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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Im Deborah and I have a male Rottie, Zeusy Bear, thats just about 7 years old. I brought him to the vet for a bath, shots and to check a slight limp on his back left leg. Hes had 2 previous leg surgeries due to his jumping and does have hardware in each leg. I thought this may have been the issue but my current vet took xrays and saw something of concern so she emailed them to the orthopaedic surgeon that did Zeus surgeries. He stated he was pretty sure it was cancer but had to biopsy to make sure. Some thought I should keep him comfortable with pain meds and not do anything but the ortho stated he was such a sweet dog I should definately amputate. Im so glad I stumbled upon this site, although Im terrified I know I can lean on the community and I feel better already and less guilty. I get the biopsy results this week. I guess I need advice on to what to expect, etc...Im an RN but I feel like Zeus at 146lbs will be my most challenging pt because I live alone and have another dog; a rottie/pittie mix I rescued.
Thanks! Deb and Zeusy
Hi Deb - welcome to the group no one really wanted to join!
I'm an RN too! 
There have been quite a few larger dogs that have been through surgery and done well. Murphy was also 7 when he had his surgery, he had his right front leg removed due to histiocytic sarcoma. He had a biopsy first, also, but it was inconclusive. The first 2 weeks or so after surgery is the hardest. For me, the incision didn't bother me, or seeing him hop...it was the thought of his leg laying on the pathologist's table that bothered me the most. I just kept picturing laying there. ugh! He came home on 3 different pain medications, so I wrote up a med sheet to keep it organized. There were 3 of us giving him his meds and it was the easiest way to keep track of everything.
If you have hardwood floors you'll want to get some rugs or yoga matts to put down. Tripawds have trouble with traction . A good harness will help once he's healed - you can find a couple on the tripawds home page under gear.
Anytime you have questions or just want advice, feel free to come on here! And we love pictures!
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
Hi Deb and Zeus...Zeusy Bear...ADORABLE ZEUSY BEAR!! His avatar picture is chock full of cuteness!!
You jave definitely co e to theright place for information,supportand a whole lot of first hand experience from people who understand all the inteny emotions involved in this journey!
You are no longer alone, okay? Welcome to your new BFF's!
A couple of things to help take away the fear and panic. Zeus does NOT have a time frame stamped anywhere on that cute Rottie butt of his!
Zeusy Bear is not worrying about a thing! He doesn't give a rip about any ole'e "diagnosis" or statistics!
Zeus is not worrying about a thing! All he cares about is all that loving and spoiling je gets from you all the time! He loves you and he knows you love him. He knows every decision you make on his behalf is out of love.
If your vets agree and the surgeon thinks Zeus will do okay on three legs and all his other tests are good, then amputation is the best way to remove that painful leg and give him a chance at QUALITY! And quality time means more time for loving and spoiling and treats and tummy rubs!
One of our beloved members here is SASSY, a beautiful Rottie who was around 135 lbs. (maybe more) at time of amputation. Michelle will chime inand give you more insight. Sassy pretty mich sailed through recovery and had no problems walking from the start.
There are many dogs bigger than Zeus who jave mastered the art of being a tripawd just fine.
ANY surgery has risk. Discuss those with your vet. Some recoveries are a lot rougher than others and take awhile longer. Big Louie, a big Mastiff, took several weeks before he really started adjusting to walking on three legs. My Happy Hannah, a 125 lb. Bull Mastiff, was waking surprisingly well from the beginning, but the surgery itself was hard on her. For the first three weeks I wondered what had I done TO my dog. When her sparkle came back bigger and brighter than before...I knew I jad done it FOR my Happy Hannah.
It's just my dogs and myself and I'm no yiungster. Recovery IS hard when it's just one person. But I hadn't joined this site yet (it was six days after amp), and I was scared out of my mind! I thinkI only slept about five hours the first three days! I slept on the floor next to her for weeks and weeks.
Zeus will spend at least one night at the clinic. He will come home with Tramadol, Gabapentin, and antibiotic and probably Rimadyl. Keeping the pain meds consistent is important. He may experience some panting and whining, some restlessness. Some dogs just pretty much sleep for the first coupld of days. They need rest and just go out for short potty breaks.
And you'll need lots of CHOCOLATE!! It does wonders!
Stay connected...lean on us...go give that sweet boy a hug for us and know all is well in Zeus's world!! You are a wonderful advocate for Zeus!
Hugs and love!
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!
Hi again Deb, thanks for starting this new thread.
If Zeus does need an amputation it is better for him to lose a back leg. All the front leggers I have met get along just fine, but it is in fact a bit easier for a pup to lose a back leg.
You can make a temporary sling out of a reusable cloth shopping bag, just slit down the seams and the handles are built in. Hopefully Zeus is one of those who can get himself around OK and you might just need to help with balance.
Do you have any stairs at your house?
You might read through Jerry's Required Reading List, or download one or more of the e-Books available.
Lots of experience and support to be found here, we will help any way we can.
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
Hi Deb,
I'm sorry Zeusy Bear is in this situation but I'm glad you found us. Even though he sounds like a big boy and you live alone, neither of those things should stop you from considering amputation if the ortho thinks he's a good candidate. Unfortunately, pain control with OSA gets harder and harder as the disease progresses---and you can even have something like a pathological fracture. So that is why most of us choose to amputate. Amputation is no picnic but at least the pain gets less as recovery progresses. Post-amp, Zeusy should be able to do things like go up and down stairs, take (short) walks, chase squirrels and lay in the sun. In short, everything he does probably does now, just maybe a little less intensely or a little slower.
As for the second dog, I think as long as he and Zeusy get along that should not be an issue. Having a quiet place (like a crate if he's crate-trained or an area you can gate off) for him to recover might be a good idea though. And if you proceed w/ amputation, there are definitely some things that will help both you and him---non-slip surfaces (rugs etc), raised food bowls, possibly a harness to help him up and about and some training on rehab and massage to help his body adjust to the new way of walking.
I know waiting for the biopsy results is probably stressful. While we waited, we devoured this entire site! By the time the call came, we pretty well knew what the result was going to be and what we were going to do. Good luck!
Denise, Bill and Angel Ellie.
Active 10+ Pyr mix suddenly came up lame with ACL tear in left rear leg. Scheduled for a TPLO but final pre-op x-rays indicated a small suspicious area, possibly OSA, which could have caused the ACL tear. Surgeon opened the knee for TPLO but found soft bone. Biopsy came back positive for OSA. Became a Tripawd 9/18/14. Carbo6 with Cerenia and Fluids. Pain free and living in the moment. Crossed the Bridge on 7/12/15 after probable spread of cancer to her cervical spine. A whole lifetime of memories squeezed into 10 months. Here's her story: Eloise
So glad your vet is on board for amputation! That makes things go smoother. With Ty, I did not give much thought to where his leg went. It became the enemy. It contained the cancer. The pain relief alone was worth it. He had a rougher that usual time, but I am still happy I gave him the chance. I would have always wondered what if, I think had I chosen differently. I have, in fact rescued another Tripawd, injury, not cancer. The first 2 weeks are the hardest. This is a great place for ideas and advice. Lori, Ty & Gang
TY GUY, Best Black Lab ever! Diagnosed and had amp in January, 2014. Kicked MRSA's butt. Earned his angel wings on April 16, 2014. Run Free my boy and don't forget a shoe. Ty is a proud member of the " April Angels". Ty sent us Daryl, a Tripawd rescue in Sept. of 2016. Daryl is 5 +or -. We are also Pawrents to Chandler, a Border Collie mix who is 15 and 1/2, Lucy, a Corgi who is 7, 2 minis, 2 horses, and a feisty cat named Zoe. Zoe had a non skeletal Osteosarcoma removed in July 2015. No Chemo, she was at least 16. She is going strong although she is now completely blind. She is now close to 20 and her hobbies are eating and sleeping in front of her personal heater.
I'm grandma to Max a 110 pound German Sheperd who did his recovery at my house so someone would be with him while my son worked. I have two dogs of my own so we had 3 in the mix. I think dogs sense that somethings different and both left him alone. Biggest obstacle was making sure they weren't underfoot so Max had a clean shot out for potty breaks. We did use the roughwear webmaster harness that we got from this site and for us it was a lifesaver. Dobimom borrowed us hers a few days after surgery to use until ours came. I know she used it from day one with her front amp Nitro. We just left it on him all day until his last potty break and then removed it for sleeping at night. Max was a rear amp like Zeusy Bear and it worked fine for us too. It helped us get him up if needed. Max was one of those who resisted us helping him to walk after a few days so the handle on top gave us piece of mind that we could just grab it if needed. Max was not one of those dogs that happily hopped out when we picked him up. I think he thought we took both his back legs until about day three. But once he got it there was no stopping him. I know one mistake I made those early days was not keeping calmer. I had to learn to Be More Dog and be a strong leader. The Angels here got me through many tough days and taught me how to Be More Dog . Now Max is 9 weeks post surgery with 3 chemos under his belt and back to loving life. The others have given you great advice. Sorry your diagnosis has brought you here but you're in good hands now! Stay connected and keep us updated on your beautiful boys journey. Hugs to you and Zeusy Bear!
Linda & Max
Wow another RN here! Cool!
Deb and Zeusy you've gotten some great input here from the community, I just wanted to welcome you and let you know that you're in great hands & paws here.
You will definitely get some negativity from people who don't know any better and have never been in this situation; ignore them. Know that Zeusy is a relatively young dog and with that kind of endorsement from your orthopedic surgeon, he should do just fine on three legs. It's not always a picnic at first but they overcome challenges far better than we ever imagine.
You might also want to consider rehab therapy, it's awesome for new Tripawds and our Tripawds Foundation will even pay for a first consult 🙂
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
You Guys Rock!
I was having so many doubts, guilt, etc...Im so happy to know my baby has a chance and your babies returned to happiness even it was for a year or two. Im hoping for at least 3! I want to cry now reading all the positive responses and Zeusy is laying by me on the couch without a care in the world. Thanks for all the tips and I will let u know about the biopsy and Im gonna guess that even if its inconclusive I should amputate? I will keep in my thoughts and prayers your babies...
Love and wet kisses
Deb, Zeusy and Belle
Love wet kisses! Thank you Zeusy Bear! It does seem like a lot of the biopsies come back inconclusive. We didn't do a biopsy because we had 3 vet/surgeons tell us they were 99% sure it was osteosarcoma and the treatment would be the same for a fungal infection in any event. So I have a hunch your Dr will still recommend amputation even if biopsy is inconclusive. We did this journey to get Max out of pain. Mission accomplished! One thing this journey has taught me is not to worry about the tomorrow's in life and like Max does live the today's with nothing but love and relish. Nothing can ever take away all the today's we've had to love and spoil Max since the surgery. Here's to many more "today's"! Your love for Zeusy Bear shines through your posts. You two are in good hands here we've all got your back. We'll all give you as much love and support as you can handle. I truly could not have done this journey without all the Angels here helping me.
Linda & Max
Hi Deb and Zeusy Bear, and welcome! No matter what the future holds for you guys, we're here to help; this site and these people literally saved me last summer. My dobe Nitro had a front amp June 2014, after a lengthy diagnosis process. 3 out of 4 came back inconclusive and one said " sarcoma, fibrous variety. We were terrified of a pathological fracture happening, so we went ahead with amputation. His recovery was difficult, but so worth it in the end. He had 6 doses of chemo, followed by metronomic therapy (a low dose, daily chemo pill plus anti inflammatory). Today we are 17 months post amp, and he's doing great! This journey can be draining and scary and stressful, but also rewarding. I have learned so much from Nitro, he's a true warrior. Do your homework, ask questions, stay pawsitive, lean on this community....we got your back.
paula and nitro
Nitro 11 1/2 yr old Doberman; right front amp June 2014. Had 6 doses carboplatin, followed by metronomic therapy. Rocked it on 3 legs for over 3 years! My Warrior beat cancer, but couldn't beat old age. He crossed the Bridge peacefully on July 25, 2017, with dignity and on his terms. Follow his blog entitled "Doberman's journey"
"Be good, mama loves you".....run free my beautiful Warrior
Yes guys and thanks! Today vet told me biopsy said Fibrosarcoma which the vet said can be cured? No mets in the chest xray but he states when they amputate they will know better. Why all the inconclusiveness? He stated it was wrapped around the bone but it still has the same tx as Osteosarcoma/ So confused but everyone has been wonderful here!
Deb and Zeusy
Hi Deb,
Well that IS great news. I'm assuming you meant that when they amputate the vet will be able to get a better biopsy on the limb for a definite diagnosis?
Sometimes needle aspirates are inconclusive, it happens. Hang in there though, you'll have all this behind you in no time. Meanwhile we'll keep rooting for the fibro diagnosis over the osteo one!
xoxo
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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