Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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My 12 year old black lab was diagnosed with a rare form of sarcoma in his front right foot a month ago. Unfortunately our only option was surgery which he had yesterday with his entire leg removed. Hercules is usually a happy and lively dog so to see him like this is pretty daunting. I was wondering how long it can take for dogs to stand post surgery. I've been reading on here that most dogs are able to stand quite soon after however Hercules is clearly distressed. He doesn't seem to remember how to use his others legs at all, he just goes limp and slumps down. Is this normal as it is so soon after surgery and has anyone got any advise on how to help him go to the loo etc?
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Hello Hercules and family, we're so glad you're here, please consider joining as a member so your future posts won't require approval and appear right away.
Try not to compare his recovery with others. Remember, every dog, every breed, every age is different and on their own timetable. Relax, and know that things do get better. I know how worried you must be, we're here to help.
I'm not too surprised to hear that he doesn't want to stand if he just had surgery yesterday, but have you talked to your vet yet? Many dogs spend the first week or so after amputation in a dopey haze, after all this is major surgery and they're high as a kite on pain medication (or should be). What kind of pain medication is he on? If he has a Fentanyl patch that could really be a doozy for him, and sometimes even drugs like Tramadol hit dogs really hard. Talk to your vet about adjusting his medication so you get the right balance of pain relief without having him be so dopey he can't stand.
Also, what are your floors like? If they are slippery, you need to add traction .
Right now the only thing he should be doing is resting and having you assist him to go potty. One way you can aid him in standing is by taking a reusable canvas grocery bag, cutting open the sides, and using it as a sling to help hoist him up and get him on his feet to go potty. Urinating is important, but going #2 may take a few days, pain meds cause constipation.
Again, talk to your vet and be sure to check out Jerry's Required Reading List and the Tripawds e-books , they'll help put your mind at ease. Stay tuned, poke through this forum to see stories of other senior dogs (if you register as a member you can Private Message their pawrents to ask questions, which I'm sure they would be happy to answer) and hang out, our wonderful community will chime in too.
Good luck and keep us posted.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thanks for posting back. The vet has only prescribed him on metacam as his pain relief, but he was on morphine whilst staying over at the vet last night. So he is crying and panting. We have got tramadol but were advised it can give bad hallucinations. If he still seems to be in pain tomorrow I will call the vet to get some advice. It's nice to read so many other owners experiences and it gives me hope that he will soon be feeling better and much happier!
Welcome Emma and Hercules.
Sounds to me like your boy is in pain. Tramadol does cause some side effects in some pups, but not all. In my opinion metacam is not enough after amputation surgery. If he gets too loopy on tram then ask for another type of medication. He will heal faster and be much more comfortable with some type of pain med.
My little pug Maggie did get agitated on Tramadol, she was a rear amp. But my quad pug Obie took tram for 5 weeks after his knee surgery last year and had no side effects at all.
Thanks for joining too! You will find a very supportive and knowledgeable group here. We have been where you are now and can help.
Karen and Spirit Maggie
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Online
Love the avatar p icture!
Just a quick note.of.support and ditto.everything.Jerry said.
I DO HAVE TO ADD....PLEASE,.PLEASE talk.to your.vet about.adding Tramadol or.Gabapentin to hel p with the pain as soon as possible. So.com e dogs.are.extra.se.sitive.to Tramadol...MAN Y are.not...but ALL dogs experience a lot of.pain from this major surgery!! .Humans.would be.in the hospita l for.weeks.and on heavy.pain killers.
Pa.ting, whining, restlessness, ears pinned back, most likely.signs of pain. And actually, the morphine patch can make dogs quite loopy.and crazy acting more often than the tramadol. I'm no vet...just my to cents worth.
Did he spend the night at the vets? Did the vet have him mobile?
Hang in there! This recovery p hase is no picnic at all! My Happy Hannah had a slow recovery.and it was well into the third week that I started seeing her sparkle come back. And it came back bigger.and brighter.than ever!! Stay connected to us...you are not alone, okay?
Hugs!
Sally and Happy Hannah
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!
Thanks for the advise. I've decided to give him some tramadol as he is clearly in so much pain. I'd rather he'd be more comfortable than like this as clearly the metacam alone isn't working. He spent the night at the vets, he had his surgery yesterday at around 2 but apparently he wasn't waking up well from the anaesthetic so they kept him over night. I know they took him to the toilet this morning but with 3 nurses assisting him. He just seems very restless at the moment despite the fact he needs rest! He keeps crying and shuffling around in his bed trying to get comfortable and when i tried to move him into a better position he cried out in pain which has now terrified me! He has a lot of loose skin around his stitches so I don't think thats helping as however he lays its hurting him. Feeling a bit helpless at the moment! But trying to stay strong.
Hang in there Emma, and keep talking to your vet about how Hercules is doing.
Its been about 30 min since your last post, has he settled at all with the tramadol? You might also try putting some cold packs on his incision, wrapped in a towel. Just for a few min, maybe 15 if he will tolerate it.
When my pugs came home from a big surgery they had a pain patch (fentanyl) in addition to an anti-inflammatory (like metacam) plus tramadol. If the tramadol and metacam don't keep him comfortable you need to talk to the vet about adding something else, maybe gabapentin. Some older vets still don't believe in prescribing pain meds so you need to be Hercules' advocate.
It's hard right now, but it will get better. You did the right thing choosing amputation, you just need to get the pain meds adjusted.
Karen
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Hi Emma5,
So sorry you have to be here, but you did find the best place in the world for fantastic advice and support. You and I have a lot in common; first is our having Labs, second is, my daughter's name is Emma.
Your Hercules looks like a very handsome guy.....and I do agree with all the great advice from everyone. ....his pain control definitely needs to be addressed. He has just had surgery so it will take some time for him to feel better. Some pups do well right away, and others take a bit more time for sure.
Keep us updated on sweet Hercules, and keeping you and him in my thoughts. ....
Bonnie and Angel Polly
AND YOU ARE STRONG! This is such a scay time!
My Hap o y Hannah cried and whimpereddand pace for almost 24 hours straight when I brought her home. I joined this site six days after her amputation and thought I would go craaaaaazy seeing her "suffer" so much. The replies gave me strength and confidence that yes, everything she was experiencing was "normal"! Ugh!! Normal?????
Stay strong and confident in front of Hercules. Your his pack leader and he is picking up on your energy. I KNOW it's hard! Just talk to him n upbeat comforting tones. Give the Tramadol consistently and give it a chance to "catch up" with the pain.
And good advice from Karen if he wil l tolerate it.
Glad he peed. That's good. And many dogs have to spend two nights at the vet just for the exact same reason...they just haven't gotten mobile yet. Some dogs take justa bit longer to get mobile and focused through their drugged out haze!
As hard as it is, stay positive and strong...hang onto us.....give the pain meds time to kick in. When you do sense he he is a ittle more settled and tries to get up, you may find using a towel as a sling under h is tummy helps some. My Happy Hannah would have no part of a sling, but some dogs don't mind!
And yeah...helpless is "normal " too! Recovery wil l take place!!! It will!!!!!
Grab boxes of kleenex and buckets of chocolates! Go sit in the car...eat and cry.....you'll feel better!
Sally and Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle
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 Emma,
So sorry that you and Hercules are here. This site was a Godsend to me. I agree with all of the previous posts. Have you tried using a harness, towel or cut open a renewable grocery bag with handles. Wrap any of these items over his belly to help him stand. As others have said- pain control is paramount. After that assure that Hercules is hydrated...offer water, gatorade, ice cubes often. I know it is difficult but try to remain calm for Hercules. He will pick up on your energy. It is very soon after surgery, please TRY not to worry! We are here with you!
Laurie
Hi Emma,
I forgot to ask, did the vet say what type of rare sarcoma you and Hercules are dealing with? There are so many different types of STS (soft tissue sarcoma) I was just wondering.......my Polly had rare presentation of a nasty, common sarcoma, which was hemangiosarcoma, and she lost her front right leg to it. She fought very hard and was able to beat it for twice the life expectancy.
We are all here for you, for whatever you need, so don't ever hesitate to ask for advice, or just for needing support. And please try not to worry, Hercules WILL be doing much better before you know it.
Bonnie & Angel Polly
Hey everyone,
Thanks for all your support me and my family have found today quite hard! Luckily Hercules has now settled down, we bought him a new bed which has led to him settling and sleeping which i'm so happy about. However he has decided the only position he is comfortable in is the side which his stitches are on which I know isn't ideal, but I don't want to move him as he looks so much happier. The tramadol also seems to be working as well as he has stopped crying. He also scared the life out of me earlier as he hopped out of bed to try and find me but i am very pleased that he has started using his other legs again. Thinking maybe its because some of the stronger drugs had worn off. Bonnie, he had a fibrosarcoma which was one that only affected his tendons on his leg. It wasn't one that would spread but it would of cut off the blood supply to his foot and was obviously incredibly painful for him. Hence why we decided to amputate as in all other aspects he was happy and healthy and putting him down didn't seem fair on him if there was a chance he could recover. Hearing about Polly and everyone else's beloved dogs makes me feel so much better. I live in England and I've realised most people on here are from America but it was a blessing to find something like this which answered so many of our worries and to talk to people who know exactly how we are feeling!
Emma and Herc 
Ohhh we are so hoppy to hear things are going better for Hercules!
Tripawds is an all-nations, cross-species community, everypawdy's welcome. It's so nice to have the perspective of people from around the globe, welcome welcome!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi Emma and Herc
I am so pleased you found this site, and you will receive great support and advice from everyone. I also live in England based in Cambridge and our darling Hector had to get his leg amputated last Thursday, and you will be able to follow our journey under "post op recovery" . Hector initially did great, discharged 24 hours post op, came home very bouncy and happy, so happy that he we let him do too much walking, and also wanting to lie on his wound. Second day home he started screaming, which was horrific to hear and he would also tremble a lot in his sleep, and was restless. He was on Tramadol and Gabapentin for the pain, but although these helped did not stop the crying and trembling. We phoned the vet and Hector was re-admitted and kept in for 48 hours. He came home yesterday on increased pain control which is Gapentin twice a day. Tramadol and Rimadyl. The vet said that Hector was suffering from idioparthic nerve pain which I understand is phantom limb pain. He is now home and the change to the medication is working and Hector is more settled and peaceful. I only ever take a day at a time, as Hector's journey is a roller coaster of emotions. I am pleased Herc likes his new bed. Hector loves shredding new beds, and we got him a beautiful new one when he had the first sarcoma removed in March, and within 3 weeks he had completely shredded it, and all the studding he has pushed to one side and buried his bones in, which he loves. He is at the moment asleep in his mound of stuffing, and sometimes it is hard to see him in there!
Keep,us updated on Herc, and good luck.
Mary and Hector
Good morning
Glad to hear that Hercules is doing better today. Tucker, my 10 year old chocolate Lab, had his right front leg amputated almost 11 months ago and he is Loving Life On Three Legs
The first two weeks can be rough - as you have already found out - but Herc will get stronger and soon adapt to his new reality. Medication for pain is really important during the recovery process so I'm really glad that you decided to give him the Tramadol without waiting to see the vet.
Looking forward to reading more updates
Hugs
Linda and Tucker (members of the Canadian cohort)
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