Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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I'm sorry Arthur seems to be having a slow recovery. I have some thoughts I'd like to share with you.
First, try not to compare his with others. Arthur is his own dog, on his own timeline.
I'll try to address your concerns:
arthur is only 3 weeks post op tomorrow so I am fully aware he will still be in mild pain etc and I also know that he’ll never be fully 100% again.
You are correct, three weeks isn't a long time. However, Arthur has every chance to be 100% happy, healthy and pain-free as a Tripawd. It will be a new normal different from his life as a four legger, but by no means will he always be in pain or hobbling around. Which leads me to my thought about the pain he seems to be experiencing. He should not be having pain on a daily basis, it sounds like it needs to be alleviated and controlled with good pain management and canine rehabilitation therapy.
Have you discussed his situation with your veterinarian? A referral to a canine rehabilitation therapist will make all the difference for him, and for you, since they will explain the best activities for him to do in order to get strong and injury free. The best part is the Tripawds Foundation may pay for your first rehab visit , so please do take advantage of the program.
Yesterday he was chasing a cat and tripped and landed on his bad side.
This is the kind of thing that could set him back so early on. He should still be on slower, leashed walks building up bit by bit to about 1/3 of the walks he used to do. How far did he run? At three weeks out, it's probably too early to engage in any kind of fast, explosive activity. Repeatedly doing this will lead to muscle pulls and joint stress.
it happens and he’s crying his stump trembles (no other part of his body does) but whenever I rub it he settles down.
The pain signals Arthur is experiencing are probably not directly related to his trembling stump. This is normal behavior for an amputee's stump, even years after surgery. Our Wyatt Ray has a stump with a mind of its own. It is simply a disconnect of the nerves between the brain and the body. In some dogs its a sign of phantom pain but that doesn't sound like what you are describing.
Do you have any advice on this, should I pad it, is there anything I can do to prevent this? There is no point in dosing him up with pain relief in case he hurts himself, it only happens every few days.
Absolutely! Based on everything I'm reading about his activity level, and I'm not a vet so take this for what it's worth, but the way to prevent this is to take his activity level much, much slower, more gradually, and according to a canine rehabilitation expert's guidance. Keep in mind that pain medication is not always an "in case" of thing when it comes to new amputees. Some need ongoing medication for several weeks after surgery as their bodies get used to moving in an all new way. When combined with safer activity, and according to an expert's guidance, it's one of many parts to minimizing pain and stress in Tripawds.
Our own Wyatt Ray takes pain medication on a daily basis, at the age of ten. It does not "dope him up" it manages the pain of being on three legs for 10 years. He started about 2 years ago. We give it to him with guidance by his rehab therapist, and it's made a tremendous difference in his quality of life.
If you for some reason believe you don't have access to a rehabilitation therapist please let me know and I will be happy to search for one for you. Many people don't realize they have one closer to their home than they believe, happens all the time. And if for some reason there just isn't one within easy access for your, some will actually consult long-distance over Skype and the phone, and you can also get a head start on minimizing his injuries by checking out our e-book, Loving Life On Three Legs , which has lots of insight into keeping a Tripawd fit and injury free.
I really hope this helps your boy. Let me know what we can do OK?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Ditto everything Jerry has said. My Meg is almost three years post amp and still hopping happily, but the support we had from our rehab vet in building Meg’s strength post amp was invaluable. We still see her regularly now for acupuncture, which helps ease tension in Meg’s spine caused by the altered tripawd gait. She also takes a whole range of painkillers daily and is very far from doped out (lol). The Gabapentin did make her dopey for a day or two initially, but once her body began metabolising it, this effect ceased altogether.
Definitely, I would encourage you to cut right back on Arthur’s activity levels, as Jerry has said. You need to give his body time to adjust to the altered gait. His muscles and tendons are likely to be sore as everything in his body needs to realign. Working on his core strength will pay massive dividends. I would try not to let him run at the moment. I know it’s hard with some dogs ( I have one myself...) but that chase impulse they get when they see a cat (squirrel, rabbit, deer, you name it...). causes a surge in Adrenalin, which acts as a painkiller. They won’t feel the owies at the time, but they will surely feel them later when the Adrenalin wears off.
Rest assured, Arthur will get there. They really are all different and do things in their own way and at their own pace. Three weeks is nothing at all, though I’m sure it feels like an eternity to you.
Big hugs,
Meg, Clare and Angel Pie xxx
Ruby, Staffy, born June 2022, became a Tripawd, November 2023, adopted January 2024.
Also Angel Tripawd Meg (aka The Megastar), who died in April 2023, aged 14, after seven glorious years on three, and Angel Staffies Elsie Pie and Bille. In the pawprints of giants...
Hey, Meghan, I’ve just noticed you’re in the UK. Me too. Whereabouts are you?
Ruby, Staffy, born June 2022, became a Tripawd, November 2023, adopted January 2024.
Also Angel Tripawd Meg (aka The Megastar), who died in April 2023, aged 14, after seven glorious years on three, and Angel Staffies Elsie Pie and Bille. In the pawprints of giants...
Thank you for your advice!!! I have been in touch with the vet and we are booked to see a physio specialist and he also advises swimming/hydrotherapy with a licensed specialist, these are both beginning 6 weeks post op, so I’m going to keep him relatively contained for the next 2/3 weeks until I can get expert opinion on it.
it feels like a new day brings a new problem! Since I last posted, he’s been very aware of knocking himself and as a result has started walking diagonal, if you can picture it, bringing his remaining right hind leg up to his left front leg - I know you speak about his gait adjusting but he has walked absolutely perfectly up til now the last 18-24 hours? I don’t really know what has brought it on, but every few steps he takes he makes a wee noise almost like a whimper so I don’t know if this is pain or frustration. Like I say I will speak with the specialist in 2/3 weeks time, but in the mean time is there any way I can get him back to walking straight/normally like he has been? I’m anxious if I leave it for another 3 weeks he will actually really hurt himself or hinder his own progress by twisting his back/hip/spine. It’s hard to know
You've probably already covered this, but have you massaged up and down on his spine, neck and shoulder and noted any areas of tension? Any slight tension anywhere?
Based on what you described, and because he was walking fairly "normally" before, it certainly seems like he's tweaked something somewhere. Thst said, if I recall from trying to visuanhow my Hapoy Hannah's gait looked, her remaining rear levg did go a bit more to the center for balance
Is it possible to get him in for a visit with a Rehab Specialist sooner?? Or even your regular Bet? He may need some acupuncture, or massaging and stretching that a Rehab Specialist can show you how to do. It may be that the hydrotherapy is not the best course of action, at least at first anyway.....then again, maybe it is! An assessment by the Specialist can make rhe best determination.
Just throwing stuff out there.
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 there,
I agree with Sally. I would try and get him seen sooner. It does sound as though he may have tweaked something. I'm sure its nothing too serious, but much better to nip it in the bud. A little acupuncture or laser could be very helpful – also, massage, as Sally suggests – if he's got areas of tension. I understand that they may not want to start full-on physio until six weeks post op, but that doesn't mean they couldn't give you some gentle exercises and just check him over and give you advice yo set your mind at rest. I actually had a physio consult at the hospital when I collected Meg two days after her amputation and they gave me some very basic exercises to do. She then saw her rehab vet the following week and had laser on her scar.
Not sure how big Arthur is, but do you have a harness? The Ruffwear Webmaster Plus could be useful as it has a handle on the back so you'd be able to help him by supporting him as he walks.
We're half in London, half in Norfolk.
Meg, Clare and Angel Pie xxx
Ruby, Staffy, born June 2022, became a Tripawd, November 2023, adopted January 2024.
Also Angel Tripawd Meg (aka The Megastar), who died in April 2023, aged 14, after seven glorious years on three, and Angel Staffies Elsie Pie and Bille. In the pawprints of giants...
Are you anywhere near these people? I don't know anything about them other than through their website, but they specialise in rehab and look pretty promising to me
Ruby, Staffy, born June 2022, became a Tripawd, November 2023, adopted January 2024.
Also Angel Tripawd Meg (aka The Megastar), who died in April 2023, aged 14, after seven glorious years on three, and Angel Staffies Elsie Pie and Bille. In the pawprints of giants...
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