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 everyone! First I’d like to say this site has been the source of a lot of comfort as my family and I are new to this and have many concerns.
A little info on my nug. His name is Shooter and he’s a puggle , he’s a front amputee after a fall from the porch leading to a pretty severe break in his elbow. It’s been a little over 2 weeks since surgery. We had some complications with the incision and some necrosis. But our vet has been great and very hopeful. And shooter had done pretty well with everything.
The issue I’m currently concerned with is him not wanting to get up. Some back story- this past Wednesday (it’s Sunday now) he would not let us pick him up to go outside (there’s about 8 steps) he would yelp almost like a scream. So we just let him be thinking he was sore and needed some rest. So the next morning he did not want to get up and when he would try he would just fall back down. We already had an appointment for some wound care so we went into the vet. She asked for the tech to get him on the floor so she could see what he’s doing. And he doesn’t make a sound when she picks him up. And once in the floor he’s hopping around like nothing is wrong in the world. She said sometimes dogs will go into a fight or flight response so they are able to do more at the office and she believes us that he was doing those things. She offers to keep him for a few days (I think she could see the stress on our faces) plus it allowed them to be a little more aggressive with his wound. So I go to pick him up yesterday and she says he’s doing good. The wound is looking great she’s happy with it. He’s getting around fine. No issues. We get home. He’s fine. No problems. A little whiny but I’m chaulking that up to wanting attention. I try to get him to go outside a little later in the day. And he once again will not get up. He’s wagging his tail and whining but either won’t try to get up or walks a couple steps and just lays back down. I leave him be. And try again before bed. No luck. Doing the same this morning. He’s currently laying down off and on sleeping. He is still a little whiny but once I give him attention he stops. I don’t know if he just doesn’t want to go out. Or what. And it’s hard to know what’s going on after the other day when I was preparing myself for her to say he’s in too much pain there’s nothing we can do and the little booger hops around their office pulling them along.
Feels like we get a tiny ounce of hope then a gallon of stress right along with it.
Hi Shooter and family, welcome! I’m on my phone now but wanted to get your post approved so others can chime in. I will be back later but meanwhile
did your vet recommend a referral to rehabilitation/physio practitioner or pain specialist?
also, what’s his activity level like at home? Are your floors slippery? How long are his walks? Any chance he could be overdoing things?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
He was fairly active prior to amputation (he’s ten so he would play hard for a little bit then rest even harder) so I think there’s some adjustment he needs to take. When he feels good he wants to explore like he used to. when we got home yesterday he did prob do a little more than he should have. We have a large yard (out in the country) so he was sniffing around pretty hard when we got back. For 10-15 minutes. So I think maybe he did too much. He’s been sleeping for a bit now. He is still eating and drinking. We do have hard wood floors but also have area rugs and such placed in the paths he takes. When he’s feeling good he walks on the floors good and doesn’t slip but when he’s a little weak it’s almost like he doesn’t have the confidence to walk on them and looks for the rugs.
There aren’t any type of rehab facilities locally. I would say probably none within 2 hours, so as much as I think it would be beneficial it’s just not something we can do. We do have him on pain meds. After surgery he was on Rimadyl. But she switched him the previcox after Wednesday. we go back in tomorrow for some wound care so I plan to ask her about supplements and training she recommends at home to strengthen his core.
I’ve decided to just let him rest for now. He’s snoring away. Hoping some rest will help.
Well just had some progress. Gave him his pill and some food which motivated him a little. Got him outside where he wouldn’t let me carry him down the steps. But started to go down on his own. Which I know he probably shouldn’t have done but he would scream/yelp when I tried. So I about fell down the steps trying to monitor him closely but he was on a mission. I did keep him on a leash to keep him from doing too much. Which he hates but he did find a good spot to poop. And he did let me carry him back up the steps. Going to keep him warm and cozy inside for a while and hope he doesn’t do this again tonight.
Most of us end up buying lots of yoga mats or throw rugs to put down for our Tripawds - the look isn't the best, but it's functional for their safety. We bought yoga mats at 5 Below for $5 each (I bought black/gray ones that worked great!) - and they're easy to cut to fit where you need.
Murphy was a front leg amputee, too, and he often tweaked his back or neck and would yelp out in pain. We did lots of massaging from his neck down to his hips and he loved that. We also kept his NSAID on hand just in case he needed it (he had Carprofen or Rimadyl). Part of Shooter's problem could just be plain old stubbornness! lol Many of us can relate to that! They figure out very quickly how to manipulate us into doing what they want 
Sometimes doing things for him, such as carrying him down the steps, may hurt him more than just letting him do it on his own. He should be fairly well healed by now. So yes, his activity should still be somewhat limited, but 8 steps shouldn't be too bad. You could also try making a ramp for him for those steps (or buying one on Amazon or look at Facebook Marketplace). Sometimes trying to get them to use a ramp takes some time and patience. Cassie needed one just for a couple of steps in our back yard - my husband said she wouldn't use them, but I stood next to her, kept a hand on her harness and forced her to use it. She did just fine lol.
Donna
Donna, Glenn & Murphy
Murphy had his right front leg amputated due to histiocytic sarcoma at 7 years old. He survived 4 years, 2 months & 1 week, only to be taken by hemangiosarcoma at 11 1/2 years 6/12/17
Read about Murphy's Life on Three Legs
Yes I agree I think a lot of it is stubborn but I think there’s some uncomfortable mixed in there. He’s been laying around mostly and letting me massage him. He loves the attention. Trying to get him used to going out the back door since there’s only a tiny step into the yard. I’ve always said he had selective hearing especially when he was showing his beagle side outdoors. He’s hard to read bc while whining he’s wagging his tail like crazy. I am going to ask the vet about having some meds to have just incase.
He still has some stitches in. She removed some during his stay there but left some in bc due to the complications they weren’t quite healed. He got a pretty large seroma . And we took him in and she said it’s fairly normal and should just re-absorb but we aren’t sure what happened but it got a tiny hole and drained and drained and then some more. Some of the tissue around it lost blood flow. So we’ve also been dealing with dressing changes and lots of visits to the vet. But after his 3 day stay she did say it’s granulating in and looking really good hoping to go in and close it up in a couple weeks.
Glad he’s feeling better! Here are a few thoughts for what they’re worth.
It does take a lot of effort to walk on wood floors, so it makes sense that when he’s tired he falls. More runners will be helpful.
I do agree that ramps to help him on the stairs may work well. The Tripawds Gear blog has a few ramp recommendations:
https://gear.tr.....om/?s=Ramp
Meanwhile....was he on any other pain meds after surgery besides Rimadyl? I ask because if pain management wasn’t the best after surgery (and Rimadyl alone isn’t sufficient), then this often leads to pain issues down the road.
Regarding a rehab center....many people are surprised to fine that there is one much closer to their home than they thought. If you want, let us know what city you live in (or Private Message me with it) and I’ll do my best to find you one. Keep in mind the Tripawds Foundation may even pay for your first rehab visit .
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
He wasn’t really falling on the hard wood. We also have carpet throughout all the bedrooms and he just seemed really fatigued. I did notice this morning he wasn’t getting his back legs in the best position. The porch is about 5 1/2 feet off the ground so I’m not sure how well a ramp would work. But we are trying to get him used to using the back door. He’s always been super stubborn.
And he was just on Rimadyl. He wasn’t showing many signs of pain after surgery to be honest. This process is so hard and with him being so hard to really read is torture.
Yeah using the back door sounds like a good idea. The less work for him right now, the better.
I'm glad your dog was able to cope post-surgery, but the lack of preventive post-op pain control at that time may be what his causing symptoms that could possibly be phantom pain . We've seen this happen with some members' new Tripawds.
For now, keep an eye out for when he does show pain (see: https://tripawd.....show-pain/) and try to connect it with whatever he was doing just prior. Keeping a journal helps make connections between the two.
I hope you both have a good week!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
ok - Well, here's my pain medicine thing - Rimadyl would be like taking Motrin after having your leg cut off - doesn't really seem like enough, right? It's not. Most dogs come home with Rimadyl, Tramadol (a narcotic) and Gabapentin (for nerve pain). Some also come home with a Fentanyl patch and maybe antibiotics. If your vet did not give you all of those medications, then Shooter was severely undermedicated. They also need these medications for 2-3 weeks after surgery. (sorry, soapbox)
No, Shooter is not "falling" on the wood floors, however, he's probably slipping and not getting good traction . Wood and tile floors are very slippery, especially for dogs with only 3 legs. Even if you only lay out a path with the yoga mats, he will probably follow them.
When we used the ramp for Cassie from the deck to the yard, we only have 1 step & then the ground, so a total of 2 steps down, but the ramp helped a lot. So yes, even for that small amount of distance, it can be helpful. We also used it to get her in & out of the car, but she was about 65lbs, so a bit bigger than a puggle lol.
Donna
Donna, Glenn & Murphy
Murphy had his right front leg amputated due to histiocytic sarcoma at 7 years old. He survived 4 years, 2 months & 1 week, only to be taken by hemangiosarcoma at 11 1/2 years 6/12/17
Read about Murphy's Life on Three Legs
I appreciate all your input and advice. Since about noon or so yesterday he’s been doing good with limiting his activity. And letting him call some of the shots. He definitely wants to do more especially when outside but keeping him on a leash has helped with that.
We go back to the vet today for some wound care.
Good job of keeping Shooters activity limited.
Hope the wound cleaning was uneventful today. Uneventful is a good thing during recovery!
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!
Yes. The visit went really well. Everyone at the office fell in love with him when he got his surgery done. I’m a bit biased but he’s the most handsome boy. And they were all really happy to see how alert and good he was doing. Limited activity has definitely helped a lot. We have good granulation and it’s looking good. Hoping to close it up within a couple weeks. Mornings seem to be a little rough with getting moving but he does good once he’s up. Things are looking up. So I’m thrilled especially after how the first two weeks went. I never thought we would get past it.
Hey all.
Wanted to give a quick update for anyone who was possibly wondering.
Shooter is doing really well. The wound care has been going great and looking really good. We are scheduled to close it up on Tuesday. I think he is ready to get the bandages off. Poor guy. No signs of pain or discomfort. He is still pretty slow to get going in the mornings but I guess he always was. You just see things a little differently when they are going through this. He will sometimes go up the steps but if he is tired or just doesn’t want to he won’t.
I’m not completely sure on how to post pictures but I wanted to give it a shot. These are from our trip to the vet yesterday. Had to stop at the store where he was not too happy (he’s never liked car rides and just him being his old self aka a Pain in the booty during them makes me happy)
SOOOOO HIAPPY TO HEAR THIS!!!😁😁 Yeah, we do notice things more than before the amp. As you said, Shooter has always done things at a "slow" pace, but now you notice it more. Sounds like Shooter is doing just fine being Shooter!!!
CUTENESS ALERT!! GET READY FOR CUTENESS OVERLOAD!!!!
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!
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