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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Hey All - Aurora just had a bone biopsy. The doctor said the bone didn't look good. Her pain has been worsening terribly. She almost never puts weight on her right leg. She spent the night before the biopsy crying a bit and has been crying more now. I was hoping some of you could give me some pros and cons to amputation if that, in fact, is what we have to do.
So sorry to hear about Aurora and the pain she is having. Biopsies can be terribly painful.
What pain pills did the vet give you? Tramadol? Maybe you can ask the vet about upping the doseage. How much
does she weigh?
This is such a scarey time formyou right now. Plese know you are noy alone and we all know how hard it is to see your up in pain.
Should your dog need amputation, almost everyone here will tell you how amazed they are at how well their dogs do! Usualy, they are up and moving within the first sevrral hours after the anesthesia has started wearingoff. And in a matter of a weekor so, they've pretty much mastered the art of getting around on three legs perfectly.
And thebiggest benefitof all for amputation is that it removes the horrible psin! Yeah, recovery from the major surgerymis nompicnic for the first week or so, thst's for sure. But once recovery takes place, you will be amazed at how well your girl gets around and how hapy she is to be pain free!!
The fact that sweet Aurora is already limping, actualy helps them adjust to amputation even faster. Check out al the videos here of our dogs and cats getting aro d on three legs...it will astound you!
I'm pretty sure you will onlyhear the pros here as far as amputation goes. Depe ding on the diagnosis, it doesn't mesn that some dogs have challenges recovering as this horrible disease msyhsve already taken hold in a wy that no preliminary tests were able to determine. That's a separate issue from the actual benefit of the amutation itself as far as removing the cause of the pain.
When you can, pl,ease tell us more about your sweet Aurora and about your situation, what the vets say, etc.
My Happy Hannah is a large, somewhat "fluffy" (aka fat) Bull Mastiff...now 9 1/2 yrs. old. She was walking unassisted within 24 hrs. After recovery took place, her sparkle was back bigger and better than before! I didn't realize how mch pain she wss in as dogs mask their pain so well. BEST DECISION EVER!!
You are ot alone! Let us know how we can help, okay?
Give Aurora a big hug for us.....and save one for yourself too, okay?
Sally and Happy Hannah
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!
Sorry to hear about Aurora. It sounds like they think it's osteosarcoma? I'm sorry she's in such pain. Please ask your vet for strong pain management medication, that will help her feel better until you make a decision. In addition to the bone tumor itself, bone biopsies are exceedingly painful, thus her crying. When will you get teh results back?
Depending on a dog's pre-existing health circumstances, most amputees do fine. Sally's Hannah is a perfect example. She had her challenges at first but in time she did great on three legs. A bigger dog like a Malamute may have similar challenges but not always. Do check our Size and Age Matters discussion for examples. What is Aurora's health like overall? Is she active? How young/old is she?
Check out Jerry's Required Reading List for answers to the most common questions and please keep us posted about how she's doing. We're here to help.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Aurora is 7, she is a pretty healthy weight, but has a bit of back leg arthritis. Her liver and kidneys are doing well. She isn't as active as some dogs, but she enjoys going on mile long walks every day.
I'm concerned that her back legs won't be able to handle the amputation and also concerned about her being depressed about losing her leg. She can't even stand losing her hair when I brush her! She's a definite princess.
Hi there
Aurora is beautiful. My lab, Tucker, had his right front leg amputated six months ago and he has adapted really well to his new "normal". Tucker has some arthritis in his left hip so he remains on Metacam and he takes some supplements. Tucker still enjoys his walks....though with this terrible winter weather he hasn't been on as many as usual....though they are a bit shorter than they were before. He is still really happy!
Aurora's leg is probably really painful so when you consider the amputation you must remember that you are doing it FOR her not TO her.
Good luck with all your decisions.....we are all here to support you no matter what your choice is.
Hugs
Linda and Tucker
Aww what a sweetie. Well I think that if you're at all uncertain, a second opinion from a board-certified orthopedic surgeon is worth the effort and cost, it will put your mind at ease about her ability to withstand being a Tripawd.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
What a beautiful girl. We wish you the best in making your decision. We are 10 months post op with our Snoop. He was a right front, and he's done great. It's not an easy decision we all know here. For us we have no regrets for him. He had a month of recoup and he was back with his personality and doing some things a little different.
They really are amazing.
Esther and her Snoop
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