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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Blues your heart!!! I love having worry wart partners around here:-) 
It's such an elite group .....not everyone has the skills that we do to be able to join!!!
Listen, everything you are concerned about is because of your soul deep love for Shelby and that's something special:-)
I'm sure you seen various videos/photos of ramps for dogs. You have a little time so you really might want to strongly consider bildng one for Shelby. (I'll ....not so humbly:-) ...encourage you to join the Facebook page for tripawdd, scroll down and keep scrolling until you see a video with a bull mastiff going down a ramp----she will go down stairs but cannot go up).
I know it's hard but try not to worry about the "what it's" u less it actually happens (I'm not good at that either:-) ). There isn't anything that you haven't prepared for.....you have plenty of pain meds and IF phantom pain symptoms show up it's must a matter of the right pain meds, along with comforting and maybe some compresses....so nothing really any different from managing regular pain.
I think there is one thing you have forgotten........B R E A T H...:-) B R E A T H E:-) B R E A T H E:-)
NOW Think of Shelby's tail wagging...go over and hug her...and know all is well and it will only get better!
We are all here for you....you are not alone. You are doing a who derful job!!
Sending you strength and a whole lotta' calm.....feel it?? Yeah...that's good....you got it!
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!
Brianna, just wanted to add that Shelby will pace herself and when she feels confident on getting on the sofa, she will. Happy Hannah can only get up on it now because I removed the cushions (too squishy for her to maneuver around). . Spirit Bruno Bruiser's mom actually removed the legs from her loveseat so he could get up on it!! Sounds like a perfectly normal solution to everyone here on this site:-)
Happy Hannah's floor bed is very firm and thick foam for big dogs so she can get up from laying down well.
Sorry about the Los of your precious dog in December. I know he's watching over you and Shelby:-)
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!
You definitely want to use the cone. Yeah it's pathetic but it's a small price to pay for not having to go back and get stitches redone. Here's a link to cone of shame alternatives.
We recommend waiting to use the harness until stitches come out, however other pawrents out there have used it successfully right away by 1) placing a lot of padding over the incision (a clean dish towel or diaper will do), 2) then placing a t-shirt over the dog, 3) then putting the harness on over all that.
Stairs depend on the dog. If your stairs are carpeted it shouldn't take too long for her to get the hang of it but you really want to keep her off the stairs if you have more than 3 or 4, at least until stitches come out. Again, this is to avoid ripping the incision or causing fluid build up. Once her stitches are out it just takes time to see how well she can handle it. Here's a video of how I took the stairs with my Dad's help.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
You certainly are getting prepared!
My little pug Maggie was a rear amp, she was walking the day of surgery without assistance, but could only manage a few hops before she tired out. I think that is the same with all new tripawds- they tire very easily. And they are pretty doped up on pain meds too. They can all usually stand and hop with assistance- some need more than others.
You can use a re-usable shopping bag with the sides split open as a temporary sling- built in handles! You can add a towel for padding around the incision.
If you are looking at alternatives to the cone as Jerry referenced above I might be able to help you. I have a medium sized Procollar inflatable and I think a large of the comfy cone soft type cone. If you are interested send me a PM with Shelby's neck measurement and I'll see if one of them would work.
Karen
Great job on getting ready for Shelby's new normal. If she is used to the doggy door she will have no problem. You will probably find that she will be very careful and slower going in and out at first to protect the incision. Shooter had no problem with the three stairs he has to use for the doggy door. We also built stairs for him to get on and off the bed as that is where he sleeps. We just used the command "stairs" and made it so he could only get to the bed by using them. It only took a couple times and he quit trying to jump on or off. Shelby will let you know when and what she can handle. You are being a great Mom!
Spirit Shooter was a Miniature Australian Shepherd who was diagnosed with a MCT and had a LF amp 1/28/13 at 13-1/2 years old.
Shooter crossed the Bridge on 8/28/13, his 7 month ampuversary and two weeks from his 14th birthday.
Hello, everyone!
Before I say anything else, I just wanted to thank you all for the support and the tips that you have given me. You all have helped me a lot and I really appreciate it.
I dropped Shelby off this morning for her surgery and I am having a REALLY rough time. I'm not trying to be morbid, but I can't stop picturing her on the table with an electric blade just cutting her shoulder and arm off. It is honestly making me sick because she is such a sweet and sensitive dog. I really wish this didn't have to happen in the first place. She was SO scared when I took her in this morning so I had to walk her back to the cage. I tried not to make a big deal out of the "goodbye" because I didn't want to scare her more than she already was. I'm seeing people on here talk about all of the bad things that are happening to her dogs post-op and it is really worrying me. I keep asking myself if I should have avoided the pain by just putting her down, but then I think about how that wouldn't have been fair to her. It would have been so selfish for me to do that and I wouldn't have been able to do that anyway. I'm just really upset over this!
One thing that REALLY made me angry was the (I guess) doctors assistant told me that we had to pick her up at 2:00 tomorrow. The doctor is going out of town for his daughters graduation and he won't be there tomorrow afternoon/night. What if she is in a state where she needs to be there another night? If they would have told me that then I would have waited until next week. I was so livid that I just walked out on her since I knew that there was nothing left to say. I'm obviously hoping that she won't even need to stay another night, but what if she has to? The doctor should have said that there should be no surgeries on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.
Just needed to vent!
{{{{hugs}}}}
Emotions run so high on this day, we know how scary it is and how hard it is to keep the morbid thoughts out of your head. When you get those thoughts, train your brain to immediately flip the switch to a pawsitive thought. Think of Lacy's face, not what her body will look like. Imagine her happy smiles and licking your face, imagine how great it will be to see her out of pain and loving life again. You can do it!
I would call the vet and ask them what their contingency plan is just in case she needs overnight care tomorrow night. any good vet practice will have one. Again, stay pawsitive and remember that most dogs don't need more than 1 night at the clinic. If she happens to need extra care, and your vet doesn't have overnight care with an on-site technician, you will either need to transfer her to a 24-hour clinic (get a name from your vet) or take her home. I'm hoping though that things will be just fine and she won't need that second night in the hospital.
Hang in there! If you feel like venting come to the chat, there's folks in and out throughout the day. Keep us posted.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Brianna-
There is no doubt that the moment you are in right now is one of the more difficult to deal with. You have doubts and scary images running through your head. I won't lie, the first time seeing your dear pup with the amputation is hard to take as well. The incisions are pretty gnarly, and there will be bruising and saggy fluid buildup plus a big part of your dog will be shaved to keep the surgical site clear of hair. It is not pleasant, but do your best to be positive and give your Shelby the biggest welcome you can once she hops towards you.
Here's the good part, though...
It gets better! Your dog will not only be your sweet three legged child, but you will also draw inspiration from Shelby's resiliance. You will be amazed at the things she will do and how quickly it will happen. For us, Norah was pretty lethargic from the surgery and the pain meds, but after a week or so her personality came back. Now, we're 5 weeks post-amp and everyone sees her as the exact same dog as before, just minus a leg. You will get there. Keep your eye on that and be supportive!
Feel free to vent any time! We're all here because we've been through the same. None of what you are feeling is new, so do not be ashamed of any of it.
Norah is an 8 year old Alaskan Husky. She was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in her right hind leg on 3/26/12. She had her amputation on 4/1/13. Chemotherapy (Carboplatin) started on 4/16/13 and she has completed three rounds.
It's good to vent- and this is a great place to do it because we can relate to what you are feeling.
Try and find something to do to keep yourself busy and not focused on the surgery. Yes- once in a while bad things happen, but it by far the minority. The first two weeks after surgery can be tough- but it is TEMPORARY! Shelby will make progress and you will see that sparkle in her eyes again.
After surgery I was convinced I had done the wrong thing, my pug Maggie was not happy. But she recovered on her own timeline and we never looked back. After her recovery I never doubted my decision!
Stay active here, ask lots of questions, check out the chat room . We have been there and will help in whatever way we can.
Karen
(note: I haven't read the whole thread yet, just from this morning's post on- will read the rest shortly)
Ok, let's be logical here. I find that logic is critical to avoiding the meltdown that your emotions are trying to cause. 
First, she probably won't need more than one night. I left Kermit for 2 nights, but that was as much for my comfort as his, because he's big & he was very dopey on the meds so I figured they could help him get around better since I was home alone. But the vast majority of dogs do just fine with one night, and some don't even get that!
Second, the leg & shoulder don't get SAWN off. Most surgeons take pride in doing a nice, immaculate job, and in any case there is NO cutting of bone involved. That's just those emotions running away & trying to torture you. I like to think of that cancerous limb as a dog-eating monster that has to be removed before it swallows up any more of my babydog! 
When you talk to the vet today, ask what meds she's on & what she'll go home with. Kermit had a fentanyl patch (BIZARRE side effects but excellent pain relief & generally helps them sleep through the first couple days), tramadol, & gabapentin for nerve/phantom pain . He stayed on the gabapentin for a month just to be on the safe side. (still gets tramadol, but that's because he's old & arthritic).
Also ask whom you are to call if you have any trouble while the vet is away over the weekend. You may not have problems per se, but you'll likely have questions & they should be asked of someone familiar with the case.
Now breeeaathe and know that most of the time, this goes smoothly and your baby will wow you with her resilience. Your job, aside from nurse, is CHEERLEADER! Do all of your crying, hyperventilating, and worrying now & get it out of the way, because your brave puppy will be JUST FINE with 3 legs and she will want you to be fine with it too. The first week or so is rough but so worth it when you see how great she'll be as time goes on.
GIANT HUGS... You can do this, really, you can!! 
AND DITTO TO ALL THE GREAT ADVICE:-)
We've all been there and understand your fear and concerns and gulit and all that!! So keep on vent I g here so you can be calm and reassuring for your brave hereo:-)
For me, hearing ow great this gs would be was hard when all I k ew was how rough this gs were at the time!
You were drawn to this site for a reason and you must TRUST the experience and wisdom of everyone here! That's the thought that kept me TRUSTING in what everyone was telling me:-)
And guess what? You'll probably even freak out a little ore for the first several. Rights at least!!And I'm here to tell you ahead of to e that's perfectly normal too:-)
I have a degree in worry wartitis so I'll be glad to help you NOT be one!! It really is such a waste of energy. Whatever comes up.......we are all here to he.p you through it and bring you into a more empowered state. And from that empowered state it frees you up to love, spoil and live in the moment:-)
SHELBY IS NOT WORRIED:-)
Brianna you are so strong and brave! The hard part is over and from this point forward it's all about heal I g:-)
One. Ore suggestion....when you get to see er...look straight I to her eyes her face, her heart and you celebrate like crazy!!:-) She'll be looking back into your eyes and feeling your joy and love:-)
You are. not alone.....we are all here for you:-)
Infusing you with even. more strength and calm.....zooming over to you right now:-) BAM! And one more BAM!! It's within you now:-)
Lots of love, 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!
I'm late to this and just scanned through the posts. Here are my thoughts:
Today was a big day for you! Have you heard how it went? How's she doing? BREATHE! And, SLEEP!!!!!
Jackson spent 1 night in the hospital, then came home. He was walking, eating, drinking, peeing and poo'ing no problems. He was pretty swollen and tender and tired for the first few days, so keeping his mobility limited was not an issue. He'd basically get up only to rest back down. We didn't buy a harness or a new bed. We just busted out all the dog beds we had around, including an old king-sized down comforter. He found great pleasure in that comforter - so much so, that it's the only remnant to date from his amp! It's his new fav spot. We held off on the harness to see how he did. He's a rear amp, athletic, slim guy, so we weren't concerned with him managing on 3 legs. Front amps, as I understand it, can fall at the start, while they learn to use their legs and adjust their gait. Prior to amp, like all dogs here, he was in pain from the tumor. He was also dealing with a torn ACL. When he came home from amp, his drug protocol was half the strength it was before. He didn't get the patch, which I was happy about. His pain management was superb. We didn't have problems - and that's a very common problem here! The good news is that you know how your pup handles all these meds...so you're wiser to side effects and what's appropriate. That's great! He wore the ecollar at night and while we were gone, but I worked it so J was rarely home alone. He went up/down stairs 4d post-amp, but I'm sure he could have done it earlier! As for the couch, I helped him onto it by day 3. He expressed interest in the couch, and I was more than happy to help him up. It was a pretty epic nap then! The issue with the couch and stairs and other movements, is you don't want them to overdo it so early...you don't want to rip anything, have the wound ooze on anything, etc. So, use your best judgement! Oh, and J didn't have any phantom limb pains, but they are very real and some pups really have quite a time with it. Gabapentin (sp?) seems to be the drug of choice there.
You are about to embark on a stressful adventure that'll bond you 2 like never before. There are loads of bad, upsetting, emotional times ahead. Roll with them. Because THINGS WILL GET BETTER. The spark WILL return. I promise. Oh and when it does, bit by bit, it's magic. Pure magic. Your pup will come back to you, better than ever. You'll be amazed at how that lump, cancerous or not, has dragged on her, making her less than she could be. The spark is coming. Just wait. Be patient. Love her up, be pawsitive, be hopeful, be supportive. Then come here, to chat, to vent, to ask questions.
Welcome. Sorry you had to reach out...none of us wanted to either, but we're MORE than happy to have another added to the family!
Post soon about Shelby! We like to celebrate everything, including the firsts: meals, pees, poo's, wags, licks, hops, etc.
~ Katy
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!
Since everyone has covered all the bases, I just want to pitch in with words of encouragement. You are not alone and we all had those feelongs of guilt. In fact, I had them yesterday because I had to have dental work done on my foo-foo dog! you will survive and be there for Shelby and love her even more than before!!
Spirit Shooter was a Miniature Australian Shepherd who was diagnosed with a MCT and had a LF amp 1/28/13 at 13-1/2 years old.
Shooter crossed the Bridge on 8/28/13, his 7 month ampuversary and two weeks from his 14th birthday.
You people are amazing and that is really all I can say because I am kind of in awe by all of this support. I just wanted to say that I am definitely a huge worrywart, and that is one of the things that unfortunately comes along with having a huge heart. But thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you for giving me all of this support and making me feel so much better about this whole process.
We called yesterday around 4:00 and the lady said to call back in about 30-40 minutes because she was still in surgery. She was in surgery for about three hours, and the lady told us that she did great under anesthesia. When we called around 4:45 we ended up speaking to the doctor. He said that he found a very enlarged lymph node and that may be a sign of cancer. We did the X-Ray last week and he said that thankfully if it IS cancer that it didn't spread to the lungs which can usually be one of the first signs in cancer. Her tumor went from the size of an egg to a little over the size of a baseball within a month. It got to the point where she collapsed a few times when she was walking. I'd like to think that it got so big because she tried to do the things that she always did by jumping on and off the bed and living room furniture SO many times a day. I kept saying that we needed to close the bedroom doors but clearly my family didn't agree with that. Since it was on her elbow it had to cause irritation and swelling from jumping up and down so many times, right? I'd like to think that that makes good logic. 
He is one of the top kind of surgeons in Maryland and he said that throughout all of his years doing this, he had never seen anything like this. He said that if it IS cancer then he hopes he got it all out before it could spread. It would most likely be soft tissue cancer which I am assuming would spread very fast. I am praying and praying that it won't be that, but we won't find out until next week. I was bawling all day (the worrywart in me) because I truly didn't think it was cancer and now we get hit with this news and it just breaks my heart because mentally she is still a young and very healthy dog. The thought that we would have to put her down when she is soooooo young at heart just breaks my heart. Don't really know what to do at this point. I'm trying to be optimistic but it is really hard. We pick her up today at 2:00 so I am hoping that will go well. Still confused as to how we will get her up the stairs when we get home, but hopefully the surgeon will be able to tell us. My mom said that she is scared she will faint because she gets like that over certain things. When I got stitches on my forehead she fainted and everyone ran away from me and tended to her lol. Again, thanks for all of the support. I really do appreciate it.
So glad the surgery went smoothly!
I certainly know what it's like to assume the worst- for about 10 days before Kermit's chest x-ray last week I listened to his lungs multiple times a day, freaked at every snore (which he has ALWAYS done, but now I was sure it was lung mets!), got depressed every time he didn't want to do all his exercises every time... and it turned out that he was FINE and this week he's suddenly made a huge leap forward in stamina & enthusiasm.
When he had his amp, he was already being treated for lymphoma, so they removed the lymph node just to biopsy it because it was also enlarged, and it turned out to just be "reactive". They CAN swell up for other reasons than cancer, so TRY (yeah, I know it's impossible) but TRY to assume the best until you KNOW otherwise.
It seems to be fairly unusual (though certainly possible) for bone cancer to spread to that lymph node, so I think the odds are also in your favor on that.
Despite what your vet says about phantom pain , ASK FOR GABAPENTIN. I truly believe it's better to be safe than sorry, especially on phantom pain , and pain in general is easier to control if you don't let it get ahead of you. Even if you only get enough for a week, it will make life easier and make you worry a lot less.
Here's a picture of Kermit's tote bag that helped me help him get around after surgery:
Since Shelby has a tiny waist, I'd HIGHLY recommend the hole in the bag.
Speaking of dumping him onto his face, that was one of the most heart-wrenching parts of his post-op care for me. Since he's a male, it took him several days to realize he could no longer lift a leg to pee, and EVERY time he tried to do it, he'd do a face plant. And he'd do a face plant every time he didn't pick his front foot up high enough to hop. And every time he tried to turn around. And every time he did anything! HOWEVER, I used the bag to help him until his incision was healed & then I had to back off & let him learn. Which he did... and your girl will learn. And it sounds like she's VERY agile so she'll be just fine.
She probably won't have a cone, since front leg amps generally can't reach their sutures anyway. You'll probably be able to use the Ruffwear harness a little before her sutures are completely healed as long as she has a t-shirt covering the incision and you adjust it properly.
I STILL pick Kermit up & carry him when I'm concerned that he's trying to do things (going down stairs, for example) that he might hurt himself on. But he has so many other orthopedic issues that going down stairs was never easy for him anyway!
Mom either needs to buck up or she needs to be sitting down when she first sees Shelby! You DON'T need to be attending to her when she faints! 
Remind her that Shelby DOES. NOT. CARE. that she's missing the leg, she only cares that she won't have that horrible pain anymore! As thinking creatures, it's our job in this journey to "Be More Dog
" and not put our own preconceived notions onto our pups! But I think Mom will surprise you once Shelby is through the recovery period- I'll bet she turns out to be the best cheerleader!
PLEASE come back often with questions, concerns, & updates. There's no reason for anyone to worry unnecessarily, so get the answers you need rather than worrying yourself sick.
So keep us posted, best of luck when you pick her up, and more hugz to all of you!
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