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
Hello everyone – I am new to the site and faced with a difficult decision. Bailey has a rapidly growing tumor (approaching size of tennis ball) in his rear hind leg. We took him to UPenn Vet Hospital to see a specialist. Needle aspirate showed spindle cells likely associated with myxosarcoma (very low probability of metastasis). Bailey has mild arthritis as well in his other legs. They suggested complete amputation of the rear hind quarter as the sarcoma seems to be affecting connective tissues throughout his hock and foot and would be impossible to remove. Radiation was not reccomended. We have been treating with Derramax and Amantadine which has worked wonders – he has gone from completely lame to being able to walk on the leg. Chest x-rays are clear and he is in overall good health other than his leg. His other hind leg is rock solid as he had been using it almost exclusively for 3 months prior to taking the Amantadine. It is to the point where we must either amputate or continue to simply treat with pain meds. Has anyone had an amputation done on an older dog such as Bailey? We are unsure how he would recover from the trauma of surgery – any insights or experiences would be appreciated.
Hello and welcome to Tripawds.
Deciding on amputation is never easy. We have several pups here who have had their amps in their 'golden years'. It's not really the age of the dog that matters so much as what kind of shape he is in. If he is in otherwise good health he should be able to handle the amp. And you said that he has had 3 months of practice already. This is a major surgery and is not to be taken lightly, but once past the first couple of weeks of recovery most of us have found that our pups adapted just fine. Another thing to consider is that life on three is a bit easier for rear amp dogs since dogs carry most of their weight on there front end.
Check out Jerry's Required Reading list, a compilation of information from the Tripawds site, and you might consider down-loading the Tripawds eBook Three Legs & a Spare. Lots of good information on what to expect with amputation and recovery.
My pug Maggie lost her left rear leg to a mast cell tumor. We were in a similar situation- tumor not removable, and radiation not really an option. I did not consider radiation treatments a good option for Maggie anyway. Mag was 7.5 at the time of amputation, and lived until she was 11. I had her on joint supplements and as she aged I was more careful about what I let her do.
Karen and the pugapalooza
p.s. you won't have to wait for your future posts to be moderated as long as you log in, its just the first post that has to wait.
If Bailey is otherwise healthy, he should recover completely and quickly. Hopefully you'll hear from some of our senior members, but age has much less to do with it than weight or other compensatory issues. Did you search the forums for existing topics?
Our Jerry was 8 at the time of diagnosis. Hopefully some of these links may reveal some helpful real-world experiences. Use the search function to find more.
Amputation in the Senior Years
Amputation at 12, are there any other older dogs out there feeling tired like me?
Help! I need to decide in a week whether or not to amputate my 12 year old dogs leg!
All Forum topics tagged "older dog"
All Forum topics tagged "senior dog"
Hope this helps, and thanks for joining!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Isabelle was almost 13 when her L rear leg was amputated in August. She has severe L-S spine arthritis, but nothing has slowed her down. She too, had not been using her leg (because of arthritis), which turned out to be an advantage. The diminished muscle mass & resulting decreased blood flow, made her amputation easier. She was in excellent condition otherwise, lean, & had already been in rehab for 8 mos & returned in less than 2 weeks. The only slightly bad days she's had since surgery are related to her arthritis & would likely have occurred anyway. She can still run as fast as her young friends! Surprisingly, at her age, she had a better than average recovery, with none of the usual setbacks….so, you never know. These senior dogs have a quiet wisdom & tolerance that can't be underestimated.
Best of Luck
Cynthia & Isabelle
Although there is always a chance of complications, if Bailey is otherwise healthy things should be okay. It is a hard surgery and it take most of our dogs a couple of weeks to recover. However, since Bailey is already only using three legs it sounds like he would be a good candidate as far as the ability to balance on his remaining legs. Good luck with your decision. You love Bailey best and will make the right decision.
Debra
Debra & Emily, a five year old doberman mix, who was diagnosed with an osteosaecoma. She had a right rear leg amputation on May 19, 2009. On November 10, 2009 she earned her wings and regained her fourth leg.
while Cooper is not 12.5 - he did just turn 10 this month. Besides being a senior dog, he is a large boy at 117 pounds. He was not given a good rating as a candidate for an amputation , but everything in his eyes and attitude said he was not ready to leave us yet, and pain management was a bad answer it seemed to us. Eventually his leg would probably break anyway, so we opted for amputation. Today he celebrates his 3rd month ampuversary and despite everything the vets said, Cooper has recovered well and gets around all by himself and goes up and down the stairs on his own. In the last month or so we have not used any of his harnesses even. There are many other older dogs on the forum that have also done well. I hope this helps... good luck and keep us posted!
Coopsdad
Coopsdad/ Kenneth Blackburn
http://cooper.t.....ipawds.com
the monkeydogs only THINK they have invaded the tripawd state
Thanks to all of you for sharing with me. Last night Bailey was playing tug of war with our 5 month old puppy - he is still so full of energy. That was all I needed to see and we have decided to go ahead with the amp. Surgery is scheduled for Monday morning. I ordered a Ruff Wear Webmaster harness and the Bark n Boots today because we have slippery hardwoood and tile floors. Can anyone share about how long after surgery I need to wait to use the harness? I asked the folks at RuffWear if I could use the harness while Bailey stil has his stitches - they thought so but suggested I post the question here just to make sure. Thanks for you help!
Cooper was a front leg amp , so the straps were going to cross where his incision was. My vet said to put a towel in between and use it right away, but 2 weeks in Coopers upper leg bone wore a hole thru the incision and developed infection and he had to have a second surgery, so I only used a rear harness. He got his second set of stitches out 4 weeks after his first surgery and the incision site looked good so I began using the Ruffwear Harness immediately and he did fine with it. The Ruffwear is awesome and takes so much weight! We are praying for a safe surgery and quick recovery for Bailey. Prepare yourself for the recovery period of at least 2 weeks. It can be tiring and difficult, but the dogs are so resilient! You may ask your self a time or two if you did the right thing, but dont fear, you will know sooner than later that you did the right thing. Please feel free to come here as often as you need for advice - I wore everyone out on the site the first 3 weeks, and everyone was so helpful and encouraging. I would not have made it through without Tripawds! Good luck!
Cooper and Coopsdad
Coopsdad/ Kenneth Blackburn
http://cooper.t.....ipawds.com
the monkeydogs only THINK they have invaded the tripawd state
Good luck Bailey! We'll be thinking of you! Keep us posted.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
cdematteis said:
I ordered a Ruff Wear Webmaster harness and the Bark n Boots ... they thought so but suggested I post the question
Who is "they"? Did you order from Ruff Wear directly? If so, please consider shopping the Tripawds Gear Shop to help support this community in the future. You're likely to save some money too since our prices include shipping. 
Anyway... as a rear legger, Bailey should have no problem using the harness before his stitches are out. Just test it carefully to ensure the bely strap is not interfering with the incision. He may also be uncomfortable if the support of the harness causes pressure or tightening of the skin where he is healing. But we are not vets, please discuss any specific concerns with yours.
Here is what we tell all our customers:
We recommend not using the harness until the surgery has completely healed and stitches or staples are removed. We have heard of no specific cases where any harness has hampered healing, but we believe direct pressure from the straps may irritate the wound. Please consult your veterinarian with any concerns.
We suggest using a soft towel slung under the belly if additional support is required in the meantime. A reusable canvas shopping bag slit down the sides also makes a handy temporary sling.
Hope this helps...
FYI: We created all the Tripawds Featured Blogs to offer the best recommendations for helpful gear, supplements, food, books, downloads, t-shirts, gifts and more! Purchases help support our continuing efforts to maintain this community.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
I found the Power Paws socks very helpful on floors at home. Isabelle was up walking on her own & using stairs (only 4, but it still gave her independence) as soon as she got home the day after surgery because of the traction . She was walking down 23 stairs the morning after that. I think some of this had to do with her being used to relying on only one back leg anyway, as it sounds like Bailey has been doing.
I wish you & Bailey a successful surgey and uneventful recovery.
Cynthia & Isabelle
Thanks. Yes. I did order from Ruff Wear directly - I didn't realize that this site sold anything but will certainly shop here in the future. I think I'll create a blog to provide updates on Bailey. Thanks for all your help and support!
cdematteis said:
I think I'll create a blog to provide updates on Bailey...
Great! We look forward to following bailey's progress. If you have any questions, just ask in the Tech Support forum or watch the tutorial videos.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Good luck on Monday.
You might consider getting some throw rugs or runners to cover the slippery floors. Unless Bailey is used to wearing booties or socks, or you have a chance to try them before the amp it might be a bit too much to get used to all at once.... just a thought.
Maggie would never tolerate anything on her feet- so I went with rugs while I had a laminate floor. I ended up putting tile in (planned before the amp) and once she had her balance she didn't have too much trouble on the tile. I still had rugs in strategic locations and she often went from rug to rug. Another thing I found helpful was to keep the fur trimmed short between her toes and pads. I also used Musher's Secret on her pads to keep them supple which helped her with traction .
Can't wait to see Bailey's blog!
Karen and the pugapalooza
Baiiley is out of surgery with no problems! I created a blog HERE. Thanks for all the support and I'll keep you posted on his recovery!
1 Guest(s)
