Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi there we have a pretty healthy 12 year old boxer that was diagnosed with bone cancer. As a family of four we made the decision to amputate the rear left leg to reduce her pain. This is day 3 and she really doesn’t have much energy today. Yesterday was a better day as she would get up and bark when the doorbell rang. Today she is sleeping most of the day. Daisy is her name and she is motivated by food and will eat her apple in the morning with a smidgen of peanut butter, very smidgen as we will be watching her weight.
I currently have the ‘what did we do to her’ thoughts in my mind as I had read that some dogs come out of surgery and are better off because that pain is gone.
What should I expect on day three? And four and five? I know they are all different recoveries and she is not a young pup. What she is doing now is going out to do her business and I am trying to hole the leash as well as support her and I am having some issues. Yesterday she did well but today struggled and landed in the grass. Daisy’s appetite has been well and I bought her a lovely new bed to help her be more comfortable but she prefers her old bed lol.
Prior to this Daisy would go on a couple of walks a day and run about. Daisy could also jump onto the bench in front of our bed and then jump on the bed. She was a fairly active dog and it took everyone by surprise that she was 12 including her vet.
What have we done?
Hello and welcome, your future posts will not have to wait for approval.
What have you done? You have given Daisy a chance at more pain free time with the family. And yes, I think most all of us have questioned our decision at some point during recovery...you are in good company there!
I know it's hard not to compare to other's recoveries- but Daisy is her own dog and will recover at her own pace. It is very common for an apparent set back 3 to 5 days into recovery... the hospital meds are out of her system and she has been working her new hopping gait for a few days. The new gait is exhausting for new Tripawds!!! Once she is recovered you can start working on her strength and stamina but for now rest is the best thing for her. Our surgeon said that short, leashed potty breaks were all that were allowed for the first two weeks.
As an example- my Pug Maggie lost a rear leg to mast cell cancer. She could hop on her own the day of surgery, we had no complications and her pain was well managed. She proceeded to spend 6 weeks in her bed- only moving to eat and potty, I was sure I had made a mistake choosing surgery. She finally came around when she was ready and then hopped happily through life for almost 4 years.
We also see here that the more 'mature' pups take a little longer to get back to themselves. The average recovery period seen here is around 2 weeks. A few lucky pups are bouncing around in a few days, most take 2 to 3 weeks, some a little longer.
How are you supporting her? Do you have a sling or harness? What issues are you having?
Does she have good traction ? It's very important, especially for new tri's, to have non-slip footing everywhere they are walking. Is her pain manged? Getting the right meds and dosing schedule sometimes takes a little tweaking for best results.
You made a good decision for your girl! Bone cancer pain only gets worse until medications don't work anymore. Daisy just needs some time, good pain meds, and a positive attitude from you and she will get back to herself.
I did not have a positive attitude while Maggie was recovering and I know it made things harder for both of us.
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls and Boy
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
What have we done to support her, we have Daisy in the floor level of our home so her bathroom breaks are near by and not requiring to go up and down to many steps. We physically support her mid section with a scarf we did try one of the slings but being a boxer it just slips down her barrel chest to her incision area. We have her on carpet for most of her journeys to the bathroom.
Daisy today has gone outside to do her business and comes back in relatively quickly. Daisy was a three a day pooper and is getting back to that pattern.
I have a family of four and I originally didn’t want to amputate but wanted to put her to peace. The vet suggested she would be able to physically cope being a three legged dog so the rest of my family want to give her the chance. I can’t say I blame them, but pray to god she has at least a couple of months of good days with us so it was all worth while.
Today is day four so still really early.
Daisy is my best friend and I would do anything for her as long as it is the right thing for her:).
Daisy is fairly independent but I would like to be able to support her better than we are with a scarf. Does anyone have experience with a boxer loosing a hind leg and if so how did you support them physically in the first couple of weeks?
thank you
Hi Pamela and Daisy, welcome. Your feelings are totally normal, everyone struggles with this decision at first because it's so hard to see our dogs not getting around right away. We expect so much out of them, but the truth is that amputation is a major surgery and the body needs time to bounce back, especially for older dogs. They do get there though!
It's good that she wants to eat and goes outside. And that she pooped! YAY!
And you're right, it is still very early. Try to put yourself in her paws. Most humans would not be doing so well after amputation surgery. It sounds like Daisy is right on track for a good recovery.
So it sounds like she doesn't really need a lot of support, based on what you're describing. Is she falling down or anything? If not, you may just want to hold off and see how she does without the extra help. You can try a grocery bag sling to see if it's any better with support. Sometimes slings will stay put around the chest area, sometimes they won't. Most dog's torsos aren't completely flat unless a dog is really overweight, so it can be tricky to use a sling and have it stay put around the chest area
But honestly it sounds like Daisy is getting around OK considering so you just might want to let her do this on her own. Also keep in mind that for rear leg amputees it's harder to jump up, they lose 50% of their propulsion capabilities. She will need time to use that bench in front of your bed. You can try helping her with a Ruffwear Flagline harness or Ruffwear Webmaster , they have top handles that allow you to assist.
I hope this helps. Let us know how she's doing.
Thanks Jerry I appreciate your words of encouragement. I am thinking she might not be able to jump up on the bed anymore and we will adjust. Daisy slept every night in our living room couch and she keeps eyeing it but we block it off just to be safe.
Unfortunately we live in a multi level home and she is hesitant with going up the three steps to the kitchen floor but we have put down rug treads so I am hoping she will overcome her fear over time as this is still day four. She is amazingly strong so we are hoping she will get there.
I myself am a cancer survivor and Daisy was with me all through treatment I owe her a pain free and positive future for as long as we have her. I do hope that we will be confident was made the right choice as I wouldn’t forgive myself.
Once she is healed up she will probably be able to do the three stairs. My current rear amp Tripawd, Elly, is a 15 pound Pug mix who lost her leg to a car accident. She easily goes up and down the few stairs in my house. She also gets up on my bed using a two step unit I built.
Maggie, my first rear amp Tri was a little bigger than Elly but couldn't or wouldn't ever go up more than a stair or two, and would not used the step unit I had at the time by my bed.
Each Tri is different but most rear amps can do at least some stairs. But you are wise now to keep her off the couch and bed. I would get a harness for her if she needs to go up the stairs to the kitchen level. Best if she can not do any stairs until she is healed but sometimes that isn't practical.
Once she is healed up you can work on her confidence on the stairs. The stair treads are an excellent idea! I have them on my stairs as well- partly for the dogs and partly so I can see the steps better 
Elly has the RuffWear WebMaster which she wears whenever we are out of the house. I've also used the Webmaster when my last Pug was recovering from knee surgeries and when another Pug had mobility issues. The Flagline is fairly new and I've only tried it with Elly. I like the Webmaster better but lots of people here really like the Flagline .
Remember to keep track of and celebrate every little victory, they will start adding up until Daisy is back!!!
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls and Boy
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Just catching up on Boxer Tripawd Rockstar Daisy. Sweet name for a clearly well loved dog.
You've already gotten great input from Jerry and Karen. Trist ke, we all understand your concerns during this early part of recovery. I joined here on Day Six after amp. My thread title was some like, "Day Six and I fear I have made a HORRIBLE decision!" Ues, I 2as in the "what have I done TO my dog?" mode. Xant really rem, but it probably took me a solid three weeks at least before I could finally celebrate that I did this FOR my Happy Hannah!
One of my favorite "dog loves couch" story was the hooman who cut off the legs of her loveseat so her Bulldog could still get on it. So yeah, after stitches are out she, and you, will figure out a way for her to teclaim her spot onm the couch.
All the things you are putting in place....the non slip rigs for traction , the stair treads....all will help her return to her normal routines.
To reiterate, Daisy is having a "normal" recovery. She's recovering at her own pace, getting lots of rest for healing and great that she's eating and drinking and back to being a "three day pooper 😎
Hang in there. Remember, recovery does not last forever, although it seems like it right now.
Update when you can.
Hugs
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
PS...what pain meds is she on and how mich does she weigh?
Oh, and my Happy Hannah would basically freeze upmofmImtried tomhelp her with a towel or sling, etc. Some dogs just want to,do things their way.
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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