Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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It has been awhile since I have posted on Tess. She had a rear left leg removed in September of 2021, due to a recurring soft-tissue sarcoma. This fall she was diagnosed with kidney issues. That seems better (no recent bloodwork)...After starting her on twice a week fluids her appetite is pretty normal, and she is eating the kidney diet she would not touch before.
We had stopped water treadmill for the summer, but with the kidney issues, she began experiencing rear limb weakness, causing her to drop her behind on or near the ground. This has been better, and not, depending on the day. The vet also upped her Galliprant that another vet in the practice had decreased on reorder, since she had lost some weight - but it was decreased a little too much. We restarted rehab about 8 weeks ago, and have been giving her Myos muscle builder. I am not sure if the Myos is helping yet, though the company says in older dogs (Tess is 15), it may take 3 months to kick in. She has been on it 7 weeks. A couple of maybe related issues...After her amputation she began experiencing seborrhea, and even with shampoos and such she itches a lot. Has anyone else experienced this? Any solutions? We did a perscribed antibacterial /steroid spray for a bit, and it helped, but didn't get rid of it. She licks her stomach area a lot, and it is mostly hairless. It seemed this started right after her amputation...May be coincidence, but maybe not. Now, in the last week, she has developed a pressure sore on her left shoulder area. She usually lays on the left (her amputation side), I think because it gives her her right foot to push up on to get up. When she wasn't feeling well with the kidney issues, she was laying around even more, and I think that precipitated the pressure sore. Now...How to get rid of it, and keep it away? I know these can get serious. Hers is about the size of a quarter, and there appears to be some pus in it. I am calling the vet first thing tomorrow, but just wondered if anyone else has thoughts or solutions? She has two beds, but often chooses to lay on our ceramic tile floor. We have in-floor heat - I don't know if that affects it one way or the other. With the sore, I know we will have to stop rehab until that heals, which will affect her mobility. About the time I think things are better...
Aww it's good to hear from you. Sounds like Tess still has a lot of sparkle in her despite the medical issues. What a strong girl! Thanks to your advocacy she is making it through those challenges!
Myos is supposed to be great stuff and I would definitely give it some time.
The skin condition is unusual. I can't recall anyone else mentioning it here but I'll search the forums tomorrow when I'm on my laptop.
As for the pressure sore... yes the floors are a problem. Is there any way to make sure she spends more time on the beds? Hopefully as she puts on more muscle her bones won't rub on the floor so much. But until then I would try your best to keep her on carpeted areas.
One more thought: a dog sweater might really help too! A nice fleece one that can act as a barrier between her body and the floor. Our Tripawds Gear shop has some from Ruffwear but of course you can find a zillion out there for her. I'll try to think of other ideas.
Oh does your vet know about the sore?
Thanks for your comments, Jerry. I will check out the sweaters...although she has always been a chronically "too warm" dog! She will not lay on her beds or blanket for long, and she can no longer get up on the couch.
Our vet thinks the wound is definitely a pressure sore. He cleaned it up, shaved around it, and gave her a long-acting antibiotic injection. He found and treated another spot on her back that I didn't see - possible a ruptured sebaceous cyst. He also sent her home a antibacterial spray, and with an omega supplement to see if that will help her general skin problems. She also has some fluid under the skin in front of that lesion, which he thinks is from continued trauma from laying down. I don't know if that is contributing any to the mobility issues, or not.
He mobility today is bad. She is basically scooting everywhere. We have to skip rehab this week, too, until the lesion has a chance to get better - he doesn't want her in the water treadmill just yet. The mobility bothers me...some days she is quite good, but today is bad. She had soft tissue sarcoma, so they don't want to cold laser her, although that might help. I keep hearing the Myos is great, but shouldn't we be seeing some improvement after weeks? What have others experienced? It would help a lot of issues if she was more mobile. I keep hoping the Myos will kick in, but I fel pretty hopeless on days like today. Her situation is complicated by hyperflexion in her front legs especially the left...She had this before the amputation. She wears braces during the day for that.
You are so welcome. I'm glad the vet saw the affected areas and they're being treated. Sounds like a reasonable plan.
Oh as for the sweaters, you could also try something a little cooler than a fleece sweater, but still offers a barrier between her and the floor, like the Cloud Chaser.
I'm sorry about her mobility struggles today. Is she on any pain meds other than Galiprant? And does your rehab therapist offer any other modalities besides water treadmill? I'm wondering if with her skin issues, it might be a good idea to drop that altogether and try other therapies like acupuncture and massage.
Forgot to say that with laser therapy, it could help, but there are other things you can try first that also have more studies behind them, like acupuncture.
Oh and the Myos....I would call the company and ask them what they think. I know they're a reputable biz and come highly recommended from a vet surgeon I really respect. Give them a call to see what they think about her dosage, and when you can expect results.
Thanks again, Jerry. The only vet that does acupuncture is about an hour from us. No one in the town where we vet does it. (Our vet clinic is 20 miles from us.) She is on Galliprant once a day, and we added gabapentin about 6 weeks ago at 200 mg 2x a day. We have given less gabapentin to see if that was affecting her mobility or balance. It doesn't seem to make a difference. Our rehab / vet tech feels it is more strength - that when her kidney issues started she lost protein and therefore muscle strength. That is why we hoped the Myos would help. I did contact the company, and they said it may take up to 3 months for it to work in older dogs. We are at 7 weeks, but I would think there would be at least some improvement - and definitely not going backwards like we are. The rehab person suggested we get her a "Help Me Up" harness. I guess I will have to. I feel like that is giving up on the Myos working. As far as her skin, it mostly wasn't better or worse when we went off of it during the summer. It was felt that the water treadmill is her best bet, although laser has been discussed. Because she had cancer, we would need to be careful, as it stimulates cell division. I am thinking it may be worth the risk on her front (her cancer was on the rear limb), with her hyperflexion. If I put my hand under her amputated side, and just give her a little support she walks just fine, but as soon as I remove my hand she just sits immediately. She took a few steps without scooting today, but not many.
Ah, so you've done a lot of homework with treatment and meds, and I totally understand how living in a rural area affects vet choices. That's a tough one. At least you have a rehab team who you're working with, which is a huge advantage!
You are definitely not giving up on the Myos by getting her a harness. It's similar to how older people use mobility aids along with other therapies for better quality of life. It's a part of aging in dogs and humans that we learn to manage over time. you're figuring it out now for her so that she can have a good quality of life.
Water treadmills are great, but they are for building stamina, not strength. So, letting go of hydrotherapy isn't something you should worry about. I agree, take the risk on the laser therapy and give it a try. As far as I understand, the potential to stimulate cell division has not been thoroughly studied and evidence is not conclusive.
Is your therapist prescribing any gentle strengthening exercises for her? If so how are those going? Do you notice any difference?
As Jerry said, you have really done your homework in researching best options for sweet Tess. And yes, I can relate to living in a rural area as it often equates to limited diagnostics and less access to more "advanced" therapies, rehab, etc. On top of that, regardless of where you love, finances (or lack thereof) unfortunately play a role too.
Clearly you have left no stone unturned when it come to care for Tess.
Jerry, as always given excellent advice. Regardless of our best efforts, aging will ALWAYS hinder one@@ physical ability in some form or another. Often decreased mobility is one way. So using "aids" to help add as much quality to the aging process as possible is a positive approach. It's about living with some of the limitations of the aging process in a productive way.
Tess is truly tripawd RockStar. She has shown determination through amputation, recovery, kidney issues, not to mention showing cancer who is boss!!!
Keep is posted, okay? Extra smooches and treats to Tess. And standing ova to you for your exquisite care of Tess👏
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!
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