Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Thanks Katy - I had not thought about touching her stump. I will certainly try that - however, hopefully we are almost done with that phantom pain . She only had one episode today. She did whine a little bit after dinner tonight - I give her meds with dinner so I assume they had not "kicked in" yet. Now she is sleeping peacefully.
I guess I am paranoid about the cone because she had a set-back after her amputation (not sure if you read back that far) - She had to spend an entire week at the hospital due to swelling, slight fever, and dead tissue - she required a 2nd surgery. So I want to make SURE she doesn't have any more issues.
I have left her cone off tonight after dinner. I will probably put it back on before I go to bed.
The screaming - I tried to describe it to someone and the only thing I could think of was once when I was a child - our dog found a wild baby rabbit - and it screamed like that -blood curdling, loud, frantic. Very high pitched. I have had dogs for over 50 years - I have never heard a dog make a noise like that.
I'm glad to hear about the circling. That makes sense and I do believe that is what she is doing. I know that her ears itch from the cone - she shakes her head when I take it off and even looks back at her missing leg like "how can I scratch my ear?" - so I did it for her - 
There are so many new things to adjust to - how to scratch, how to lie down, etc.
Thanks for the welcome and sharing the good tips!
Cindy & Dolly Momma
Oh, geez! No, I hadn't read back that far. That makes sense! I'd be coning Jackson 24/7 if that was his backstory, too.
We all scratch their ears and necks now! Jackson is 15months out and he'll curl around to reach his neck with his stump, which fails, obviously. I race over to him and scratch whatever I can. Then he licks my helpful hand! Ha! Tonight, though, I had to get in there with a tissue over my finger and dig around. I clearly hit the spot: an "ear-gasm!" Ha!
It sounds like you've gone through a lot and are maybe now on the other side of things. Whew. Here's hoping!
Keep the inquiries coming. We're here to help and support. Sorry I missed you all these other times, but I'm relieved that your lady is back on track, even if poppin' pills! YEY!
~ Katy & Jackson
ACL tear in right hind leg 12/5/12 and scheduled ACL repair surgery 12/21/12. Pre-op xrays revealed osteosarcoma. Amputation 12/28/12. Chemo (carboplatin) started Jan 10, 2013 and ended on April 5, for a total of 5 doses. He handled carbo like a champ! No side effects. We started metronomic therapy at his third chemo and have been also doing some holistic treatments. He's a lively, playful 10 year old huskie-boarder collie and a very proud member of the Winter Warriors! Our love. Our funny little guy!
Yay for better living through chemistry! Glad the gaba is working.
As for that cone of shame , boy it's hard to find. We got ours at Texas A&M, not too many vets carry it. I remember doing research on it and I couldn't find it anywhere other than the manufacturer. Here it is: http://www.jorv.....-e-collar/
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Yeah - Jerry - those are cool but not easy to find. I might add one to my "collection" but I'm hoping after Monday we can be done with the cone.... that is when her sutures will be removed.
Questions for today
1. I notice head bobbing as she walks/hops now. When horses do that , it means they are lame. Is this just her body adjusting to the missing leg? Is her remaining rear leg sore?
2. I am wondering if the 3 medications she is on now (Tramadol, Metacam, and Gabapentin) will be continued after wound has healed. Did others here have long term pain issues or do they resolve soon? I realize I can ask the vet on Monday but wanted to hear what others' experiences have been with phantom pain .
3. Should I just stay on this thread - even though it's no longer my "first day here" it contains her history and photos - but I wasn't sure what the protocol is here.
As of 5 pm est - she has had a pretty good day - she was able lay out on the patio in the sun ( we had a beautiful day here in Ga.) - she only had one "episode" - I think she looks brighter - less drugged and more tail wagging
gamom said
Yeah - Jerry - those are cool but not easy to find. I might add one to my "collection" but I'm hoping after Monday we can be done with the cone.... that is when her sutures will be removed.
Ditto, ours is a keeper!Questions for today
1. I notice head bobbing as she walks/hops now. When horses do that , it means they are lame. Is this just her body adjusting to the missing leg? Is her remaining rear leg sore?
Yes, Tripawds have that hop bounce and it's even more pronounced in front leggers, that in itself doesn't mean she's in pain. Remember there's a lot of weight up there even with one leg gone, the head weighs a ton. It's kinda like trying to walk forward with one of your arms straight out and holding a heavy object, really tiring. Many dogs are sore the first few weeks after surgery, it's a lot of work getting the body to adjust to an entirely new gait. Massage and gentle stretching really helps now, then later, core strengthening exercises .
2. I am wondering if the 3 medications she is on now (Tramadol, Metacam, and Gabapentin) will be continued after wound has healed. Did others here have long term pain issues or do they resolve soon? I realize I can ask the vet on Monday but wanted to hear what others' experiences have been with phantom pain .
Some dogs like Spree, who've had long-term health challenges, are continuously on the meds (under direct supervision) while others are not. Just depends on the dog.
3. Should I just stay on this thread - even though it's no longer my "first day here" it contains her history and photos - but I wasn't sure what the protocol is here.
Thanks for asking, I forgot to mention that. You can move to any of the other ones now, it's a good idea. When people want to follow your story all they have to do is click on your Profile Avatar to see all of the posts you've written in or started.
As of 5 pm est - she has had a pretty good day - she was able lay out on the patio in the sun ( we had a beautiful day here in Ga.) - she only had one "episode" - I think she looks brighter - less drugged and more tail wagging
Awwwww. Awesome! Some dogs just need that Gaba and that's OK. Whatever works! I'm glad it's not making her sleepy (a common side effect). I hope your weekend is even better!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Jerry covered a lot of this nicely. I'll add:
10 days post-amp, we were given permission to drop to half the tramadol dose for Jackson. And at day 12, he was free of it. When he was off tramadol, all his spunk and sparkle came back. Actually, I don't think J has sparkle - he's kind of a spunky, punky, J-HOLE! 
He never went on gaba. Gaba has helped many here with phantom pain
, so that may be something you want to give longer than the others and/or always have stored away for crappy times.
Metacam, which is an NSAID, is part of Jackson's metronomic therapy. He's on it rimadyl (another NSAID), albeit a fraction of what he was on prior to amp and after amp. He gets 50mg in the AM (he's 63lbs). I know you've got a lot of thinking to do ahead of you, but consider this: NSAIDs are anti-inflammatory. By themselves and at active doses (for J, that's >50mg/day), it's good pain relief. I don't think he's in any pain, but our Tripawds do have funky body mechanics and I wouldn't be surprised if the day J begins to talkback (HA!), he tells me some days his body is more cranky than others. That'd be a reason to give at least 50mg/day, if not the full 100mg for his body size. Beyond that, this class of drugs helps to rob cancer of its love: inflammation. This is why J is on it. At lower, less active doses (50mg/day for J), it causes enough of an anti-inflammatory response that fights against cancer. With that approach, he's on other things to keep inflammation controlled. Make sense?
Congrats to a good day! Sunshine makes us all feel better!!!!
Picture? Pictures???
~ Katy & Jackson
ACL tear in right hind leg 12/5/12 and scheduled ACL repair surgery 12/21/12. Pre-op xrays revealed osteosarcoma. Amputation 12/28/12. Chemo (carboplatin) started Jan 10, 2013 and ended on April 5, for a total of 5 doses. He handled carbo like a champ! No side effects. We started metronomic therapy at his third chemo and have been also doing some holistic treatments. He's a lively, playful 10 year old huskie-boarder collie and a very proud member of the Winter Warriors! Our love. Our funny little guy!
Another (probably dumb ) questions - where should I post future updates about Dolly Momma? Do we "fit" in the Presentation and Diagnosis section - even though she doesn't have cancer?
No questions are dumb. I like the "Beyond Cancer" for general issues and updates about dogs who don't have cancer.
Some day we'll rename the forums to make more sense, suggestions always welcome!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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