Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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What do you wish you'd done before your dog's amputation?
My dog will lose a front leg in a week or so. She's nearly 14, never been the most active or agile dog, and also suffers from arthritis of spine and hind legs. What can I do PRE-OP to prepare her body and brain for adjusting to tripawd life? Can I help her practice somehow? Strengthen core muscles?
She's not currently in major pain -- the amputation is due to a painless soft tissue sarcoma. Her arthritis causes mild pain despite being medicated.
Already doing:
- Reduced her calories 20% to get her weight lower, but no effect yet after a month. (She's 58 pounds and vet would like to see her in low 50s.)
- I'm taking her on more car rides to improve her balance.
Physical therapy advice for my elderly weakling lazybones is appreciated!
-Kay
Hi Kay! I'm in the Tripawds Chat right now if you want to talk. Meanwhile, you are asking GREAT questions!
What I wish I had done pre-op was put carpet runners down throughout my house, and had a Ruffwear Webmaster harness ready to go. Lack of those two things made our first couple of weeks of recovery harder than it needed to be. Our Tripawds Recovery Shopping List has lots of tips you'll want to check out.
What can I do PRE-OP to prepare her body and brain for adjusting to tripawd life? Can I help her practice somehow? Strengthen core muscles?
Honestly, the best way to help her is to make sure your mindset is pawsitive and optimistic. What's your girl's name? She will look to you for leadership during recovery, and if you project confidence, she will give it right back to you. Attitude is EVERYTHING for amputation surgery recovery.
And if you haven't already, be sure to schedule an appointment with a canine rehab therapist. They like to see new Tripawds around the 10-day post-op mark. If you are in San Francisco, Dr Strubel of A Well Adjusted Pet is da bomb! The best part is the Tripawds Foundation can pay for your first rehab visit ! The link has details. Make the appt now, she's popular.
I hope this helps. Stay tuned for feedback from others! Be sure to check out Jerry's Required Reading List and the Tripawds e-books for lots more tips.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thanks. I've done quite a bit of the recommended reading and our home environment will be well supplied.
I'll look into Dr. Strubel versus the rehab clinicians at the place where her surgery will happen. I'm lucky the SF Bay Area is well-resourced in pet health care... affording it is the hard part! I will surely apply for the rehab grant.
I want to do whatever I can right now to set her up for physical success post-op. I look forward to community feedback!
Ahe is so licky to jave such a strong and devoted advocate! You are doing a very thorough job of doing everything possible to give your girl a good quality life.
We've had senior older than your sweet pup who have handled life kn three jist fine. And yes, arthritis is pretty common for the older dogs but is usual not an issue. What is she on now for the arthritis?
She's been evaluated by a Orthopedic Surgeon and appears to be a good candidate for the amputation, is that right?
The Rehav will probably be most beneficial after the surgery recovery as opposed to before. Not sure how much of a result yoj would get right now just being a week or so out from surgery.
I had not found this site prior to my Happy Hannah's amputation. So my knowledge on pain management and on what REALLY to expect during recovery, how to prepare my home, etc was almost zero.
I think you are already ahead of the game by gaining recovery knowledge in all aspects. You already know some of the hurdles as far as the arthritis and a bit of "seniority " and have been reassurance by the Surgeon she's a good candidate.
THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSON of this journey is to make every moment the best mome t ever fornyou girl! Love in the now and Be More Dog ! Your pup has no worries, no regrets, she just lives in the present and e Jo's the bliss of being a couch potato sitting next to you in the sofa💖💖
The other thing...STAY CONNECTED! We are here to help you in any way we can. Recovery is no picnic for a couple of weeks but it doesn't last furever!!
Stay strong and confident and that type of energy will help her heal.
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!
What is she on now for the arthritis?
She's been evaluated by a Orthopedic Surgeon and appears to be a good candidate for the amputation, is that right?
She's on Rimadyl for arthritis. Gabapentin was also added but since no improvement was noticed, we discontinued it for now. I also give her green lipped mussel powder supplement.
The surgeon and oncologist called her an "okay" amputation candidate, being otherwise in good health.
Thanks for your reply.
I have a little rear amp Tripawd who lost her leg after being hit by a car when she was 7 months old, Elly is now almost 6 years old.
We spend lots of time on trick and obedience training as well as food games and puzzles. Those are good for working on balance and core strength as well as working her brain. We do some balance and strength exercises as well, I developed our routine based on my experience with my previous Tripawd as well as some of exercise resources here. Elly has lots of fear, confidence and separation anxiety issues so I've never taken her to a rehab vet but I really want too. I was thinking earlier this year that she was ready but with the covid restrictions (I'm in the Bay Area too) I won't take her until I can go in with her.
What I wish I knew with my first Tripawd Maggie was about the recovery period. All the vets said most all dogs do fine on three so when Maggie struggled for a few weeks I was sure I had made a terrible decision by choosing amputation. We didn't have any medical issues and she could hop on her own the day of surgery (also a rear amp) but she was a stubborn Pug who hated any change in her routine. She took a few extra weeks but eventually she decided her new normal was just fine and she got on with her happy Pug life!
Also- we have a very active Nor Cal group of Tripawd parents who usually get together with our pups in Mill Valley a couple times of year. When our world returns to normal I hope you can join us!
Here is a video showing some of the games I play with Elly- maybe something will inspire you!
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
@krun15 Thanks for your reply. Do you know if anyone in your Bay Area group would have physical therapy items to donate or sell? Can you point me toward the balance and strength exercise resources you mentioned?
dingdong said
@krun15 Thanks for your reply. Do you know if anyone in your Bay Area group would have physical therapy items to donate or sell? Can you point me toward the balance and strength exercise resources you mentioned?
I'm not Karen but I'll chime in anyways 'cause that's how I roll!
Our Tripawds Gear Blog has lots of articles and tips for exercise. This tag will take you to our articles, just scroll through and find the ones that are relevant.
https://gear.tr...../exercise/
Also, our book Loving Life On Three Legs focuses on fitness and rehab, but since you haven't been through amputation yet I recommend the ebooks library package that includes Three Legs and a Spare , which focuses on recovery.
As for donated items, you can always post in our Tripawds Angel Exchange to see if anyone has something they'd like to pass along.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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