Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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I have posted about Tungsten in other spots but might want to see if there are more words of wisdom from Pam the vet...Tungsten has a rear amp due to OSA on Oct 28th. Everything was fine, stitches out on 8 Nov, all was good and he was happy and healthy, lightly working up to playing more and more (although my husband probably played heavier then he should have). Saturday Dec 3rd he got up and was rather unstable with his walking throughout the day. Sunday Dec 4th he was even more unstable. By Monday Dec 5th he was dragging his rear leg with toes curled, and almost falling down...still has good use of front legs. Went to vet. They did x-rays and nothing skeletal noted, nothing new with lungs either. Doc was thinking he might have over did it while playing and might have a pinched nerve, started prednisone. This is his 5th day, with no real changes. I dont think he is in pain. Thursday he was really restless (I wasnt home, husband is taking care of him for the weekend), moving (sliding) around more than before...today he is resting more. I have done some research and have heard it could be FCE. If it is FCE should we start his therapy now? We dont have a dog therapist in the area, so we are on our own to do his rehab. I am willing to work throughout the day to do what is needed to get him walking again. I hate to have him beat cancer only to go down due to paralysis.
Cheers,
Barb and Tungsten
Tungsten Blue, diagnosed with osteosarcoma August 2016, rear leg removed 28 October 2016, left us on 12/13/16, he will be greatly missed.
I would say it is either FCE, a slipped or swollen intervertebral disc, or cancer metastasis. Unfortunately an MRI is the only was to know for sure. FCE is more likely than a disc since the dog is not painful so it would be reasonable to start acupuncture now.
Pam
Thanks Pam. I worried about cancer metastis and when we got the x-ray the doc didnt see any bone cancer, which is why he had his right leg amputated 2 months ago. Lungs have two small pea sized nodules which have not changed over the last couple of months either. I guess if he has IVDD the prednisone and rest will help with that unless he is to the surgery stage, and with FCE rest, recovery, therapy and time are the road to recovery. Any other words of wisdom? Anything else we can or should be doing? Do you have a good cure-all for getting his penis to get back into the sheath? When he sits it pushes out and I dont think he has the control to pull it back in by himself.
Cheers,
Barb and Tungsten
Tungsten Blue, diagnosed with osteosarcoma August 2016, rear leg removed 28 October 2016, left us on 12/13/16, he will be greatly missed.
How would I go about getting acupuncture if there are no dog therapists in the area?
Tungsten Blue, diagnosed with osteosarcoma August 2016, rear leg removed 28 October 2016, left us on 12/13/16, he will be greatly missed.
Try searching online for veterinary acupuncture - you may be surprised to find there are vets in your area who have added it to their repertoire. I know I lived in a much bigger metro area, but we had a the choice of several who offered in home appointments and dozens who practice in their clinics.
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.
Guess my husband left Tungsten unattended in the basement for about an hour and came back to a disaster of a mess. Steam cleaner to the rescue
Tungsten Blue, diagnosed with osteosarcoma August 2016, rear leg removed 28 October 2016, left us on 12/13/16, he will be greatly missed.
Poor hubby! Along with everything else, he's dealing with poop mess and a penis thst won't retract!
Wonder if the penis issue could in anyway be related to whatever is causing his back leg issue. Hopefully someone here can give some insight until you can get intouch with his Vet.
So it's been two days now? Has he been able to retract it at all?
I know you must be holding on by a thread, but it does sound like the fact that he is not in pain is good sign. The possible causes of his leg issues do seem like they are "fixable".
Wish we coukd be of better support somehow as this has to be sooooooo frustrating!! We'll just stay by your side celebrating every tiny bit of improvement and celebrating wildly when he gets past this hurdle...AND HE WILL!!
Hugs!
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie 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!
Thanks for the post Sally. I have a feeling that the inability to retract the penis is associated with neurological problems he is experiencing. When he sits down it pops out, but he doesnt have the ability to pull it back in by himself. I dont know if hubby got it back in or not....I didnt have the nerve to ask him when he was dealing with much messier stuff.
Cheers,
Barb and Tungsten
Tungsten Blue, diagnosed with osteosarcoma August 2016, rear leg removed 28 October 2016, left us on 12/13/16, he will be greatly missed.
Yes the penis is probably tied to the neuro issue. I would keep it lubed with KY jelly. Consider adding gabapentin if he is not already on that. If your regular vet does not know who does acupuncture in the area then I would ask the local emergency or specialty center if they know. More vets are offering it now and that is probably your best bet.
Pam
Thanks everybody. Got home this afternoon to find Tungsten a real mess. His penis has been out for some time now and Tungsten has been scooting around with it out. It was not looking good....bleeding. I got him into a warm bath, cleaned him up, got some vetrycin on it and slid it back into the protective sheath. Will have to keep an eye on it so that it heals up. His rear leg is rather limp as is his tail. He is not even curling his toes under or anything, just limp. His front legs have even atrophied a bit as I dont think he has done much moving. I will be using the harness we got in the mail to try to improve his front legs and get some mobility in his rear. I at least got him to eat a majority of his food this evening and he got a drink...he needs to get back to the point where he could at least prop himself up on his front legs to eat and drink. He needs alot of work.
Cheers,
Barb and Tungsten
Tungsten Blue, diagnosed with osteosarcoma August 2016, rear leg removed 28 October 2016, left us on 12/13/16, he will be greatly missed.
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