Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi,
I'm not sure where to post this, but here goes.
Serge (4 1/2 month old GSD) has been home 3 days now, and seems to be coping really well, eating, peeing, pooping, etc.. Today I observed this new behaviour..He had just had a drink of water, and he looked at the amputation site, appeared to be really shocked, and began circling, not obviously in any pain. He was not wearing his collar, because it is easier for him to drink and eat without wearing it, so he could have easily reached the incision to lick it, if it was itching, but he just kept looking at it He was really agitated for a minute or so, (no whining or yapping) looking at the place where his leg used to be.. He calmed down, and went back to his bed. When he goes outside to poop, he is also looking back at the "empty" leg, because he cannot squat properly, and circles a few times, before he does his business...
From my perspective, it appears that he has just figured out that the leg has gone, but there again, who knows what a dog is really thinking.. I have also been known to have come to the wrong conclusion (occasionally !!) in the past !!!
I am intrigued by this behaviour, and wonder if anyone else has observed anything similar...
Richard
"No matter how eloquently the dog may bark, he cannot tell you that his master is poor, but honest".....Bertrand Russell
I have no answer, but I have wondered the same thing. My Zach does not seem to notice at all. 
he was used to limping and not using his leg before the surgery so that may make a difference.
We haven't noticed that in our own pack but other people have reported it with their new Tripawd.
I can imagine that once a dog or cat connects the dots and realizes that they subconsciously "asked" the limb to do something and it didn't, it's a big surprise.
Act normal. If you believe it, they will too.
Remember, you're dealing with a GSD here. Even as a puppy they are so darn smart! I'm sure Serge realized it.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
It might be some nerves firing that Serge is 'looking' at on the incision site. I don't know if Maggie realized her leg was gone, but she deffinitely knew that things were different and she didn't like it at all!
Mag was a pug that had to spin before she could poop, she did it from the time I met her at 10 months old. She was also a rear amp, in the days right after surgery she would start to spin and fall down. If looks could kill! But around day 6 she managed to spin, keep her balance and poop. I'm sure the pain meds had something to do with it, but I always thought it was the lack of centrifugal force that stopped things up. She also developed her Tripawd potty stance, she shifted her left front leg back a little (left rear amp) so her legs were, well, a tripod.
Karen
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Murphy also has adopted that tripod stance for pooping. It looks awkward, but he is pretty solid. Never have seen him terribly off balance with it. Maybe some day I will think to get a picture of him when he "assumes the position". Or not....
Serge sounds like he will do wonderfully as a Tripawd. He is a lucky puppy to have you.
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!
It was an interesting discussion, that could no doubt be extended into an existentialist discussion about the canine from a purely metaphysical viewpoint ...(I'm just kidding.. I didn't finish the 2nd year of my part time philosophy degree.....Running large manufacturing systems didn't allow a great deal of spare time for "pondering" the more profound issues of the universe)
Plus it had been a (very) long time since I was at University, as a bright eyed, eager to learn, young undergrad..
Serge has figured out to some degree the "tripod" approach to his "ablutions", and when he is off his meds, which are really slowing him down (a very good thing as the wound is healing beautifully) he will adapt to his new "configuration".
The whole discussion however, is unfortunately based on a premise that is purely hypothetical, namely, that we sometimes believe we know what our dogs are thinking, or why they react to situations the way that they do. I don't doubt for one moment that Serge suddenly realized that the leg is gone, but how his canine mind continues to cope with it, will remain a mystery..
Have a good weekend, and for those of us in Canada, a safe Victoria Day long weekend
Regards
Richard
"No matter how eloquently the dog may bark, he cannot tell you that his master is poor, but honest".....Bertrand Russell
Happy Victoria Day Richard!
More on this topic later, it's a good one.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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