Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi everyone, our sweet 10 yo black cat Huck became a tripod (amputation of front right leg) on Monday after an accident that caused a severe break. It's been such an overwhelming and emotional few days, we still don't know exactly how the break happened and have wrestled with a lot of guilt but have been told by so many we made the right choice to amputate.
Huck came home Tuesday and has mainly been resting since, we have him confined to the bedroom with all of his things accessible. He will definitely jump on and off the bed (if we don't catch him in time) but we have some stairs arriving today that hopefully he will use!
He is eating and drinking well as long as we are available to help him get his cone off. Some trouble using the litter box which is to be expected. We have a low entry box for him but he has only peed once since being home. He got it all over himself and was not able to quite figure out how to cover it so I helped him with that and then scooped it out. I then cleaned him off with a damp cloth.
I know with time he will get stronger and more confident, just trying to remember he had a major surgery and needs rest.
And, of course he is just more annoyed at the cone than the missing limb 😉
Any encouragement and advice welcome as we all adjust!
Hi Rachael and Huck, welcome! Your future posts won't need to wait for approval so post away.
Please don't beat yourself up about the accident. Things happen, and cats lose legs in a lot of odd ways that are unpredictable or uncontrollable. Sounds like you guys are doing everything right to make sure he has an uneventful recovery. And he sounds like a pretty good patient too!
My concern based on what you wrote is that he hasn't urinated. I'd let your vet know if he doesn't do it by mid-day today.
Yes the cone of shame is a pain! But it's really helpful to prevent destroying the incision area. We've seen it! Be strong, it's only temporary and the payoff is huge. Keep in mind that he may be able to get to his incision with his back legs, so watch him closely. If you sense he is trying to get at it, a baby onesie can cover the area and add extra protection.
Sounds like you've done your research but if you haven't, be sure to check out the Tripawds Recovery Shopping List for things you may have not thought about. Also, you may be interested in seeing our latest Feline Quality of Life Survey results!
Thank you so much, Jerry!
Huck has peed once but has not pooped yet! I know that can take a little more time with being out of commission for surgery. He is drinking and eating well so will continue to monitor. He will jump in and out of the litter box but not do anything while in there, almost like he is just testing it or trying to see how this works?
At first, he was just going and laying in there (I assume for comfort) but he hasn't been doing that today, just walking in and out of it.
Hi, and welcome to you and Huck,
I'm sorry for the accident, and that you had to find us.
Has Huck peed again? We want to see pee every 24-36 hours and most importantly, make sure they aren't straining and producing very small amounts.
If you can put the mattress on the floor, It helps. Its a heavy pain in the rear, but it was super helpful for us and many in recovery. We had restricted activity for two weeks and stayed in a spare room. Do your best to prevent jumping up and down. Purrkins could hardly hop on three the first day home and managed to jump up in the window. That was my fault; I underestimated him. Jumping up is not going to change for a front-leg amputee, but we want to avoid it for two weeks and let everything heal. Jumping down from any height does matter; excellent job getting the stairs. We must think long-term and protect the remaining three legs however we can.
Litter box - we had issues as well, and we figured out the low-lipped box was not low enough for our Purrkins, so we cut it down further. It did the trick for Purrkins. He no longer needed my help getting in and out. Covering their business will come, and you can assist until then. Purrkins still needs assistance once in a while after pooping, depending on where it lands in his box:) He will try to cover it with his missing arm, and of course, that doesn't work; we swoop in and help out. His littermate brother used to do the same and help out when needed,
Pooping will take longer on pain meds. You can always add a little bit of Miralax in his food to help that along. 1/8 to 1/4 tsp twice daily will get things back on schedule.
The cone, we got permission from our surgeon to use a baby onesie, and Purrkins did not mind his. We changed it daily and checked the incision daily. The cone is the best way to prevent incidents, but if it is too bothersome and you are there to watch, you can ask if a onesie is okay. I sewed the amputated arm shut.
You will be amazed at how Huck gets along on three in a few weeks.
pain management , resting, eating, drinking, and potty repeat are the key to recovery. pain management might need tweaking, so do not hesitate to phone your vet if so.
Hugs
Holly, Purrkins & Saxton in the sky 💫
💝💝💝
Thank you sooo much for your reply! It is so nice to know we are not alone.
Huck has peed about once every 24 hours right now and he continues to eat and drink well, I have a call into vet as well about pooping.
He is also wanting to just "hang out in the litter box" so we try to take him out and put him in another secure and small area of the room when he does just to keep him from getting the incision dirty.
He still wants to jump and will try to get past us, so stubborn. We have the steps and furniture to gradually help him down when we don't catch him in time or if we are out of the room. We notice similar, trouble walking but willingness to jump. Right now he will walk a few paces before laying down, as if it takes a lot of effort and tires him out. Though he is just a few days out from surgery so understandably lethargic.
Excellent on peeing!
I don't like hanging out in the litter box. Scoop him out of the box and set up a little hideaway for him. Even a cardboard box with blankets can work. You want to be able access him. Most cats like to be tucked in when they don't feel well. Purrkins chose the closet in the spare room and I set up a bed and all his needed items close by. I was fortunate to be home with Purrkins and I stayed with him in that spare room .
What meds did they send you home with?
I'm glad you have a call into the vet your pain meds might need tweaked. (very likely do need tweaked)
Purrkins meds & duration ended up being
- 14 days Gabapentin 100 mg capsule – one capsule by mouth every 8 hours
- 12 days Buprenorphine 0.3 mg 0.25 ml every 8-12 hours
Let us know what the vet says. Miralax is over the counter, safe, effective, tasteless and easy to give.
Hugs
(had to fix my typos 😉
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Holly you covered all the major bases here, thanks so much! I am also thinking he needs a hideaway spot. It's great that he is walking in and out on his own.
Glad that Huck is urinating regularly, that's a great sign!
Let us know what your vet says about his not 
. Again, it's nothing to panic about and there are things you can do to help, but wait until you talk to the team to try any home remedies like Miralax (Holly has great direction for that one!).
Thank you so much!
I love the closet idea, I will clean out a space for him so he can hideaway there, he hasn't been as interested in other hideaway options we have tried like a cardboard box (his usual fave) or an enclosed cat house.
I did talk to the vet and they also recommended the MiraLAX or Metamucil so I will try that out today and hopefully it will get things moving!
As far as meds he has Gabapentin every 12 hours and Onsior every 24 hours. I have a few days left of each of these (I don't have the doses right on me to check just now).
You are welcome!
You have room to move with the gabapentin with your vet's guidance every 8 to 12 hours. I would bet Huck will be more comfortable on every 8, but I say again, with your vet's advice.
I'm hopeful he will love the closet like Purrkins did. Yes, try the Miralax. I guarantee it will work; the best part is its tasteless. Do am and pm and continue until things are back on schedule or when Huck is off his pain meds.
I love that u got Huck's avatar on here. He is a handsome guy.
Give him a smooch & scratch from us, please.
hugs
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Ok, great idea, I will see how he does with closet and move to 8 hours with vet approval if needed! I will keep updated on how he does!
Yes, he is just the handsomest and sweetest boy, I hate he (and we) are having to go through this but pray he continues to heal well and is back to his old/new self soon 
I ASSURE Huck will be the same kitty plus on three legs! You will be more than amazed and relieved, Yes, relieved you could do this for him, not TO him.
Thanks for keeping us posted!
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Hi All, just updating about sweet Huck!
We are a little over 1 week out from surgery. He is eating and drinking well. We are still doing the Benefiber to help regulate his so hopefully that will continue to improve. He had one bowel movement over the weekend and we are trying to see if that regulates itself this week (working with vet). He is also now standing to pee instead of laying down which is nice to see.
He is still fairly lethargic and just seems more kind of depressed. Is this typical for still 1 week out? Just trying to remember he had a MAJOR surgery and will need time to adjust! He keeps to one spot most of the day and will move if he needs to eat or use the bathroom. I know he is recovering but it really is so hard to watch your little guy not have his usual attitude and full personality back.
He hasn't been hanging out in the litter box as much as is liking the closet idea!
Yay for standing to pee and eating and drinking well. 
I didn't realize Huck was not standing to pee. You said the reason for the amp was an accident was this in the house or outside? Im inquiring to know if more may have been injured.
You are still on the gabapentin, right, every 12 hours?
I know onsior is only three days. Did you notice the difference after 3 days? It sounds to me like his pain management needs to be tweaked, and since you are working with the vet, please mention this to them. You are right; yes, we just had major surgery, and recovery is at least 14 days, but on the right mix of meds and duration, you should see your Hucks sparkle come through. Cats are masters of disguise, and Huck is showing you he is not feeling the best. Have a close look at the pain signals .
Tripawd Cat Pain Management Tools Make Recovery Easier
I would have liked to see the gabapentin at every 8 hours to start with and then moved to 12 if able. I like Miralax better than the benefiber, but we are all different. It is safe, tasteless, and super effective. It is less likely to cause gas, etc.
Thanks for the update. We wondered how things were going. Let the vet know what you see and get their input.
Keep us posted, please. & Scratches to Sweet Huck, please
Hugs
Holly Purrkins and Saxton in the sky💫
💝💝💝
Hey thanks for letting us know!
Yes and WOW this is pretty darn good pawgress! You are correct, it's very early and his body has been through a lot. He's healing, and definitely getting stronger as you've seen.
However, I would definitely watch for those pain signals . What we see as depression is very often pain, and am in agreement that an every 8 hours pain med dosing is usually more effective to manage pain. It's worth a convo with your vet.
Scritches and smooches to Huck!
Thanks guys, we took him in Monday and he seemed to be doing okay but the tech followed up since then and I have left a message with my stated concerns today, we will see what they say!
Huck is actually no longer on any paid meds (he did the Onsior for 6 days, we asked for more as he had stopped taking the gaba). But hopefully we will clear that up today and see if we want to restart something different.
I also forgot he did have another bowel movement this week (it has been so stressful with all of this and then my husband and I both got sick so it's all blending together). Slowly starting to regulate!
And to answer the question about his accident, it happened indoors (he is in an indoor only cat) and we still do not know exactly what happened. It sounded almost like a scuffle (we were in a different room) but we could find nothing amiss, I'm wondering if he got his paw caught on something but again it was just so weird (nothing new in our house, we don't have other cats, didn't sound like a fall, etc). I hate we don't even know what happened but it wouldn't change where we are now.
Thank you so much for helping us navigating all of this, I know Huck appreciates it too!
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