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.
Join The Tripawds Community
Learn how to help three legged dogs and cats in the forums below. Browse and search as a guest or register for free and get full member benefits:
Instant post approval.
Private messages to members.
Subscribe to favorite topics.
Live Chat and much more!
Register
Log In
Members
Add Topic
Offline
Hi all,
This is my first time posting here. Just hoping for some reassurance I guess...
Riley is my 12yo chocolate lab, she was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in her front left 6 months ago. We were told at the time that we couldn't amputate because 2 days after her diagnosis she tore her left ACL.
However, here we are, 6 months down the track and she was still eating and happy. We took her for a quality of life/check up with her vet because she had strated to limp really bad on her arm and we just wanted to see where we were at. The vet did xrays and bloods and told us that the cancer had not metastasized, but her arm was really bad and could break at any minute.
She has been wearing a custom brace for her acl for approx 5.5 months now and since she was still very happy and eating however she had become a little picky, the vet bought up the option of amputation. So we decided to go ahead.
Her surgery was on Wednesday 15th. We're now 6 days post op. She came home with 2x fentanyl patches, and 2 other pain meds, Gabapentin and Carprofen - which she had been taking already for her cancer pain. She also came home with an antibiotic. The first night home after surgery was awful. She cried for 10 hrs straight and barely got any rest - I got none. The next day I called the vet and he prescribed a sedative to help calm her. But I was hesitant to give her any more drugs considering everything she already had in her. That same morning I gave her her first antibiotic and about 20 minutes later she projectile vomited. I thought that maybe she had just over done it, eaten a bit too much after surgery and drank too much too fast. But alas, that night, the same thing happened, so I stopped it immediately. She got maybe about 4hrs sleep that night and the next morning (this past Friday) I called the vet. They asked me to bring her down. Riley happily walked out of the house, down the ramp, across the yard, around and into the car. At the vet they gave her a medicine to calm her stomach, stop vomiting and nausea, IV fluids and enough Penicillin so we don't need to use an oral antibiotic. She also came home with 1 less Fentanyl patch.
So since Friday she's had 1 patch, Carprofen and Gabapentin.
She's eating, but she's still picky. She will eat a little of her sisters dry food, chicken, salmon, broccoli and carrot - but if we put all of that together in her bowl or on a plate, she will turn her nose. I have to give her one thing at a time.
She will get up to walk from one place to another, get in to bed from the floor, to get a drink, to go and sit in another room, but she has zero motivation to go outside. She can walk, she can get up and sit down, she can go up and down the ramp on her own, she can squat to pee, but it takes a LOT to get her to do it and she will take a couple steps and then sit and I have to go get her up. Couple more steps, sit. Couple more steps, sit.
And she still hasn't pooped.
I can ask her if she wants to go outside, or go for a walk, or go for a ride in the car and she will lift her head and give me puppy eyes and tilt her head.... but thats as much enthusiasm as we get - she won't actually get up to do it even though she seems interested.... and she CAN walk, and go up and down the ramp on her own... I've seen her do it multiple times.
Today, she doesn't seem to want to do anything. She just moves from one bed to another and sleeps. We went outside this morning, but I had to help her along, otherwise she just stands in one spot and then sits down. Yesterday she was up and alert and seemed to be getting stronger.
I just don't know what to think. Could she be coming down from the removal of the fentanyl? (It was on for 5 days - wouldn't it be diluted by now?) Is this normal for 6 days post op, will she bounce back, what should I do?
Any insight would be much appreciated.
Hi and welcome! Your future posts won't need to wait for approval so post away.
I'm sorry she's having a few issues like this, and I know it's super worrisome and makes you doubt the decision to go forward. But I'll tell you that this is pretty typical and not unusual based on what we see here. It is still super early and she shouldn't be doing anything but resting, and only going outside to potty, on leash. She will 
, I promise! Some dogs just take longer and that's because of the pain medication.
You did good by taking her in and having the vet adjust her pain medication. That usually happens for most dogs, especially ones who are sensitive to pain control. What is the dosage of Gabapentin she is taking, and how often? And what does she weigh? Remember that staying ahead of pain is more beneficial, so stick to the schedule your vet has recommended. Do not be afraid of using it, this is major surgery and her body needs time to heal. Pain control is the #1 way to help her do that.
Yes, Fentanyl patches are done after 72 hours, there is no more in her. She is not having withdrawal, but she is likely very tired from the ordeal and again, that is very common and not unusual.
What you should do is stay pawsitive, and know that this is temporary. See the bigger picture of a happier, pain free dog, she will get there! And she may need more time being older, so don't compare her recovery to others. She is her own girl!
Keep us posted OK? We are here to help! You can always call the Tripawds Helpline 844-TRIPAWD if you want to talk live.
Hi Jerry! Thanks for your support!Im happy to say Riley finally pooped - and has done so twice again since! And they're good and healthy.
So she weighs 77lbs (post) and shes on 300mg of gabapentin, and 75mg carprofen twice a day. She was on that pre surgery for her pain and has been fine with it. She was also on tramadol, but isn't on that any longer.
I am also happy to say that in just the past couple days she has really improved. She's going outside happily and she's a lot more comfortable on her feet.
The thing with Riley is that she is THAT stubborn, we can't help her with anything. If we try to put a collar or harness or anything on her, she baulks and either flops or stiffens right up and makes everything incredibly difficult. So we've had to let her do things in her time. I can't leash walk her because she flat out refuses. I have to just support her with my hands which is fine. She doesn't try to run or jump or anything, so i just keep her steady. She knows when she needs help, so she doesn't try to do anything she knows she can't yet, but she tells me what she wants so I can come and help her.
Yesterday was a real break through. We're in PA and it's cold and rainy here at the moment. So getting her outside in the cold and wet and having her just want to sit in the muddy lawn was really difficult and frustrating. But yesterday we had a 70 degree day with some sunshine, so she was able to sit outside as long as she wanted and get her confidence back a bit it seems.
Sutures come out in a couple of days, so, heres hoping she continues to just get better and better :)She was so ready to go this morning and I haven't seen her that way in a long time! She was really difficult to get moving pre surgery because of the pain and all the meds she was on, but this morning I saw a glimpse of her before cancer was even a thing.
YAY for ! That's terrific news, and an all around really good update. Sounds like she is right where she should be. It's that determination of hers that will help make recovery smoother. You know what she is like, you know how to help her. Just keep an eye out for her overdoing things, because her brain will want to do more than her body is capable of doing for a while. Any signs of exertion like sitting down on walks, or not wanting to get up, usually indicate too much activity. If that happens, scale back so she gets some R&R. Learning how much is enough or too much is a fine line but you'll figure it out with her.
I hope this upswing continues! Keep us posted.
Just catching up on Riley in time to say YAY for and YAY for starting to see her sparkle come back👍
Dogs are so resilient and it's hard for us to remember they just had MAJOR surgery, all while adapting to three. And while managing the pain is so crucial, those Fentynal patches sure can make them whacky, vocal, restless, etc, etc. Now that they are removed, It seems like now she is on a good pain plan and is fairly comfortable.
Even though she's starting to feel better, slow and easy for now. That frisky Riley clearly is strong willed and determined so having her takes things easy can be a challenge.
Uodate when you can and give her a few extra treats for us.
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!
Our soon to be 5 year old Chocolate Lab, Lacey, also had her front left leg amputated 3 weeks ago. The weeks before surgery and the two weeks healing from the amputation took every bit of my soul to stay strong. Now she is back to herself and I am trying to be easy when I throw the ball. She is a ball hog and never stops. Good luck in your journey and it sounds like Riley is getting back to before this cancer came along.
Hooray for Riley. There is just something about Chocolates. Their will to live is undeniable.
Thanks for all the comments!
I’m a little sad to say Riley isn’t doing so great. And I’m not entirely sure why.
She can do all the things, sit, stand, walk, etc, but she’s gone off her food and is having random moments of heavy panting - even in the middle of the night. And we’re in PA, so she certainly isn’t hot.
She’s drinking a lot, in fact it seems all she wants to do is drink and nothing else.
I’ve read that sometimes dog can become depressed after this surgery, which very well may be what is going on. Depression, maybe even some anxiety. So I’ve been engaging her and taking her out to do things we know she loves, but it’s straight back in to being depressed and shoving her food away with her nose when we come back home.
Her vet has put her back on pain medication (Gabapentin and Carprofen) and we have an appointment on Thursday morning to see if there is something else going on that we don’t know about.
They said that we did the amputation knowing that the cancer may have been somewhere else that we didn’t know… but scans and blood work before her surgery were clear…. How could it have gotten this bad in a matter of 3 weeks if that’s what it is?!
I’m not really sure what to think or do.
I’m now back to trying anything just to get her to eat something…. And upsetting her with more pain medicine.
🙁
Hey there, I'm glad your vet is going to see her. Try not to jump to the worst case scenario. Usually the pain signals you are describing is related to physical exhaustion, maybe a pulled muscle or just being tired from moving around. Don't be afraid of the pain medication, they are there to help her body feel better, which will help her feel better mentally too.
What are her days like? How long are her walks? Is she playing hard with other dogs? Very often dogs do too much, too soon after amputation surgery, and they end up with pain and soreness.
You are on the right track to engage her with gentle play and interactive brain games .
How are you feeding her the meds? Don't hide them in her regular food. You really want to use care...give pills in super stinky yummy treats, and wash your hands so she doesn't smell them on you.
Her days aren’t too crazy at all.
I have been working from home with her so she can recover, so, she wakes up, heads outside to go potty, but not before getting a drink. She goes down a decent sized ramp, but only comes half way up and then gets spooked and turns around and goes back down. All she does is lay outside in the grass. When she does come back inside, she just moves from place to place to lay. She doesn’t play with her sister at all.
I took her into my office on Wednesday, which was her life 3 x a week before it got too difficult and risky to take her with her arm getting bad. She had a great day. She saw her other dog friends and people friends, but in terms of playing - there is none. She is more of a following people around, dog. She walked a short distance into the office and in the office she didn’t do too much walking. She got loads of belly rubs.
We don’t put her pills in her food, she’s way too smart for that. She either eats around them or spits them out. So we have to feed her and then I have to put the pills down her throat unfortunately… but she’s gotten used to it. I hate having to do that, but I don’t really have much choice. I used to be able to hide them in pieces of chicken, but she caught on to that eventually.
She’s gotten so extremely picky, she won’t eat normal dog food at all - any kind. We have so much dog food in this house it’s absurd. Farmers Dog she loved for about a week and then she got over it. All I could get her to eat tonight was a single cooked chicken thigh.
We bought her some busy bones to try give her something to do and she’s even gone off those. And she was doing so well with them just one week ago! She was learning how to use her arm to hold it and had a great time. One week later and she refuses it.
I just don’t understand.
I just did some reading about phantom limb pain and I’m sure that’s what is going on. She has all the signs.
I have started her back on her pain meds tonight so hopefully we’ll start to see her improve a bit when her body and mind are feeling better.
crossing everything!
OK it does sound like you are really doing great as far as how you're engaging with her, medicating, feeding, etc. Taking her back to work to get her usual routines happening again was a great idea!
It does sound like some kind of pain is going on but phantom pain is usually accompanied by sudden, sharp yelps or jumps. Human amputees describe it as an electric shock. I think restarting her medication is good and be sure to let your vet know what's going on. Controlling pain can take multiple approaches, like massage, gentle stretching, acupuncture. She might be in need of that as well. Play it by ear and see how she does.
While I k ow ot's hard not to worry because Riley seems to be in bit of funk. Quite frankly it doesn't seem like she's doing too horribly bad.
As far as being playful with other dogs yet, newly recovering Tripawds can feel a little vulnerable for awhile and don't want to get into any "play situation". They can easily get hurt while they are gaining strength. Additionally, some dogs may sense their "vulnerability "as weakness and may get too carried away with roughhousing.
The panting and restlessness can definitely be pain signals . A lot of dogs stay on a low dose of pain meds for several weeks, even months after amputation. Your sweet Riley also has a torn ACL which causes discomfort all on. It's own.
FWIW her lack of confidence on the ramp is most likely due to maybe a slip pr a tumble that scared her. It may not have even been noticed by you. I know when my Happy Hannah was relearning how to go up steps, she stumbled a little, turned around, went back down and refused to go up after that.
Back to the FWIW column. Drinking water excessively can be a symptom of a UTI. I'm sure the Vet will check for that too. Maybe take in a fresh urine sample with you when you go.
Since she wants to drink a lot of water, try and mix in shredded chicken, pieces of steak, maybe even some cut up pasta, bacon, eggs mixed into a slurpy watery mess...
The Vet may offer an appetite stimulant too as well as something to coat the tummy.
Just throwing out random thoughts. Hang in there, okay? Keep is updated as you can.
((((((((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 everyone, it's been a while since I posted... but felt it was time.
We very sadly lost our most sweet baby angel Riley one month ago.
While she recovered from her amputation and had her highs and lows, sadly there was a mass in her abdomen and her body started to shut down.
We did absolutely everything we possibly could for Ri, but in the end she let us know she couldn't take any more.
We miss our sweet girl so much and there hasn't been a single day since we said goodbye that I haven't cried.
Thank you for the advice and support through her surgery. This is a wonderful community for Tripawd parents.
Best,
Kristen.
Oh no! I'm so sorry. 
Poor Riley. I wonder if that is why she was in a funk last time you posted? Dogs are so good at hiding how they feel. But yes you did everything you could to keep her pain-free and with a good quality of life. I'm just so sorry that her time after surgery was so dang short. Cancer is so mean! GRR!
We so appreciate your allowing us to be part of her life in some small way, and for taking the courageous step to come here and let us know she got her wings. That was not easy, but clearly you have a generous, loving heart just like Riley.
Your sweet girl's spirit lives on in all our hearts, she is part of the fabric of this community, and we are honored to be surrounded by her love and great people like you.
If you'd like to share more about her life before cancer (because really, cancer will never take those happy memories away!), we would love to celebrate all that she meant to you, and her to you. ((((hugs))))
1 Guest(s)
