Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Samson has been a tripaw now for 6 weeks. I am concerned about his energy level and ability to get around. He is 8 and he is a strong lean Rottweiler. He seems really depressed and steps are really hard for him. I am questioning if we did the right thing in taking his leg. does anyone know if cancer can present in his other bones? When we made the decision to take his leg his lungs were clear. I am not sure if they are at this point. I also am not sure what we should be looking for to tell if he is in pain etc. Seems like there is not much my vet can do at this point so we have not been taking him in. He hates to go there now even though both he and i have always loved our vet. Anyone that has been through this before would be welcome to comment! thanks!!!
Sorry to hear Samson is not too chipper. Have you considered rehab? This might help to get you started: http://download.....fitness/
You might find pet rehab in your community. My sister took her rottie to an animal physiotherapist to get his weight down before leg surgery. He loved all of the attention he got there.
I took my cat Mona in for chiropractic treatment which seemed to help in aligning her spine. She loved the treatment and fell asleep. I found since the surgery she has been more hesitant around strangers so I try to get her out a bit, even if it's for a weigh in at the vet. I know it sound like a strange thing to do for a cat but she did not become fearful of the vet until after her amputation. She seemed a lot better at the vet at her last weigh in and got a lot of snuggles in. I think they have to relearn that a vet visit can be okay.
Good luck,
Kerren and Mona
Online
Hi Kathy,
Sampson is a rear amp, right? What kind of cancer are you dealing with, osteosarcoma? There have been some pups with clear lungs at amputation then weeks later see some lung mets, but it is really rare that it moves that fast. OSA can go to other bones but usually it goes to the lungs first. If the vet has checked him out that probably isn't what is going on.
Is Sampson really a 'routine' dog? My little pug Maggie lost her left rear leg to a mast cell tumor. Maggie HATED any kind of change in her routine. She had no medical complications at all, but she didn't play with me for about 6 weeks after her surgery. Once she got used to the change she was fine. But I was convinced I had made a huge mistake with the amputation until she came around.
On the stairs- is he having trouble going up, down, or both? Rear amps have more trouble going up, it might take him a while to build up strength in the one rear leg to go up stairs. Did he fall or wipe out at all during recovery? Are your stairs carpeted so there is good traction for him? Mag was so little she could only do a few stairs at a time, and she refused to go up the stairs on our deck unless her rug was in place.
Have you tried having people he likes come and visit? Or maybe a ride in the car to a park he likes?
Karen and Spirit Maggie
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
It is a rear amp and he is great at going down the steps but up is a real struggle. He does better on our deck steps as they go up 5 then a landing and another 5 so not so overwhelming to him. He goes to work with me everyday and seems to really want to go but he doesn't even get up when people come in any more. He has had lots of visitors, but outside of me he wont get up for any of them. He didn't have any major wipe outs during recovery. We kept him really still and took him out on a leach with no steps except one at the front door. He did fall a couple times while going to the bathroom but not a real fall just a plop. He is yet to run after a critter in the back yard or really be active at all. Just trying to figure out how much time to give it before i should be really concerned. (as if i am not already)
Kathy,
Rear amputees have a harder time going up steps than down. Its because when they go up they use the rear legs to do that. Sassy always had more of a problem going up and she was a right rear amputee. At 6 weeks he is still learning to use muscles that he has never really had to use before.
Sometimes dogs can seem down after surgery. Its because of the med that they had in their system. If there has been a change in his routine then that could be it too. Karen gave some good helpful hints
Michelle & Angel Sassy
Sassy is a proud member of the Winter Warriors. Live long, & strong Winter Warriors.
sassysugarbear.tripawds.com
07/26/2006 - Sassy earned her wings 08/20/2013
05/04/2006 - Bosch, Sassy's pal, earned his wings 03/29/19 fought cancer for 4 months.
"You aren't doing it TO her, you are doing it FOR her. Give her a chance at life."
Hi Kathy and Handsome Samson!
Yeah, second guessing our decisions.....we all do that very wellnhere sometimes! Especially if your dog or cat doesn't seem to be bouncing back as fast as "others" do!
What's Samson's overall attitude like? Does he still gey excited if he gets a treat? Is he eating his meals okay? Drinking okay? Pooping and peeing okay?
Yeah, he sure did take his time to poop after surgery and we were all so happy when he did!! No whining or crying when trying to get up or move around?
I can certainly voich for the fact that rear leg amps have trouble goingnUP the stairs. Happy Hannah, a "plus size model" Bull Mastiff, never was able to gonup stairs. Well, she did once or twice at SEVEN months, but it was on deck stairs that were very wide and had a low tread.
A couple of things come to mind with Samson. Have you ruled out any infection (can start with taking temperature at home...vet can guide you through it).
Also, with vet supervision, maybe try him on a low dose of Tramadol for a couple of days and see if there is any difference.
I understnd your hesitancy to take him back to the vet, but getting some blood work and have a vet check him over u p and down might be a good idea. The vet doesn't have to do anything invasive or scary to Samson...just a check-up...losten tonheart, lungs, check for lumps, bumps, etc.
Like Kerran, Mona "relearned" that going to the vet isn't all bad. Do you have access to a Mobile Vet Service??
There are so many minor things that could be going on as others have mentioned. And I think a vet trip would givenyou some reassurance that this is minor.
Having him checked out by a Physical Therapist to rule out strains, sore or weak muscles, etc. could really be helpful......maybe something like hydrotherapy and acupuncture could help too.
Did Samson's twitching ever stop?
And of course you are concerned and worried...that another thing that we all do so well here!! My Happy Hannah enjoyed walks with me before the amp....still did enjoy after...but they were shorter and she LOVED becoming a Champion Couch Potato instead!!
As long as he is eating well (and I know you want to keep him slim, but make sure he's getting ample nutrition) and seems content, that's all good! Walking on three legs takes a whole lot of energy!
PLEASE keep us posted, okay? And remember, Samson's not worried about a thing and is just enjoying being pain free and being with you!!! We would love to see more pictures!!
Sending you hugs and continued positive healing energy!
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle
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 think it's smart to be observant of his behavior, and noticing any changes is a good reason to see how you can improve his quality of life. To add on the great advice others have given; six weeks is not a long time, especially for a large Tripawd. Our own Jerry wasn't even strong enough to go to the beach for about 2.5 months (well, we were also super paranoid so that had a lot to do with it). Your boy could just be tired from learning how to get around. Oftentimes we assume that's depression but really it's more like exhaustion. Maybe that's why he's not getting up for visitors? He's conserving energy.
One thing I would definitely consider is rehab therapy. It will strengthen his mind, body and spirit and really give him the confidence about his new body and abilities. Do check out the link that Kerren posted (thank you for that!), and our Tripawds e-books for more help.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi Kathy and Samson, the folks around here will give you lots of good advice and encouragement. My big Golden Buddy lost a front leg. He is very excited about running to greet my husband and me when we come home from work. But when Dennis starts making dinners, Buddy lies down to wait for it to be ready. He gets really excited about going in the car to the dog park. He runs through the gate and over to his favorite bench and lies down! Standing is a lot of work for him now and it's a lot easier to enjoy the world lying down. The folks here encouraged me to let Buddy decide what he thinks he's ready to spend all that effort in doing since everything now is an effort. I don't know a lot about dog anatomy, but just looking at Buddy it seems that the getting up part is managed mostly with his back legs, so a rear amputee might just find it's harder to get up from lying down and just not have the energy to feel like doing it over and over.
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