Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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My 13 year old golden, Gaia, had her rear leg amputated almost 3 weeks ago. She was doing great and impressing us daily. In the last week I've seen her back leg failing to support her. It looks like it gets tired/week. We decreased her already very short walks and today she barely made it out of the house before she sat down. She is only on codeine as needed. The post surgery cocktail of carprofen and gaba had been stopped per vet instructions (carprofen stopped 5 days post surgery, and gaba winged off 10 days post surgery). We are seeing surgeon on Tuesday for her first check up. I checked in with vet today and they prescribed carprofen in the mean time. I'm worried she hurt herself or just overdid it. She didn't poo today, she needs a little more grass/walking time to do her business. I'm extremely upset and worried. We had what we thought was her first post surgery check up yesterday and all they talked about was chemo TX and said she looked good. When I told them about her week leg, they just seemed like it's normal and she is good. The appt. Seemed odd to me, they did not even remove her stitches. I called the clinic this morning and talk to a tech on the surgical team - she said confirmed that my appt was only for chemo and I should have already had the post op. Check up a week prior. Now we have to do a drop off appt. Because they can't fit us in for a regular time slot early enough. I am beyond upset. I had no idea that this appt was not for her check up! I told them I felt like they amputated my dogs leg and said see ya with no guidance. It's been just horrible and now I feel like they are just trying to sell me on chemo and my poor dog is suffering and I'm still at a loss. Crying just typing this out. Any thoughts or advice on what to do between now and Tuesday for my girl?
Okay, deep breaths.....b r e a t h E.....B r e a t h e....
We can certainly understand your frustration and you have every eight to feel that way!!
I told them I felt like they amputated my dogs leg and said see ya with no guidance
Yes, regrettably we hear that far toomoften around here. Good for you for voicing your frustration! And stitches are still in???? WOW! You have really been let down!
Now, as far as the leg, it sounds like the "chemo appt" didn't check that out either. Yes, Carprofen and rest and "confinement" as much as possible definitely needs ro happen until she can be checked out thoroughly. It is sooooo easy to tweak a muscle or joint this early in recovery. They'll check to make sure there's no ligament tear, etc. If you have some Gabapentin left, give her that until your appt...or even the Coedine..
Conti ue to massage up and down her spine, her shoulder, her neck. Sometimes the tweak actually happens in those areas as well as the leg.
YOU are doing everything right, okay? Continue to advocate for her and make sure the Vet understands all your needs and concerns right now. Communication is the key.
Stay conn, o,at? We are here for you. She will get past this and back to her sweet Golden self soon!
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 Gaia and family, I'm so sorry you are in this tough situation. Yes, it sounds like she is doing too much too soon. What you are describing is spot on for a dog who is weak in the rear and in need of a break. Three weeks is not a long time after amputation for any dog but especially a senior pup. I'm sorry it sounds like you didn't get much guidance on activity levels, but as Sally mentioned, it's unfortunately not uncommon. We see this happen a lot. So please don't beat yourself up or lose hope. Things CAN get better but you'll need to do a few things;
1) cut back her activity way, way back. How long / far were here walks before this decline started? She should still only being doing VERY short walks of a few minutes at a time, a couple times a day.
2) have her evaluated by a canine rehab therapist. If your vet hasn't mentioned one or doesn't know one, please let us know and we can help find one for you. These experts can give you the best guidance on helping her recover and strengthen. The best part is the Tripawds Foundation can pay for your first rehab visit .
3) ask your vet about better pain management . Many dogs are on Gabapentin and an anti-inflammatory for a few weeks after amputation, sometimes longer. This is not unusual or anything to feel badly about. It's a lot of work for them to get around and their bodies take a beating during the first few months, especially if they get too much activity at first. These awesome pain management videos with Dr. Downing are worth checking out, especially this one about advocating for your pet.
4) as for the follow up appointments and chemo, clearly there needs to be better communication. Let your vet know you are disappointed that the purpose of the visits wasn't conveyed clearly to you, and you would like to know what their timeline is for Gaia's care. Also remember that chemotherapy is always optional. Statistically it gives your dog a better chance at living longer, but we see it go all sorts of ways, some dogs living longer, some not. If you feel you are being pushed into treatment that you do not understand, let your vet know what you need answered, and don't feel like you have to decide on the spot. Go home and thinking about it if you need to, but if you start chemo treatments on the wrong foot like this, then it may be a rough ride for both of you.
Hang in there and let us know what they say OK?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Sally,
Thank you. I cannot express how much your response helps. Keeping her confined and started her back on the gaba yesterday. Thanks so much!
Tammi
Jerry,
Thank you so much for your help and advice. I will definitely keep you posted and also plan to make a list of questions regarding chemo and treatment moving forward. Much appreciate your thoughtful response. I was panicking in the middle of the night and today feel much better after hearing from you and Sally.
Thank you!
Tammi
Aww you are so welcome, I'm glad that we could be there for you. This is not an easy thing, but you are not alone. Please keep us posted.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
To give a promised update. Gaia checked out with a clean bill of health. No tears or pulls. I'm relieved, but also a little mistrusting. When we got there for our appointment they did not know why we were there. It was another mess. At least we got her checked out. They said to use the sling as needed but gave no instructions on meds or activity. We have been limiting her activity but are at a loss on what we should be doing daily to get her strength up without overdoing it. We are working with a rehab therapist. Any other thoughts or suggestions are welcomed. Thanks so much!
OK that is good news on her A+ report card! Wonderful! How is her mobility now? Any better? Have you seen more of her sparkle return?
I'm sorry the vet clinic wasn't on the ball with your appointment. Ugh. How did you find the rehab therapist? Has she had an appointment yet? A good rehab therapist will give you exercises and pointers to help her at home. They should ask you what your goals and expectations are for Gaia's life on three legs, and assign a program accordingly. If they are not doing that, then be sure to ask them why not. Communication is so important with a therapist and the patient's people.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thanks for the update! So glad things checked out okay👏 I m ow yoj feel relieved!
And yes, lots of good questions from Jerry for ypu to follow up on.👍
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 there,
Yes, Gaia is doing better. We are taking it VERY slow. Rest has helped and we are using a belly sling more often. Our rehab therapist did give us "butt wiggle" exercises for balance, showed us massage and the tail pulls. That has been it so far. I found the rehab therapist through a search on this site. I called several, most of whom had no openings until August! This therapist was able to get us in sooner. We did talk about goals, but I plan to have a whole list of questions when we see her again. She is very responsive by email with our questions, so that is good.
As for Gaia, she had her spark back last week, until this recent set back. She is still not as strong as she seemed, initially, and she keeps chewing on her hind paw. Found a black nail and her paw pad does not look good. Will have the vet look at it tomorrow - maybe this could be the original culprit of her hind leg lameness? Gaia has not been happy being confined - she holds her stance when we take her for a short walk and then turn to head back home. Prior to this diagnosis, Gaia was swimming and taking long walks - both her favorite. I just ordered a brain activity game and loaded up several kongs with bananas and sweet potatoes to help keep her stimulated.
Finally, she recently developed a mass in her mouth, quite quickly. They are taking a biopsy tomorrow but have to sedate her to do it. We can start her first round of chemo tomorrow as well, which we are still on the fence about. We cannot get a clear answer from the vets on if this is the best for her or not given her age/new mass in the mouth/ and recent hind leg lameness. They say life expectancy is 6 months without it, 10-12 with. Without knowing whether this new mass is cancerous and the culprit of her recent lameness, I am hesitant. Therapy will also be slower with chemo according to the rehab therapist. We don't want to put her through any more treatment than necessary. I do not know how people make these decisions.
So, there we are. Still feel as though we are learning as we go, with not much vet guidance. Glad I have this forum as a resource. Thank you!
Tammi
Hey Tammi, thanks for the pupdate. SUPER cool that you got her some brain games to keep her occupied and engaged. You are such a great dog mom!
I like the way your rehab therapist sounds, what you are going through is pretty spot-on at this point in recovery. Therapists don't want to overwhelm parents with too many exercises, or tire out the doggy, so it makes sense that she gave you just a few exercises. That is really typical. I'm glad you have that list of questions for her! Can I ask who she is?
The prognosis is just a guess, try not to obsess about it right now until you know why her paw has some weirdness happening. My thinking is that whatever is going on with her paw may very well be why she's not herself, especially on walks and such. Not wanting to walk further is a sure sign she's in some kind of pain. I hope it's nothing serious and totally treatable, along with her mouth situation (ugh! sorry you guys are dealing with that too!). See if the vet can biopsy that area on her paw. We are keeping our paws crossed for a B9 result. Keep us posted OK?
P.S. You are dealing with a lot right now, but each day you are smarter and stronger than the day before. You ARE making the decisions that need to be made to help her thrive, keep it up!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thank you Jerry,
The visit to the vet didn't give us great news but I feel a little better knowing more. The vets thinks Gaia has mild nuerologic dysfunction in her back limb. We did not do chemo as we want to get a grasp on her mobility issues first. We set a plan with the vet to discuss with our rehab therapist and then figure out a treatment plan. Likely we will see a neurologist soon. There is no indication Gaia has a slipped disc. They basically noted that Gaia has an abnormal toe but don't think that's the reason her mobility declined.
They did not biopsy her mouth. Upon a closer look they think it probably is benign.
Meeting with Kelsey Jonas, with Canine PT and Me tomorrow.
Meanwhile we are giving Gaia lots of belly rubs and massages and taking her to the park to roll around in the grass - we see her spark come back when she is at the park with all of us.
I'll keep you all updated. Thank you for your support and encouragement!
Ooooh Kelsey's practice looks fantastic, I looked her up. Hope you have a fantastic visit and come away with a good plan for what's next for Gaia.
Everything the vets said sounds positive, not terrible so that's a plus! And I agree, helping to improve her mobility first is a great idea.
You should have lots more info to help you feel better about her future, paws crossed! Keep on with the belly rubs and park visits, that's so awesome you guys are getting out with her. Keep us posted.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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