Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
Tripawds is your home to learn how to care for a three legged dog or cat, with answers about dog leg amputation, and cat amputation recovery from many years of member experiences.
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So Honey's surgery is scheduled for Nov 1st. She'll come home the next day- how soon can she use a harness as I have stairs? how will she potty? Rehab & recovervy... I have so many questions... See her blog - she is my foster pup & amputation will be due to injury .
Hi Honey and family, welcome! You ask some great questions about mobility. Thanks for hopping over from Honey's blog (which has some adorable photos!).
OK so your questions are all pretty normal and we'll try to answer them.
Stairs: Exactly how many stairs do you have?
Harness: Typically we recommend waiting until stitches are out to use a harness. If you have lots of stairs and a harness is necessary before then, you can put a t-shirt on underneath the harness to minimize the chances of it irritating the incision.
Potty: Oh boy just wait till you see how she figures it out! 99.9 percent of dogs know right away, even just hours after surgery. If she does need help, a temporary sling like this can help her balance.
Have you had a chance to check out Jerry's Required Reading List , our Tripawds e-books or any of our featured blogs like the Tripawds Gear blog ? All are full of tons of tips that show you how to help her during recovery and beyond. And this amazing community will be here for you too.
Best wishes this week, keep us posted cause we'll be thinking of you and Honey!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
My girl was a back leg amputation so different scenario, but don't worry about the peeing. Majority of dogs seem to pick it up straight away, but if you'r unsure you can use a sling to try keep her up slightly.
Good luck with her surgery, will be thinking of you!
Generally, the surgeon won't release her unless she has peed, so not something to stress about.
Ditto on how many stairs - I slept on a mattress downstairs with Otis, and blocked the stairs with a baby gate . He started going up and down without assistance in month three, but some dogs get the hang of it much earlier.
In terms of harnesses, we are huge fans of the Ruffwear Webmaster Plus harness. You can see pictures in the gear blog. We did not use it until the staples came out, about day 10 for many dogs.
Otis - 106 pound lab/Dane mix, lost his right front leg to osteosarcoma on Febuary 9, 2016. Four rounds of carboplatin completed in April, 2016. Lung mets August 25, 2016. Said goodbye too soon on September 4, 2016. Lost his adopted sister, Tess, suddenly on October 9, 2016. likely due to hemangiosarcoma.
Wherever they are, they are together.
Hi there, I've been reading your blog and from what you say (i.e. that Honey has no circulation in her paw), I would assume that Honey is already pretty one-sided? If that is the case, as it was with my Meg, then I think you may very likely find that she adapts quite easily to life on three, and may actually find it easier to move around without the bad leg than she currently does. How is she handling the stairs at the moment? Meg was fine going up and down stairs pretty much immediately, though I did add carpet for traction as the stairs were wood, which was much too slippery. You do need to limit activity of course to protect the incision and allow it to heal, so you won't want her tearing up and downstairs. I used baby gates at the top and bottom to ensure I was there to supervise, but she didn't actually need any physical help in terms of a harness, or whatever. Of course, every dog is different and every situation is different, but given the reason for Honey's amputation, I would think she likely has a headstart in terms of adapting.
Traction is clearly important, as is protecting her from jumping down and risking injury to her remaining front leg. After Meg's surgery, I removed any furniture she could jump onto and slept with her on the floor until her incision had healed (she didn't have staples or stitches by the way - or not visible stitches, which needed removing. Just to mention in case Honey doesn't either and you're confused – I know I was). Once the furniture was back, I built steps up to my bed and also a step for getting on and off the sofa. I lift her in and out of the car (she only weighs just over 30 pounds) so depending on your car and how big Honey is, you may want to think about something for that.
Stay connected and keep asking questions or sharing any concerns you have. We're here for you.
All best wishes,
Meg and Clare (and Elsie 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...
My 5 yr old blue heeler, Tungsten, will be undergoing rear amputation due to osteosarcoma....he has already been hopping around on 3 legs so taking of the dead weight burden and pain should be such a relief...any suggestions on comfort at his homecoming
Tungsten Blue, diagnosed with osteosarcoma August 2016, rear leg removed 28 October 2016, left us on 12/13/16, he will be greatly missed.
Thank You Everyone!!!
As someone noted, with no circulation her right front pay is dragging now so the reality is that without the leg I think the only difference I am hoping will be that the yelping and crying will stop, as well as, the associated nerve pain. I live in a townhome with a full set of carpeted stairs. They are gated, so she only goes up and down when prompted, but other than the first two times where I assisted when she went down, now she zooms up and down. Although my living room and dining room are hardwood floors, but she has been managing those slippery floors just fine, she doesn't run around like crazy.
I am thinking that I will utilize a kennel to minimize her movements her first few days. She is not a fan of the kennel, unless it is next to me. She is a 6 month old pup, I don't know how to make her slow down for a longer time. Right now I am thinking she should be a zombie with the meds we are using, and she is still restless and yelping and crying.
Thanks for telling me about the peeing part 🙂
Her surgery is next week, Nov 1st.
TUNGSTEN! Have you started a thread...a post..on yiur sweet bou? I may have missed ita. Anyway, thatsq the best way to get some direct supprt for you and yiur handsome boy!
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!
Yoga mats or industrial floor mats (you can buy them at Home Depot or similar stores) are a must for the hard wood floors. Do you have the option of sleeping downstairs with her, at least until the staples come out? I moved my mattress down so I could sleep next to Otis while he was recovering.
Otis - 106 pound lab/Dane mix, lost his right front leg to osteosarcoma on Febuary 9, 2016. Four rounds of carboplatin completed in April, 2016. Lung mets August 25, 2016. Said goodbye too soon on September 4, 2016. Lost his adopted sister, Tess, suddenly on October 9, 2016. likely due to hemangiosarcoma.
Wherever they are, they are together.
Will she be on meds the rest of her life? Sorry for my ignorance, do animals have phantom shooting pains like humans, I am assuming that is what is making this so painful for her. If the vet is saying the paw is cold and no circulation, why is she yelping and crying.
So how will the amputation help, does it not only remove the bone, so less "baggage" to lug around, but the nerve too?
No. She will be on a number of meds for the first two weeks - my Otis had a fentanyl patch for 3 days, an anti optic and Rimadyl for 2 weeks, and Tramadol into week 3, with the Tramadol dose tapering off after the staples were removed. Many dogs also get gabapentin for phantom pain . By the end of week 3, I think he was off everything (although some dogs continue longer, which is also ok).
I bet she is feeling nerve pain now. Is she on gaba? Maybe see if your vet will give you some now, since surgery is not until Nov. 1.
Otis - 106 pound lab/Dane mix, lost his right front leg to osteosarcoma on Febuary 9, 2016. Four rounds of carboplatin completed in April, 2016. Lung mets August 25, 2016. Said goodbye too soon on September 4, 2016. Lost his adopted sister, Tess, suddenly on October 9, 2016. likely due to hemangiosarcoma.
Wherever they are, they are together.
I'm no expert, by any means, but no, she will not be on medication for the rest of her life. Meg was actually discharged just with Metacam, but I added Tramadol after consultation with my vet. She stopped all meds after two weeks, though she does now take Metacam because of problems in her opposite leg (she's much older than Honey, and the problems were there pre amp.)
Re the nerves, with Meg they used some sort of nerve blocking medication (an injection, I think) at the time of the amputation (or possibly just before it. I'm not sure) and for her this proved extremely effective. Some dogs do experience phantom limb pain, for which Gabapentin is prescribed, but I have not heard of this continuing once the nerves settle down. Someone with experience will hopefully chime in on this. In terms of the purpose of removing the leg, if she has no circulation to her foot, this means the foot is not viable and will die without a blood supply. This would be a very serious situation, and is plainly to be avoided. I'm not sure exactly what the source of Honey's pain is, but I know if my foot goes numb, for instance, because of sitting awkwardly or something like that, it can actually be extremely painful.
Ditto Christine, re speaking to your vet about putting Honey on Gabapentin now. If it is nerve pain she's experiencing, then that ought to help.
And please, don't apologise for your 'ignorance', we are all in the process of learning from each other. That's one of the great things about this site. Just ask, and someone is very likely to have an answer to your question.
Warmest wishes,
Meg and Clare (and Elsie 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...
Oh my gosh ask as many questions as you'd like. You're far from ignorant, you're smart for being here in the first place.
I do recommend checking out Jerry's Required Reading List , which addresses many common questions about amputation pain management and recovery.
She's in pain right now, thus the yelping and crying. Your vet should prescribe pain management before and after surgery to help her have a smooth recovery. Here's a post that can help you talk about it with your vet:
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Murphy had his right front leg removed and he came home on Tramadol, Rimadyl & Gabapentin. He took those for about 2 weeks, weaning down during the 2nd week. He doesn't normally take anything for pain now, unless he tweaks something, then I give him a Carprofen & some rest, then he's usually back up & running again. He's 10 1/2 now, so slowing down a bit, plus it's been 3 1/2 years since his surgery. He was able to walk out to the car on his own 24 hours after surgery. No problems with going potty. He was funny about eating that first couple of weeks, which is not unusual - they just don't feel well. They just had major surgery, plus are taking all these medications that don't make them feel so great, so it's to be expected. A little while after his surgery we thought that he was having trouble with his back legs, but it turned out that his back was stiff from using muscles in a new & different way. We make sure to massage his back, hips & back legs often. He lays down on his side, we rub his back & he starts arching backwards, sort of forming a letter "C" and he moans & groans the whole time lol. We used a T-shirt to cover his incision and keep it clean. We also use the webmaster ruffwear harness - the handle on top makes it easy to get him in & out of the car.
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
He lays down on his side, we rub his back & he starts arching backwards, sort of forming a letter "C" and he moans & groans the whole time lol
Love Murphy! 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...
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