Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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My sweet and silly 8 year old smooth collie was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in his left front leg. It took several weeks to get an appointment with a local vet oncologist and after consulting with her, I was presented with several options including stereotactic radiation + chemo, amputation + chemo and several palliative options. Today I consulted with veterinary radiation oncologist on the other side of the state where stereotactic radiography is available and she suggested that my dog would have a high risk of breaking that bone. So it seems amputation may be his best option.
My challenge and question is regarding caring for my dog during recovery. I'm an older, single dog mom of 2 smoothies and am currently being treated for breast cancer. I'll be starting AC chemo this week which I hear is quite brutal. I'll be having surgery and radiation in the fall. I'm curious from a timeline perspective how much moment to moment care my dog is going to need for the first few months after surgery. Will we both be snoozing though most days, waking up for meals and bathroom breaks or is he going to need continuous care? I need to make some kind of care plan for him.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Susan and welcome.
I'm so sorry you are facing this situation, we are here to help however we can. It sure sounds like you have a lot in your plate right now! I can only do imagine how stressful it must be. What is your dog's name?
My fur baby is a feline who lost his leg due to trauma, not cancer. So I can not offer much information on canine recovery other than what I have read on here. But it seems most dogs, when that bad leg is off, they get their sparkle once recovery is over. Senior dogs may take longer to make a full recovery so if you move forward with surgery that's something to be aware of. From what I remember around two to four weeks seems to be the norm. If you do elect amputation just try not to compare and remember she is on her own timeline, and that will make recovery easier.
I am sure others will chime in with their experiences soon.
What is your house like? Do you have slippery floors? You'll want to put down traction so she doesn't slip. See our Tripawds Recovery Shopping List , Jerry's Required Reading List , and our What to Expect articles to get a feel for post-amputation recovery. Our e-books library also has helpful information too.
As future questions come up, please ask away. Your future posts won't need approval.
-Dawna, Tuxedo, Lilly, and Angel Dazzle
mommatux said
Hi Susan and welcome.I'm so sorry you are facing this situation, we are here to help however we can. It sure sounds like you have a lot in your plate right now! I can only do imagine how stressful it must be. What is your dog's name?
My fur baby is a feline who lost his leg due to trauma, not cancer. So I can not offer much information on canine recovery other than what I have read on here. But it seems most dogs, when that bad leg is off, they get their sparkle once recovery is over. Senior dogs may take longer to make a full recovery so if you move forward with surgery that's something to be aware of. From what I remember around two to four weeks seems to be the norm. If you do elect amputation just try not to compare and remember she is on her own timeline, and that will make recovery easier.
I am sure others will chime in with their experiences soon.
What is your house like? Do you have slippery floors? You'll want to put down traction so she doesn't slip. See our Tripawds Recovery Shopping List , Jerry's Required Reading List , and our What to Expect articles to get a feel for post-amputation recovery. Our e-books library also has helpful information too.
As future questions come up, please ask away. Your future posts won't need approval.
-Dawna, Tuxedo, Lilly, and Angel Dazzle
Thanks so much for your reply and for pointers toward further reading.
The dogs and I live in a townhouse and they spend most of their time on the first floor which has hardwoods. Access to the outside world from the front door includes three steps and via the garage it's two steps. He's been lame for several weeks and has had traction issues. I've been using yoga mats and no skid backed couch protectors on the floors and a Hurtta weekend warrior harness to assist him with the steps.
Hey Susan. Feel free to check out my baby Kota’s Story. I tried to detail as much as I could on how the recovery was. My boy had his front left leg removed due to Osteo as well. Let me know if you have any questions.
Well you and your "silly" boy certainly will have a lot jn common on thos joirney......you both will be kicking cancer's butt!!!
Are your other two "smoothies" siblings? Sounds like you jave a home full pf love♥️ you may want to keep them sort of separated at first if they are ised to enough housing and playing ja4d with him. Also your "silly boy" needs a quiet place to relax and heal.
Has the surgery actually been scheduled? If so, when?
how much moment to moment care my dog is going to need for the first few months after surgery. Will we both be snoozing though most days, waking up for meals and bathroom breaks or is he going to need continuous care
Ideally with a smooth recovery....yes, you both will be snoozing a lot, doing potty breaks, eating meals and back to bed. And this is for the first two weeks....not mo ths. At least on hos end.
Generally, recovery from the surgery itself takes avout two weeks. It takes about a month for dogs to master their mobility with fewer face plants, more balance and more fluid gait.
The first two weeks consist of SHORT leashed potty breaks and back in for more rest. Generally the first week is the "hardest" mainly, because it's a matter of tweaking the pain meds that work best for your pupper. Once you get the right dose and frequency, healing kind of speeds up.
Of course, every recovery is different but the first five or six days is when he would need the most consistent overseeing. Does t ,ean you cant run to the grocery store, etc, just wouldn't leave him j unattended too much that first week....especially first several days.
As far as after the recovery period. your pup should be avle to pretty mich do what theh did before. vut with moderation and some supervising so they dont overdo..
After you review everything, let is know a h quest you ,ight have and jow we can best support you both.
We'll be sending pawsitive healing energy to you and pupper
(((((((((((((((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!
Kota's story was so incredibly helpful! Thank you!
I think my biggest worry is will I be able to care for my dog during his recovery and how will I manage the days when I am in chemo. I used to put them in doggy daycare. Perhaps the vet might have some suggestions.
Hi Susan, welcome! I'm so sorry you and your pup (what's his name?) are both dealing with this darn disease. UGH! May you both kick that cancer into outerspace and get well soon!
I'm curious from a timeline perspective how much moment to moment care my dog is going to need for the first few months after surgery. Will we both be snoozing though most days, waking up for meals and bathroom breaks or is he going to need continuous care? I need to make some kind of care plan for him
Generally, most dogs will come home after surgery and be able to stand to eat, drink and eliminate. Then they take 2-4 weeks until they get their sea legs. They usually aren't fully recovered, but recovered enough to go outside an potty on their own, navigate around the house, etc. If your pup is otherwise healthy and fit, recovery should be pretty uneventful.
Many people who have complicated life situations at the time of surgery will have their vet board their dog for a few extra days. You can also see if any vet techs at the clinic do patient care at home during their after hours. Perhaps a mobile vet can come and check in, do sutures removal, and check in occasionally for a week or so.
As for managing during chemo, if you opt for chemo for him, most dogs just get a little tired for a few days after their sessions. Sometimes there's nausea or runny poop. It's not the same kind of side-effects as when people get chemo, since dogs get such a low dose, just enough to manage the disease with the goal of keeping quality of life #1.
Sounds like you are doing all the right homework, and arranging for a great vet team to care for your boy. Pawesome!
So much helpful and supportive information. Thank you all! What a wonderful community.
I haven't scheduled Bray's surgery yet. And now that I have a better idea of the timeline for recovery from all of you, I'm feeling a bit more confident about planning it.
I'm glad we could be of help! Try to keep in mind that all dogs are a little different in their recovery, so these are general timelines based on what we've seen here. It's good to have backup support just in case he needs more time or more care, but it sounds like there's no reason why his recovery can't be uneventful.
I love the name - Bray! Keep us posted. This is a wonderfully supportive community and we want you to know you are not alone. Ask as many questions as you need and we will have your back all the way through this!
Thank you all so much for your support. It's been a long road getting here.
Bray had his amputation on Thursday and was discharged today. He's doing as well as can be expected for such a big surgery. He hadn't urinated on his own at the vet hospital but had no issues once he was home. It just took a little time, patience and encouragement. I suspect tonight is going to be a long night because he keeps getting up and trying to get around the house but he doesn't have the balance nor the strength yet. I think the meds are making him a bit wobbly too. Taking Justin342's lead, I've moved some furniture around and will sleep in the living room with him tonight.
He's on Gabapentin, Rimadyl and Amantadine for pain meds and Simplicef I'm guessing to avoid infection. Amantadine was a game changer for him pre-op. I'm hoping he does as well with it now.
Jerry - your suggestion about asking my regular vet for assistance was brilliant. She's been so kind and helpful. Bray is going to be in her office for daycare on Thursday when I have chemo. Her vet techs are also willing to stop by as needed after work. I am so thankful for their support.
Aww thanks for thinking of us to let us know how things are going. I'm so glad he is home, and doing pretty darn well. Your vet sounds amaaaazing! How terrific they are looking out for him, and for you too.
I hope that Thursday goes really well and you bounce back easily from treatment. Please let us know how things are going OK? And feel free to post an update in Treatment and Recovery now that he's graduated to the next phase!
So glad sirgery went well and Braynis home.
And YAAAAY FOR PEE!!! zOne box to mark check. He may not poop for a few days, but that's "n9rmal
So glad Jerry's suggestion for extra help has worked out for you. Shhhh.....dont tell anybody, but I bet you and Bray are extra special to them and they wouldn't be offering this "extra care" to just anybody😉
We'll be cheering for Bray....and fornyou two. You make quite a pair.
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!
Thanks so much for the kind words! He's been up and getting around in the house on his own. He seems only to need a hand with the steps and occasionally needs me to relocate his sister when she blocks his path napping on the carpet runners. He's doing really well!
Wow that's really impressive he is doing great. Sounds like he has good pain control. Hop on over to Treatment and Recovery to let us know what meds he's taking during the next phase. Hope things are still going well!
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