Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi!
My one year old beagle mix Joey had his front leg amputated this past Thursday. Everything is going great with recovery! Joey is doing great with getting around, he can go up and down the stairs and he has even jumped on the couch (it was an accident). He has not even tried to go after his incision so no cone of shame , for now it is just a shirt. The one issue we are having is with separation anxiety. We have him in an X-pen because he hates his crate and the only time he will not cry is when I am not in it with him. The first two nights I slept on the floor in there with him and spent most of the days inside it. Naturally, I can not live inside this thing with him his who recovery especially when I have to go to work tomorrow. I was wondering if anyone had suggestions of how to deal with this issue. I do not want him stressed out all day but taking off work right now is not an option.
So far, we have tried distractions such as a frozen kong and a deer antler but it does not work (I guess he loves me more). Also, it doesn't matter if someone else is in there with him, he still cries for me. I plan on putting in a call to the vet in the morning but would love suggestions from other tripawds, thanks!
Thanks,
Joey and Sarah
Sarah I'm in the Tripawds Chat right now for a few minutes if you want to talk.
Glad to hear Joey is making a good recovery overall. My main question is, did he do this before the surgery?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi Sarah and Joey!
It sounds like ajoey has the recovery thing down pat...! Like Jerry asked, did Joey suffer from separation anxiety? Could your vet suggest an anxiety pill? Could it be related to the medications he’s in? I will hope that your vet is able to advise you.
My Stewie can’t be left behind anywhere either, but it doesn’t sound like it’s as bad as Joey. Try spending a little more time away from him. You will have to put up with lots of displeasure, but my thought is that your boy is very insecure right now, as they all are during this very difficult transition period. You need to check your own feelings when you are with him.... are you feeling sorry for him? Are you afraid for him? Any negative thoughts you feel, he will feel! Be pawsitive around him for sure. He may be worried about you leaving him, because you are worried about leaving him... is it possible to leave him in a room in a closed space? Could the enclosed area that he is, be troubling him?
Phew... lots of questions and not much help hey! Keep in touch, maybe we can help you along the way...
All the best from Petra, Super Stu and his feline Pride!
Remember...“live in the moment!“ 
Glad to hear Joey is on the road to a good recovery. The first couple of weeks can be rough in so many ways.
You've gotten great advice from Petra.
Just wondering what kind of pain meds Joey is on and the frequency? It's lrobe not pain relsted, but just thought I'd mention it.
Hipe things get figured out.
Sending continued best wishes for a smooth recovery
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!
It's good to hear that Joey is doing well physically.
Is this a new behavior or did it just start after the amp?
I've been dealing with Sep Anx with my Tripawd since I adopted her just over 2 years ago. I'm not sure if it was triggered by the car accident that led to her amp at 7 months old, or the fact that she was re-homed so much, I was her 4th home at 10 months of age, maybe a combination.
Hopefully this is a new behavior that you can solve quickly. I've been working with Elly for the two years I've had her and we are still having issues. Even mild Sep Anx can take lots of time and effort to fix.
The first thing I would try is letting Joey out of the x-pen and maybe confine him to one or two rooms. It is important to keep him quiet while he heals, but you don't want to exacerbate his anxiety issues. Does he sleep with you at night normally? When my quad pug Obie, who doesn't have Sep Anx but other issues, had his knee surgeries I put my mattress on the floor so he could still sleep with me and I didn't have to worry about him trying to jump up or down.
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
Hi guys!
Sorry it took me so long to reply, as you guys all probably know it has been a crazy week with recovery. I think I finally figured the separation anxiety piece out. We are now using the x-pen as a gate to block off a doorway and have another doorway blocked off which allows him access to the family room and kitchen. He has been SO much happier. No more crying when I leave the room and he doesn't have to be on my lap at all times. We are also back to sleeping in my bed at night like usual which makes us both much happier. I appreciate all of the ideas!
As for his first week, he has been doing fantastic except for Monday. Monday morning he woke up puking and puked most of the day. I was in contact with the vet all day but luckily didn't have to take him in since he did not have anything else going on. I think it ended up being from a combination of all the medicines, stress from the x-pen and stress from the surgery. Since he puked all day we got really behind with his pain meds but we finally got back on top of the pain and we cut out a medication that was most likely to hurt his stomach. He seems like he has been in a little more pain the past few days but I think it is mainly because he has been a little more active.
Joey is scheduled to get his staples out on Monday. Any advice about what to expect with that? Also, Joey's left back leg, the same side as the amputation, seems to be acting a little weird. He likes to bring it up by this head and hold it there sometimes or he just kinda holds it up when he is laying there, any ideas why he is doing this?
Thanks,
Sarah and Joey
Staple removal is amazingly simple and quick, the vast majority of dogs and cats tolerate it very easily. It will likely be over before you know it. Thanks for the update! Please keep us posted...
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi again Sarah & Joey,
phew Thank goodness Joey is okay after his day of vomiting! Poor lad! Glad for you both that you got it under control.
smcgee said
we finally got back on top of the pain and we cut out a medication that was most likely to hurt his stomach. He seems like he has been in a little more pain the past few days but I think it is mainly because he has been a little more active.
Did you find a replacemnumed for the one that you cut out? And how much more active are two questions that come to mind...
it is really important to stay on top of the painmeds for sure, so don’t feel bad about bugging your vet to check on doses etc. Every dog recovers differently so vets don’t always have the right stats for your dog in particular, so keep your vet informed. You know your dog best. The other critical component to an easier recovery is complete bedrest! Sometimes our fur kids tell us they’re feeling great and in most cases they really are, but they need to be reminded that they need complete rest up until they get there staples out. And even after that you need to be the best judge fork your dog or Joey will have to Timbuctooand you’ll have to get him home from there! You will see an even greater improvement, as Joey finds his skin free of itchy pokey stuff. But we really had to remind ourselves to tell our Stewie to take it easy. Too often we would find him sitting on a short walk and then we knew we had pushed him too far. (Thanks to that great advice in this site.)
Stewie did and sometimes still does get signs of Phantom limb pain when he has done too much. But that has lessened considerably since we started him on acupuncture.
Joey is scheduled to get his staples out on Monday. Any advice about what to expect with that?
It’s all uphill from here!! Yay Joey!
Stitches out day is usually a pretty big deal around here! Take I super easy until then Kay?! Let us know how you’re feeling!
Also, Joey's left back leg, the same side as the amputation, seems to be acting a little weird. He likes to bring it up by this head and hold it there sometimes or he just kinda holds it up when he is laying there, any ideas why he is doing this?
I’m sorry, I can’t help out in this behaviour but I did get a good giggle at the mental picture... “yup, uh huh, that ones still there... yup, uh huh!” 
All the best from, Petra, Stewie & Gang.
Just catching up on your adorable Joeu! 'So glad thi gs are improving and you got the sep anx worked out! Good job! 🙂 🙂
I liked Petra's comment on Joey checking ro make sure his other leg is still there!!! 🙂 🙂
He may need some Rehab therapy to keep all his remaining legs and muscles strong. When you go get stitches out you can have Vet check him out. Itsw probw just a position that feels comfortableand secure for him now.
Let us know how things are going when you can. And we would loooove to see pics! 🙂
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!
Hi guys!
Joey officially has all of his stitches and staples out!! He had 34 staples and 6 stitches. Getting them all removed seemed a little uncomfortable for him because a few of the staples were pretty far in because of how much his skin has healed. The vet said he looks like he is doing fantastic and that I can try and cut back on his pain meds. He seems pretty uncomfortable tonight but I think a lot of it is that he is super itchy.
As requested here are some Joey pictures....
[Image Can Not Be Found]
This was one of the first nights when he first let me put a shirt on him which he liked much better than the cone and I think he has come to like his shirts
[Image Can Not Be Found]This was his first night home when he finally figured out a way to get comfortable.
[Image Can Not Be Found]
This is what I refer to as his "model shot" that I took a couple of days ago.
I will try to update in a few days to let you guys know how he is doing without his staples.
Thanks,
Joey and Sarah
Looks like the pictures did not show up correctly, how is the best way to post pictures? I tried the "insert photo" button but I can't figure out how to add a picture
Stitches and staples out...yay!!!
Here is how you post pictures in the forums, they have to be hosted on line somewhere.
Most pups here are on pain meds for about two weeks, some a little longer. I think Maggie didn't need them after 2 weeks, but I was tapering down the last couple of days.
Can't wait to see pictures!
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
Yay Joey! Congratulations on getting your gazillion staples and sutures out! You got this healin’ thing down pat buddy! Rembrandt to still take it very easy on yourself... I know it’s realy hard for a beautifully excitable boy like yourself!
Try agin with the pictures. Well look forward to seeing them. If you have a blog started, then you can add pictures from your media library. Just copy & paste into the forum. Otherwise the link that Karen gave is far more helpful!
All the best
Stewie & Gang!
YA FOR JOEY!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 STITCHES ARE OUT!!!! 🙂 🙂
My Happy Hannah was on pain meds for avput three weeks, although I was reducing them somewhere along the way. Every dog is different, so just follow Joey's lead.
Will keep checking for the pictures! It took me months befow I could figure out posting pics!
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!
I think I figured it out!
This was Joey his second night home when I got a shirt on to him to stop him from getting at his incision.
This was Joey his first nigh home showing off his big incision.
This was Joey the other night looking cute in what I am calling his "model shot"
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