday. I'm honestly still freaked out especially learning that apparently they could get nerve pain from the amputation.
But its gonna happen, I'm not gonna turn around and ask for the last resort option ,and I'll have to deal. It does make me feel a bit better knowing so many others have done this before though.
Oh good, glad she's staying overnight at the clinic. She'll be on some really good pain meds and has a kite and that will give you a chance to catch up on some sleep. It's exhausting mentally and physically getting to this point of the journey, but you will be so relieved when you start to see her Sparkle come back slowly but surely.
they could get nerve pain from the amputation
No worries IF..IF phantom limb pain shows up. Some dogs never have the nerve pain, some do. The good news is that tweaking medication takes care of it. Gabapentin is usually the solution.I imagine that will be part of her pain protocol when the Surgeon releases her.
Let us know when surgery is done so we can celebrate with you. Remember, we are all here for you and will help you navigate thru recovery.
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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