Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Tia is a beautiful just 10 year old black German Shepard x who underwent amputation of her left front leg 4 weeks ago. She was diagnosed with osteosarcoma 11 months ago, but no one was completely certain of the diagnoses as the biopsy came back inconclusive. As soon as they told us she had osteosarcoma we researched like mad and found some supplements and herbal remedies that seemed to have helped her. However, just over a month ago when she was getting x-rayed to see the progress of the tumor, the leg must have micro fractured, and her leg had to be amputated because it was causing her so much pain. The results from the leg came back as osteosarcoma, but there is no evidence of metastasis on her lungs. She has been recovering from her surgery and was walking a little bit, but recently she seems to have hurt her back and is having problems with her back legs not doing what she wants them to do. There is a definite sore spot on her back as well, but only a slightly smaller space between the vertebrae seem to be maybe causing the pain. She was having laser therapy and chiro done, and they seem to help a little. We ice her and stretch her every day. She still loves to eat, drink and the idea of a walk gets her attention. Thanks for the advice Jerry and Admin, I am calling a rehab specialist in the area tomorrow and hopefully she will be able to help Tia even more.
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Welcome Tia and family. I'm so sorry you find yourself here with us. I'm glad you have already talked with Jerry and Admin. I hope you find answers to Tia's lastest problem.
Keep us posted.
Comet - 1999 to 2011
She departed us unexpectedly January 23, 2011 at the age of 12 1/2.
She was born with a deformed front leg and a tripawd all of her life.
Welcome to Tripawds. I'm sorry you are dealing with OSA in your beautiful girl. I hope you find some relief soon for her back, getting used to tripawdness is hard enough without a sore back.
Keep an eye out for Zeus- I think he hurt his back shortly after his amp- maybe you can compare notes. They post as zeuspod.
Karen and the pugapalooza
Hi Tia and family. Tia is beautiful!
Sorry to hear about your setback. Yes, it was Zeus that hurt his back. About a week and a half after amp he seemed reluctant to move as much and he would quietly whine when we picked him up to carry him up/downstairs. Our vet did a full exam and found that his back was quite tender. Dr. R told us it is very common for them to 'tweak' their backs due to the new hop/walk (especially the older dogs that aren't as agile). He had us keep him on the Tramadol and Gabapentin for an extra two weeks so he ended up being on the pain meds for one month total after surgery and we kept him as still as possible. It took about a week after the strain diagnosis before we started to notice him moving a bit more freely and within a couple of weeks he seemed to feel much better.
Although they seem to grasp the three-leg-walk concept pretty quickly, all of the changes are hard on their bodies until the muscles build up and get used to the extra work. I hope that Tia recovers quickly!
Lisa
Zeus was a Husky mix diagnosed with Osteosarcoma at age 11. A visible lung met and suspicious spot on his liver meant a poor prognosis-six weeks was our vet's best guess. We decided to fight for our boy and his right front leg was amputated on 12/1/11. We did six rounds of chemo, changed his diet and spoiled him completely rotten. We were blessed with 10 great months after diagnosis. Against the odds, the lung met remained a single met and grew very little over those months. A wonderful furbaby with the most gentle spirit, he fought with a strength that we never imagined he possessed. We have no regrets...
http://zeuspod......pawds.com/
Just wanted to say welcome to you and Tia. Sorry you had to find us here, but I think you will find the site to be a wealth of info and support. Hope some rehab helps Tia!
All the best to you and Tia,
Jackie, angel Abby's mom
Abby: Aug 1, 2009 – Jan 10, 2012. Our beautiful rescue pup lived LARGE with osteosarcoma for 15 months – half her way-too-short life. I think our "halflistic" approach (mixing traditional meds + supplements) helped her thrive. (PM me for details. I'm happy to help.) She had lung mets for over a year. They took her from us in the end, but they cannot take her spirit! She will live forever in our hearts. She loved the beach and giving kisses and going to In-N-Out for a Flying Dutchman. Tripawds blog, and a more detailed blog here. Please also check out my novel, What the Dog Ate. Now also in paperback! Purchase it at Amazon via Tripawds and help support Tripawds!
It was nice chatting with you last night Juhlie. Let us know how the research into a Canadian rehab vet goes. We send our love to Tia and hope that she starts to feel good again soon. Keep us posted.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thank you for making us feel so welcomed, and for the help as well. Tia is on prednisone right now (she has been for the past week) we are going to start to lower the dosage and see how she does with that. She was on prednisone a couple weeks ago and the vet told us to just stop it but then Tia couldn't sleep through the night because she was whining and couldn't seem to get comfy. It seems that her neck muscles are a little sore today so I have iced it and rubbed it. Our vet is going to refer us to the rehab specialist that is nearby, hopefully she will be able to go in for a visit before the weekend. I will keep you posted on her progress. I wonder if we should change the pain meds to Tramadol and Gabapentin and keep her still as well. I will ask the vet specialist and the rehab specialist and see what they think.
Hello. I hope you can find some relief for Tia's back soon. I know how hard it is to see them in pain and struggling. Praying for both of you.
Angel and Valentina Angel Dane
Oh! Trust me when I say that anyone that knows me, knows I'm a prednisone person - it cures what ails you! BUT not in this case! I amazed any vet would give it right after an amputation recovery. Yes, I'm sure she does feel better but it really is bad during this phase. It suppresses the immune system and it wastes the muscles.
May I suggest the tramadol, an NSAID (like Metacam or Rimadyl) and a muscle relaxer? ( Methocarbinol (sp ck?) ). My Comet was three legged for her entire life and developed a neck problem in her 10th year (either a neck disc infection or a blown disc - never got a clear diagnoses - so we treated for both). We did tramadol, Rimadyl and a muscle relaxer. It helped a lot. Just make sure if you get an NSAID - she hasn't been on the pred for at last a week or two due to stomach ulceration. Your vet will know this.
Have you tried a heating pad with a moist warm dish cloth over Tia's neck muscles? I would use this therapy on Comet to loosen the muscles. She'd lie down and I'd put heavy towels to hold the heating pad in place. I'd even put a floor fan on her to keep her cool. (she loved it and would fall asleep).
Heat and massage are good for muscle spasms. The ice is good for numbing pain. So you may want to try to loosen up the spasms with heat and massage.
Sending Tia tons of good thoughts!
Comet - 1999 to 2011
She departed us unexpectedly January 23, 2011 at the age of 12 1/2.
She was born with a deformed front leg and a tripawd all of her life.
About 5 days ago we took her off prednisone and put her on Tramadol and Gabapentin. After coming off the prednisone she started to walk even less and now she can't lift her head to get from laying on her side to on her belly. The only time she is walking is when she has to go to the bathroom.
Despite not being able to lift her head (it causes a lot of pain for her) she hasn't lost her appetite at all. She eats laying down on her side and we drop water into her mouth.
She is going to see the specialist and rehab on Thursday, and I really hope that they will be able to help her because I know that she is not comfortable and it is so hard to see her this way.
Oh, I am so sorry to read about Tia's setback... What about acupuncture? I'm sure the time is ticking away very slowly before Thursday when you can get her to the specialist and rehab 
It sounds like her neck may be an issue but I'm no vet for sure... But I'm guessing front leg tripawds could get neck issues.
Tracy, Maggie's Mom
Maggie was amputated for soft tissue sarcoma 10-20-09
Maggie lost her battle with kidney disease on 8-24-13
Oh Julie I'm so sorry, I know this is breaking your heart. The fact that she still has an appetite is a good sign that she can overcome this challenge. Thursday can't come soon enough.
I'm curious though about stopping the prednisone. I'm no vet but I have read that you're not supposed to stop it all at once, it can really shock an immune system that way. It's supposed to be tapered off. I wonder if this is why she's worse? The tramadol and gaba could also have a lot to do with her dopeyness but I'm hoping it at least helps her feel better.
Paws crossed for a good visit this week, please keep us posted.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
we did taper the prednisone for a couple of days but probably not long enough. she is surprisingly aware of everything that is going on around her eventhough she can't move to see it.
Thursday can't come soon enough! we are trying really hard to think positively but sometimes it is hard to. I really hope they will have some answers and be ab;e to help her.
Oh no!
I didn't realize she was that bad!
Have you had her neck xrayed? I'm with Maggie's mom, it almost sounds like a cervical issue. And when you say that she responds to prednisone, then it makes me think she has a herniated disc. Herniated discs cause a lot of inflammation and pred controls inflammation. A blown disc won't show up on an xray but it will rule out others things that will lean toward herniated disc. The good news is "if" it's a blown disc, it will get better once you can get the inflammation under control.
I'm so sorry!
Keep us posted please!
Comet - 1999 to 2011
She departed us unexpectedly January 23, 2011 at the age of 12 1/2.
She was born with a deformed front leg and a tripawd all of her life.
Hi, I was browsing the forums looking for a similar story as mine and I saw Tia's Journey. Tag is a 9 (almost 10) yr. old Labrador Retriever that is 4 weeks post-op for a left rear leg amputation. However, Tag's amputation was due to a grade III mast cell tumor on his foot that was removed about 6 months ago but returned quickly. Due to the location and size of tumor a second attempt as surgical removal with clean margins was not possible. So I chose the chemotherapy alternative which included CCNU (lomustine), vinblastine, and prednisone. These drugs stopped the tumor growth for a few months but didn't reduce the size enough for removal with clean margins as I had hoped. I then decided for amputation 4 weeks ago as tumor was growing by the day. However, Tag showed no lameness or pain in that leg prior to amputation but would have soon. Test were done prior to amputation and no metastasis was seen with liver and spleen aspirates as well as rads of other legs, hips, and spine which looked really good for 95 lb lab. The amputation surgery went really well and he was progressing remarkably well for his weight with no lameness prior to surgery. I chose no chemo post-op and the prednisone which he had been on for 4 months was cut in half (dosage) about 1 week post-op as I was concerned about many of the side effects. Tag's remaining rear leg started showing weakness about 2 weeks ago and now after struggling to get up hops about twice and it just gives out. He is off the prednisone now and taking tramadol and gabapentin with no improvement. Vet rechecked legs, hips, back with no pain response and thinks it may be a neuromuscular weakness not an orthopedic problem. Tag doesn't appear to really be in much pain but his back end or rear leg is just isn't working. I'm very suspicous of the prednisone but it could have been masking some of this for a while not really sure. I'm so proud of him and his attitude and desire is still there but his dignity is suffering as well as my heart. Even with extensive and expensive testing we still might not know exactly what is causing this. Going to keep swimming once every day and hope he improves. Tag is a trooper but I'm very concerned at this point.
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