Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hello Everyone!
First let me say that I have reviewed this site so much in the past 9 months as I knew we would one day reach surgery. My Eddie (50 lb Border Collie) was diagnosed with STS in his left front in March 2018. We immediately did surgery but due to the location and invasivemess my surgeon knew he couldn’t get good margins so we opted to debulk and see. It bought as some time but in August we had to debulk again due to increasing size and since that surgery, undersrandably so, it had grown exponentially. Eddie had started to hold the limb up and shift his weight from it, occasionally limping, so it was starting to bother him and due to fear of the mass invading the surgical margins for an amp I had to choose to do surgery or not. Eddie does have arthritis. He gets regular acu, is on adequan, missing link sea kelp joint, super snouts joint and bixby joint supplements. Pre-surgery he was very mobile, beyond occasional limping on his bad leg and the intermittent lameness standing in place.
His bloodwork is good, he is of good weight, and is on a variety of cancer supplements, including animal essentials mushroom defense and green alternatives. Along with CBD oil and post surgery - rescue remedy and an adaptil collar for stress.
Surgery was Friday 11/23.
Pain meds include gabapentin 100 mg (switching to BID today, assuming he seems comfortable was TID). Meloxicam SID, and t-relief or Arnica TID.
He is eating well, in good spirits considering but is still basically non-mobile. He hasn’t had any accidents, he will stand to go to the bathroom outside (with help) and take a few steps but gets tired easily and is having trouble with his hind legs more than the front. He will shift to get up but then whines and won’t actually try to stand. Ofcoarse I help him because I don’t want him to struggle. Today he stood to each most of his meal which is a big step as prior he just fell like a noodle. He has a carpus brace that helps a lot it seems and will start PT next week.
I have read some encounters but it seems like most Tripawds are up on their own at least for short periods by day 3. I know with his age and arthritis along with his amputation site it will take time but any other tips I can do to help him or exercises people did with their down dogs to help with their excisting legs to keep them strong.
I am a vet tech student and actually have another tripawd kitty, missing the same limb, but he was baby and I adopted him already pretty well adjusted. As for my other amputee patients I don’t have experience with them after leaving the clinic.
Both my vets, surgeon and physical therapist encourage me that it will take some time and I know it will but just want to do everything I can to help!
Thank you all!
Mom to 2 Tripawds - Maxwell (Siberian Cat) and Eddie (Border Collie X) along with a crew of other special needs fur babies.
Shelby and Eddie, we are so glad you posted! Sorry you needed to be here but we'll be with you every hop of the way.
Let me start by saying that Eddie is a very lucky pup to have you for a mom. And a two-time Tripawd Mom AND a vet tech? WOW! Seriously, no pet could ask for more, especially during a time like this. YAY!
It sounds like Eddie is getting terrific care overall. I'm assuming he's on another pain med besides Gabapantin? Did he come home with a post-op injectible pain medication like Nocita? Or is he wearing a Fentanyl patch? My guess is that between the surgery itself (which is exhausting for any body to endure, but especially a senior pup) when combined with the pain medication combo is making him very sleepy (and Gabapentin can especially do that to dogs). As hard as it is to see our dogs so out of it, keep in mind that sleep is medicinal right now. If all other signs are good (he's eating? eliminating? YAY!), he sounds like he's on track for a good recovery.
Yes, many dogs are up after a few days but most of our members here are in the mid-life range. Senior dogs can definitely rock at being Tripawds, but in general their recoveries take a bit longer than younger pups. So try to be patient and not compare Eddie's recovery with others. He's older than the norm, and he's his own dog. As a bonus, he is a Border Collie and I have no doubt that because of his breed, he'll bounce back faster than most senior dogs.
I LOVE that he is getting the full recovery treatment with rehab therapy in his future! YAY! Don't forget, the Tripawds Foundation may pay for your first rehab visit so do apply. Rehab is one of the very best things we can do for a new Tripawd, especially a senior one. Until his first appointment, you can try things like gentle massage to help his achy muscles feel better. I wouldn't try any exercises on him right now due to his age and arthritis, just take things slow and be patient. Your rehab therapist can best guide you on what he needs.
Hang in there! He will bounce back and soon you'll wonder why you were ever so worried. Keep us posted OK?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
I can only ditto every single thing Jerry said! Read her post over and over and you should get some reassurance that your precious Eddie is doing very well this very early on!!
Some dogs are not mobile at all on day three. Eddie is able to stand, he is somewhat mobile with help and is peeing outside (and not in bed).....YAY FOR EDDIE...AND YOU!!!!
This MAJOR surgery and it takes about two weeks to recover from the surgery/incision/pain and then a total of about a month for all the muscles to adjust to a new gait.
Br sure and stay on top of his pain meds in a steady basis. Being groggy is better than being in pain. Eddie needs rest, rest, rest, potty breaks and more rest for now.
Many dogs come home with Tramadol as well as Gabapentin. So you may check into that.
Wonderful that he's eating!!!
Try and be patient......easier said than done, we know!!! It took me about three weeks to say I did this FOR my Happy Hannah and not TO her! You did this FOR Eddie and his sparkle will soon start to come back bigger and brighter than ever!!
Keep us posted and know we are all cheering for Eddie!
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!
Thank you both! I really appreciate all of the feedback! And support! He came home from the hospital wearing his teal Tripawds bandana ! Which will match his ruffwear harness once his incision is healed! 🙂
As far as pain relief goes, he was on hydromorphone for the first 36 hrs in hospital (he stayed longer then your usual amp as I had to work until midnight the next night and my vet preferred they watch him until I was home) grandma and Grandpa are helping me a lot but I wanted to watch him these first few days! After hospitalization he was then just on his orals, gabapentin, Meloxicam Or Metacam and arnica. He is very sensitive to tramadol so that isn’t an option for him and fentanyl his vet didn’t want to add unless we felt necessary since he is pretty narcotic sensitive (Border Collie problems) I think due to that he is pretty sensitive to the gabapentin too. His vet tech on Saturday gave him two and he was incredibly sedate so that is why I backed off that a little. He is getting Assisi loop treatments in his incision 3x a day for anti-inflammatory relief, his good carpus 2x a day and I am rotating between his hips / knees at least 1x a day as well.
I would say today he seems the most comfortable yet! He is bruised and swollen but his incision looks good! He isn’t licking it (knock on wood) as he was a CHRONIC licker for his tumor debunkings! I think that is due to the Assisi loop personally!
Since my first post tonight he has tried to get up a few times. He has gotten up on the front to turn and sit up as I was preparing dinner so that was a big step!
I am very excited for his PT! One of my vets is his acupuncturist and a certified rehabilitation clinician so she will oversee it all. She has been working with me since diagnosis and a big reason of why I felt okay to do surgery, she is anxious to see him next week but keeping close update via message intermittently and his surgeon as well, he was even calling me over the weekend to check in.
I am so thankful to have such an awesome support system! And your kind words definitely make me understand everyone heals different and in perspective; he is handling this well! 🙂
Mom to 2 Tripawds - Maxwell (Siberian Cat) and Eddie (Border Collie X) along with a crew of other special needs fur babies.
I just want to give YOU, and ALL from Team Eddie, a standing ovation for doing an outstanding job of covering all the bases in giving Eddie sich exquisite care!!
Eddie is showing a lot of grit by making such a strong effort to sit up and "-help you cook"! It sounds like you have a good handle on managing his pain with a program that is designed for his sensitivities to pain meds. And yeah, Gaba can certainly have a sedating effect, so glad you've reduced the doses a bit.
Pictures!! We must have pictures of this handsome boy! Here a link to help post them ..... adding images .
On, and when Eddie has his first poop, let us know. We celebrate everything around here!!😁
Try and get some rest. Getting to this part of the recovery is exhausting physically, as well as emotionally.
And give Eddie an extra trear for us, okay?
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!
Thank you so much for your kind words! I appreciate the compliment! My vet always laughs at how detail oriented I am! I just want to make sure we cover all of our bases.
He has pooped 3x since being home! I was worried about that but no accidents; he is letting me hold him up! Today he sat in my lap up on his good leg to bark at our Ridgeback 1 year old and took a few more steps outside to pee on top of where his brother peed, so I think those are both good signs!
I have rigged his Kong’s so that they stay upward so he can lick them easily and we are slowly learning our new normal!
I think he really needs some core work, so I let his therapist know that so she can start thinking of a plan! 🙂
I will definitely figure out how to post some pictures as well!
Thank you you again for the support!
Mom to 2 Tripawds - Maxwell (Siberian Cat) and Eddie (Border Collie X) along with a crew of other special needs fur babies.
Yipee! 
This is such a great update, I'm sooooo happy Eddie is getting a ton of help from your clinic. To have so many good, smart people on his vet team is the best scenario possible, I wish everyone had such a great support system when going through this. YAY!
He really is doing soooo well. Everything you describe sounds spot-on for recovery, especially the 
! We're dancing now! 🙂 And yeah I'll bet your younger pup is just the spark he needs to say "Hey I'm catching up to you kid!" and keep on the recovery path.
If you'd ever like us to send some Tripawds Outreach Brochures to your clinic, just click on that link and we'll get them to you. And if you're ever ready and able, we'd love to have you as part of our special Veterinary Experts team in the Forums (you get a special badge on your profile that lets people know they are talking to a person in the field). Of course focus on Eddie now, he's #1 priority!
Let us know if you'd like help posting images, just send us a Private Message.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
YAAAAAAAAY FOR And YAAAAAAAAY for peeing on top of the puppy's pee! Great sign of a recovery going really well!!!
Yes, building his tummy core strength is a great plan! Slow and easy, especially at first.
Sometimes we actually see where the bum leg was so painful, that, even after MAJOR surgery, the pain is less than before! Mr. Eddie may be one of those "lucky" kids!
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!
Thank you both! We had a bad snow storm here which is a hitch in the plan because it is harder for him outside and his feet get cold but he is trying still. Just pooped again and almost stood alone to pee, getting up is still the biggest struggle but I figure that takes the most strength. I am gonna try to do more light standing inside in the meantime to work him further.
He did try to get up to eat again, and was moving his “wing” today, which is the first I have seen. I have reached out to his physical therapist to make sure she doesn’t think I need to up his pain meds.
He is eating good, playing Kong’s and puzzle games, wagging his tail and resting.
I really am blessed to have my physical therapist DVM and my surgeon (his primary vet). They have been such a wealth of knowledge! And so supportive. We are so lucky to have found them. We drive 40 min each way for them but so worth it!
I will ask them about the brochures! If anything I think I will take some to for my job, I work at an ER for Pets and even having some there would be helpful I think! But I think my vets would greatly appreciate them as well! And I would absolutely be interesting in being a veterinary expert team member once he is recovered! I was actually going to ask for ways to help other tripawd parents once I know we are through the thick of it! The support I have found in my vets and hear makes me want to provide that for others!
Mom to 2 Tripawds - Maxwell (Siberian Cat) and Eddie (Border Collie X) along with a crew of other special needs fur babies.
shelbyw1107 said
I will ask them about the brochures! If anything I think I will take some to for my job...
Hi everyone,
Quick update, holding about the same, a little concerned that I am not seeing more progress but I know it will take time. He still will not rise or walk himself, but definitely a little more stable when standing (sometimes), is trying to use his front a lot more and stil eating, drinking, using the bathroom as normal. Bruising is down a lot, still some swelling but his vet looked at a picture today and felt it looks good.
It was very nice when I came in a bunch of his “girlfriends” came to ask how he was, I know he will have a lot of excited visitors next week at his recheck.
He started moving his “wing” (his scapula was retained) last night. I got worried he was painful so I messaged his sports medicine vet and she felt he was just adjusting to the movement, as he was showing no other signs of pain. Tonight he is doing the same but a little more tender in the site, so I am wondering if he is a little painful but gabapentin is due soon and usually lets him rest.
Tuesday he gets acupuncture and we make his therapy plan, and Wednesday is surgical recheck. Hoping for a strong weekend with more baby improvement but as long as no setbacks I will be happy.
I go back to work tomorrow so “grandma and grandpa” are watching him. They haven’t had to move him yet so hopefully he behaves for them, I am gonna give them tips of how to handle him and they will keep his meds on schedule for me.
All and all he is holding in there! I give him treats for every exciting milestone and praise! I know he can do it!
Mom to 2 Tripawds - Maxwell (Siberian Cat) and Eddie (Border Collie X) along with a crew of other special needs fur babies.
shelbyw1107 said
Hi everyone,. Hoping for a strong weekend with more baby improvement but as long as no setbacks I will be happy.
All and all he is holding in there! I give him treats for every exciting milestone and praise! I know he can do it!
Baby improvements are the equivalent to HUGE improvements this early during recoveey! Love that you reward him for his accomplishments!!😎
Good for you for recognizing milestones like more stability when standing. The continues earing, drinking, etc, such great news!!
He'll get his mobility figured out. Just like "mature" people, he needs to take jis recovery at a slow and steady pace, a pace that works for him and his "seasoned" muscles.
And Eddie, add us to your list of admiring girlriends!😁
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!
Yes he is definitely making baby steps to a full recovery! It sure sounds like what you are describing. The muscle twitches are quite common, even years after amputation, and as far as I can tell, not painful at least for our Wyatt Ray .
And that everyone in the vet team is so upbeat about his progress, I think you are both on the right track. Eddie isn't a kid anymore but he still has Border Collie in him, which means he can do this! And what a fortunate pup to have grandpaw and grandmaw there by his side. Wow!
Keep us posted as much as you want, we never get tired of hearing about your amazing boy. And good luck back at work tomorrow. No doubt you'll be thinking about him all day!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thank you! The muscle twitching is new to me. Maxwell has a scapula too but because his leg was taken so early and in such poor condition there is basically no muscle still there so I never see any movement there, where Eddie still has some muscle so more sensation I would think.
This morning I accidentally bumped his incision taking him out and he yelped which is a first. I was scared I was undermedicating him but my vet assured me it is likely just tender still and since it was never touched, he never acted out. So we did a loop session, did some arnica and he seemed like no big deal after that, so I am keeping his meds the same.
That incident made me realize it is likely still sore though, which makes me wonder if that is why he is still hesitant to move too much, he is scared he will hurt it. Being a Border Collie makes that more plausible to me, because he is very calculative unlike my shepherd mix or my Ridgeback mix who are more like tanks! Lol
Hoping he has a good night with grandma and grandpa! I hope I get some movement when I get home because I know by the end of my shift he will be done with “babysitting”! 🙂 haha
Mom to 2 Tripawds - Maxwell (Siberian Cat) and Eddie (Border Collie X) along with a crew of other special needs fur babies.
Pretty good weekend for my sweet man! He still isn’t rising on his own beyond a sitting position but is walking in from outside with assistance (the first time definitely made me tear up with pride!) and same thing throughout the house. Eating well, drinking well, playing with his kong, letting us know when he needs to go out, wagging, barking for his meals and his incision looks BEAUTIFUL. We did try to drop to one daily Gabapenin yesterday and he seemed sore so I moved him back up to BID and reordered more.
He sees his sports medicine DVM tomorrow and his surgeon Wednesday to discuss his treatment plans moving forward. I am so proud of his every achievement and look forward to watching more progress.
Mom to 2 Tripawds - Maxwell (Siberian Cat) and Eddie (Border Collie X) along with a crew of other special needs fur babies.
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