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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hello! My chihuahua sheltie got his front leg amputated 3 week ago. Ever since we got the staples out 1 week ago he has been doing great. Fetching sticks and trotting a bit at the park. I noticed that his penis has been coming out a LOT. When popping it completely comes out and other times also. It's like he has to adjust his lower back for it to go back in. We were just at the park and I noticed his tail has been bent. It used to stick straight up and wag when he is happy but it kind of just goes half up and then the rest is limp. I thought it may be him adjusting to balance maybe? Then I made the mistake of touching it and he did not like this, got angry and then sat there with his tail between his legs completely and just wanted me to hold him and not play anymore. He has kidney stones do I worry when anything with his penis is weird. But he's been peeing normally with the exception of it coming completely out. He's laying down now and i touched all around his tail and it doesn't seem to be broken. Do you think this is just part of the recovery still and that he's just learning to use different muscles?
Hi there! Welcome. Your future posts won't require approval.
Sorry to hear your dog is having issues. I don't have a clue but hopefully our fairy vet mother will have some feedback for you. I know through the years there might have been one or two other people with a similar penis issue, you can sift through these Forum search results to find any that sound similar.
By the way what's your pup's name? And why did he lose his leg?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
I will say that my boy, a much bigger dog, seems to have the same thing happening with the pop out penis when pooping on occasion. Also a front leg amputee - and I first noticed it about a month before amputation, but he was very lame on that front leg, so was already a tripod. Doesn't seem to be every time. I assumed it was just about muscles and how he uses them differently now that he is a tripod.
Definitely not happening every single time...
Lisa, Minneapolis
On October 27, 2016, nearly 6 months after amputation, and 18 months since his cancer likely started, we lost Pofi to a recurrence of Soft Tissue Sarcoma in his spine quite suddenly. His canine sister also succumbed to cancer on March 1, 2019 - we lavished her with our love in the interim, but life was never quite the same without her only real canine friend. Cliff kitty had to leave us, too, suddenly, in August 2019. Lucia kitty grieved all these losses, but helped us welcome two new Lurchers into our home and our lives, Shae and Barley.
Hi! His name is Petey. He is 9 and lost his leg 3 weeks ago. He had a large tumor on his elbow. A couple vets just said it was a fatty tumor a while back at first and then when I decided to biopsy it turned out it was cancerous and too large to remove because of the bad location on his tiny elbow. since it was aggressive and spreading rapidly towards his armpit we made the super hard decision to amputate rather than try the painful surgery to remove it and do an experimental skin flap...everyone pointed in the direction that it would keep spreading and not be good and even if they tried it would need amputation. So rather than get two painful surgeries. I went with one that would guarantee the cancer would not come back. The first 2 weeks were really hard but the third week he has improved greatly. I kept some rimadyl for him if it seems like he is in pain and after today's park tail episode I gave him half the recommended dose just in case he was hurting at all. I'm thinking that the "peen" and tail issue are all part of him learning to use new muscles and thank you for your for your feedback Hester!
I don't have any knowledge of Chihuahuas, but every single one of our retrievers has had limp tail at one time or another. Theirs seemed to be linked to nothing in particular and usually righted itself in a few days. Of course, we weren't dealing with amps at the time, which seem to make everything so much more scary.
Kathi and the Turbotail April Angel...and the Labradork
Murphy is a five year old Lab/Chessie cross. He was hit by a car on 10/29/12 and became a Tripawd on 11/24/12. On 2/5/13, he had a total hip replacement on his remaining back leg. He has absolutely no idea that he has only three legs!
UPDATE: Murphy lived his life to the fullest, right up until an aggressive bone lesion took him across the Rainbow Bridge on April 9, 2015 and he gained his membership in the April Angels. Run free, my love. You deserve it!
Not a vet, but is he having any difficulty pooping? How about anal glands?
Otis - 106 pound lab/Dane mix, lost his right front leg to osteosarcoma on Febuary 9, 2016. Four rounds of carboplatin completed in April, 2016. Lung mets August 25, 2016. Said goodbye too soon on September 4, 2016. Lost his adopted sister, Tess, suddenly on October 9, 2016. likely due to hemangiosarcoma.
Wherever they are, they are together.
Amputating a front leg really shouldn't affect the rear half of the animal but if he is very relaxed or on certain meds then his penis may stick out. Does he have kidney stones or bladder stones? Kidney stones rarely travel down the ureter in dogs but bladder stones frequently become lodged in the urethra and then the dog is straining to urinate and the urine can be bloody.
As long as it goes back in there shouldn't be anything to worry about. If the penis remains out all of the time or if the dog can't control his bowel movements or rear legs then you have a neurologic issue.
Pam
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