Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Beamer is 12 days out from his front limb amputation and his hips are really bothering him. Any encouraging words or suggestions? Will those muscles strengthen and become easier? He only gets up when he has to. I think otherwise he feels good. His appatite is great and he ask to be petted. He really only gets up to eat and go potty.
He is already on Rimadyl, Gabapentin, Tramadol, fish oil and chondroitin/glucosamine.
Thanks
Gina
Hi Gina,
Well, 12 days out isn't a long time really. What is his activity level like? He should still be resting more than playing, and not doing a whole lot of heavy exercise.
Yes, his muscles will strengthen but it won't happen on their own. Now is the time to spend some great quality time together to help him get strong. It only takes a few minutes a day, less than 15. You can expedite things by checking out our Gear blog for exercise tips, which include:
- Building core muscle strength through unstable surface work (i.e., walking on couch cushions, in sand, stepping over obstacles like broomsticks on the ground, etc.).
- Taking shorter walks instead of long ones, and doing fun games that help build proprioception (awareness of where his feet are in relation to the ground). We have lots of balance game ideas in the gear blog.
Finally, what is his weight like? If he is at all slightly overweight this will make it more challenging to get around. This Nutrition blog post talks about how to tell if your dog is overweight.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thank you so much for the tips and info.
His activity level is minimal. He only gets up to go potty and eat. He really just goes out to do his business, he might sit for a min. But he immediately is ready to come back in and lay down. Last night is the first night he walked me a little farther than he had been. I can tell he is becoming a little more interested, it just seems like a struggle to actually get his behind off the floor and his back legs seem very clumsy as he walks. The vet says his weight is good. When they checked him out before surgery they said he had arthritis in both hips with more muscle loss in the right. I was just wanted to know if there is something i could do to help him recover stronger. And piece of mind that he his recovering well for the stage he is at.
Thank you again for the information and the continuation of this website to help all of us cope.
gina
Hey Gina that's good to hear that he checks out at the vet. One thing I forgot to ask, do you have enough traction down on the floors in your house?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Sorry to hear Beamer is having some trouble.
The other thing I'd like to mention is, when we switched Magnum from glucosamine to a glucosamine/chondroitin/MSM blend for her arthritis it made such a difference to her mobility. I've heard great things about the MSM when it is used with the other two ingredients for humans and I've certainly seen it in how Magnum responded.
The other thing you could consider is a vet physio/rehab specialist.
Good luck and please let us know how things go.
Karen and Spirit Magnum
Magnum: 30th May 2002 to 5th May 2012. Lost her back left leg to osteosarcoma on 5th Sep 2011. Lung mets found on 20th Mar 2012 but it was bone mets in the hip that ended her brave battle. Magnum's motto - "Dream as if you'll live for ever, live as if you'll die today" (James Dean). Loyal, loving, courageous and spirited to the end. My beloved heart dog, see her memoirs from Rainbow Bridge ...... http://princess.....pawds.com/
Hi Gina, I don't have any direct advice as we didn't have this problem (since Abby was so young) but I wonder if some acupuncture would help? Some here have tried it with their dogs and had good success with it.
I hope you can get some help for Beamer,
Jackie, Angel Abby's mom
Abby: Aug 1, 2009 – Jan 10, 2012. Our beautiful rescue pup lived LARGE with osteosarcoma for 15 months – half her way-too-short life. I think our "halflistic" approach (mixing traditional meds + supplements) helped her thrive. (PM me for details. I'm happy to help.) She had lung mets for over a year. They took her from us in the end, but they cannot take her spirit! She will live forever in our hearts. She loved the beach and giving kisses and going to In-N-Out for a Flying Dutchman. Tripawds blog, and a more detailed blog here. Please also check out my novel, What the Dog Ate. Now also in paperback! Purchase it at Amazon via Tripawds and help support Tripawds!
I'm sorry your pup is having some soreness issues
I'd agree with Jerry and also with Karen and Jackie on their suggestions. Switching to a different joint supplement with MSM in it, especially, may help. What works for one dog, doesn't necessarily work for the other, I've found.
Some products I use are from: http://www.spri.....imeinc.com , http://www.petw.....blends.com and http://www.thew.....ticpet.com
For my tripawd, Maggie, she is on the joint blend from Pet Wellness and also on MSM from Wholistic Pet. My other quadpawd is on Springtime products for her joints.(shoulder injury).
Maybe you could find someone that does massage/chiropractic/accupuncture/cold laser?
And I can attest to the core work...Maggie gets 3 sessions of 5 min. long per week. If she doesn't get those, her front end gets weak witnessed by muscle shaking upon rising.
Tracy, Maggie's Mom
Maggie was amputated for soft tissue sarcoma 10-20-09
Maggie lost her battle with kidney disease on 8-24-13
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