Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hello,
We are new to this forum and looking for information and encouragement. Our 8 year old rescued Pyrenees/Golden Retriever cross, Cayenne, was recently diagnosed with osteosarcoma in the front right leg, specifically the upper 1/3 of the humerus. No metastasis, thank goodness. After the initial shock (diagnosis occurred 6 weeks after our senior golden retriever was diagnosed with malignant melanoma with metastasis so there has been quite a bit of emotion involved here) of diagnosis, we have opted to go with front leg amputation followed by the 4 rounds of chemotherapy, 3 weeks apart. Surgery is scheduled for Aug. 9th.
Our girl is a very large girl weighing in at 138 lbs. and she is not fat. Just big. Does anyone have experience with how well a large/giant breed type does post surgery as a front leg amputee? We realize that her life and our life is not going to be the same as it was but we are looking for what others have experienced and what are some of the things that we can do to help her and us assimilate into life as a tripawd and as a tripawds family. Recommendations for do's and dont's?
Also, what is a good harness for a girl this size who will be a right front leg amputee? We have read that an orthopedic style bed is helpful? Any recommendations? We have wood floors and we plan on using rubber horse trailer mats in the house during recovery so that she can amble without slipping. Does a tripawd ever graduate to being able to navigate a wood floor on their own without the use of a nonslip mat?
She is currently on Tramadol and seems to be tolerating it well. We also have the option to use Previcox in conjunction with the Tramadol. Tramadol is for pain and the Previcox is for inflammation and swelling. Does anyone have any experience with using Previcox?
This is a new and emotional journey for us so would truly appreciate what others can share about their experiences with a tripawd dog and as a tripawd 'parent'.
Thanks, Gayle and Dan
Gayle and Dan, thanks for joining (and I'm so sorry you had to, we are the club nopawdy really wants to join!). But we're glad you're here so we can help you get through this process with flying colors the way your amazing Cayenne will do.
I apologize but I need to run back to work, just wanted to approve your post. Hang tight and while you're waiting for feedback from our amazing community, be sure to check out Jerry's Required Reading List , it will answer tons of your questions.
Stay tuned, I'll be back in a bit.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi, I am Summer and so sorry that you are having to go through this with your girl
We started our journey with Patchy on March 25th of this year. He is a 6 year old 147 lb St. Bernard
It was a very difficult decision to have his leg amputated but he was in such pain and yet still happy with life that we made the decision. He just passed his 4 month ampuversary and is still bringing us so much joy.
The hardest part is waiting for them from surgery, when they come home they are pretty groggy and on lots of pain meds. When we first got patchy home and took him out of my jeep he immediately tried to walk on his own and took a face plant that really upset us. They don't realize they are missing a leg at first and have to learn to improvise which takes time.
When that happened I immediately found this website and I have to say everyone on this site are absolutely wonderful. The encouragement and support can not be replaced. I rely on it all the time. Have made many friends that I cherish who I have never even met. I encourage you to stay plugged in here you will grow to love everyone!
Patchy doesn't move around as much anymore because of his size it is difficult to navigate when you are missing a front leg. He prefers to relax and get many belly rubs through out the day. Not saying that he doesn't move at all he does what he wants to do but then just likes to rest. Even though he is less active he is still very happy and the best thing is that he is not in any pain.
We have tile and wood floors in the majority of the house, we put down non slip runners in the areas where he goes and it is very helpful. We will keep the runners down because it makes him more secure as he navigates. Each pup is different but navigating is tough and laying down is tougher without face planting it so the extra padding is helpful.
We got the XL Ruffwear webmaster harness with the rough guard, I have to tell you this is the best investment we have made so far. It is very helpful in getting him in and out of the vehicles as well as supporting him when he is up and about and very helpful when he wants to lay down. I highly recommend it!
You can check out my blog on Patchy at Living in the moment here on the tripawd site and see how he is progressing.
We have no regrets about the amputation and are living each day in the moment cherishing every minute with him.
I wish you the best in this hard journey, am here if you every need encouragement. Summer and Patchy
Hi Cayenne, Gayle and Dan 
My girl Eurydice is a Great Dane weighing 150 pounds and she had a right front leg amputation 3 months ago due to osteosarcoma.
She stayed in hospital for 3 days after surgery and the first few days back home were hard.
I had to help her to hop out into the garden to pee and my heart broke every time as I saw the effort she was making to try to move around on 3 legs.
But we lived through it and after stitches came out it all got so, so much better.
I used a soft harness with a t-shit underneath until stitches came out and after that I got her a ruffwear harness .
I really recommend it as it has a handle which is very helpful with getting our big fluffies in and out of the car and it is quite comfortable for them at all times.
Initially, you need to keep your walks really short, just for pee and poop.
Walks should increase gradually, I kept an eye on Eurydice's energy levels, always bearing in mind that however energetic she may be I had to take into consideration the journey back home.
As for bedding, I got her some XL memory foam mattresses which are perfect because they are firm and adapt to her body shape.
You've done really well with the rubber mats, I think you might need to keep them long term, my girl is quite comfortable on 3 legs now but due to her weight she will always slip on wood floors.
We haven't used Tramadol or Previcox so no advice there, but I'm sure others will chime in.
It might appear during the first stages of recovery Cayenne will never go back to being her old self but she will and she will surprise you both !
I was out with my girl today for a 2 hour hop around the park (as always) and she is really happy and enjoying life !
Of course, 2 hour hop means hoping and resting and hoping and resting some more but that's all right as she (and me) get to smell the roses as we never did before.
Great news there are no metastasis, Eurydice is on session 4 of chemo and has been as good as gold, as many others here.
Hang in there, the first weeks may be challenging but you will be ok 
We are all here for you !
Sending you both a bug bear hug and cuddles to Chayenne
Eurydice 77kg/170lb Great Dane limping end of April 2016, amputation (right front leg/osteosarcoma) 4 May 2016 6 courses of carboplatin followed by metronomic therapy, lung mets found 30 Nov 2016. 3 courses of doxorubicin, PET scan 26 Jan 2017 showed more mets so stopped chemo. Holistic route April 2017. Lung X-ray 5 May 2017 showed several tennis ball size mets, started cortisone and diuretics. Miss Cow earned her XXL silver wings 12 June 2017, 13 months and 1 week after amputation and 6 1/2 months after lung mets, she was the goofiest dawg ever and is now happily flying from cloud to cloud woof woofing away :-)
Welcome and so sorry your journey brought you here. You've gotten such good advice from two giant breed owners already that all I can really add is we too loved the Ruff Wear harness . Chayenne will feel so much better after her painful leg is gone. Recovery is tough the first few days but you will soon settle in to a rythmn that will work for you. And we'll all be here to help if you need us. Will keep you and Chayenne in our thoughts and prayers on surgery day. Please keep us posted on your girls journey. You can do this!
Hugs to you all
Linda, Riley & Spirits Mighty Max & Ollie
Hi Cayenne, Gayle and Dan
My apologies for not checking on your girl on the 9th but we were away ...
How is Cayenne doing ???? And how are you doing ???
I bet you are all sleep deprived ...
Please let us know how things are going, we are all thinking about you at Tripawds !
Sending you a cloud of pawsitive energy, big hugs and cuddles to your sweet girl
Eurydice 77kg/170lb Great Dane limping end of April 2016, amputation (right front leg/osteosarcoma) 4 May 2016 6 courses of carboplatin followed by metronomic therapy, lung mets found 30 Nov 2016. 3 courses of doxorubicin, PET scan 26 Jan 2017 showed more mets so stopped chemo. Holistic route April 2017. Lung X-ray 5 May 2017 showed several tennis ball size mets, started cortisone and diuretics. Miss Cow earned her XXL silver wings 12 June 2017, 13 months and 1 week after amputation and 6 1/2 months after lung mets, she was the goofiest dawg ever and is now happily flying from cloud to cloud woof woofing away :-)
Our Murphy was a rear Tripawd and a large, rather than giant, breed. He did come home on both Previcox and Tramadol and tolerated both of them well. He also had a Fentanyl patch for the first few days he was home.
Here's hoping Cayenne will soon be on her way to recovery. I would imagine she is still seeing some pink elephants at this point.
Kathi and the Turbotail April Angel...and the Labradork
PS. Here's one more vote for the Ruffwear harness .
Murphy is a five year old Lab/Chessie cross. He was hit by a car on 10/29/12 and became a Tripawd on 11/24/12. On 2/5/13, he had a total hip replacement on his remaining back leg. He has absolutely no idea that he has only three legs!
UPDATE: Murphy lived his life to the fullest, right up until an aggressive bone lesion took him across the Rainbow Bridge on April 9, 2015 and he gained his membership in the April Angels. Run free, my love. You deserve it!
My Otis is "small" compared to the rest of you, at 106 pounds pre-amp. Also a front legged. The only real change at 6 months out is that he cannot take long walks. We go 7 houses, with a long rest break at house 5. He gets around the house just fine (lots of industrial nonslip floor mats), does the stairs, jumps up on the sofa and bed, chases cats and squirrels, steals food if left on the kitchen counters, etc. We are also big fans of the Ruffwear Webmaster Plus harness - he loves it and can do all of his doggy things, like rolling, in it.
Otis - 106 pound lab/Dane mix, lost his right front leg to osteosarcoma on Febuary 9, 2016. Four rounds of carboplatin completed in April, 2016. Lung mets August 25, 2016. Said goodbye too soon on September 4, 2016. Lost his adopted sister, Tess, suddenly on October 9, 2016. likely due to hemangiosarcoma.
Wherever they are, they are together.
Hello Everyone!
I wanted to update all of you who were kind enough to respond to my original post regarding Cayenne! I would've posted sooner but was having problems navigating the forum...no fault of the forum...I am just not super computer savvy.
Anyway, Cay had her front leg amputation 2 weeks ago yesterday! And I am glad to say that we ALL MADE IT through! She is doing very well....something we were very concerned about due to her size....but she has adjusted much better and quicker than we imagined she would. The next morning after surgery, she was up and about at the vet's office. She then came home in the evening, about 34 hours later. Our vet, who lives up the road from us, came and checked on her every other day and did what 'doctoring' needed to be done. He felt that it would be easier for her and us if he came to us, rather than us go to the clinic because getting a moose dog in and out of a 3/4 ton Dodge pickup every other day was going to prove to be challenging during the recovery phase. It worked out wonderfully!
We have a lot of stair/steps around our place so getting her into the house for the first time was a little interesting and a bit daunting. My husband built new low profile stairs off the deck for her after she got home and at first she was quite hesitant to use them as she had not seen them before. We used our Border Collie to show her how to go up and down them and once she saw him do it, she mastered them in no time. We have acreage so of course, she wanted to go around her old haunts and took off just like she was on 4 legs. Coming back up slope was a bit more tiring for her and she took a breather but still....completely amazed us.
We have wood and tile floors so we laid down new rubber horse trailer mats for her to navigate on during the recovery process. Non-slip and easy to clean. Once recovered, we will go to non-slip area rugs etc. In the meantime, she actually does manage on the wood floors that aren't covered by the rubber mats but that could change once it's winter and wet gets tracked in on to the floors. She made the decision herself to avoid the tile floors in bathrooms etc.
As far as other things...she really has not skipped a beat other than a bit longer naps in the afternoon. Appetite the same, water consumption the same, barking, wanting & playing with toys etc. the same.
Tomorrow is the next big step! Although her radiographs came back clear as far as not showing any metastasis (she was perfectly clear on all tests), we have opted to go through chemo with her. Again, a first for all of us and a bit daunting for Dan and I but we want to be as thorough with her treatments of OS as possible.
For those who have gone through the rounds of chemo, what are your experiences? I have read that most dogs tolerate it fairly well. I believe that she will be receiving carboplatin 4 times, 3 weeks apart. I have noticed that some vets prescribe 6 rounds rather than 4 rounds. Any ideas why? How did your dogs do on the 4 rounds of carboplatin? Any tips for us on dealing with any potential side effects? We are both a little nervous about the chemo but also realize that it's her best shot for a longer life!
Wish us luck and we truly appreciate the support that we have found so far here.
Thank you all,
Gayle
We did 4 rounds of carbo. Otis slept pretty much the whole day of each treatment. We had 1 bout of explosive diarrhea (outside) on day 7 after round 1. You will probably be given meds for both nausea (Cerenia) and diarrhea (metrodiazonale, I think). The metro cleared it right up. For the other rounds, I gave the metro at the first squishy poo. Rounds 2 through 4, we had some nausea, as evidenced by excessive lip licking and drooling. The Cerenia worked. By 3, I switched to boiled chicken breast and white rice the day of and two to three days after chemo. The oncologist also put Otis on Pepcid AC for ingestion. He still takes that today - it is obvious that post-chemo his stomach is more sensitive. He also is more sensitive to heat. My A/C is at 68 - I am wearing sweats, but he is happy. So, while each dog is different, for us, no symptoms so severe that I ever considered stopping the chemo. I am, however, glad it is over!
Otis - 106 pound lab/Dane mix, lost his right front leg to osteosarcoma on Febuary 9, 2016. Four rounds of carboplatin completed in April, 2016. Lung mets August 25, 2016. Said goodbye too soon on September 4, 2016. Lost his adopted sister, Tess, suddenly on October 9, 2016. likely due to hemangiosarcoma.
Wherever they are, they are together.
OMG your update made my day! This is such fabulous news, especially coming from a giant breed dog. We still hear stories of vets who refuse to amputate just because a dog is big (just today someone posted in the chat room about this situation) and so stories like Cay's are so helpful.
Do you have any photos to share? Here's a post about adding images to the forums. I'd be more than happy to post them for you if you'd like help, just contact me.
To answer your questions about chemo...
Yes, the vast majority of dogs do great! Others here who have gone through chemo can guide you with their own experiences but in the meantime check out this post about four versus six chemo sessions:
How Many Chemotherapy Sessions are Best for Osteosarcoma in Dogs?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
SPECTACULAR UPDATE!!! YAY FOR CAY!! 🙂
You've certainly made your home trilawd friendly! Good job! I love that her other doggy pack member showed her how to maneuver the new stairs.
My Hapoy Hannah had four rounds of Carboplatin and had no issues....not even the "normal" somewhat expected side effects like a little nausea for a dsy or two or maybe a little lethargy.
As far as four, five or six. There really is no wrong answer! 'Some here have done four, five or six. It really seems to boil down to what the Onco suggests. It appears different teaching schools...individual circumstances....the individual dog, etc...all this enters into it. Happy Hannah's vet want to Cornell (or was it Clemson)), anyway she told me four is what she was taught and that more wasn't necessarily better. Really, no right or wrong.
Tha ms for the update and sooooo glad everything is great!
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!
otisandtess said
We did 4 rounds of carbo. Otis slept pretty much the whole day of each treatment. We had 1 bout of explosive diarrhea (outside) on day 7 after round 1. You will probably be given meds for both nausea (Cerenia) and diarrhea (metrodiazonale, I think). The metro cleared it right up. For the other rounds, I gave the metro at the first squishy poo. Rounds 2 through 4, we had some nausea, as evidenced by excessive lip licking and drooling. The Cerenia worked. By 3, I switched to boiled chicken breast and white rice the day of and two to three days after chemo. The oncologist also put Otis on Pepcid AC for ingestion. He still takes that today - it is obvious that post-chemo his stomach is more sensitive. He also is more sensitive to heat. My A/C is at 68 - I am wearing sweats, but he is happy. So, while each dog is different, for us, no symptoms so severe that I ever considered stopping the chemo. I am, however, glad it is over!
Otis and Tess,
Thank you for sharing your experience and for being candid about it. I had already loaded up on chicken and rice just in case she has problems with nausea and eating.
Believe me, this is just Round 1 (waiting for her right now) and we are already looking forward to it being over.
Interesting that you mentioned ambient air temperature sensitivity. Cayenne actually has shown that after the surgery...she prefers to lay in front of a fan when it gets warm and also at bed time when she settles in for the night. Having Gr. Pyr in her, she's never been found of hot weather whatsoever but she's also never sought out a fan either.
jerry said
OMG your update made my day! This is such fabulous news, especially coming from a giant breed dog. We still hear stories of vets who refuse to amputate just because a dog is big (just today someone posted in the chat room about this situation) and so stories like Cay's are so helpful.Do you have any photos to share? Here's a post about adding images to the forums. I'd be more than happy to post them for you if you'd like help, just contact me.
To answer your questions about chemo...
Yes, the vast majority of dogs do great! Others here who have gone through chemo can guide you with their own experiences but in the meantime check out this post about four versus six chemo sessions:
How Many Chemotherapy Sessions are Best for Osteosarcoma in Dogs?
Thanks Jerry for the great article on chemotherapy! Very informative! 1st round of chemo (carboplatin) cancelled today because the oncologist wanted Cayenne's sutures out first and to let the incision heal up a tad more.
I do have some photos that I can share both pre and post surgery and will figure that out when I get time or may have you help me with that as suggested.
I am improving at this forum thing...lol.
You know, Cay is a big girl at 138 lbs...not obese or fat....just very large, muscular and big boned and footed. Very robust! And she is 8 years old so middle aged. We, of course, were concerned about amputation and her size etc and how that might hamper her recovery because there are some articles out there that suggest that extra large or giant breeds can't/don't do well with limb removal and are not good candidates for tripawd surgery. I suppose this could boil down to individual dogs but Dan and I both agree that extra large dogs can do just as well as smaller dogs after seeing how well Cayenne has adjusted. For her to be able to come home 34 hours after limb removal surgery bespeaks to the fact that big dogs can make the adjustments to life on 3 legs. If anything we have to slow her down so that she doesn't do the occasional face plant off of the last deck step etc. We had purchased a Ruff Wear Harness prior to surgery and have not used it yet because of the sutures still being in. She can load into our smaller truck with our help and back out with a little help. We will probably use the harness once she has her sutures out for loading and unloading into and out of vehicles but other than that, she doesn't appear to need it for mobility and that includes going up the low profile stairs onto the deck. When we hike or camp with her, we will probably use it where footing may be less solid.
We figured that we had to give her that chance...you know, nothing ventured, nothing gained so to speak. Can't imagine any vet not wanting to try. It doesn't mean that we weren't concerned about the outcome or that the experience wasn't daunting prior to the surgery but we now know that we as humans tend to overthink things and put our own values and hang-ups into the amputation equation. The dog doesn't. Dogs just learn to deal with things in ways that we don't. They wake up....leg is gone...okay...that's now life and they make the adjustments necessary. Also, when you think of it....before surgery, the dog was already limping or dragging the affected limb so the dog was already making adjustments inadvertantly to life as a tripawd.
I know that we are only a little over 2 weeks into recovery but for those with extra large or giant breeds, we would definitely like to be encouraging to them if they are facing an amputation with a extra large or giant breed dog. We both agree that preparing your house and yard for life as a tripawd family is important and will make the transition easier for all involved. We don't expect Cay to run marathons now but she is doing many, many things that she used to do already with small rests in between. She is chasing squirrels up the trees already again and it's only been 17 days.
What a great update! Glad she is doing so well. (Otis was 106 pounds at surgery, and was 95 on the scale today).
Otis - 106 pound lab/Dane mix, lost his right front leg to osteosarcoma on Febuary 9, 2016. Four rounds of carboplatin completed in April, 2016. Lung mets August 25, 2016. Said goodbye too soon on September 4, 2016. Lost his adopted sister, Tess, suddenly on October 9, 2016. likely due to hemangiosarcoma.
Wherever they are, they are together.
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