Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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I was asked recently for my dog's weight when ordering a coat - apparently they use this information, with his body measurements - to work out which size to send - and it got me thinking.
My dog is a greyhound. He's very lean (as I believe tripods should be anyway ;)) but he's a big dog. He is 31" at the shoulder, and currently weighs just over 70lb. My question is this: when I take him to the vet and he needs drugs, or an anaesthetic, how do they work out dosages calculated according to bodyweight? The hind legs of a fit greyhound are pretty much all bone, sinew and muscle. There is no visible fat at all anywhere on them. So surely the lack of a leg is going to skew the dosage, on the basis that the whole balance of fat, muscle, organs bone etc in the total bodyweight has now changed.
I am concerned since greyhounds don't always cope well with anaesthesia, and can be sensitive to certain drugs and chemicals. I take my dog to the track vet so they know greyhounds very well indeed, but how do I work out dosage of wormers and supplements? And what if one day I have to take my dog to a non-greyhound-savvy vet?
Should I know what he would weigh with the fourth leg? Or am I wrong - and it doesn't matter at all?
I'm not a vet, but I hope one does respond to this very interesting question. I think it matters a lot. Can't wait to hear what the vet's response is!! 
Love, Blazer, Kitty Kimber & Mom (Vicki)
I see what you are saying (and also am not a vet so can't give the informed answer you seek). But I know for my dog, they simply based dosage on weight. The missing leg was never taken into account. That is, when he lost 5 lbs due to the leg loss, he was prescribed drugs based on his new weight, not his previous weight.
I've heard of some of the giant dogs losing something like 15 or more lbs with their one leg!
S
I'm not sure what the answer is to your question.
In human medicine and chemo treatment, the doses are based on the patient's BSA (body surface area) or BMI (body mass index)... I really don't know how they do it in dogs (besides by weight)... but I'm sure your oncologist would know. I would ask them! Let us know when you find out!
Angel Jake's Mom
Jake, 10yr old golden retriever (fractured his front right leg on 9/1, bone biopsy revealed osteosarcoma on 9/10, amputation on 9/17) and his family Marguerite, Jacques and Wolfie, 5yr old german shepherd and the newest addition to the family, Nala, a 7mth old Bengal mix kittie. Jake lost his battle on 11/9/2009, almost 8 weeks after his surgery. We will never forget our sweet golden angel… http://jakesjou.....ipawds.com ….. CANCER SUCKS!
That's a great question!
We do have a link on our Resources Page for determining dosages, A handy Cat and Dog “BSA / Dosage Calculator” but I'm not sure it answers your question. Hopefully Dr. Pam (Tazziedog) will stop by to answer it.
Thanks for asking, and joining us here.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thanks for the replies so far!
Tazzie, the reason I'm wondering is that greyhounds have a very different body type to most breeds. If a lab, for instance, or a pug, or any other breed which has a fair amount of fat distributed all over the body, loses a leg, they lose a certain amount of fat too, so it's not so unreasonable to just use their present weight. But greyhounds don't. Their legs are large and muscular and very lean. And I do know that body fat is an important part of the process when it comes to metabolising drugs - as I understand it, it's the main reason greyhounds are tricky to anaesthetise, though modern drugs are pretty good compared to the old barbiturates.
Jakesmom, we are very fortunate, in that Sid lost his leg due to a very bad break, not cancer. So he doesn't have an oncologist. I'm pretty sure an oncologist would know exactly how to work out the numbers!
Jerry - thanks. 🙂 It's an interesting link, but I'm absolutely useless at maths, and my eyes glazed over just looking at that formula! And as you say, I'm not sure it answers my question anyway.
I'll check back tomorrow and see if a vet has popped in!
It is true that for a tripawd you simply dose drugs based on their "new" body weight. For chemo or thyroid drugs we use the body surface area (measured in meters squared) to more accurately account for the proper dosage. If a dog is obese I will often scale down the dose based on appropriate body weight.
Greyhounds and other sighthounds are sensitive to certain anesthetics and some of their bloodwork parameters are different than other breeds so it is a good idea to find a vet who has worked with these dogs before.
Pam
Thanks, Pam! I can stop worrying about wormers and so on, then, and just go by his present weight! 🙂
I will always take my greyhounds to a vet who knows the breed if at all possible - and as I said, the one we use right now is the practice that does all the work at the local track, so they see a huge amount of both racing and pet greyhounds - but one day I might be on holiday with him and have to go where I can. Thanks again!
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