Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hello, I was posting about Ivan mostly on his blog, but a few suggested I post here because of the 'different' nature of his case.
Ivan's paw, just below the dew claw was cut off in some act of cruelty, before I had him. He was set loose with ear and paw cut off and hobbled around the city of Atlanta until he was caught by Animal Control and scheduled for euthansia because the offenders could not be located, so he could not be used as evidence [this is second hand information].
I imagine infection must have set, because when a rescue org took him from AC, someone opted to have his entire scapula amputated with the lower limb.
Later, another foster parent took him in after the amp, but from all appearances, she neglected him. 6 months after the original surgery I adopted him and found that she never took him back for follow up, so sutures were still in place where the scapula would have been. He had 25-30 ticks on his face and infested with fleas and hookworms. He was also starved.
It took 6 days for him to have a BM, but he finally did. He is HW neg. My concerns right now are his terrible weakness....he cannot walk for more than a few seconds without resting....[I live in an apt with stairs and was told he did great on steps...not true.] He pants constantly...sometimes shallow, rapid breaths about 115/min despite the 76 degree apt. His refeeding process has been difficult...I had to hand feed him, and still do at times. Now tonight, his belly looks full and round but his spine and ribs are still visible. If I palpate the belly he does not flinch or express discomfort. Bowel sounds are active. His stool was slightly soft earlier.
Will the panting get better? Is the round belly normal whe he still has weight to gain?
Thank you so much! PS He is about 3 1/2 yrs old and his diet has been Pedigree large breed kibble mixed with stewed chicken and rice. He also is on cephalexin and had a steroid shot for infected bursae over pressure points in the hock. He also just had a round of Rabies and 9 way vaccines because when I adopted him the foster mom could not find any of his papers. Thanks!
Have you spoken with your vet about his diet. I think that for me, as long as he is handling food OK, I'd lean towards lowering the grain and going for the healthiest food I could do - some grain free
dog food, some plain greek yogurt (so much higher in protein than normal yogurt), some veggies and maybe even extra meat. While trying to get him to gain add some rice (maybe... I haven't had to deal with trying to get a dog to gain weight 
, I always had to work to make sure Spencer kept his weight down) until Ivan gets gaining and then cut back on the rice?
Jac and Angel Spencer. Spencer was 5.25 years old. He fought a grade 3 fibrosarcoma, started on his shoulder. Left front leg amputated in August 2011. 15 weeks of chemo finished 12/22/11 (mytox and adria). Lung mets found on x-rays 12/28/11. Started carboplatin 1/6/12. Went to Heaven on 2/27/12. I miss him like crazy every day. See his blog here: http://spencer.tripawds.com/
Has he been checked for internal parasites? Even if he has, a round of Panacur (fenbendazole) would be a good idea. Did they check for tick disease such as Erlichia and Lyme disease when they did a heartworm test? Sometimes Mastiffs can get cardiomyopathy at a young age and you might not hear a heart murmur so a chest xray might also be a good idea.
What you are describing is not normal so a trip to the vet is in order. I feel very badly for this poor dog! It is so nice of you to take him in. You can try bland protein like cottage cheese or scrambled eggs if he is being picky but my guess is that he has something else going on.
Pam
Thanks for your responses. He did finish a round of Pyrantel for hookworms, but I don't know if that is broad-spectrum. Sadly, last night we made another trip to the ER Vet because of elevated heartrate and shallow rapid respirations, weakness, bloated appearance of belly. Thank goodness true "bloat" appeared not to be of concern. But ER Vet found two very enlarged lymph nodes - one walnut sized one in his jaw and one in behind his knee. His worry is lymphoma.
Today was entirely too hot to attempt to get Ivan downstairs and into the car. It strains him terribly, and I have to wait until it cools off or he's having a strong day.
He is probably doing better than I am. I've been in bed crying most of the day.
Did the vet aspirate a lymph node? Tick diseases such as Erlichia can cause increased lymph nodes as well as the other symptoms you are describing.
Pam
I'm letting him rest over the weekend and then taking him to a new vet who suggested exactly that.
The newest concerns are that he's gotten nasty twice today. Once, I shifted him to move him exactly as I normally do, and he suddenly turned and bared teeth and lunged. He did not put teeth on me, but he looked fericious.
It happened a few minutes later when someone knocked at the door and I pulled him back because he walked out to sniff her dog, which I had not seen she had with her [he is tiny]. I pulled him by the tail because I didn't know his intentions toward the little dog and I wanted to quickly distract him. Again he turned and threatened me.
Both times he quickly retreated to his normal, humpty-dumpty self.
I do not know if he is getting dominant because he is feeling stronger, or if I accidently hurt him, or - what.
Thoughts?
Thanks KFN
I've been wondering how Ivan has been going over the last couple of days so it's good to hear that he seems to be as well as expected.
I think his behaviour is pretty normal given what he has been through. Maybe it hurts to move or is just too much effort to move? If so then if he can't be persuaded to move (throught treats or commands) then now that you have the harness you might find that very useful to help move him and when he realises it is so much easier for him then he may not be as resistant.
As for the other incident, I don't think any dog likes their tail being pulled and his reaction again is very normal. He is warning you the only way he knows how that your behaviour is unacceptable to him. If he was going to bite I think that would definitely have been a time when he would have bitten. I think it's a wonderful sign of his good nature that he didn't.
I don't have any experience with rescue dogs. My experience is limited to one very spoilt, stubborn and dominant rottie. Hence, I do have some understanding of dominant dogs. Magnum had her "moments" but I never once allowed myself to be intimidated and show any fear. BUT I had known her since she was 8 weeks old. Our bond was very strong. I'm sure there are others here with rescue experience who can give you better guidance.
From everything you have said I really do think that Ivan is a wonderful, gentle dog. But not only is his body damaged but his spirit is also bruised. He needs lots of love, patience and understanding, which you seem to have in abundance. I think some advice from people who understand rescue dogs would be of great benefit to you and Ivan.
Magnum: 30th May 2002 to 5th May 2012. Lost her back left leg to osteosarcoma on 5th Sep 2011. Lung mets found on 20th Mar 2012 but it was bone mets in the hip that ended her brave battle. Magnum's motto - "Dream as if you'll live for ever, live as if you'll die today" (James Dean). Loyal, loving, courageous and spirited to the end. My beloved heart dog, see her memoirs from Rainbow Bridge ...... http://princess.....pawds.com/
Adding to what Magnun's mom said above, remember that Ivan is a complete unknown. He likely had some kind of "family," but it doesn't appear to have been what we think of as a traditional one. So I think Ivan has no manners. I think he likely did not learn from other dogs how to act with dogs, and he likely did not learn from people the appropriate way to be with humans.
We had a similar situation with Dakota when we finally were able to introduce him to our 2 dogs. He had to be isolated in part of our house for 11 weeks due to sarcoptic mange, so the dogs could see each other but not touch. When he was finally cleared for introductions, it was very apparent that he was young and stupid. Oh the mistakes he made with our other dogs! One of our dogs acted confused and very tolerant, though she would run to us for help. The other one did the typical dog stuff of teeth baring, scruff grabbing, nipping, etc. She looked just like a mother dog who was fed up with poor manners. We intervened to a degree, but she really trained Dakota. So it may very well be that Ivan just never learned from the right sources how to behave.
One more reason to look into training with someone who specializes in behavior, I think. Ivan is likely very gentle underneath, but he is still a dog with tremendous potential even if he errs. You don't him to err. It doesn't really matter what the reason is (startle from a deep sleep, for instance), when a dog bites it's never good. Behaviorist training should help you all.
Shari
From abandoned puppy to Tripawd Warrior Dude, Dakota became one of the 2011 February Furballs due to STS. Our incredibly sweet friend lived with grace and dignity till he impulsively raced over the Bridge on 12-15-12.
Dakota's thoughtful and erudite blog is at http://shari.tr.....pawds.com/
I would look for a Mastiff rescue in your area and make some connections with their members. These individuals would be most familiar with both breed and potential rescue issues. They could refer you to someone trained in evaluating dogs. Maybe one of them could even meet with you and just observe how he is with you and give you a few tips. I've had two rescues and as someone else mentioned, it takes time to build trust, actually it takes time to build trust even when you get a puppy. But I sure wouldn't pull a dog's tail -- even the best dog has his moments.
Also, if he was able to get up by himself when someone came to the door, he might be more able than you think and just a big lug who doesn't like being helped.
Good luck, I hope it works out for the both of you
Harley is an 8 year old Golden Retriever. Amp surgery for an infiltrative lipoma canceled due to two masses in chest. A rescue, he found his forever home on 3/18/07 and left for his eternal home on 1/09/13. His story and medical history are at http://myharley.....pawds.com/
When my wolf Barclay lost his leg he didnt eat much for over a year and I thought I was losing him several times but one night he got up and downed a bowl of food. A starving dog has no strength and it will take some time for him to build up his stamina again. Dont push him he will know when he can get around with less effort and will attack life when the time comes. Now he needs love and assurance. He needs to learn to trust someone.
barclay said
When my wolf Barclay lost his leg he didnt eat much ...
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admin said
barclay said
When my wolf Barclay lost his leg he didnt eat much ...Thanks for your input, and for joining! Your future forum posts will not require moderation. Please consider starting a new topic to share Barclay's story.
barclay said
When my wolf Barclay lost his leg he didnt eat much for over a year and I thought I was losing him several times but one night he got up and downed a bowl of food. A starving dog has no strength and it will take some time for him to build up his stamina again. Dont push him he will know when he can get around with less effort and will attack life when the time comes. Now he needs love and assurance. He needs to learn to trust someone.
Hi Barclay. Indeed you were right. Sadly, Ivan died yesterday. It's ok if you missed the post. Your advice was still on target. He didn't die from starvation, which would have been a terrible way to pass. Welcome. Please tell us about your wolf. I can't find an emoticon to go with "sad that I lost Ivan" and "happy that you're here" so I'll just go with the last one. 
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