Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hello all,
My 7 year old Newfoundland, Shammy had her front left leg amputated Thursday due to a bone tumor. She still won't stand up by herself. I have to use 2 slings to get her up, once standing I use the slings to guide her but she seems to be doing ok then. Also sometimes when she is asleep she just screams out in pain. I wasn't sure why she does that. If anyone has any tips or any suggestions I would greatly appreciate them. I feel so useless and heartbroken watching my baby girl go through this. Thanks!!
Hi and welcome. Back in a sec when I get to my laptop...stay tuned.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hey I'm back. Although I'm guessing that Admin Guy mentioned this to you in the chat yesterday, try to keep in mind some things:
- You are not useless.
- She is less than five days out of amputation surgery. Ask yourself: how would I be feeling and behaving if I were in her paws? Oftentimes we expect way more of our dogs than we would of ourselves, because we're just not used to seeing them feeling down.
Now, what kind of pain meds is she on? If she is crying out in pain, she's in pain. Talk to your vet about adjusting the medication. As a big dawg she probably needs more medication. Here is a recent post about managing amputation pain with the latest pain management protocols:
http://tripawds.....ts-part-1/
As far as moving around...keep in mind she's got a lot of mass to move, she's doped up, trying to figure out how to use her leg muscles and just wants to rest (I would too!). She will just need a bit more time than the average-sized dog to recover. We see that a lot here with giant breed dogs, try not to worry. As long as she's eating, drinking and eliminating, she's having a typical recovery. Of course, check in with your vet to let them know what's going on, that phone call is worth the peace of mind.
We know it's hard not to worry, but try to remain pawstiive. You can do a lot to help her, by being strong and knowing in your heart that she will get her sparkle back in no time. The more you believe it the more she will reflect that right back to you. Together, you will both kick butt on 3 legs!
Let us know what the vet says OK? {{{hugs}}}
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
The pain megs are pretty critical at 5 days. That was when I joined this community - things were pretty overwhelming, and as I was sitting up at odd hours of the night, I found a blog about a tripawd named Winnie. Winnie's owner had detailed her journey on a day by day basis, which really helped me know that what I was experiencing was normal. And it sounds like what you are experiencing is also pretty normal. At day 5, Otis wasn't getting up much - I kept a log so that I knew when he likely really needed to pee, and then would bribe him up with treats and walk next to him slowly.
Otis was sent home with a fentanyl patch (came off on day 5), Rimadyl (continued until about end of week 3), an antibiotic (10 days, I think) and tramadol. With the tramadol, we went home with 2 pills, 3x a day, but almost immediately called the vet to get an increase to 3 pills, 3x a day. For a while, I was staggering the pills - 2 pills and then 1 an hour later - to prevent a "crash" that I was seeing as the dose wore off. When the staples came out, we began to reduce the tramadol, first by giving only 2x a day, ultimately, only 1 pill before bed, and then suddenly, he did not need it at all. Please let us know what Shammy is on in terms of meds - you will be amazing how much knowledge and experience this community has (although always with the caveat that we are not vets)! I have ordered a Ruffwear harness for Otis - haven't received it yet, but you might want to consider ordering a harness so that it will be available when the staples come out.
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.
Hi There,
I've got a soft spot in my heart for Newfies! Every Newfie I've ever met has just been a total love bug. I'm so sorry that your Shammy had to lose her leg but there is lots of information here and we can all help you through this. It is heartbreaking, and it can seem overwhelming. We all understand.
Like others have said, it is early days but she does sound like she's in pain. The sudden yelping can be a sign of phantom pain and most dogs will take Gabapentin for that in addition to the Tramadol (they act in different ways). So I would definitely let your vet know about the screaming. It is much harder to get pain under control once it starts. Preventing pain is the goal, even if it means that she's taking a lot of meds at first.
She's also a big girl and it definitely can take a while for the big ones to get their mobility back. It is a lot of weight to move and they are using muscles in new ways. We were helping our Ellie (100 lb Pyr mix) with the sling for the first couple of weeks, especially for getting up and down so I wouldn't worry too much that you still need to help Shammy. Right now, all Shammy should be doing is going out to do her business and then back inside for more rest. It is major surgery and she'll need time to recover.
As Shammy gets more mobile, you'll want to make sure she has non-slip flooring (carpets or mats). Tripawds and slippery floors don't go together.
Is she eating and drinking OK? It is normal for them to be constipated at first so don't worry if she hasn't pooed yet.
The first couple of weeks can definitely be challenging. There are lots of ups and downs, where it seems like they are making progress and then 'slip backwards'. It takes a lot out of you watching that. But believe it or not this part will be over soon. Hang in there!
Denise, Bill and Angel Ellie.
Active 10+ Pyr mix suddenly came up lame with ACL tear in left rear leg. Scheduled for a TPLO but final pre-op x-rays indicated a small suspicious area, possibly OSA, which could have caused the ACL tear. Surgeon opened the knee for TPLO but found soft bone. Biopsy came back positive for OSA. Became a Tripawd 9/18/14. Carbo6 with Cerenia and Fluids. Pain free and living in the moment. Crossed the Bridge on 7/12/15 after probable spread of cancer to her cervical spine. A whole lifetime of memories squeezed into 10 months. Here's her story: Eloise
Shammy seemed a little better this morning in terms of walking, I didn't need to hold her front and her hind end. I just had to sling her front as she walked. She is on 300ml of gapapentin, the vet said she could have 2-3 we were doing 2 but I think tonight I'm going to give her 3 since it seems to be bothering her the most at night. She's also on tramadol and meloxicam and her pain patch is supposed to come off tonight.
Sounds great that she is able to get up a bit easier. I know that I was so excited when I saw Otis standing for the first time in a true tripawd stance, with the one front leg more to the center - it showed me that he was learning to balance his body weight. It will continue to get better, but long periods of sleeping and resting are both normal and desirable at this stage. Remember also that the tramadol might be making her a bit out of it, which also might impact her ability and desire to get up.
If the vet gave you the OK to increase the gabapentin, I absolutely would. I have seen other members post that their dogs had more phantom pain at night, so increasing before bed is a great idea.
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.
Yay for a better day!
Sounds like she's getting really great pain management drugs, now it's just a matter of fine tuning them, which isn't uncommon. The Fentanyl patch can definitely make dogs cry out in angst, they're seeing pink elephants on that stuff (it's basically morphine). You should start to see a big difference when it comes off.
Here's to a great week ahead. Stay strong, you can do it!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Update on Shammy!!
she stood up yesterday by herself, and took about 3 steps without assistance!!
she went to the vet yesterday because she wouldn't pee, they sent her home and said they would give her till today then she would have to be sedated and a catheter put in.. She finally peed last night!
i feel like we are finally making some progress. Thank you everyone for your kind words.
Yay! Pee! It has got to be hard for a dog to eliminate when they are drugged, perhaps in pain, and not able to get into their normal posture. I'm glad she figured it out! Otis has finally learned to lean against the tree so that he can lift his leg properly.
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.
Online
Yikes! Just catching ul! Clearly you've gotten great support from our Tipawds Team!!
Looks like I popped on just in time to CELEBRATE a few victories!!
YAAAAAAAAAY FOR LEE!!! YAAAAAAAAAY FOR STANDING UP ON HER OWN!! And YAAAAAAAAAY FOR MOM! Getting to this point is quite an emotional roller coaster ride. Staying strong during recovery is no locnic either. You and Shammy are doing a great job!
Mastering walking on three legs can take a bit longer to adjust for larger dogs. It took me about three weeks before I coukd finally say I was doing this FOR my beloved Happy Hannah (a "fluffy" Bull Mastiff), instead of TO ner!. When her sparkle started coming back bigger and brighter than before I knew I had made a great decision!
Stay connected. We are all right here vy your side.
When you can, we would LOVE to see pics of Shammy!
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!
I love your avatar picture! And I love the name Shammy. Can't wait to hear more and to see some pictures.
Howdy and welcome! I'm late to the discussion, but everyone else here is point on. You're doing a great job and we've all been in your shoes. Keep those happy updates coming!!
pam
Harmony became a Tripawd on 10/21/14 (MCT). She left us way too soon on 11/1/14.
"We miss you so much; our love, our heart, our Harmony."
- Pam, Ron and Melody, Meesha, Doublestuff and Mariah Carey
Well everyone we have a new issue. We are sitting at the vet now cause her incsion came open. I'm very nervous, not sure what they are going to do.
How much of it came open? Remind us again- how many days from surgery are you?
I hope the vet can stitch or staple her back up easily- be sure you ask about the risk of infection. Of course it is not common for an incision to get infected, but if it opened again I would be concerned about that.
Please keep us posted.
Karen
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Ugh! Beez Shammy! I k kw that didn't feel good to reopen your incision.
Update when you can! I know you have your hands full right now. We have seen this happen before. Glad you are at the Bet so you can get this handled and get her back on the road to recovery.
Stay connected.
(((((((((((((((((((((((((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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