Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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hi guys,
so sorry to bother you.
Many dog had her front leg amputated due to bone cancer about 3 weeks ago. The past 2 weeks she has been walking around on her own and doing fine. Going up and down small steps and walking on her own.
Maybe tells 2 days ago while running. Not a hard fall, but since she hasn't wanted to get up. She will get up if we push her. And will walk, but won't go far before she lays back down. There is no visible signs of injury or pain.
Moshe is an older dog, maybe 10 years old, and she is a golden retriever.
My my dad wants to put her to sleep bc he doesn't think this is fair to her. But she was doing great these past 2 weeks. Is it possible she just lost confidence from the fall? And is it like for her to still be having trouble adjusting 3 weeks post op? Please help!
thank you all so very much.
To add add a few details, she is not skinny, but she is also not entirely over weight. She can stand and get up on her own, she just , doesn't stay up, and isnt walking around like she was the 2nd and 3rd week. Her name is Lucy and she is an amazing girl with such a deep and kind personality. She seems completely healthy otherwise. She drinks water. Loves carrots, and recently acquired a liking to ice cubes
Pease please help.
Lucy and family, welcome. You are definitely not bothering, we are here to help.
It sounds to me like Lucy is getting way too much activity for an older dog just 3 weeks past surgery. Running, walking, stairs, that's way too much. Scale back her activity and let her rest, she really only ought to be going on leashed potty walks and taking very, very short trips outside for fresh air. Please talk to your vet too, that will help you and your dad feel better about her situation.
We have tons of great tips about rehab therapy stretches, massage, etc, in our Tripawds e-books library. Our Best Tripawds Gear and Fitness Tips will also help.
Sounds like she's got a lot of great days ahead. It's hard not to be impatient and want to get there now, but you can do it! Tell your Dad we can answer any questions he has, we're here to ease your worries OK?
Stay tuned for more feedback from the great people here!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Aww..poor Lucy! Sure her confidence is probably shaken a little bit!
Before we had a diagnosis for Murphy, we had about 4 months on & off where he would have some bad days of pain. Sometimes when he went outside he would yelp out in pain and our terrier Max would just go at him. We could tell that Max was upset because he was trembling and acting scared, so I think it was more of a scared response to Murphy's yelping, not an aggressive response, but we did have to put a muzzle on Max whenever we would let them out to make sure that everyone was safe (Murphy was never hurt by Max, but we never wanted it to get to that point, either). One of the things since his surgery, is that even when everyone is having fun and playing, even when he wants to play, Murphy hangs back a little bit. He will tug of war sometimes, and he will chase a little bit, but most of the time he hangs back while Cassie & Max play and he barks (and barks and barks! lol). I think that even though it's been a long time now, he worries about possibly getting hurt, so he stands outside of the play circle.
I agree with Jerry that she probably was over-doing it a bit. Let her rest and just some short walks. She has to get used to walking a different way, too. If you have wood floors, put down some rugs with the rubber backing so that Lucy has some good traction
. And at 10 yrs old, she's a little bit of a senior, so she might take a little bit of extra time to adapt 
Keep us posted! And by all means, you are not bothering us ~ we have all been there!
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
A harness may help. A cheaper way to go about this is to take a canvas, reusable shopping bag and cut out the sides. Put it under her belly as a sling. The handles are in just the right spot for you to help support her as she walks. Also, is she still on pain meds? If not, maybe she came off too soon and asking vet about some pain control may help. I have a dog named Lucy too! Lori, Ty & the gang
TY GUY, Best Black Lab ever! Diagnosed and had amp in January, 2014. Kicked MRSA's butt. Earned his angel wings on April 16, 2014. Run Free my boy and don't forget a shoe. Ty is a proud member of the " April Angels". Ty sent us Daryl, a Tripawd rescue in Sept. of 2016. Daryl is 5 +or -. We are also Pawrents to Chandler, a Border Collie mix who is 15 and 1/2, Lucy, a Corgi who is 7, 2 minis, 2 horses, and a feisty cat named Zoe. Zoe had a non skeletal Osteosarcoma removed in July 2015. No Chemo, she was at least 16. She is going strong although she is now completely blind. She is now close to 20 and her hobbies are eating and sleeping in front of her personal heater.
Oh gosh! No "bother" at all! Everyone here understands the emotional stress, the second guessing, the lressure can be very, very hard! And we are here ro help you through the rough spots. It sounds like you are dealing with one of those "rough spots"...TEMPORARY rough spots!
Based on what you're sayi g...she's not in pain...she's eating...she's drinking...she's got her sparkling personality coming back...it's still early in recovery...she's not giving up!
I'm no vet, but I agree with Jerry, it sounds like she's just overdone it too early. It's very likely she's maybe strained her back, or pulled a muscle in her leg. A d she has no soreness or swelling in her joints, right? Have you had a vet check her out to make sure she hasn't torn a ligament or something like that?
Adjusting to mobility on three legs can I deed take a good month...especially if Lucy has overdone it. And "putting her down" just seems waaaay off base at this point!! She is an older dog and recovery can take a little longer, especially if she has overused muscles that she wasn't using before. It takes a period of adjustment to get all the mobility issues worked out.
It could be that, for a few days she may need to be on pain pills if she has overdone it....maybe even an anti-inflammatory. Again, check with your vet, but this just sounds like a "normal" bump in the road that can definitely happen this early in recovery!!
Lucy sounds like a DELIGHTFUL dog! Hope you will.post pictures...we love pictures around here! And let us know if your Dad has any other questions we can help answer, okay? We understand like no others can!!
Oh, and as Jerry said, you may try some light massage and light stretching before she gets up. Just give her lots of rest right now and see if your vet thinks she should have a light dose of pain meds.
Sending lots of healing energy and looking forward to your next update..
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle too!
As Jerry said, it's so hard ro be patient. Heck, if this happened to a human they would probably still be in the hospital and on pain meds!!
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!
My dog did the same thing three weeks out. Here's her thread: http://tripawds.....-standing/ and there's another called Riley's progress.
I would def recommend a trip to the vet. Could be anything from "tweaked a muscle during the fall with adjusting" to "blew out both back knees."
In Riley's case, it was her back knees and she's now on an injection called Adequan which is really helping her right now.
I hope you get a good outcome. We are all on this same rollercoaster.
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