Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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My sweet old girl, Gisele (Gelly for short), had her front right leg amputated last night emergently. She was diagnosed back in mid July with osteosarcoma, but we opted to hold off on doing the surgery at the time because of her arthritis in her back and hips. We weren't confident she would be able to support herself after the surgery. She had done extraordinarily well, still walking , jumping and playing with little to no pain or limping. Then 2 weeks ago, her tumor began to grow aggresively, and eventually opened up and was exposed. It grew from the size of a golf ball to a tennis ball to an orange. Things went from bad to worse quickly, and yesterday, the exposed tumor began bleeding uncontrollably. The vet said we had only 2 options - take the leg right then, or euthanize her. Other than the tumor growing on her leg, she is an otherwise healthy and alert dog. So putting her down was no option. She went off to surgery still bleeding with a low blood count. No one was sure she would make it off the table. But 2 hrs later, we got the call that all went well and she was doing great! We brought her home today, and even though she is doing fairly well, I am left trying to teach my nearly 15 yr old sweetie how to stand and walk all over again. She is extremely weak and wobbly. She doesn't want to stand and plops down as soon as I get her up. She has taken 2-3 steps at most, but that was only with some nudging and a sling support. I want to get her legs strengthened, but am not sure how to do it without causing her pain. Does anyone have any suggestions on exercises I can do with her without forcing her to stand and walk before she's ready to?
Hello and welcome, your future posts will not have to wait for approval.
Wow- 15 years old! Gelly sounds like quite a trooper.
Right now she should only be going for short, leashed potty breaks, the rest of the time she should be resting. Some pups take a couple days to get their 'sea legs' and it seems to take the older pups a little longer sometimes. It's too early to do any strengthening with her.
The first couple of days after surgery there is still surgery meds in her system so being wobbly makes sense- and the pain meds can cause some sedation which doesn't help.
Focus now on getting her through the recovery period- it can be full of ups and downs. After the sutures or staples come out you can start thinking about exercises.
The Reading List has lots of helpful links on what to expect with amputation and recovery, we also have several ebooks available from the Tripwads Library with information from this site.
We are here to help.
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
Thank you for the suggestions. She's practically immobile right now and I worry about her losing all muscle tone. She's a fighter and it's hard to see her struggling like this. I'm hoping she has a good night tonight.
Looook at that sweet face in the avatar!! Your Giselle is beautiful!!
I'm sorry you are on this journey but, as Karen said,we are here to help. You are not alone. We understand the ups and downs, the fears, the uncertainties, fhe stress, the exhaustion, et involved in getting through the recovery phase! UGH!!
As Karensaid, Gelly is very drugged right now. She probably came home with Tramadol, Gabapentin, Rimadyl and an antibiotic. The hospital meds are still in her system for another day or two also.
It is MAJOR SURGERY and, she was already in a weakened condition prior to surgery. So the fact that she is not walking yetand is weak and wobbly is perfectly NORMAL!! And her surgery was last night and she came home today...very, very, very early in recovery!!
Right now rest, drinking and peeing are the most important things. Eating would be nice but she's probably to sore and druggy right now for that. Poop may take a few days.
Woulde worry too much for trying to get her to stand or walk today or even tomorrow. It may mean she pees in the bed, but that's okay. Right now she's just not ready to try and stand and walk. .any dogs would still be in the hospital today working through the hospital meds.
STAY CONNECTED!! Update us when you can. She's a senior, she's just had MAJOR surgery, she's on pain medsand is less than 24 hrs out of surgery. If all she wants to do right now is rest and she is fairly comfortable, that's good!
These next several days and into the next week or two, will require a lot of patience and confidence on your part. You got rid of a very painful leg and Gelly is very grateful for that! She'll get stronger in due time. Hang in there!
Lots of 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!
So last night was not the good night I hoped it would be. She whimpered and panted almost the whole night. I slept on the floor next to her, but it didn't help very much. We didn't get a tramadol prescription after surgery because she was doing so well on the fentanyl. But I called this morning and got it added for breakthrough pain. I'll probably just give it to her at night. Something to take the edge off and help her sleep.
Her standing is getting better. And she did hop about 4-6 steps while trying to pee this morning. Going to the bathroom has been difficult. She is stubborn and won't go if she can't sniff around, which she can't right now. But she finally gave in and went at noon. First time since 8 pm last night. I'm definitely feeling better about it all. I had that guilty "what have I done to her" feeling going on. But if she can spend her last days with us, no matter how long it will be, without pain, it's all worth it.
Oh gosh! There ARE some HUGE things to celebrate!!! Gelly Did sts d!!! YAY!!!! She DID take some steps!!YAY! And she peeeeed!!! Big YAAAAAAAAAY FOR that!!
Sooooo glad you got the Tramadol!!! This is MAJOR SURGERY and it hurts!!!! Even with the latch, almost all Vets prescribe Tramadol a d/or Gabapentin on a continuous basis! If you wait for the pain to get ahead start, it's very hard to get it back under control. So PLEASE speak with your Vet about doeses at least twice a day, if not three! Humans woukd still be in the hospital on a.morphine drip!!
I think most pain patches are only good for around three days anyway...not sure as each one can be different. She most likely definitely needs some more pain pills though!
My Happy Hannah was restless and whining for the first three nights seemingly nonstop! Almost everyone of us here slept on tne floor for weeks, especially if they weren't able ro go upstairs and sleep in the bed.
The pain patch can make them whacky and you may see a little more awareness when it comes off. When will that be???
It does sound like she is in pain through, so I hope getting her started on the Tramadol helps!!!
Thanks for the update and we are watching for more!!
Lots of hugs!!!
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
PS. It took me about three weeks before I coukd say I did this FOR my Happy Hannah and not TO her!!! So during this recovery, continuously remind yourself this is FOR her!!
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 am so impressed by your 15 year old Gelly!!! You go girl!!!
pam
Harmony became a Tripawd on 10/21/14 (MCT). She left us way too soon on 11/1/14.
"We miss you so much; our love, our heart, our Harmony."
- Pam, Ron and Melody, Meesha, Doublestuff and Mariah Carey
Yeah 15 is super impressive! So of course, being a mature pup, she will need extra TLC and time to recover, but she'll get there! Here's a suggestion about the Tramadol:
I'll probably just give it to her at night. Something to take the edge off and help her sleep.
One thing I've learned is that you really want to keep the doses consistent day and night. It's much easier to keep pain under control before it gets so bad that she gives signs that it hurts. Whatever dose your vet gave you, be sure to give it at the designated intervals throughout the day. I learned this lesson when I was recovering from a bad accident. Whenever I waited until the pain got too bad, it took more time to eliminate it with painkillers. Once I just decided to keep the dosages consistent over a couple of weeks, I felt much better and it allowed me to heal faster. The same will be true for Gelly.
I know you must be exhausted though. Try to nap with her when you can, it really helps. And know that we're cheering you on, you'll both look back on this soon and be so proud you got through it!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
That's why we call it a roller coaster!
After Maggie's amp surgery and my quad pug Obie's two knee surgeries they were on both a fentanly patch and tramadol. Many here are on tram and gabapentin. Did the vet not give anything but the fentanyl? When does the patch come off?
Here are some blog posts on how to recognize and treat pain and here are the latest pain management protocols. Don't be shy about talking to the vet about her pain management . Dogs are really good at hiding their pain so when the start showing signs it must really hurt!
Sometimes the whiny-ness is from coming down off the surgery meds, and just to make it extra hard it can also be a side effect of some pain meds, including fentanly.
Standing and hopping getting better...yay!
I've only be priveledged to make it past 11 years once with my dogs, Tani was almost 15 when she crossed. I LOVE Gelly's grey muzzle!
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
Here is a Thread Lisa's daughter started on the same pup- Giselle.
Just in case anyone thought they were seeing double 15 year old Tripawds!
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
Thank you all for the great advice. Gelly is definitely doing better. But for some reason, I can't get her to settle down and sleep at night. I took your advice to give her the tramadol regularly to keep her pain at bay. And expected it to make her drowsy. But she spent the entire night panting and whining. I tried laying with her on the floor, but she wouldn't stop. Then the next thing I knew, she was up and walking around the bedroom! She fell once and yelped, but otherwise was doing a pretty good job hopping around. But no sleep. Not a wink. I can't tell if she's having pain, if the meds are keeping her up instead of making her tired, if she's anxious and scared, or if she has to go out to go potty (she's peeing ok now, but still no BM going on 4 days). Now today, she's sleeping all afternoon, and I'm worried she's going to get her sleep cycles all screwed up. I'm also worried about her wanting to get up and walk around on her own. I'm afraid she's going to hurt herself or pull out her staples. I'm so happy she's progressing so quickly, but I don't want her rushing things.
Hello! I am Lisa's/rnlc68's daughter. We went to the store today, and were informed by my father, the Giselle successfully walked from the living room floor to my kitchen! It is amazing and extraordinary, that after 3 1/2 days she was able to walk (hop) about twenty steps around the house! Though we still need help with her, she has not pooped since the surgery. We are in need of advice to get her bowels moving again.
Hearing how she is adjusting is just wonderful!!! She's quite an amazing gal!! YAY FOR GISELLE! 🙂
Some swear by pumpkin puree...the NATURAL kind, no added spices, no added sugars, etc.jist a couple of teaspoons may do the trick. Also some have tried a bit of Olive Oil..
Is the pain patch still on? Although my Happy Hannah didn't have one, I understand dogs can have a little "reactio " as they are withdrawing from it. Not sure that's even the case,so check with your Vet.
She'll get her days and nights straightened out. Right now the pain meds may have her a bit confused a d restless. Feeling the need to poop but not sble to go yet, could be making her restless too.
The fact that she's resting comfortably now and sleeping, even if it is daytime, is good!! Just curious, when was she given Tramadol today? Did the nap happen within an hour or two of her Tramadol?
Hang in there!! Poop will halpen, sleep with happen and recovery will happen!! 🙂
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!
Ok, first off, Gelly's FACE. Seriously cute with the frosty muzzle
Definitely read the links Karen gave you about pain medication. Not all vets are well versed in pain management and MANY under medicate for it. Be proactive with him/her about it as you are Gelly's advocate. Tramadol, gabapentin and an nsaid are typically used to counteract the different pain mechanisms. Some dogs are also on a fentanyl patch, but those wear off and are only useful short term. My dog is unable to have an nsaid, but they are very useful drugs, especially for a senior. The fact that Gelly is elderly and already had some arthritic issues will add to her pain as she has to adjust her body to compensate for the loss of her leg. I played with the dosing until I felt that I could keep the pain fairly stable. My dog was on 150mg tramadol (3 pills) every 8 hrs. I ended up giving him 2 at once and 1 more 2 hrs or so later. The intention was to avoid the pain spiking which is hard to come back from like Jerry said. It is hard to know exactly how they are feeling as tramadol can make them pant as does pain (ugh!) and my boy was pretty loopy that first week. Once I started weaning him off, he became more himself and more active, but I don't regret trying to make him as pain free as possible.
Poop will happen. Lots of dogs on here have taken days and days to go and it's not as critical as peeing. Mine managed to go 27 hours WITHOUT PEEING. Talk about crazy worried! I was using pumpkin to give Fionn his pills before surgery and added it to his food after just in case. I think he pooped on day 3. I had another dog who the vet had me give miralax to help him poop past a rectal tumor. You would have to check on the dosage, but it Miralax is safe to give dogs. I think now that Gelly is able to move around more, things will likely happen naturally.
This first week is AWFUL, TERRIBLE and super STRESSFUL. You WILL get through it, but it is exhausting. At first it looked like she would never get up and now look. She's figuring it out! Baby steps at first. You can read my dog's blog. Its a day by day chronicle of ALL the horrible things we went through AND all the great stuff! If nothing else, you will see you are not alone in worrying!
fionnsjourney.tripawds.com
And, if I may, can we see some more pictures of her? We LOVE pictures here!
Nancy and Fionn
Nancy- mom to the FABULOUS Fionn. He rescued me in 2015 when he was 6.
Right front leg amputation at age 7 for osteosarcoma 10/6/16. Taken too soon 6/12/17. Read about our journey here:
http://fionnsjo.....pawds.com/
Hello! It's been awhile since my last post, so I wanted to post a quick update on how Gelly is doing. If I had know how well she would be getting around, I wouldn't have waited as long as we did to get the amputation done. I had convinced myself she wouldn't be able to stand or walk because of her spinal arthritis, but boy has she proven me wrong! She has made a full recovery post op. Gelly is walking around independently, can manage a few stairs, and is even jumping up on the couch. She does still stumble at times and face-plants on the ground if she's moving too quickly. And she does get tired quickly and takes frequent breaks. So yesterday I ordered a harness so we can start going for walks again and she can build up some strength. She loves her walks! I've been having her walk around on the couch cushions to build up her core strength. I thought about getting her one of those balance cushions - the fitbone or donut - but at 15, I don't think there's any chance of getting her to stand on one. The couch is WAY easier for her to manage. Even with all her progress and amazing attitude, I do still have 2 concerns. She pants a lot, especially at night. I don't know if she's having pain, or if it's anxiety, or what it is. She doesn't act like she's in pain, but then again, she didn't seem to be in much pain with a grapefruit sized tumor on her leg either. So clearly, I'm not a good judge of that. And she is licking her remaining front paw all the time. I guess my fear is there is something wrong with that leg now. But I'm hoping it's just her arthritis and the stress from full weight bearing on that one leg. Other than that, she is quickly getting back to her old self. Thanks for all the encouragement and advice! I don't know what I would have done without the Tripawds community. I'd share a picture of Gelly feeling back to normal at 3 weeks post amputation, but I can't seem to do it. Oh well!
Thanks!
Lisa
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