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.
Join The Tripawds Community
Learn how to help three legged dogs and cats in the forums below. Browse and search as a guest or register for free and get full member benefits:
Instant post approval.
Private messages to members.
Subscribe to favorite topics.
Live Chat and much more!
Register
Log In
Members
Add Topic
Offline
Our lab mix, Moose, has had problems with arthritis in his hind end. He's been on Rimadyl and Tramadol for some time now. He's 13.
Sunday, he began limping and not putting weight on his right hind leg. Although he wasn't whining or showing pain, he wasn't really getting up and moving about too much either, so we took him to the vet Monday. The vet said it was probably just an arthritic flare up, and that we should increase his Tramadol, and to make sure we were getting him up and moving as much as possible, and to make sure we were massaging his hips often. We did all this. By Thursday, he was moving along well on three legs - but still no weight bearing. As we massaged his hips, with no signs of pain, we went to try and touch his paw - he whips his head around like it hurts. So....we took him back to the vet yesterday. Finally, they did xrays, and it shows that his hind leg is pretty much shattered like a piece of timber. They could see the thinned bone, and a tumor over top. I won't go into how upset I am that we were forcing him up due to the vets advice on what we now know was a shattered leg.....
Anyways - our options are to put him down or amputate the leg. I'm struggling with putting him down, because he seems fine otherwise - eats, drinks, goes out to the bathroom, wags his tail, etc....so we're considering the amputation. Is that asking too much of a 13 year old dog? We have to decide by Monday - as he has a soft cast on it now to stabilize it. If he were in a lot of pain, the decision would be easy - I wouldnt allow my friend to suffer.
The xray didnt show anything in his chest, so the vet didnt feel it had metastasized yet (not saying it hasn't, he just didnt see). If we do proceed with the amputation, we were thinking of just not doing the biopsy and chemo. We just dont want him to hurt or suffer.
Any advice?
Hey and welcome!
That's a tough call, but only you know Moose best. With his age and arthritis in his rear end, amputation may be rough on him, but on here it seems like dogs are always defying the odds and doing great. You should go check out the Size and Age Matters forum, there is alot of information there about amputation in older dogs. It's a very hard decision and only you know what's best for your guy.
I'll be in the chat for a little bit if you wanna talk!
Cassie and Domino
“A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.”
Domino had his left front leg amputate on May 13th 2014 after being hit by a car. He's now living a happy healthy life on three legs :)
Hi Jen,
I'm in the chat room right now if you want to talk. I will respond in my next post.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
HI Jen, Moose and family, welcome. I'm so sorry you are having to go through this ordeal, it's tough and emotional and there are no easy answers. But one thing to remember is there are no right answers for everyone, since every pack is different and every dog is too.
What does your vet think about Moose being a candidate for surgery? And what kind of problems has he had with his hips? Many dogs have had pre-existing conditions like hip displaysia, etc., some worse than others. If you are at all in doubt about his ability to get along on 3, I would seek a second opinion from a board-certified orthopedic surgeon just to be sure.
Many dogs here just have amputation surgery and no chemo (our Jerry included). The most important thing is to help him get out of that awful pain (I can't imagine walking on a leg like that, and believe me we felt just as bad as you are when we too had a vet who didn't diagnose Jerry's condition until months later, it was terrible). If he is a good amputation candidate, and otherwise healthy, there's no reason why he can't have a good quality of life.
Statistically speaking, he's at the tail end of a typical lifespan for a Lab so I realize this decision is much harder for you than for someone like us who dealt with it when Jerry was 8. But you just never know how much, or how little time we have left with our pups, we've seen dogs far outlive their prognosis and sadly, others who didn't. It's all a big gamble and you have to be able to live with whatever decision you make for him. There are no easy answers but only you know him best and I know that whatever decision you make, you'll do it with love and the highest regard for his quality of life.
If you haven't already, be sure to check out Jerry's Required Reading List for more thoughts about this, and stay tuned for more help from this great community. Thanks for joining, your future posts won't require approval.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi - thanks for the responses.
Jerry - our vet said that he's on the fence with our diagnosis, but that if he had to decide, since my Moose is still "himself" and not seeming to be in a lot of pain, he'd probably opt for the amputation.
I feel like my husband and I have decided to go ahead and move forward with that.
Moose does have arthritis in his hind end - he's been on Rimadyl for some time now. And he's no small dog - he's 90 lbs. But, since he's not been weight bearing since this leg issue, I feel like he may be okay with three legs. But if not, at least I'll feel like I've done everything I could for him.
Hi Jen and Moose's family. Sorry to hear about Moose's leg. I can see this will be a tough decision. My 8-year-old cat's leg had to be amputated to stop the spread of an aggressive cancer but then she was younger than Moose.
I realize the shattered bone is the major issue but I wanted to address the arthritis because I have arthritis and Tramadol (Tramacet for humans) doesn't help much for a flareup. What helps a lot is ice and heat and massage and physiotherapy. You're doing massage, perhaps Moose might as get some comfort in the hips from ice/heat - just google "ice for dogs with arthritis" and you'll find lots of info.
The folks here have are a great support and have a wealth of information. Good luck in making your decision - you'll know what's best for you and Moose.
Kerren and Tri-kitty Mona
Jen I am in the same boat with you. I am facing the same decision with my 11 yr old golden. For what it's worth I know a woman through my breeder who opted for surgery on her 17 year old golden.
Mary
I will chime in on this even though my own Murphy (Lab/Chessie) is a Tripawd because of an accident and is still a lot younger. The best thing we ever did after his amp was to take him to physical therapy. You will be amazed at what a difference it will make. Good luck, and we will be pulling for you.
Murphy is a five year old Lab/Chessie cross. He was hit by a car on 10/29/12 and became a Tripawd on 11/24/12. On 2/5/13, he had a total hip replacement on his remaining back leg. He has absolutely no idea that he has only three legs!
UPDATE: Murphy lived his life to the fullest, right up until an aggressive bone lesion took him across the Rainbow Bridge on April 9, 2015 and he gained his membership in the April Angels. Run free, my love. You deserve it!
I'll chime in as my dog was 13 when she had her amputation due to hemangiosarcoma (a blood cancer). she was much smaller at 24# but still 'older'... but lots of spirit and spunk left. She did sail through her surgery great and adapted great to three legs. She had other issues but nothing doing w/her amputation. She was also getting chemo when she underwent her surgery (long story but her leg was broken in june, fixed and then 6 months later we discovered the break was related to her cancer).
The only issues we had w/recovery were the meds she was on ... some of the painkillers she needed made her a bit psychotic so we got her meds to help w/that. But Shelby was happy and embraced her life as a tripawd for several months before she passed away due to a brain bleed related to her cancer.
all I can say, is seeing how much pain shelby was in w/her bum leg, I had no regrets taking it off and making her comfortable. She was and remains the love of my life and I feel peace knowing I did all for her. There are no guarantees w/amputation or cancer but Shelby guided me the entire way and when she had had enough, she let me know.
Good luck and keep us posted ... we're all here for you!
Alison with the Spirit of Shelby fur-ever in her heart
Shelby Lynne; Jack Russell/Shiba Inu mix. Proud member of the April Angels of 2014.
October 15, 2000 to April 8, 2014
Our story: Broke rear leg in June 2013 - non-conclusive results for cancer so leg was plated and pinned. Enlarged spleen in September 2013 and had it removed and was diagnosed with Hemangiosarcoma and started chemotherapy. Became a Tripawd January 8th, 2014 and definitive Hemangiosarcoma diagnosis. Three major surgeries in 7 months and Shelby took them all like a champ only to lose her battle to cancer in her brain. We had 8 amazing extra months together and no regrets. #shelbystrong #loveofmylife
Wow - what a great community here! I'm so encouraged by all of these posts. Thank you so much to everyone for your support. We are calling the vet on Monday to get things in motion to amputate the leg, and we'll just hope that he has a good quality of life left. We love him so much!
Side story on Moose - we are military...shortly after 9/11 a friend of ours got notice that he had to deploy. He had just gone through a rough divorce and he had a pregnant lab, and was upset because he would have to give her over to the SPCA so he could deploy. We took her in, and she had 10 puppies in our closet. Moose was the biggest of the bunch, and we fell in love with him. So he's been with us all these years minus one week when we went on vacation without him. He's such a good boy, and we treasure every minute with him!
Thanks everyone!!!
Hi Jen and Moose,
Welcome to Tripawds......so sorry you are dealing with the "ugly c" in your boy. First, I would like to say, you mentioned you are military so I would like to thank you for your service to our great country as well as your friend that you ultimately got Moose from.
I see that Moose is a big Lab mix, I am a Lab person as well, love my Labs !! My Tripawd angel Polly was like Alison's Shelby and dealt with hemangiosarcoma, and did very well with her amp at 9 years old. I know that is younger than your sweet Moose, but I actually want to share my story of my first black Lab and surgery. Although she did not lose a leg, Duchess had extensive surgery at 13 years old, and in fact had two very large surgeries for the same thing, back-to-back, within 3 months of each other. She had 2 very large, fast-growing tumors in her chest area that needed to be removed and biopsied.......each tumor got so large, they both weighed close to 5-8 lbs each. They did the one side first, then 2 months later, the other side of her chest. She had staples from the top of her back down to the middle of her chest, on both sides. Very fortunately, these were not cancerous, and she also very fortunately dealt with both surgeries quite well. So I guess I am just trying to help you be fairly comfortable with your decision to do an amputation on 13 year old Moose. Duchess went on to live another almost 3 years.
If amputation is going to give your boy a much better quality and pain-free life, that is the best thing we can do for our beloved pups and kitties. I do know it is still a very difficult decision to make, but it is a personal one and anything you ultimately decide for Moose will be the right thing.
Please keep us all posted on him, and I will be keeping you and him in my thoughts,
Bonnie & Angel Polly (and Angel Duchess too)
MOOOOOOOSE!!!! Love your name sweet boy!!!! So y ou were the biggest pup of the lieter, huh? I think that's a real good sign and shows you are a strong and determined fella'!
I KNOW this decision is just gut wrenching, especial l y with a few extra hurdles.
Everyone has give good input. Its major surgery...some dogs sail through recovery auickly......some dogs have "issues" and take a while longer to recover.and there are a few who dont make it very far past recovery. And the thing is...there really is no way to tell how a dog will do after surgery! This whole journey is such a crap shoot! HOWEVER, most dogs do very well once recovery is complete and are able to have a pain free life for whatever amount of time they have with us!
There are three dogs I can think of right off the bat who were "seniors"...at least thirteen...Franklin, Shooter and Lexie. They all got many months of extended quality time with more loving and spoiling and ear scrathes and tummy rubs and treats than anyone could ever imagine. And in the life of a dog...six months pain free quality is over three uears in human years!!!
For me...and this was just me....I felt like I HAD to try...I HAD to give my Happy Hannah a chance...we had THE MOST GLORIOUS ONE YEAR AND TWO MONTHS EVER!!! Now,how would I feel had it not turned put so well...I'm not sure. I think, however, I still wo u ld rather have tried....and could live better with that than no trying.
You DO have a "senior" and major surgery is a risk for anyone, but especially a xenior. If the vet has done all the bloodwork, checked h im over really well and feels like he's a good candidate, then that's a llus. And he clearly is already walking on three legs!
Ny decision y o u make will be made out of love...and that's the right decision
WOULD LOVE TO SEE PICTURES OF MOOSE!!! Sound like such a great dog! And you are great parents!!!
We are all here for you...we all understand...and we certainly understand the love you have for Moose...and Moose has for you! Let us know how we can help. YOU ARE NOT ALONE! And please stay connected and update us when you can.
For right now, just keep it chunked down...focus on if you want to proceed with surgeryand then focus on recovery. You can think about chemo and all that later!
One bit of advice I loke to lass on....CHOCOLATE.....EAT LOTS OF CHOCOLATE!!! It does wonders for the human soul!!
Sending you love and a big ole' smooch for MOOOOOOOSE!!
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle 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!
Jen,
So sorry that you and Moose are here with us, but...this is the place that will help keep you sane during this very difficult time. Unfortunately only you can decide the way to proceed. There is no right or wrong answer. Please do not listen to well meaning friends and family that have no understanding of the relationship you and Moose have. As others have said no dog is born with a date stamped on their butt.
How are Moose's front legs? The hind legs bear 40% of the weight, front bears 60%. So look at the math...80% of his weight will be supported. He has obviously been doing well while not using the affected leg. For pain relief only I (personal) would opt for amputation. My Jake also a lab, did well with his amputation at 8 years. Labs are so stoic that they are very good at hiding their pain to protect their pawrents. Please use us and stay connected.
Thanks everyone!
First, let me clarify - my husband is military - actually just retired. But thank you!!
Laurie - Moose's front legs are pretty strong, and that makes sense - I was worried about the weight on the one remaining hind leg. And you're right - he is stoic - will do anything just because I ask him to.
Benny - I just updated my avatar with Moose 
awww Moose has a sweet face! You're so lucky to have him all these years. And a big thanks to your hubby for his service in the military!
Glad your vet is relatively confident about his candidacy as a Tripawd and your confidence is wonderful too. Just keep Moose leaner than a typical dog of his size/breed, monitor his activity and he should do just fine.
Whatever we can do to help you through this part of the journey just holler. Let us know what the vet says tomorrow.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
1 Guest(s)
