Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hooray for Sammy, on the road to recovery! Thanks for the update.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Good news!! Now on to the recovery.
I will be looking for a new post tomorrow when he (hopefully) gets home.
Karen
Elizabeth,
I'm so happy to hear that Sammy had his surgery today and that things went well. 
Try not to worry too much about him missing you. In my experience with all my furbabies... if I leave for half an hour or more to go to the store, if I go to work all day, or if I leave town for the weekend... my babies were always so excited and happy to see me when I came back. I honestly don't think they have a good measure of time... and remember, that Sammy will be all doped up... so that will make him come in and out of la-la land... Have you ever had a big surgery yourself? I remember being on lots of pain meds, and recovering from the anesthesia, and I barely remembered people coming to visit me...
Be prepared for when he comes home. You may be shocked the first time you see him without his leg... but that will pass quickly! Have lots of doggie beds or comforters lying around. Have a sling made, or purchased to help him get up and balance while he's doped up and getting used to 3 legs. Be prepared to go without sleep... mostly from worrying about his every move. But he'll be pretty doped up for the first couple of days. It's really important that he is hydrated, and if he doesn't want to drink, then give him ice cubes, add chicken broth to his food, or even force him to drink with a syringe. He may pee the first day he comes home... but he might not poop right away... I don't remember reading which leg it was... If it's a front leg, you should get him a T-shirt to wear so he doesn't try to lick at his incision. Very important to keep the surgical site clean and dry... Oh yah... and make sure he doesn't overdo it the first week. It's so important for him to heal and get his strength back.
Looking forward to hearing an update on Sammy soon!!
Sending you all a big fat hug!!! I'm thinking of you guys!!
Angel Jake and Wolfie's Mom
Jake, 10yr old golden retriever (fractured his front right leg on 9/1, bone biopsy revealed osteosarcoma on 9/10, amputation on 9/17) and his family Marguerite, Jacques and Wolfie, 5yr old german shepherd and the newest addition to the family, Nala, a 7mth old Bengal mix kittie. Jake lost his battle on 11/9/2009, almost 8 weeks after his surgery. We will never forget our sweet golden angel… http://jakesjou.....ipawds.com ….. CANCER SUCKS!
I'm so glad the surgery is over and all is well. I think with that horrible pain gone he will begin to heal pretty quickly. By all means get some rest, you will no doubt be like the rest of us and stay awake watching while he sleeps after he gets home for the first day or two. It takes a bit to understand that you rest when they rest 🙂
Shanna & Spirit Trouble ~ Trouble gained her wings 3/16/2011, a 27 1/2 month cancer survivor, tail wagging. RIP sweetheart, you are my heart and soul. Run free at Rainbow Bridge.
The November Five - Spirits Max, Cherry, Tika, Trouble & Nova. 11/2008 - 3/2013 An era ends as Queen Nova crossed the Bridge.
Thanks for sharing your good news. I can almost feel the relief from here. No more pain. Well, no more of that intense pain. Now it's just the surgery pain that heals up pretty fast.
Be ready to be amazed by Sammy. And then tell us about it!
Mary and Cemil
Cemil and mom Mary, Mujde and Radzi….appreciating and enjoying Today
I just wanted to give another quick update. I talked with the on-call last night and Sammy freaked out when he figured out he was missing a leg. I guess he got pretty upset and refuses to come out of the cage. They tried to get him to get up to go potty but he wont budge. I am concerned about his mental health as well as his physical health.
I hope if anyone elses pup has gone through this that they might tell me how they motivated him.
Jakesmom, excellent ideas! I will go on my lunch hour and buy all. I hope they let me see him today before the pick-up, if that is still happening. I am also very nervous that it is so soon. What if the stitches bust on the way home or during the night? I can't imagine that they are that secure yet. I bet the vet will be able to tell me some of that before he is released but I have been having nightmares that I woke up to Sammy having bled out.
I haven't had surgery so I don't have much to go on. He won't be wrapped so the vet said a t-shirt. Ugh. I feel after many sleepless nights I am not functioning well. I tried to sleep but after my happy day my brain went into a tail spin with the call from the vet about Sammy getting panicky about his missing leg.
Off to work I go,
Elizabeth
Diagnosed with osteosarcoma in the right front leg 8/23/10,
leg fractured 8/27/10,
leg amputated 8/30/10
http://sammyand.....pawds.com/
I couldn't begin to say how special Sammy is to us. Living and laughing with and loving this wonderful boy is priceless.
I think once you are with Sammy he'll calm down a bit. Being at home with his family will help too. Give him lots of love, and get some rest! Don't let him see you cry. If you get a chance, it's a good idea to look at pictures of pups that have just had a leg amputation surgery. It helped prepare us for picking up Skyler.
Sending you lots of hugs!
Cathy/Jane/Spirit Skyler/Chloe
Hi Elizabeth,
I think I agree with Cathy and her group, maybe once he's with you things will be better. It sounded like he didn't like being there without you anyway, so hopefully once he's home his spirits will rise quickly. I also agree with the "don't let him see you cry" part. I'm sure you've been told, but your pup will feed off your emotions. I learned with Roxy that it's so very important to treat them as if everything's ok. Keep your spirit up (or at least put on a real good show for Sammy) and cry outside. Sammy needs a strong leader.
We're all thinking of you!
Leslie
Hi Elizabeth,
Think about how Sammy usually behaves- has he spent much time away from you? Has he been kenneled before? Does he always 'freak out' at the vet? Remember also that he is on a ton of meds- and he is still clearing the anesthetic out of his system from the surgery.
The pain meds also can cause a dog to 'freak out'. My pug Maggie did not tolerate tramadol (or other narcotic type pain meds). She did not sleep and would 'see things', and was very anxious and afraid.
I don't think Mag missed her leg- dogs don't seem to think like that. She did get frustrated at her lack of balance, but she got over that as she got stronger and off all the meds. At first though when she came home she was a slug, she spent most of her time in bed. She did not eat much either, but that is pretty normal.
The sutures (staples sometimes) are pretty tough and don't generally just bust out- certainly not all at once. Many of these surgeries have internal sutures as well so the outside ones are not holding everything together. Remember- your vet has probably done lots of surgeries- ask them when you pick him up how often stitches come out- that should give you some peace of mind.
And as always- if you have any worries or questions about Sammy's health when he is home call your vet- you are paying plenty of money to talk to them whenever you are unsure.
We have all said how important it is that you stay positive around Sammy- its more important now when he comes home. I know its tough, especially when you are tired and worried- but it will make a huge difference when Sammy sees you and you show him that nothing is wrong.
Stay strong- you CAN do this!!
Karen
p.s.- when Sammy comes home you might consider starting a new topic under Treatment and Recovery. That way members will see the new topic title and know Sammy is home (this title says he is in the hospital).
I can't add much except to tell you about Cemil's experience. He's accustomed to being at the vet, and had been at kennels before too, so being there wasn't so much of a problem for him. But he refused to eat and didn't want to go out of the enclosure they had him in, until I came to visit. I let him eat food out of my hand, and when they wanted him to walk around outside, with me there the first time, he was willing to do it. After that, he'd go outside with the techs, but he still preferred to be hand-fed by me. He stayed in the hospital 3 extra days so they could work with him and teach him and let him build up his confidence before coming home. That was difficult for me, but it worked out very well. Again, the difference is, he was fairly comfortable being away from home. I guess you'll have to weigh being there for him and then leaving, against not being there at all. For us, visiting was a good thing.
Also, the pain meds are affecting his outlook. He probably freaked out because he was in the hospital, not because he noticed that his leg was gone. He'd been pretty doped up before--maybe he had a lucid moment so it was like a new thing.
I hope he can adjust for the length of time he needs to be there. And I'm sure that once he's home with you, he'll feel a lot better.
Cemil wasn't wrapped either, so I kept a t-shirt on him. It works really well. And he didn't bust any stitches, even though he fell down a time or two. They're tougher than they look.
I agree with Karen--you CAN do this! We're here for you, and you can always call the vet with questions and uncertainties.
Mary
Cemil and mom Mary, Mujde and Radzi….appreciating and enjoying Today
I kept Tazzie in the hospital for 3 nights but she also had a liver infection so she needed IV fluids. I think the extra confinement helped because when we finally took her home she was hopping along pretty well. If you take Sammy home today just remember he needs to take it easy and don't expect too much. He might just need to pee where he lays at first so have plenty of towels available and don't expect him to poop for a few days.
I do agree that it is best not to freak out so please try to stay calm, even though seeing your dog with only 3 legs can be disconcerting. The first 1 to 2 weeks are hard but he will get through it! I waited until 3 weeks post-op before I started chemo because Tazzie just needed the extra time to heal until I felt okay loading her into the van for our trip to the oncologist.
Pam
Don't worry too much! Your vet might have put it to you in a slightly different way - but most likely furbaby was upset because of the meds. A couple of weeks before his amputation, Ajax had a benign tumor removed from his chest in a minimally invasive procedure. Becauase it was near the lungs, he had a chest tube and so stayed one night in the hospital. Apparently he spent the entire night "howling at the moon" - literally. Yet, when they gave him different pain meds for the amputation surgery, he did great. Of course you'll freak out, but I bet a lot of it is the medicine - I would say don't start worrying about his mental state just yet. Just give him hugs and kisses and as much "normal" as you can - it will be a crazy few weeks but hang in there
Alright, I think I can do this. I called the vet this am and they said Sammy is up and walking!~ Yea! I was told I can go get him this afternoon. I think that is really soon after such a major operation. I will ask the vet about how often the stitches pop open, good idea.
I went to the store on my break and bought chicken broth, a blanket for him to ride home on, a t-shirt because I didn't bring his, and lots of dog treats, and ice cream.
I asked the vet if I need to get anything specifically but they said no. I want to know, how do I keep the site clean? What do I do for him? I don't have any idea.
I don't have time now but after I get home tonight I will try and see if there are other posts about cleaning the site and what is needed.
You guys are my rock right now, I am so glad you are here.
Elizabeth and Sammy
Diagnosed with osteosarcoma in the right front leg 8/23/10,
leg fractured 8/27/10,
leg amputated 8/30/10
http://sammyand.....pawds.com/
I couldn't begin to say how special Sammy is to us. Living and laughing with and loving this wonderful boy is priceless.
Consider putting an old t-shirt on Sammy to keep the incision area clean. There's really no need to do any special "cleaning" unless it gets visibly dirty. You don't need to "do" anything for him, except let him heal... you may be surprised how well he does.
If you have not already done so, please bookmark Jerry's Required Reading list which answers all the most common questions about amoutation recovery.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
You are right! I did read that but have taken in so much info I guess that has fallen through my mental cracks. Thanks for reminding me, if I don't get kicked off the computer I will do a quick read 🙂
Diagnosed with osteosarcoma in the right front leg 8/23/10,
leg fractured 8/27/10,
leg amputated 8/30/10
http://sammyand.....pawds.com/
I couldn't begin to say how special Sammy is to us. Living and laughing with and loving this wonderful boy is priceless.
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