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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Hi, my Barret is probably being amputated next week. We have a consultation next Monday.
He recently (last Wednesday) had a major tumor removal from the same area where he will be amputated from. The staples are just getting ready to come out. Would having a major surgery (amputation) on top of a major surgery (tumor removal from elbow to mid chest) potentially put him at risk for complications? Specifically clots.
My main concern is that my vet doesn't have people on staff overnight. I may be able to transport hi to an ER for overnight but that will be expensive ( but doable) and possibly painful for him driving I and forth across town.
If I keep him overnight what challenges will I face? How risky is it to leave him at the unattended vet office?
Thanks for your help!
Heather crotsley
Barret was diagnosed with Hemangiopericytoma May 16, 2013. Front left leg/scapula/pectoral muscle was amputated on June 11, 2013 and we've never looked back. Follow our story on http://barret.t.....pawds.com/ and read my column on That Pet Blog
I think that your vet is going to be the best person to answer your question about having a surgery after a surgery. It is not unheard of, these situations come up when a mass removal is done and the biopsy comes back unfavorable. Then amputation is chosen as the next step. It will really depend though on your pet and their health on how much it will increase the risk factor.
My #1 advice would be to spend the money on taking Barret to the ER Vet for overnight care. With a major surgery like an amputation, it is just a really bad idea to leave a pet in a cage unattended for 12+ hours, too much could go wrong. I'm not sure why some vets still feel comfortable with this (I changed hospitals within the past year and the vet I now work for is so wonderful, it has really opened my eyes as to how dangerous it can be to leave pets after major surgery). Usually when vets do feel comfortable keeping patients unattended overnight, it is for more simple procedures (at the practice I work at now we only keep cat declaws overnight, because the bandages need to be changed, and the incision sites checked the next morning) It should also be recommended that your pet stay on fluids overnight and at both previous hospitals I worked at I can't tell you how many times we would come in in the morning and the pet would have twisted the IV lines up so much that the fluids were no longer flowing. It is just not a good idea!
Another benefit, other than keeping your pet on fluids, that the pet ER could provide that Barret will not be able to recieve from you at home is IV pain medication.
If you do take Barret home, you do need to be very careful with activity level. He needs to be confined and kept very quite. As pet parents our instinct is to stay at their side and keep them comfortable, which sometimes makes having them sleep in our beds after surgery seem like a good idea. Unfortunately, jumping up or down from the bed or even couch could cause serious damage to the incision on a new tripawd. They will also be learning how to walk and could easily be injured falling up or down steps. Also remember that even with the best pain meds on board he is going to be at some level of discomfort and pain (this varies for each pet, and there's no way to tell ahead of time how good or bad they may be) This is something that you will have to be honest with yourself about if you will be emotionally able to handle.
Good luck!
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