Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi All! New to the community and hoping to gain some reassurance on our journey.
Rasta is a 9 1/2 year old Rottie weighing about 85 pounds. On 1/15/24, our poor girl had her right front leg amputated due to osteosarcoma. She came home the night of surgery, and returned to the vets office the next day as she was completely lethargic. Like, wet noodle lethargic. They ran some blood work to check her kidney function, not only to check on potential anesthesia effects, but because she also had her first round of chemo on the day of her surgery. All came back well, and they adjusted her pain medication to relieve the side effects of the sedating she was feeling. She actually walked out of the vet, and into the house when she got home. Such a relief to see!!
We’re 3 days post op, and are seeing progress daily. She gets up to go outside, and will eat/drink at her (elevated) food bowl, but immediately goes to her resting spot after, where she shows little to no interest getting up until we entice her to again. Rightfully so, as I know she’s recovering.
She’s wagging her tail when she sees us, and even sat up “smiling” for quite a while last night.
Trying to take all the wins we can right now, but it’s so difficult seeing her like this.
My husband and I are having a hard time justifying that we’re putting her through this. Although she was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, her limping almost appeared to have stopped completely just a day or two before surgery. I’m thinking it was the steroid and pain reliever she was on prior that masked it. However, she was so happy and content the morning we took her in. We made the decision to amputate to relieve the pain for her, and now it just feels like we’ve caused her so much more.
I’ve read quite a few success stories here, so I’m trying to remain hopeful for now. Anything to help ease my mind is greatly appreciated!
Welcome to you and Rottie Rasta. Younjave come to the best place for information and support. We all understand the emotions you are feeling right now, not to mention being exhausted mentally and physically.
Right now Rasta needs rest, rest, rest and short leashed potty breaks and back in for more rest. For now, let her tell you when she needs to potty rather than trying to entice her to get up.
The fact rhat she is eating mand drinking is to be celebrated. Plus she is mobile....great news!! Getting a tail wag is always good news.
Rasta just had MAJOR surgery, is on good pain management (hopefully) all while trying to adapt to three . Hoomans would still be in the hospital on a morphine drip. We know recocery is no picnic at first, but just keep in mind what she's been through. And bringing her home on same day of surgery is really tough mon you as well as Rasta. Thankfully, you're over that part now!
If you have hardwood floors you'll want non slip scatter rugs for traction .
I joined this community on Day six after amputation. Main said something like " Help, I fear Ife made a horrible decision !" This community threw me a lifeline of information and tips, as well as lots assurance about what was "normal" during recovery.
You are in the phase we call "What have I done TO my dog?" Soon you'll be saying you are glad you did this FOR your dog!"
Hang in there and stay connected! We are here for you and will help you navigate through recovery. It doesn't last furever, promise!!
Hugs
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie 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!
Awww hi Cory and Rasta, welcome! I'm so sorry you are going through this but hang in there it does get better!
You had a very rough introduction to the recovery phase. Bringing home your dog the same day is the hardest thing ever (but better than leaving them alone in a clinic w/out 24/7 care, so you did good!). I'm so glad she is getting better day by day. I know it's hard to see the end goal, but she's making her way, and much better than any human would right now.
Remember, this is just temporary. It's still early, and she needs time to build strength and energy. Amputation surgery and chemo really hits the body hard when given at the same time, and it's working like never before to recover. As long as her pain management is good, her recovery should go well. There will probably need to be some adjustments in meds and such, and she may have what you see as a setback in mobility, but just remember those things are common. No recovery is alike but in general, most go like the plan we hope for, and the dog gets their sparkle back in a few weeks.
Yes, when her leg limp disappeared, it was the medications. And dogs just have this way of hiding their pain when they need to. Osteosarcoma is the worst cancer pain on earth, for dog or human. Dogs hide it better than anyone. You did right by her, by making the decision to act quickly.
What is her pain medication right now? Dosage? Timing?
We are here for you. Keep the big picture in mind. It gets better!
Thank you both so much for your kind words and well wishes. This is exactly what I needed to hear right now.
I’m hoping her pain management is working. She’s not given any major signs that it’s not? No whining/crying. Just restlessness at times and panting. She’s sleeping in our living room on a mattress we brought down for her. I can’t tell if the panting is pain related, or potentially because she’s hot. She’s wearing a loose t-shirt to keep her incision covered, so possible? I think her discomfort is stemming from only laying on the unaffected side. In a perfect world, she’d be in our king size bed, belly up for the majority of the day. Unfortunately, that’s up a flight of 12 stairs or so.
She came home on a plan of 2 50mg Tramadol and 1-2 300mg Gabopentin every 12 hours. The vet has halted both for now, as he thought is was too much sedation for her immediately after surgery. The day we brought her back in they gave her an anti-imflammatory injection (Carprofen, I think is what it’s called). They have her on 300/30mg Tylenol 4 w/codeine now. 1 every 12 hours. So that’s all she’s currently on for pain management . I’m concerned with this one as I know it’s hard on the liver. They’ve instructed us to keep her on that until gone (10 days worth) and switch back to just Gabopentin.
I’m hoping it’s enough to keep her comfy…again, no major signs that she’s not. Wish they could talk!!
I will say that about 10 minutes after I posted last night, she got up on her own and initiated going outside. She is peeing just fine, but no bowel movement yet. Could also be a part of her discomfort?
I’ve never wished for 2 weeks to go by faster in my life!
she got up on her own and initiated going outside
BRAVO!!!! She knew when she had to pee and picked herself up to do her bidness!! No worries about pooping yet. The meds generally cause a bit of a delay on "that end". You might try some steamed squash to help move things along.
Keep tracjkmof when you notice the panting and restlessness. It may be that the dose and frequency need to be adjusted, as well as the specific pain med. Every twelve hours is a long time inbetween of a dog is having pain so you may be able to move up to every eight hours....only with Vet appr of course. Alao, some Surgeons dont rely on Tramadol anymore for surgery pain like this. Gabapentin is what we see used most often now. The Tylenol may not be potent enough, espec at every twelve hours. Anyway, take all that for whatever it's worth. I'm certainly not a Vet nor am I giving Vet advice.
We can all relate to the mattress on the floor!
It's a win-win for both dog and humans. They want to be near us and we want to be near them
. Going to post a link for adding images if you want to try and post a photo. I'll also send you my email address through a p.m. ( private message ) If you'd like to forward me some pictures to post. Sometimes it can be confusing to figure out how to do it here.
Hugs
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie 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!
Hey Cori, I'm glad that she is getting up and going wee. You're right, poop will take time, sometimes a few days. It can certainly be uncomfortable, but I have a feeling that it's not the source of her discomfort.
So, pain signals in dogs don't actually include vocalization. Nope, dogs are pretty darn stoic. But they do tell us they hurt in different ways, such as what you are describing; anxiety, restlessness, inability to get comfy, not wanting to eat/drink, sometimes pulling away from the family, and mild lethargy.
Now, we are not vets, so take that with a grain of salt. But based on what experts have told us like Dr. Grubb, Rasta's pain management plan does not sound like it's doing the trick. First, the newest science on tramadol shows it's not as effective as once thought for this level of pain. Second, 300 mg Gabapentin every 12 hours is a very low dose for a dog her size. Tylenol with Codeine is sometimes used for pain, but it can cause dysphoria and anxiety, and may be what you are seeing in her right now. Unless she has liver issues that's not something to worry about right now since it's a short term prescription.
At this point you've given the existing pain medication protocol enough time to know that Rasta is still uncomfortable. Please call your vet to request a revamp of her pain control. Write down all of her symptoms. Call, and ask if you can cut out the Tramadol, and alternate the Tylenol with Gabapentin 3x daily. This should give her more consistent around-the-clock relief versus every 12 hours.
You guys are awesome! Thank you so much for the advice! I just called the vet and they said it’s ok to alternate the Tylenol & Gabapentin. Giving her 1 (Gab) right now, and we’ll see if it does the trick! Fingers crossed.
I’ll try to post a pic of our sweet girl in a bit!
I’ll let you know how it all goes!
Just an update…the Gabapentin in addition to the Tylenol has helped. I’ll continue to monitor her throughout the next couple days to see if anything should be adjusted again.
In fact, it helped her feel good enough to climb up on our couch tonight. Not a far jump for a Rottie, but I still couldn’t believe she did it. She’s back in her comfy spot, actually resting now.
I just want to say thank you again for your advice and reassurance today! It significantly made a difference in mine and Rastas world!
Awww...so glad to "hear" the reload in your voice. Tweaking the pain meds can be ao eog specific and often trial and error. Aounds like you are on a good path for Rasta.
I know it made your heart smile when she got up on the couch? Celebrate that!! Dogs just refuse to be separated from THEIR couch!!!
Good job caring for sweet Rasta👏
Hugs
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie 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, Cory. I was reading your thread and was grateful to see it and the responses as they were all helpful for my own situation with Galaxy.
I will say that our vet prescribed 300mg gabapentin every 8-12 hours for our 50 lb dog, along with 50mg carprofen every 12 hrs, if that helps at all. That combination is knocking out Galaxy for most of 8-10 hours, as of day 4. She wakes for about 15 minutes or so about every ~4 hours to get water, check on her people, and then go back to sleep. After about 10 hours, she has about 2 hours of alertness without any signs of pain before it's time to take the pills again. (No sign of pain; just following the prescribed timelines for now.)
I hope you and Rasta are resting well tonight...and from now on.
Hi Lori!
Thank you sharing your experience with me. Sounds like we’re on a similar time frame as far as post op.
Our update for day 5 - Rasta has had a good night and so far a great day today. The combination of Tylenol and Gabapentin is definitely making Rasta more subdued. I’m going with comfortable, but I believe it’s causing sedation for her as well. Although, I don’t consider that a bad thing for now, as she should be resting more than anything. We’ve had far less restlessness and panting.
I say “comfortable” because she is still getting up when necessary. She got up to eat and has gone outside on two separate occasions…each led by her. She even went #2 today!! Yay! Can’t believe I’m so excited to see my dogs bm…lol.
My biggest concern as of right now is making sure the incision is monitored and heals ok. The licking is under control, as she’s wearing a loose t-shirt, but those back legs have a mind of their own. Noticed a little blood on the shirt today..think she may have nicked it in a scratching attempt. Nothing of major concern, still looks ok and nothing has opened up, but it’s raised another level of anxiety for me. All I can think of is to put her coat on her, but I’m worried the strap will rub as she moves around. And, of course, her getting warm. It’s fleece lined, so not great for indoors.
Anyways, I truly hope everything is going well for Galaxy. I wish you and her the very best right now and in the days to come. Hang in there!
YAAAAY FOR. 
WE LOVE CELEBRATING THE FIRST. AROUND HERE!!!
Glad she's showing signs of being comfortable and you aren't seeing the panting, etc.
Is there anyway she'll tolerate a cone? Some dogs seem to have not interest in the incision and some, like Rasta want to scratch it whenever they get a chance. Unfortunately we have seen cases where dogs need to go in for re-stitching because they opened the incision,
So listen up Rasta! Leave your incision alone feisty girl!!👍
Hugs
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie 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!
Yay for poop! lol! Thanks for sharing my excitement!
I’ve hesitated with the cone, only because I don’t want to cause her any more distress, and she really doesn’t seem to be trying to lick it. Yet, anyways. I’m worried she may get those back legs swinging even more with it on too.
I called the vet today and asked if I could cover it somehow, but they advised against it as to not create infection. Just said to try something thicker, like a jacket. May have to get her a recovery gift tomorrow. 🙂
Fingers crossed she leaves it alone! Hoping for as smooth of a process as possible, as I know everyone does!
Aww yay! I'm really happy things are a much better. Please be vigilant about that incision. We've seen a lot of dogs rip out sutures before their human knew what happened. I know the cone sucks but it really is the best bet way to protect the area. With her being mellower now she may tolerate it better than you think.
Yay for the poop!!💩
First- yay for poop! My Pug Maggie didn't poop for about 6 days after her rear amp surgery.
Yea, a cone doesn't help with the rear leg scratching problem. About 6 months before her amp surgery Maggie had a tumor removed from her side right behind her front leg. No cone was needed since she couldn't reach it with her mouth but she did pop out a couple sutures by scratching at it with her back leg. Luckily for me she was healed enough that the incision didn't open up. I put a tee shirt on her which she hated but she spent time being mad about the shirt instead of messing with the incision 
I hesitate to suggest this since you don't want to interfere with Rasta's balance and new gait but does she tolerate booties? If she does and it doesn't mess up her balance or traction you can try that to keep the nails away from the incision. Sort of like those mittens they put on babies to keep them from scratching. Another idea if you are crafty is to put some additional padding in her tee shirt then have it snug around her belly- maybe that would keep the nails away.
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls and Boy
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
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