Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Leland is 4 wks post amp on his left rear leg...this evening we believe the cruciate ligament in his right knee has gone out. He was outside with my husband going to the bathroom. My husband turned around and then heard Leland yelp and saw him go down. We don't know what he may have done but he won't put any weight on it. We've been through cruciate ligament tears with our first dog so we're familiar. We have no doubt that's what has happened to Leland.
We contacted the surgeon who did the amp who advised that if there has been no improvement by the morning to call him and he'll have his colleague take a look at Leland tomorrow.
Has anyone had a rear leg amp go through a TPLO procedure on the other leg? We are so afraid that we'll have to put Leland to sleep.
Sahana
November 17, 2009 - June 30, 2014
May you finally be healthy and running free at the Rainbow Bridge. Until we meet again my sweet boy!
Sahana! B R E A T H E.......DEEP BREATHS.......B R E A T H E.......seriously....deep breath in.....exhale slowly.......
Now.......I'm no vet....but you are not going to have to,put Leland to sleep, okay?!
Unfortunately, this, and other similar things, have happened before. Someone will come alkng and give uou links to helpmyou out (not computer savvy at all).
MURPHY...a front leg mputee...had a total hip replacement surgery after his amputation! Look him up under membership...Murphy....and is doi g beautifully.
I know I'm not being ver specific, but I just don't jave the "recall" right now of the particular dogs who jave gone through this.
Yeah, it's not easy and a lot of support is required on your part.
Leland has come too far to stop now! This is one special pup you nave and he has no intention of lettkng this stop him!
I'm gonna go see what I can "search" right now...I'll be back!
You hang in there okay? We'll get Leland fixed up in no time!!
Se ding .love and hugs!
Sally and Happy Hannah
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
okay...go to members and search....rustydOg.......alos...under Ask a Vet......lookmup partial torn ligament in omly remaining leg..........at least this will give you some starting points to help get youthrough the night.
In the meantime...pain meds and total rest....and rest for you too!
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
Thank you so much for giving me a direction to look. I'm so thankful to have come across this community.
November 17, 2009 - June 30, 2014
May you finally be healthy and running free at the Rainbow Bridge. Until we meet again my sweet boy!
AND....I jist came back here and my Hapoy Hannah's banner came up! Why is that important you ask? Because that's her way of letting me know that things will be okay with Leland! Leland is a big dog and she takes a special interest in being a Guardian for big dogs! . Not easy, but he will get through this! Heck! Everything that boy's been through, this is easy breezy....well....."challenging" but easy breezy!
I'm gonna sign off in a minite or two for the night...have to work in a.m......ugh.
TRY not to worry. This IS a hurdle but NOT the end in anyway shape or form for Mr. Leland, okay??
It may be PT, cold laser therapy and a few other things will work well for Leland. HANG ON, HELP IS ON THE WAY!!
I'll check ba ck first thing when I get home. By thennyou will jave lots of responses and threads to checkmout.
Oh, another one...Dottie....several might comemup, but I believe she had surgery on her remaining leg....or maybe just the "alternative" treatments.
Grab some chocoate and go hug Leland for me!
Sally and Happy Hannan
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
Poor Leland! I just read your blog post and I agree with Sally above, I don't think you'll have to put him down for this. It won't be easy, but getting that injury healed is definitely doable. I hope that some other's chime in b/c I know I have read threads where this has happened to other tripawds, I just don't remember which ones they are.
Please keep us updated!
HUGS
Mom to Tripawd Angels Jake (2001-2014) and Rosco (2012-2015) and Tripawd Tanner. “Whatever happens tomorrow, we had today; and I'll always remember it”
I just made a comment on your blog, because I saw that post first, but will comment here, too.
Murphy is a rear leg Tripawd who had a total hip replacement two months after his amp. It is a lot of work on the part of the dog and his people, but they can do very well following additional surgery. You can check Murphy's story in the Beyond Cancer thread. To quote our orthopedic surgeon, "Knees are easy."
Daisy also had cruciate ligament surgery following her amp and did just fine.
I would suggest a consultation with an orthopedic surgeon and rehab specialist. If you have a vet school nearby, they can be invaluable.
Kathi and Murphy
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!
Sahara,
I'm so sorry to hear that Leland has hurt his rear leg. But, I think there are options as mentioned by others, there have been dogs who have had a surgery on a remaining leg and have done great. It won't be easy, but it's definitely possible. Also. I think that not all cruciate injuries require surgery...I think sometimes they can heal of their own. But obviously Leland will need help and support no matter what. Do you have a very supportive harness? Or maybe a wheelchair /cart would be helpful? Do you have a rehab vet that you can take him to? A rehab bet will be very knowledgable and helpful with ways to help him though this!
Hugs to all of you!
Carol
So sorry about Leland, and ditto what everyone else has said. There are several dogs who have been though similar issues and made it through, and I bet he can, too. You might want to try the advanced search features and different key words to surface those threads.
Also, Orthopets.com and Therapaw might have some brace options to help. I've heard that the Help 'Em Up harness is a good one for dogs with rear leg issues, too.
Hang in there...we're thinking positive thoughts for you and Leland and your family.
Hugs,
Deb and Lexie
Deb and Angel Lexie* Diagnosed at age 13. Tried radiation first; wish we had amputated upon diagnosis (even with lung mets). Joined Club Tripawd April 2014 & Lexie loved life on 3 legs! Advice: Start physical therapy as soon as your vet clears it, especially hydrotherapy if available :-) See Lexie pics here.
I am so sorry to read about sweet Leland's painful ordeal.......I can't add anything from experience, and everyone else seems to have given wonderful insight, I can only offer my support and hope he can get through this injury and heal as quickly as possible.
Sending positive thoughts, and keep us updated on your boy.....
Love,
Bonnie & Angel Polly
I know how scary this must be, hang in there and try not to think the worst. First thing is to manage any pain that he's in, next thing is to seek a consult with an ortho doc if it's still bothering him by morning.
Many Tripawds have had rear leg surgeries done on remaining legs, so if things came down to it you wouldn't be alone. I hope it doesn't though. Here are some posts with others' experiences:
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi Leland,
Just had tight rope surgery (less invasive than tplo from what I understand) on my pittie's only remaining rear leg 2 days ago/3 weeks after leg amputation. So far so good. Getting her outside requires carrying, gently placing in the grass and using a towel under her belly to lift and support her while she does her business. Then it's back inside and on her blankets. Since she's not getting up and moving around, while I'm with her hanging out, she lays on her doggy bed and I slide the bed on the wood floors into whichever room I'm in.
My saving grace: Vet prescribed Xanax 
in addition to tramadol (pain), vetprofen (anti-inflamatory & pain) and cephalexin (antibiotic). I couldn't be more pleased because she's really able to relax (no i'm not taking them too--hehe). It's going to be a long recovery but so far do-able and it's only going to get easier.
Your post was a couple weeks ago--What did you end up doing? How's it going?
H Zelda's Mom, thank you so much for joining and taking the time to share your story. Your future posts won't require moderation.
Sadly, Leland passed away recently. Here is the blog post his Momma wrote to let us know
http://leland4......avy-heart/
We are very sad.
But I want you to know that you are more than welcome to start a new topic to let everyone know ore about Zelda, as you know this is a huge surgery for a Tripawd. If you'd like to write a little more about her recovery, how about a Tripawd Tuesday feature? PM me for details! Thanks again.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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