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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I'm not a country girl but I know why chickens eat rocks! They don't have teeth so swallow food whole, when they are able to forage in a yard they will swallow little rocks, it helps them grind and so digest their food. If they are in coops all the time or only get feed commercial food you have to add rocks to their diet.
I get Charlie's issues with crates. My quad pug Obie was not treated well at his first home including being left in a small carrier for hours on end. He actually likes to get into crates, but then when he comes out he is very agitated. When I had a groomer I always sent both dogs, that seemed to help. And he has had two knee surgeries, both requiring overnight stays. Both times I sent a favorite toy and a tee shirt with my smell on it. He was so doped up after the surgeries he did OK.
I'll be looking for an update tomorrow.
And again, if I can help at all please send me a PM.
Karen
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Oh my goodness! Just seeing this! Don't know how I missed it. I also know you have been given GREAT, REALLY GREAT advice and support by our Tripawd family!
I jist want to add my support and to remind you, as you can clearly see, you are not alone!!
This is such an emotional and uncertain time. Very intense and very stressful. For me anyway, once I FINALLY made the decision to go the amputation route for my Happy Hannah (osteosarcoma), I felt a small sense of relief (although I think it only lasted sbout three seconds).
Just one other thought about bringing Charlie home the first night or staying at the vet. IF he did spend the night, is it possible that you could pay a vet tech a small amount of money to stay with him and monitor him? Just a thought.
As far as bringing him home that night he will most likely be pretty drugged and high on hospital meds enjoying riding a few pink elephants. Then again, he coukd be very whiny and restless which is seen wuite often too. Your vet sounds wonderful and I'm sure he would make his home phone available.
Now, as far as the thought of him nkt being able to run laps around the house, you can take that off your "things to worry about" list! Charlie has ro ge through recovery first and adjust to his new mobility. And walking on three legs is exhausting. I hate to make such a "generalization", but small dogs really do well and return to all their normal activities with few issues. Now, every dog is different and every recovery is different. Almost always though, at least the first two weeks it's just about rest and short potty breaks.
I'm going to post a link to Karen's Puggle showing how having three legs doesn't interfere with her fun at all!
I nave to compliment you on your fast assimilation into our tripawd "dysfunctional" humor! Yeah, it happens to allmofnjs! It's a coping mechanism. Your husband DOESN'T HAVE A LEG TO STAND ON.
Yep, you've become one of the family!
Charlie's avatar picture is ADORABLE! Can't wait to see more!
Remember, Charlie isn't worried about a thing! He doesn't give a rip about any ole' "diagnosis". He's living in the moment and soaking up all that loving and spoiling you are giving him!
Grab some chocolate...a whole lot of CHOCOLATE. Eat it all at once, it helps!
Hugs and love!
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
PS...it does sound like Charlie is reacting to pain. As mentioned, talk to your vet about Gabapentin or more Tramadol. Keep the drugs on a consistent time frame and don't let the pain get a head start before the next dose.
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!
Oops...Here's the link...forgot to add
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 haven't needed to use one, but recently one of our new cat members used a pheromone collar for her cat to reduce anxiety. I don't know how effective this is for dogs but I assume there are specific ones for dogs. Just an idea...
Oh, I just got an image of a cat pheromone collar used on a dog. Hmmm, probably wouldn't be a good result.
Also, I've used Rescue Remedy on myself but some use it on their pets.
Kerren
Hi -
I would say, too, that you don't HAVE to agree to the biopsy with the specialty vet/surgeon. You can tell them that you have done your research and would rather just move ahead with the surgery and forego the biopsy. They biopsy is a painful procedure to go through, and if I had known then what I know now, I definitely would not have put Murphy through it.
Donna
Donna, Glenn & Murphy
Murphy had his right front leg amputated due to histiocytic sarcoma at 7 years old. He survived 4 years, 2 months & 1 week, only to be taken by hemangiosarcoma at 11 1/2 years 6/12/17
Read about Murphy's Life on Three Legs
dobemom said
I can help you out with cold winters....we live in Wisconsin! Last winter I was super worried about ice more than anything; Nitro's surgery was in june, so he was pretty stable on 3 legs when winter came around. One of his vets suggested a product called "chicken grit" that we bought at Fleet Farm - 50lbs for under $6. It looks like small pieces of gravel (but isn't sharp) that gives incredible traction on ice. It's located in the farm animal section. An older gentleman helped me lift it into the cart and said to me "how many chickens do you have?" Apparently the eat it for some reason unknown to me. I thought that was the funniest thing I'd heard in a long time! We got Nitro a warm fleece jacket to wear; he loves the snow.I didn't want to put boots on him (althought he's worn them before) because I didnt want him to trip. Maybe we'll have a mild winter this year!keep us posted
Paula and Nitro
Thank you Paula and Nitro! That is an excellent idea. Yes, so far our winter has been mild, yet we know how quickly that can turn. I know exactly what chicken grit is, as I grew up on a farm. I must make a trip to Fleet Farm. 🙂
I can see I'm a bit late on reading this, I haven't been on for a while. Your story sounds so much like mine! My girl Bree has an MST on her right hind leg. I'm having my vet do her surgery (we haven't done it yet) I just wanted to say, if you know your vet loves your animals, and feel like the other guy might just be taking you for a ride. Go with your gut instinct. You want someone who cares specifically about Charlie, and not just the dollar amount he can get. I know this is such a hard journey, and my husband to is wishy washy an how much we should spend on a dog, and I'm also concerned about winter weather where I live. I really hope things go well for you and Charlie!
Tanya and Bree
Thanks to everyone with all your heartfelt concerns. We (I mostly) have gone with my gut feeling. We are going to forego the biopsy being we did so much pre cancer testing a week ago, from blood work, aspirating his lymph node closest to his MCT, ultra sound of abdomen, liver, spleen and chest x ray, all have come back with out any trace of cancer. Yes we are aware this is not 100%, but neither is any of us waking up tomorrow morning. (sorry, got to put a little humor in to keep my spirits up)
This support group.....you have no idea how greatly this has helped me cope and just generally help me with my decision making.
Charlie is schedule for Tuesday Dec. 15th for his surgery with our family vet. I am going to bring him home the same day. My son's fiancé used to work for a different vet clinic, plus her friend does work for the same one Melissa did. They both offered to help me with Charlie, or even take him for a couple of days to make sure he is comfy. I will be sure to ask about Gabapentin. I guess knowing both the gals live not to far from me gives me relief knowing I am not going to have to do this alone. Any suggestions on what to get him to be as comfy as possible? He has a super soft bed already and his blanky, and I noticed some posted people's dog had t shirts on, however Charlie's is his hind leg. Like the gal behind the desk at the vet clinic also reassured me. You take it harder than our pet does. They live for that day, and don't look to the future like we do, so he will do just fine. She knows Charlie will do well and will bounce right back! Tuesday cant come soon enough, just to get it over with.
I shall keep everyone posted. Again. Thank you!
Charliebug!
Sounds like a well thought out plan! I hope you have some relief now that you know what you are going to do.
As far as the tee-shirt for front amps, it's used to keep the incision clean and to give the pup or kitty a break from the cone. I was lucky with my pug Maggie's rear amp- between her short pug nose and her Buddha belly she couldn't reach her incision!
Some here have used boxer shorts for rear amps, the tail goes through the fly. My quad pug Obie has had surgery on both his knees. I made him some 'pants' out of girls tights to cover his incision and used the donut type collar when I couldn't watch him. It is called a Pro Collar and you can see it in the Gear Blog.
Good luck on Tuesday, I'll be looking for an update.
Karen
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Hmmmm. I had written out a whole reply and THOUGHT I posted it but I don't see it so trying this again...
Coming to your thread a bit late in the game but wanted to chime in on a few things. First, as others here said to me, whatever you choose is okay because it is a decision being made from love. Sound like you've decided to forego the biopsy (which at least in my opinion seems quite reasonable to do) and proceed with the amp. As our vet told us, once you make the decision, don't look back. You can only make the best decision you can with the info, knowledge (and resources-sadly, money is a reality) you have in the moment.
Second, completely agree with your thoughts on the wonderful support and encouragement to be found in this community. Just found them myself last week and can't tell you how much their wise words helped us to make-and feel okay about-our decision. Our girl Rosie had her amp eight days ago and thankfully, is doing great. I can't help out with mast cell info as Rosie had a metastasized tumour from her nasal carcinoma but at least from the amp perspective I can offer hope many dogs do respond very well to being a Tripawd!
Lastly, I can relate to the night anxieties you were describing in Charlie. Rosie-who used to sleep in our bed but not while she recovers-started waking up a few times a night (sometimes for an hour or more), whiny, panting, anxious. We had difficulty calming her down and getting her back to sleep. We initially thought it was a weird reaction/symptom of getting radiation this past summer and asked the oncologist who said she had not heard of that reaction from the radiation. In any case, a few weeks after that behavior started we noticed the limp which lead to her work up etc. In retrospect I'm sure it was probably the first sign of the cancer and something going on in her body. The good news is now that the tumour is gone with the amp she is sleeping just fine.
Will keep Charlie in my thoughts and prayers on Tuesday. Wishing you all a happier and healthier 2016!
Sheila and Rosie the Rockstar
Sounds like you have a great plan in place to help you after surgery. Glad you were able to make a decision. I'll be sending healing thoughts Tuesday for Charlie's surgery. Keep us posted!
Linda & Max
midnighter94 said
Hi -I would say, too, that you don't HAVE to agree to the biopsy with the specialty vet/surgeon. You can tell them that you have done your research and would rather just move ahead with the surgery and forego the biopsy. They biopsy is a painful procedure to go through, and if I had known then what I know now, I definitely would not have put Murphy through it.
Donna
Thank you Donna. Your post makes me feel much more comfortable about not doing the biopsy. Like you said, why put him through the pain, plus being put under anesthesia twice versus once. I just can fathom the thought of putting him through that. I pray he turns out well. Thanks again
Joan
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