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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my golden is 10 and she started limping yesterday. I took her to the vet and she has a complete right humurus fracture from a bone tumor. She was diagnosed with nasal osteosarcoma last november and did six pallative radiation treatments and has been doing so well. The vet doesnt know if the bone tumor is a met from the nasal cancer or a different osteosarcoma. They xrayed her lungs and there were no obvious mets. The vet said my only options are to let her go or to amputate. The leg is broken so i have to do something. Amputation is scheduled for tomorrow. Unfortunately i live in a split level so i have two sets of stairs that are each five steps and i have three steps on my deck. Last night was rough. Im giving her pain meds but she whimpered most of the night. Any advice on preparing my house for post op challenges and tips for handling a new front tripod would be greatly appreciated. Thank you
Hello and welcome. We are so sorry about your girl. What's her name? She's quite the survivor though, nasal osteosarcoma is ruff so if you two could handle that, well then once recovery is over you two are gonna be flying that Tripawd flag big and proud!
What is her pain medication routine? Was she on a Fentanyl patch last night? If so, that can make many dogs anxious. If she's not on the patch, she might need more pain medication or more frequent dosages. Pain meds can make dogs a little bonkers so be sure to let your vet know what's going on OK?
Handling a split level home is a little tricky. Where is her sleeping area? Is she doing steps to get up to yours? Also, what are the indoor and outdoor steps like? If they're slippery you may want to invest in something like these Puppy Treads that are pretty cool and so helpful. And keep in mind she will need assistance on them for a while once she's healed up. The Ruffwear Webmaster harness comes in super handy for that kind of thing. Of course carpet runners are a Tripawd's best friend in homes with slippery floors.
Lots more of our tips can be found in the Tripawds e-books library, Jerry's Required Reading List and featured blogs like Tripawds Gear and Tripawds Amazon blog so be sure to hop on over when you can OK?
Let us know how today goes. We are thinking of you and hoping for a speedy recovery.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hello. Her name is Abby. She is my best friend. She has been with me for college graduation, moving out for the first time, relationships that ended, buying my first house. I cannot imagine a life without her. She is on tramadol, tylenol with codeine, gabapentin and riymadyl. She is not on a fentanyl patch but i am going to ask for one after her surgery tomorrow. Unfortunately we have a blizzard here in NJ so surgery has to wait till tomorrow. She seems to be doing better this afternoon. Maybe she just needed to get a few doses of pain medications in her to get pain relief. She sleeps upstairs in my bedroom with me. Its five steps to get upstairs and three steps on the deck outside. My dad is going to build ramps on saturday. I know it will take her a little while to get used to the ramps. I have laminate floors but i am going to create a carpet pathway for her. What harness do you recommend? I dont want anything that will rub her incision.
Abby sounds like quite the Warrior dog!! My goodness, she sure knows what it feels like to be victorious fighting off that darn nasal pice of crap!
And she is CLEARLY lpved and adored.....as any Princess shoud be!!
You've gotten great advice and links from Jerry. It's wonderful that yiur Dad is avle to build a ramp for Abby to get outdoors. I think she'll figure that out pretty quickly.
Since Abby is used to sleeping with you, you may have to make arrangements to sleep with her in the downstairs area u til she is able to navigate stairs. Many of us move mattresses downstairs, sleep on the sofa, sleep on blankets on the floor.....whatever it takes so our dogs feel comforted by iur presence.
It IS important that you project a strong confident pack leader mentality. Another tip, when you do go to pick her up, don't even bother to look at her incision! She needs to see you looking at her and smiling and telling her what a good girl she is!! And when you do sneak a peak after she's home and resting, be prepared for a lot of shaved area!! Surgeons seem to get a little clipper happy!
Is she staying at least one night in an overnight clinic? Sounds like the ramp will be built during a bombastic snowstorm in time for her homecoming! Kuddos to your Dad!! 🙂
Good news that her xrays were clear and that she alpears ro be dit and ready to take on this next challenge!
Recovery IS rough for a couple of weeks. It IS major surgery and it does hurt! There may be a lot of whining and restlessness at first, especially if a patch is used. Then again, some dogs just stay pretty whacked out and fairly lethargic. Regardless, Abby will need complete rest znd just short lease potty breaks when she needs to go. Eating may be off at first, as well as pooping. But drinking and peeing are important. Keeping pain meds consistent is important also. It may take some tweaking to figure out the right doses and frequency that work best for Abby.
STAY CONNECTED!! YOU ARE NOT ALONE, OKAY? We are all hear to help support you any way we can. Abby will soon be back to her happy sparkling self with that painful bum leg gone!!
Update us when you can AND we would love to see some Pics of your sweet Abby! Stay safe and warm.
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!
Hello and welcome to Tripawds community. I’m sorry that you have to be here, but good for you for giving Abby another chance! It sounds like she has been through a ruff time and she is a super survivor!!!
jerry said
The Ruffwear Webmaster harness comes in super handy for that kind of thing.
Most Tripawds have this type of harness. It gives excellent support in all the right places. For the first couple of weeks, it may be a bit of a challenge using the harness though, due to Abby’s front incision. You may have to be inventive, using the idea of a material shopping bag (with the short sides cut out) and maybe a soft neck support when going down the stairs/ramp. Keep her as close to ground level as you can for the next few days, especially, while she finds her tripawd legs. The Puppy Treads are an excellent idea too. Not only can a slip cause injury, but it can also cause a pup to lose confidence.
Our boy Stewie is a 100lb Bernese/RottyX, who had his front left leg removed in July of last year. He scared the bejeepers out of me when he followed his hooman cousins downstairs to the cool basement, just days after surgery! I made sure that the stair block was not forgotten again! Over the last few months we have allowed him to go up and down on his own, but recently he had a slip and hurt his back leg, (the slip was not on the stairs, it was outdoors.) so now stairs of any kind are done with supervision. He forgets that he is only hopping in three, which is really great, but the risks are also higher.
Be sure to keep Abby in a small, comfy area, where she can get tons of bedrest for the next couple of weeks. Lots and lots of bedrest! Keep lots of tasty smelly foods on hand as Abby may (or may not lose her appetite due to meds or pain) she will need to be encouraged to drink lots and peeing is the most important for the next few days. 💩 May take a few more...
Many of us slept close to our fur babies during their initial recovery, to keep them comforted. As Abby adjusts to medications and discomfort, she may need you to do the same. It’s a major surgery and it is a major adjustment for you both. But you have rocked everything else that you’ve been through so far, so you guys are gonna rock this too!
Keeping you in our thoughts. Stay in touch.
Petra, Stewie and his Pack.
p.s. Ditto what Sally said, especially with pictures of this Warrior Princess! Good name for her Sally! 😉
Remember...“live in the moment!“
Thank you all for the support. She had her amputation this morning. She is still in recovery but I should be getting her in a few hours. She is not staying overnight. The place she had it done does not have overnight staff. Plus she has separation/crate anxiety so she is better off at home with me. I was a vet tech and im now a nurse so i feel like i can handle her at home. Her fracture was pretty bad so she mist be in less pain with that removed. The vet said she had a lot of damage so the tumor was there for a while prior to the fracture. The hospital sent me post op photos and i will admit that even tho i see much worse being in the medical profession i was not prepared for the pictures and they make my heart hurt. For those who have already gone thru this ..... do you think the dog misses their leg? I just keep thinking that she woke up from anesthesia and was like “wth. Wheres my leg?”
How do i add photos?
ambular29 said
Thank you all for the support. She had her amputation this morning. She is still in recovery but I should be getting her in a few hours. She is not staying overnight. The place she had it done does not have overnight staff. Plus she has separation/crate anxiety so she is better off at home with me.
I’m so glad that Abby is through her surgery! She will feel so much better being home with you. That’s wonderful that you have the experience to tend to her.
Her fracture was pretty bad so she mist be in less pain with that removed. The vet said she had a lot of damage so the tumor was there for a while prior to the fracture. The hospital sent me post op photos and i will admit that even tho i see much worse being in the medical profession i was not prepared for the pictures and they make my heart hurt. For those who have already gone thru this ..... do you think the dog misses their leg? I just keep thinking that she woke up from anesthesia and was like “wth. Wheres my leg?”
Yes, she would have been in a lot of pain, but dogs do not like to show it! Stewie had shown indications of a sore leg months before his non stop limping, but it always ‘went back to normal’. Little did we know...
No, I don’t believe that they ‘miss’ their leg in the same sense that we do. I think they forget that it’s not there anymore! Stewie still tries to pee by lifting his rear leg! Dogs live in the now, right now Abby doesn’t see her leg, so that’s all there is to it... she no longer has another leg! She’s so doped up right now she won’t care. But her brain will be getting signals that her leg is no longer there, so Gabapentin is typically prescribed to help with that. Stewie was in Gabapentin before and after his surgery.
How do i add photos?
If you start a blog, you can add pictures into your media gallery and then copy them into here. We would love to see pics.
We will look forward to hearing how Abby is doing once she gets home and settles down. Keep lots of good snacks on hand for you both. Take naps when you can and let Abby tell you what she needs. Well be here to help if we can.
All the very best
Petra, Stewie and his Pride Of kittens!
Oh yay she's out of surgery! That's fantastic!
Yes, you CAN do this, I don't doubt that for a second. Yes, it makes our hearts hurt to see our animals recovering from amputation, but just know that once the pain meds wear off and she's feeling more like herself, you'll know you made a good choice for her. She will get that sparkle back, just wait!
I do believe that animals wonder why they feel funny, but no, I don't think she will mourn the loss of her leg. Animals don't look back with regret or anger or sadness, they live in the now. Whatever energy is around them this very second is the energy that they absorb and reflect back to us. So if you don't miss her leg, neither will she! Be strong and pawsitive so that she knows everything is OK.
Here's a post that explains about adding images to the Forums. Let us know if you'd like help OK?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Popping in here to say welcome and Yay surgery is over! The others have given you such great advice so I'm just going to add beautiful Abby will be taking her cues from you. Stay calm and positive and she will too. We'll be here if you have questions or need anything once you get her home. Hugs!
Thank you all for the support. She is home and doing ok. Her incision looks a lot different from the others i have seen posted. She keeps wanting to lay on that side. Is that ok? Will it hurt her incision or staples? I dont like her laying on that side because she has a harder time getting up from that side. Any tips on helping her get up and adjust to not having that elbow anymore. I know dogs rely on their elbows to help hold their head up when they are laying down. Also any tips for helping her move around. Shes 66 pounds and too heavy for me to carry. My family is helping me out but if she needs to go out in the middle of the night i live alone. Dad is coming tomorrow to build the ramps. She drank water when we came home but had no interest in eating. A Golden that doesnt want to eat?!?! Didnt think they existed. Haha. Im not worried. As long as she is drinking she will probably eat tomorrow. It just makes it hardrer to give her the pills. I had to just shove them into her throat tonight. I tried crushing them in a little pumpkin but she wasn’t interested in that either
FYI: You will find many helpful tips and tricks for giving meds in the Tripawds Blogs , including this video for How to Give A Dog Pills. Many users have found cream cheese and peanut butter work well, but we have found the manual method works best for Wyatt if he needs pills outside his mealtime... he gobbles them right up whole when mixed with his food. Many dogs won't go near their food if the pill is crushed since it makes the food taste bitter.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hello and a late welcome.
I'm glad Abby made it though surgery and is home. It's pretty normal for pups not to want to eat, I know it's harder to get pills down though. Try anything- sometimes stinky stuff like canned cat food or tuna works. One word of caution- if you have tramadol do not crush them and mix with food. Tram is really really bitter and she won't eat the food if you mix it up.
When I have to give tram to my dogs I use the melty cheese method- microwave (for a couple seconds) pieces of cheese just until they are melted and a little bubbly. Then use just enough cheese to cover the pills and make a ball. The melted cheese will harden a little and you will have a slightly oily cheese ball that should slide down. You can give a couple of 'blank' cheese balls first to get things going. I find with my dogs if they know I have several treats for them they gulp them down.
It looks like they left the scapula or shoulder blade, is that right? That might be why the incision looks smaller than some other front amps. Some vets take the shoulder blade and some leave it.
A Golden that doesnt want to eat?!?! Didnt think they existed.
I have pugs so I know just what you mean 
Did the vet send you home with a sling? If not you can make one out of a cloth shopping bag, here are the instructions. You can add a towel for padding. Many here use a harness like the Ruffwear Webmaster but some vets don't want front amps to use them until the sutures are out.
Your girl is certainly a Tripawd Warrior Princess!
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
We are doing ok so far but i am expecting another long very little sleep night. Luckily i am anle to take a leave of absence from work but it is unpaid 😬 it is worth it to be able to be home with her. I am lucky that my sister works with a rescue so she was anle to het the surgery done with the rescue discount at her vet. It was $3000 at my vet but only $750 at her vet. I declined haveing the tumor biopsied because i am not going to do chemo or radiation. I already put her thru radiation last year with her nasal osteosarcoma. They gave me a six month timeline when her nasal cancer as diagnosed and that was November 2016. She is a fighter for sure. Hopefully she will be up to eating tomorrow. I have her on about 20 supplements for her nasal osteosarcoma and usually i just throw them in the bowl with her food and she eats them no problem. Pills arent usually an issue with her but if she still wont eat tomorrow i will try the melted cheese trick. What dog refuses cheese right. Haha. They did not send me home with a sling. I made one yesterday prior to her surgery when she was just dragging the leg. It didnt seem to help tho cause it needs to be more under her chest not her abdomen. Her back legs are strong. Its her front half i need to help support. I am going to order a harness but i dont want to use it until her staples come out. Especially since her incision is kinda mote towards the bottom. Has anyone had experience with dog laying on the surgery side. I left the room for two minutes and when i came back she had flipped herself over and was laying on the surgery side. She didnt seem uncomfortable so i just left her there until she let me know that she wanted to be moved. I just worry about her hurting the incision. I really appreciate everyones feedback. This site is amazing. People dont exactly understand my situation unless they have gone thru it themselves
ambular29 said
They gave me a six month timeline when her nasal cancer as diagnosed and that was November 2016. She is a fighter for sure.
She is a Warrior Princess! That’s her new Tripawds call name!!! (Well, that’s what Stewie & I will call you, if that’s okay?!
Hopefully she will be up to eating tomorrow.
Try anything and everything!!! We tried steaks, chicken, ground beef, smelly sandwich meat... you name it we tried it... there were times when Stewie just did not want to eat. I would make sure he drank regularly, most times starting him off by drinking from my hand. Drinking and pee’ing are the most critical for the next couple of days along with whatever else you can get in him. Sally will tell you ICE CREAM when necessary! 
They did not send me home with a sling. I made one yesterday prior to her surgery when she was just dragging the leg. It didnt seem to help tho cause it needs to be more under her chest not her abdomen. Her back legs are strong. Its her front half i need to help support. I am going to order a harness but i dont want to use it until her staples come out. Especially since her incision is kinda mote towards the bottom.
Yeah, every dog is so different in their needs in this regard. With Stewie being a large chested, big dog, we also had a hard time with the sling. My biggest problem was keeping up with him to support him if he fell. He wanted to do it by himself, so I put his regular collar on him and a short leash until we got outside, then I would extend his leash to allow him to have his space and still be able to support him. There’s no best way to do it... every dog is so different in their recovery and Abby’s incision site does look different to what I am used to seeing, so you may have to try a few things based on people’s different experiences.
Is she able to hop on her own when she does get up? Is there a type of sling that you can devise that goes under her good leg and neck together?
Has anyone had experience with dog laying on the surgery side. I left the room for two minutes and when i came back she had flipped herself over and was laying on the surgery side. She didnt seem uncomfortable so i just left her there until she let me know that she wanted to be moved. I just worry about her hurting the incision. I really appreciate everyones feedback.
Yes, Stewie would lay in his surgical side fairly often. Stewie unfortunately formed a seroma (this is a build up of fluids under the skin due to the surgery.) He needed to have it drained a few times, as it wasn’t draining by itself. It wasn’t until his seroma had been resolved that he went back to laying on his ‘good’ side. In the last couple of months he loves to lay on both sides. He has no problems getting up anymore. It just takes time to build the new muscle group.
Abby is so drugged up she probably feels a little better to have pressure on her incision. I imagine the throbbing could be pretty bad when the meds are wearing off. If Abby is laying on a bed or a blanket, you could try lifting the blanket to help her up.
This site is amazing. People dont exactly understand my situation unless they have gone thru it themselves
Hey, we totally get that! I was made to feel very comfortable right from the get go on this site! A true lifeline!
Get sleep when you can and don’t forget to hydrate yourself regularly too Okay!
Petra, Stewie and his Pride
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