Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hello😁Our 5 yr old American Bulldog was recently diagnosed with Osteosarcoma and we chose to have her front right leg amputated on September 20th. Since her surgery, she has experienced knuckling on her back left leg.😩Somehow she’s managing to get outside but it’s a struggle with that back foot. She’s around 135 pounds.....so I know larger breeds take longer to recover. Has anyone dealt with this issue or have any help finding a solution? We’ve talked to the vet and they feel it will correct itself. Possibly a pinched nerve since she’s been laying on that side for so long. This has been so stressful on all of us. Any help is appreciated!!!
Rachel and Loki🐾
Rachel I'm glad you' posted, thanks. I'm in the Tripawds Chat right now if you want to talk. Back in a sec with some feedback...
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
So my first thought is, did the vet recommend any rehabilitation therapy? If not, I would ask for a referral or message me and I can find a therapist near you. A therapist can find out if she is in pain, and determine if this is something that can be addressed with therapy. Or, if perhaps it's in need of a specialist like a neurologist. This issue may or may not correct itself, but why wait? The Tripawds Foundation may pay for your first rehab visit , so click on the link for details.
Sorry to hear about the diagnosis but as you can see you and Loki are not alone. Got any photos you'd like to share? We would love to see them! Here are instructions for adding images to the Forums:
- Upload pics to a photo sharing site like imgur.com or your own Tripawds blog
- Right click and copy the Image URL
- Return to your Tripawds Forum post and paste the image URL (or the image itself if possible) in your post. It should automatically appear.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Vet did not recommend therapy. We can ask though! We ordered her a knuckling device to see if that will help? We have to figure out how we’re getting her back to the vet with this knuckling issue just to get her stitches out😩 We will upload a picture of our girl🐾
Sorry to hear about the knuckling. Otherwise, it sounds like your dog is doing well in recovery.
On a video here I recently heard the vet recommend that our pets should be repositioned a few times a day during recovery. He didn't say why but perhaps what happened to your dog is the reason. I know it's easy to reposition a cat compared to a 135 pound dog. Perhaps pillows or bolsters will work until you get some rehab. I'm not a vet, just putting out some ideas.
My cat went for chiropractic/massage treatments which really helped her body align. Not only that, she loved the treatments and would fall asleep. Some other treatments could include acupuncture along with physio. I'm sure it will make a big difference for your dog.
Hugs to both of you.
Kerren and Tripawd Kitty Mona
Kerren that is a great idea! Thanks for sharing. I know that when laying in one spot all day, our Wyatt sometimes gets up and acts as if his back leg had fallen asleep.
Rachel good job on the knuckling device as a temporary aid. That, combined with a harness, should help her tremendously until you figure out why this is happening.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
We just pulled up a Pet PT not far from us so we will give them a call once she’s healed enough! The retraining sock should be here soon, so praying something helps her! Yes, after her surgery, she laid on left leg entire night until we got there the next day at 3:30. They couldn’t get her to budge....hence she is a very stubborn Bulldog and that’s why we figured she do great with losing her bum leg! Praying once we get foot figured out and she’s healed up, we'll get our girl back to chasing UPS drivers who fear for their lives around Loki!! 🤦🏼♀️
What kind of retraining sock did you order?
We had a dog that went through that, but for her it was because of arthritis in her back and bulging discs. We had to order Toe-Up device with a boot from Ortho Pets for her, and our vet had to help with fitting it. Here's a link: https://orthope.....up-device/
It could only be worn for a couple of minutes at a time at first, then a little longer - it was more to help train her foot and to help stretch the muscles & tendons back.
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
Hey Donna! We ordered a rear no knuckling training sock from handicappedpets.com. Hopefully it helps. Thanks for info though in case it doesn’t work!!
Just an update on Loki!! After roughly 3 weeks of her back foot “knuckling” it FINALLY straightened out!! We have begun PT with her which seems to be helping gain back her muscle tone and help with her foot. So she is definitely heading in the right direction! She will have her 2nd dose of chemo next week.....but she seems to be doing great so far! She was 135 pounds at surgery, and is down to 120 now. So that’s beneficial to get some weight off!
~Rachel and Loki
YAHOO FOR LOKI!!! AND YAHOO FOR RACHEL TOO!! Deeeeelighted to hear the great news!! Youi are doing a great job of taking care of Loki, and it's showing in these great results!
And Loki is getting trim while getting more and more fit...YAY! That calls for one teeny tiny scoopmof oce cream to celebrate!😎
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!
Rachel that is wonnnnnnnderful news! 
You and Loki are on the right track to staying strong, I'm so hoppy for you guys.
We would love to see pictures or video of the exercises if you are able to do that.
GO LOKI!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Once we figure out how to add a picture of Miss Loki we will do so! We did take a video of her in the water therapy tank. She was NOT a fan of that and it started stressing her out too much😩So laser therapy and acupuncture for now!!!
thanks for all the input on this site! It has really made our journey a little easier knowing we’re not the only ones dealing with this!!!
And we found a “low fat” ice cream we can reward her with!!😂
Rachel and Loki🐾❤️
rachelie1967 said
Once we figure out how to add a picture...
Here are detailed instructions for adding photos to forum posts . If you don't already share photos online somewhere, you can start a free Tripawds blog any time and upload them there. Need further help? Post in the Tech Support forum and we'll be happy to help!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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