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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Glad he's home with you. Now the healing begins. Be strong for your boy and give him lots of love!
Leslie
Yipppppeeeeeeee!!!!! Let him rest up and don't let him overdo it and he'll be just fine. We're here if you need anything OK? Good luck!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hey Ryan,
Glad to hear the Caesar is home and as comfortable as possible. Keep us posted on his progress and please ask any questions you might have. We are here to help.
Can't wait to see your blog and more pictures.
Karen and the pugapalooza
well - day one went good, he slept alot today - deep sleep like i havent seen him to in sometime - he is getting his legs and tries to do more than he probably should - he is a little unsteady but doenst like it when i help with the sling.
He is still in quite a bit of pain, but the meds seem to be helping.
Going to the bathroom seemed to be the toughest. Anybody have any hints?
He did eat some food tonight which was good.
He is trying to figure out how to lay down on his bed - hasnt quite figured that out yet. Hoping he gets there.
How long before they usually get pretty good on the three? Couple of weeks?
Ryan said:
Going to the bathroom seemed to be the toughest.
He'll get it down. If he's gone at all already, consider yourself fortunate. Many dogs don't go for days after the surgery!
Many pain medications will cause constipation. Most dogs won’t have a problem with urination, but will not have a bowel movement until anywhere from two to five days after surgery.
You can often expedite things by adding small amounts of any of the following to his food:
- Bran flakes
- Metamucil
- Canned (not spiced) pumpkin
- Warm milk
- Olive oil
- Steamed sweet potato
- Fish oils (sardines, mackerel, canned salmon or just a liquid supplement)
- Mineral oil (a miniscule amount works quickly)
The first few times he needs to eliminate, get ready to assist by placing the sling under his belly, cut a canvas bag down the sides and and use the handles to assist him out to his designated spot. Some dogs will allow you to do this, others will refuse. Don’t force it; let your dog figure it out naturally. He may lose his balance, but will quickly regain it.
You'll find a number of topics discussing the whole "first potty" issue in these forums.
http://tripawds.....ttent-pain
http://tripawds.....nity-of-it
And yes, most dogs get back to their old selves after the first couple weeks, many bounce back sooner. Just take things one day at a time and ang in there.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hang in there Ryan...it WILL get better!!! I helped Maggie get out and in the house with a sling but let her figure out her balance on her own for going to potty. The vets were all amazed how well Maggie got around after the surgery...of course, I was NOT! I was a wreck....
Glad he ate some! Stay strong!
Tracy, Maggie's Mom
Maggie was amputated for soft tissue sarcoma 10-20-09
Maggie lost her battle with kidney disease on 8-24-13
Ryan said:
He is still in quite a bit of pain, but the meds seem to be helping.
Going to the bathroom seemed to be the toughest. Anybody have any hints?
Ryan - the first week is the hardest.. hang in there. I used a sling to help with walking.. Remember they are heavily medicated (or they should be) so a sling is helpful - a towel will work in a pinch to support. If he's showing signs of pain he's in more pain than you know. Dogs are stoic so they don't show pain unless its really present. I'd suggest consulting about more meds. Also try to get gabapentin. its a neurological drug to help with phantom pains & was a huge helps to us.
Jenna & Zak
Morning of day 2 - he woke us up in the middle of the night walking around our bedroom trying to get into our bed (his bed is on the floor in our room)
Moving really well - had a BM this morning and needed very little help. He is whinning late this am - so i have a call into the vet - last surgery he had - he didnt react well with the fentenyl patch - so i am wondering if the same is causing him angst.
he really can manuever well - better than i ever thought possible so early.
The F-patch can cause whining so it may be the cause of it but being in pain is also a possibility.. I'd ask the vet about his current meds to make sure he's covered sufficently.
Happy to hear he's getting around so well.. 🙂
Jenna & Zak
Hi Ryan,
First poop already- yea!!!!
Good to hear he is getting around so well. Don't get discouraged if he still has some down time- the first two weeks can be up and down. But so far sounds good!
Karen and the pugapalooza
p.s. I put a live link to Caesar's blog in your last post
Talked to the vet late yesterday - he had me remove the patch and lower his tremadol dose - he thinks it is more the meds causes the whinning than pain. Once the patch was off he was more relaxed. He had a pretty restless night last night - so we will continue to use the low end of the tremadol with rimadyl.
another bm last night - eating, drinking and moving around pretty good. Happy things are going good so far.
The pain meds really are the big challenge for some of them. Thankfully it doesn't last more than a couple of weeks. For Trouble, less was more. They removed her patch before she came home and then had her on tramadol & Rimadyl. About day 7 they stopped the tramadol, but it was too soon, I could tell she wasn't doing as well, and I was instructed to start her back on it for another 7 days.
Oh, and it sounds like he is doing GREAT! Wonderful updates!
Shanna & Spirit Trouble ~ Trouble gained her wings 3/16/2011, a 27 1/2 month cancer survivor, tail wagging. RIP sweetheart, you are my heart and soul. Run free at Rainbow Bridge.
The November Five - Spirits Max, Cherry, Tika, Trouble & Nova. 11/2008 - 3/2013 An era ends as Queen Nova crossed the Bridge.
Talked to the vet yesterday and they think he is doing fine. He said to stop the Tramadol on Monday to see how he reacts. He gets very anxious on when we give it to him - he had another night of being restless and walking around the bedroom.
He just seems out of it lately and not his jovial self. Hoping once the meds come to an end - he starts to pick back up.
I have some questions and would like to guidance -
Question on the harness - Caesar's measurement is 35" which puts him on the high end of the medium and the low end of the large - any suggestions as to which way to go?
Any guidance on when to let him try to navigate stairs? We have a lot of them (15) to get upstairs where he likes to be - right now I am carrying him up and down - and he is about 65 lbs - getting heavy.
Also looking for some advice on "light" dog food - he has been on Royal Canine Bulldog formula for 3-4 years now and it really helps with the other fun parts of bulldogs (flatulence, skin issues, kibble size) but they dont have a "light" bulldog formula - can we accomplish the same thing by reducing the amount we give him a day? Or is the another food out there people would recommend?
Thanks!
Hi Ryan.....I'm not a vet nor do I play one on TV but I have been successful in taking a LOT of weight off of many of my foster dogs.
I have 3 golden retrievers ranging in weight from 50-60 and a lab who is 70 pounds. With the exception of little golden girl Frankie, who came into rescue weighing 28 pounds at 9 years (yikes), they have ALL been overweight and this is what my holistic vet recommended.
Give 2/3 cup of kibble twice a day. To their kibble you will add "GLOP". GLOP is what you make it and this is what Doc recommended:
Take a couple of bags of frozen collard greens, cook them VERY lightly (just enough to thaw them out) and toss in a bowl. Add in one large can of salmon with the juice and all. Mix it all together, hold your nose and you have just created GLOP. I take a large serving spoon and put the GLOP at the bottom of the food bowl and put the 2/3 kibble on top. Doc also has me add a tablespoon of plain nonfat yogurt for probiotic purposes, by the way.
I took 60 pounds off of a 130 pound golden this way and it was healthy and they NEVER were hungry....they love that stinky salmon and greens.
Good luck!
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