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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Firstly, I just want to say how great this site is, I just discovered it today and haven't even begun to scratch the surface of knowledge. Wish I would have discovered it a week sooner, I think it's great that there's a whole community out there to help us through this journey!
I have a 8 year old puggle named Jordi who had his left hind leg amputated on Friday. He started limping in late December and I took him in to have x-rays in January where they determined that he completely tore his CCL (I think is what they are called in dogs?) and also found his leg was very arthritic. The doctor didn't think a ligament repair would help him because of the shape the rest of his joint was in so amputation was the suggestion and the vet was able to get me in a month later for the surgery.
So Jordi did well during surgery and recovery and I was able to bring him home that night and to my best guess he is doing well. My problem seems to be the opposite of most other people. Because he was pretty much hopping around on 3 legs for about a month and a half or so, he already has the walking with 3 legs down pat. My problem is he wants to get up and move around like he didn't just go through major surgery! I walk him out in the backyard a few times a day to do his thing and to get exercise and then put him back in his crate to rest the rest of the time. He still has his staples in until Tuesday so I'm concerned with letting him trot around at his will. Should I be allowing him more time to run around? Or should I continue giving him the few times a day and then making him relax the rest of the time? Also, should I let him lay around in the open or keep him confined to his crate? And finally, should I keep leashing him for his walks in the yard? I don't want to undo any progress he's made because I let him do his thing instead of being more strict.
Any suggestions would be much appreciated! And again, so glad this place is here for everyone to discuss their experiences and help newbies such as myself from freaking out just a little bit. 🙂
Hello and welcome, your future posts will not have to wait for approval.
Sounds like Jordi is doing very well!
Our surgeon said only short, leashed potty breaks for the first two weeks after surgery. My pug Maggie lost her left rear leg to a mast cell tumor. I didn't have to worry about restricting her activity- she was pretty much a slug for weeks after surgery. It is important to keep Jordi pretty quiet until the staples come out. You might try some food puzzles or games to keep him entertained and relatively quiet.
You could give him a room to recover in, just make sure there is no furniture he could jump on. When my quad-pug Obie had knee surgery I could not crate him due to his history so I made a recovery area with an ex-pen (with vet approval).
Once the staples are out you want to increase his activity level gradually. Even though he was a virtual Tripawd with the bad leg he is still using his muscles differently. One the incision is healed you can start working on core strength which is very important for Tripawds.
Here are some Blog Posts on safe exercise for Tripawds.
You might also consider downloading ebooks from the Tripawds Library on recovery and living life with a Tripawd.
My current Tripawd Elly lost her right rear leg after being hit by a car at 7 months old. The rescue told me Elly was a Puggle, but really she is a Pug mix- no Beagle. She does track like a Beagle though. We have been doing Nose Work for the past year and it is a great activity for active Tripawds.
What meds is Jordi on? Most pups here are on pain meds for a couple of weeks.
Any other questions or concerns?
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
I'll echo Karen. I was told to limit Rocky's activity until his stitches came out (two weeks after surgery). Rocky was pretty laid back, so I didn't crate him, but no walks, stair climbing, furniture jumping, ball playing or running for him until those stitches came out. And once they came out, we eased back into it.
David and Rocky (and Baxter now too!)
Rocky had his right front leg amputated on Valentine's Day 2017 after being diagnosed with osteosarcoma.
He joined the September Saints on September 3, 2017.
He is the toughest, bravest, sweetest and best friend I'll ever know.
Thanks for the responses. Jordi is currently on carprofen and gabapentin and was on cefpodoxime but finished those yesterday. He was put on the carprofen about a month before his surgery because my vet was so booked and we had to wait to get in to surgery.
Prior to the surgery I bought him a big (for him, anyways lol) soft crate for his recovery so he wouldn't try to roam around too much and to keep my other 2 dogs a safe distance away until he heals. It seems to be working a little better for him as the days go by, maybe he's getting used to it. My main concern was his activity level. He's very independent and wants to do things himself, which obviously can't happen right now, so I'm trying to temper him a bit from that. I just wasn't sure if I should limit him to his walks and on his leash only but it sounds like for now, I should keep him leashed and only give him a couple walks.
He goes in on Tuesday to get his staples out, what is wound care like after that? It sounds like I should still be limiting him. Does the cone of shame stay on for a bit after the staples are removed? It seems like thing he is having the hardest time with is drinking water and eat with the cone on. I've been trying different bowls for his water for the time being but he's still a bit clumsy with the cone, lol.
Again, thanks for your responses and advice. I've been lucky and this is the first time where I've had to deal with a major surgery like this. Wish I would have found you guys a week ago, I would have been better prepared for seeing him when I picked him up! It was quite a shock expecting him to be brought out bandaged only to see no bandages at all!
You are doing an EXCELLENT job of caring for jordi! And to get this far with no support, additional knowledge from tripawd families, is wuite remarkable!
To piggyback on the great advice, you can ket Jordi eat and drink without the cone while supervising him. And while you are watching over him, you can take it off some. Just make sure you are watching over him so he doesn't try and get to those stitches. My Happy Hannah never had to wear a cone because she never paid any attention to the stitches.
O ce the stitchw are out you should need the cone. Just be aware that the incision may be "itchy",so keep any eye on him.
When the stitches are out, then you can give him more freedom. The links Karen gave you will help You can also discuss joint supplements with your Vet.
STAY CONNECTED and let us know any questions you have. YOU'RE NOT ALONE! 🙂
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!
Wanted to add,if you have access to a Certified Rehabilitation Specialist, they can do wonders for keeping Jordi in tip top shape on three!
The Tripawds Fou dation will pay for a certain amount of your first visit.
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 response and advice benny55! I'm slowly looking through some of the topics on the website and will definitely check out the links that krun provided.
Jordi hasn't really tried to go after his staples with the exception of a couple of times so far, I may try and take the cone off for a bit this weekend when I'm able to watch him more closely just to give his neck and head some freedom! He does seem to be doing better with figuring out how to drink and eat and not run into so many things with his cone today so that's a plus!
If the cone bothers him, you can try a t-shirt instead. I only put the cone on Rocky if I left him home alone. Otherwise he just wore a t-shirt.
David and Rocky (and Baxter now too!)
Rocky had his right front leg amputated on Valentine's Day 2017 after being diagnosed with osteosarcoma.
He joined the September Saints on September 3, 2017.
He is the toughest, bravest, sweetest and best friend I'll ever know.
Since Jordi is a rear amp you could try boxer shorts- the tail goes through the fly. That would give you a little extra time if the cone is off and he goes for his incision. I also had good luck with the inflatable collar when quad-pug Obie had his knee surgeries.
Ask your vet but usually when the staples are out the cone is not needed. As Sally said keep an eye on him and make sure he isn't interested in the scar area.
It's rare for rear amps to have bandages- it's hard to keep them in place. Maggie did not have bandage after her rear amp. For me I think a bandage would have made it worse- the thing that kept drawing my eye was the void where the leg should be. Maggie had a large incision from a tumor removed about 6 months before her amp so the scar itself didn't throw me.
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
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