Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
Tripawds is your home to learn how to care for a three legged dog or cat, with answers about dog leg amputation, and cat amputation recovery from many years of member experiences.
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Welcome home, Franklin! You have the right mindset, Michaela. Plan that things will take time and may not always go smoothly, but Franklin will improve each day, especially now that he is back home surrounded by his family. Griffin and I are sending positive vibes from NYC! ~ Stacy
Griffin lived an amazing life for 11 years! Diagnosed with osteosarcoma on March 17, 2020, Griffin's right forelimb was amputated on April 2, 2020. Ten days later he was running and playing fetch! Lung metastasis discovered in July 2020 did not slow down Griffin and he lived joyfully for the next 7 months, passing peacefully at home on February 11, 2021. https://griffin.tripawds.com
Welcome home Franklin! And congrats on the great news about clear lungs. Sounds like things are going really well on your first day back. Yay! 
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
YAAAY!!! SURGERY IS DONE AND THE ADORABLE FRANKLIN IS HOME!!!😀
Keep us posted and let us know how it's going and if you have any questions. Sloooow and easy.
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!
Franklin is doing pretty well since coming home yesterday! A little bit too well. He is acting totally normal including jumping on the sofa (trying to assist him instead because it’s impossible to block it off). At the moment, he is pretty much back to his regular rambunctious self, so I’m wondering if we need to call and get him a sedative to slow him down a bit so he doesn’t hurt himself.
He is on Caprofen, gabopetin, and cephalexon.
Yay Franklin! You big ol goof! Take it easy!
You are so good at observing that he needs to mellow out. Sedatives aren't always necessary for rambunctious Tripawds just home from surgery. Usually what happens is that they will slow down after a day or two, once their body catches up with their brain. Of course keep an eye on him to minimize the risk of a muscle strain or messing with incision.
What you can do to help him chillax is to play some interactive brain games with him. Food puzzles, hide and seek in a small space in your home, and just doing things that work his mind are effective ways to tire out a pup (just as effective as walks, ball throwing, etc).
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Ditto Jerry...
Also, he may not feel quite as rambunctious once all of the hospital meds get out of his system, probably by tomorrow. Then again, Franklin being Franklin, he may be even more rambunctious!😉
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!
Ooooh, Franklin - slow down! We are glad you are feeling better but slow and steady, buddy. Sending hugs from Griffin and me in NYC! ~ Stacy
Griffin lived an amazing life for 11 years! Diagnosed with osteosarcoma on March 17, 2020, Griffin's right forelimb was amputated on April 2, 2020. Ten days later he was running and playing fetch! Lung metastasis discovered in July 2020 did not slow down Griffin and he lived joyfully for the next 7 months, passing peacefully at home on February 11, 2021. https://griffin.tripawds.com
So, Franklin was doing really well until the meds stopped on Wednesday.
Wednesday and Thursday he was very sleepy which we weren’t overly concerned about, but last night he was up several times crying and he was having trouble standing. This morning, we’re still seeing similar issues including some aggression to our lab. He is eating, drinking, bathroom with no problem.
Has anyone had a similar post-recovery experience?
Michaela - If I'm doing the math correctly, Franklin's surgery was on the 14th and his meds stopped on the 22nd - that's only 12 days. If you haven't already called your vet, I would encourage you to do so and ask about continuing pain medication. I know each dog's recovery is different but it seems the norm here to be on meds for 2-3 solid weeks. If he was doing well and then his behavior changed after the meds stopped, he might need to continue on them a bit longer. Good luck and please keep us posted! ~ Stacy
Griffin lived an amazing life for 11 years! Diagnosed with osteosarcoma on March 17, 2020, Griffin's right forelimb was amputated on April 2, 2020. Ten days later he was running and playing fetch! Lung metastasis discovered in July 2020 did not slow down Griffin and he lived joyfully for the next 7 months, passing peacefully at home on February 11, 2021. https://griffin.tripawds.com
Thanks for the advice and heads up about the typical timeline for pain meds. He was prescribed 7 days of carprofen and Gabapentin. We called our regular vet because we weren’t hearing back from the specialty vet he went to for the procedure. He’s filling the meds for us now.
He took a hard fall around lunch time, and has been having issues with his back legs since. Hopefully the meds will get us back on track.
Yay! So glad your regular vet was responsive to Franklin's needs. And great job advocating for your boy when the specialist wasn't responding. Hopefully the meds will get Franklin back on track with his recovery. ~ Stacy
Griffin lived an amazing life for 11 years! Diagnosed with osteosarcoma on March 17, 2020, Griffin's right forelimb was amputated on April 2, 2020. Ten days later he was running and playing fetch! Lung metastasis discovered in July 2020 did not slow down Griffin and he lived joyfully for the next 7 months, passing peacefully at home on February 11, 2021. https://griffin.tripawds.com
Awww poor Franklin I'm so sorry. I hope he starts feeling better. Have you tried giving him some gentle massage to see where he could be sore from that fall? Lower back and hips are a common area. Let us know if you discover anything (you may want to try heat and ice therapy) and we will keep our paws crossed that he starts feeling better soon.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Oh gosh yes, ditto getting him back on pain meds! No wonder he's "grumpy". I wonder how the Surgeon would feel if he was in the hospital for ,major surgery and amputation...and off pain meds in seven days?
And yes, lots of ,massage as Jerry said. And while massag all up and down Jo's spine, his shoulder and neck, see if he shows any signs of tenseness. A pulled muscles or a tweaked back is soooo easy to happen early in rec...espec with a tumble.
Let is know how Franklin is doing back on pain meds and with taking it cery easy.
Hang in there. And good forn you for advocating for more pain meds. Ypu should start seeing him feel better in a few days or a bit more.
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 All,
We received our official diagnosis yesterday of osteosarcoma (lab was extremely backed up). We’re still waiting to have a call with the oncologist. Since he went back on his pain meds, he is still having pain when getting up. Every night we’re getting up 1-2 times to help him readjust.
My husband and I are becoming concerned that he might have another tumor in one of his rear legs/spine. The surgeon checked his legs out yesterday and said they look fine. He didn’t detect anything. I’m not sure how common this is, but we are worried we might be out of options.
We’re switching to Dr. Harvey’s dog food and supplements next week to help slow down any progression.
Right now we’re feeling a bit hopeless as we watch our poor boy suffer. We’re starting to think of how we’re going to know if it’s the right “time”.
Okay, take some deep breaths. We'll get this figured out. I know it's so hard when you see the dogs in pain and don't feel like you can help them.
Just to put your mind at ease, it's rare for Osteo to go to another limb. It can happen, but it is very rare.
If I recall, this issue with getting up and hurting when he does, started after he had that tumble, is that right? I can't remember if you have access to a rehabilitation specialist or not. Do a Google search for certified rehabilitation specialist in your area and see if you can get an appointment. The tripawds foundation will pay for the first consultation. They are incredibly good at detecting any kind of tweaked or sprained or knee or back etc etc issue.
How is Franklin doing otherwise? Eating drinking engaged tail wags alert Etc Is he pretty mobile without any pain issues during the day?
No sign of any tenderness when you massage up and down his spine, his neck, his shoulder, is that right? He doesn't tense up at any point? What dose of pain med is he on now and frequency?
Oddly enough, when dogs are used to sleeping on one side or the other and used to turning one certain way to tramp down their nest, it is hard to readjust if they are not able to do that routine as easily.
During the day does he struggled to get up from a sitting position or when he is laying down is it hard for him to get up? Again, a rehabilitation consult can do wonders in these areas.
Didn't mean to ask so many questions. Update when you can. Hang in there. It's Not Unusual to have these type of issues this early on. I know it's frustrating, but things will get better.
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!
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