Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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April 2011, Otis, our English Mastiff had his front leg amputated because of Osteosarcoma. He had four treatments of chemo before he developed an enlarged heart in July 2011. Two weeks ago when we were taking him to the Cardiologist, Otis yelped when he put his leg up on the tailgate to get in the car. Since then Otis has started yelping when he stands, hops, and even if we scratch him to hard. He doesn't yelp all the time. He is a very strong dog, unlike our other Mastiff which gets upset when he sees a nail clipper. He must be in serious pain for him to yelp. Could it be Lyme disease? We haven't seen any ticks. I'm thinking it's his back or front leg. He's still eating, talking, and giving puppy ears. Does anyone have any thoughts?
Welcome Juli and Otis,
I'm so very sorry about Otis, but I think it's worth celebrating 14 months post amputation for OS! That's terrific!
Is there a particular reason you think it could be Lyme disease causing the pain? I don't have any knowledge of Lyme disease in dogs since we don't have ticks where I live. (rarely)
With us here on tripawds, when we hear cries from pain, we think muscle strain or......something related to the cancer itself. Have you told your onc about the yelps? Have you had him xrayed to see by chance if something else is showing up in his body? Our friend and vet here says it's rare for spinal mets but it can occur. Not to scare you, of course.
I agree with you, dogs only cry if it really, really hurts so something is really hurting in him. It could be something like a strained muscle, blown disc from hopping or sadly, the cancer.
Keep us updated. We'll be sending many good wishes to Otis!
Comet - 1999 to 2011
She departed us unexpectedly January 23, 2011 at the age of 12 1/2.
She was born with a deformed front leg and a tripawd all of her life.
Most Mastiffs are pretty stoic so if he is yelping something is really hurting. It could be a muscle strain; is he on an NSAID or other pain med like Tramadol or gabapentin? If the pain seems severe I would have him looked at ASAP to make sure that it is not a neurologic problem. Mastiffs can have problems with their vertebrae and sometimes acupuncture can really help.
Pam
Thank you Cometdog and Pam.
Last week we made a call to our local vet which was nice enough to prescibe Previcox for the pain. Which does seem to help some but we are still concerned with why he even is having the pain. We were able to see our local vet today and mentioned our concerns about Lyme disease. Our vet didn't feel that was his problem since he doesn't have a fever and the pain is not constant. Like today at the vet, he yelped in the parking lot when he went to go up the steps, but didn't yelp once when the vet was examining him. The vet saw him stand up, walk, and lay down a couple of times. Not one yelp until she left the room. When he stood up to leave he gave out a yelp. Our vet believes it's probably a pinched nerve based on the random yelps but she contacted the animal hospital that performed the amputation and they prescribed Prednisone until they can see him next week. The vet that performed the amputation is on vacation this week so we'll keep his active to a minimum and hope that the r&r+meds gives him some relief. We've talked about going to the Oncologist but after talking to our vet we think that waiting for the surgeon is probably better since he deals with orthopedics.
I find that is really hard to find information on the internet about this next phase of Osteosarcoma care. I know about the potential for secondary cancer in the lungs. I haven't read to much about what to expect when you have a tripawd that develops additional cancer, strains, sprains, overuse of remaining legs/joints. I guess a need to spend time reading some of these posts.
We are so proud of our Otis. Otis' surgeon was reluctant to perform the amputation because was 210 pounds and he didn't feel Otis could support the weight. Since then Otis has lost 60 pounds because we adjusted his diet, plus the chemo and heart problems. His vet is amazed at how well he has adapted and that he's still with us. We are so lucky to have him. The poor guy has been faced with problems from birth. He was born with parrot mouth then his tongue grew to long and he can't control it. We actually feed him off of a spoon since the amputation because he can't get the leverage to maneuverhis food from his dog dish.
I'll keep you updated and thank you for taking the time to help.
Hi Juli, welcome to Tripawds. I apologize for being late to respond to your post. I'm sorry Otis is having issues right now; he's a pretty amazing dog, kudos to you guys for beating the odds for so long!
We talk a lot about what to expect after amputation and life on three legs, just read through some of the stories. For those pups fortunate enough to make it as long as Otis has, or those who have lived their entire lives on three legs, joint issues can be a challenge. Tripawds will experience more wear and tear on their joints than a quad pawd, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it's not something you can alleviate.
For information about what to expect in the long term, some of these videos and interviews from California Rehabilitation Center will help explain more.
I'm not a vet but I'm also not a big fan of Presnisone since from waht I've read, it's a temporary way to mask the true problem. If you are not happy with the answers from the vet, do seek another opinion and consider getting a referral to a qualified veterinary rehab practitioner (one who has the initials CCRP or CCRT after their name -- the CARE videos explain more). Oftentimes what some vets see as un-treatable, a rehab practitioner can find the answer to. We see it all the time.
Let us know what happens and keep us posted. We hope it's nothing serious so that Otis can start to feel better soon.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
I am sure that your vet told you this but make sure not to give both Previcox and prednisone together since serious GI upset can occur.
My Tazzie lived a little over 14 months post-op and she weighed about 185 pounds. Over time she did develop muscle pains in her back and she really benefited from acupuncture. It is not expensive and can help quite a bit. She did eventually develop spinal mets in her lower back and was unable to walk without pain. Unfortunately these can rarely be found on xrays; most dogs need an MRI or bone scan to diagnose the mets but not much can be done.
I hope that your dog only has a pinched nerve or muscle strain! It is nice to see these giant dogs doing well. How about a photo?
Pam
tazziedog said
I am sure that your vet told you this but make sure not to give both Previcox and prednisone together since serious GI upset can occur.
Pam, thanks for catching that!
Juli, Pam is our most favorite vet.
Here is some info about acupuncture:
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thank you Jerry and Pam.
We did give the Previcox yesterday morning and then started the Prednisone in the PM. That might explain the vomiting this morning. Luckly we decided last night not to give the Previcox again.
During the day today Otis actually started having more discomfort and we decided to just see the Oncologist since our other vet is on vacation. Otis is having xrays as I'm typing.
Should have some news shortly....
Juli
The Oncologist took a bunch of xrays. He said he has moderate degenerative disease with radius/ulna interosseus reaction, plus possibly a pinched nerve. The radiologist wasn't there to read the xrays but based off the Oncologist there doesn't appear to be any cancer. His lungs appear to have some fluid so we're increasing his Lasix. Plus, to add to his pain between yesterday and this morning he decided to chew one of his toe nails on his good leg to the point that he split it down the middle. I cringe just looking at the toe. So the radiologist will take a look at the xrays on Thursday to make sure nothing was missed. In the meantime they told us to stop the Prednisone since he only had two doses since yesterday, plus we already stopped the Previcox. We are starting him on Tramadol for pain, Pepcid for his stomach, and Amoxi for his toe along with soaking his toe.
I hope he finally gets some relief.
Thank you Jerry and Pam for your help. I will definitely look into acupuncture.
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