Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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My dog had her left leg amputated yesterday afternoon. The follow up call from the vet this morning said she is doing OK. Not good not bad just "OK" (well that's not reassuring). He said she was uncomfortable last night and will stand but won't walk or eat this morning. Her vitals are good, incision looks good, he said he palpated the area without much of a reaction. So I guess I can take "OK" to mean as expected only 12 hours after surgery but still I'm a worried mess. Does this sound normal?
A little background since I just jumped right into hysteria (sorry about that). I'm new here. I have a very hyper, silly, seven-year-old English Pointer named Mojo. She is what I call aggressively affectionate. She will forcibly befriend every living thing she encounters with or without their consent which is why she stays on a leash when we're in public. People always think they're cool with it because she's obviously friendly until they get full force Mojo climbing them, like a bear climbs a tree, so she can rub her face against theirs 
She was diagnosed with Histiocytic Sarcoma on Tuesday after a needle aspiration of a sudden growth on her knee. Our regular vet said we really didn't need to do it because it's very, very unlikely this is cancer, but he referred us to a specialist when we insisted it be checked out. The surgeon who was very accommodating and ran the tests to ease our mind, also was fairly sure it was not cancer.
It's cancer. It's terrible, terrible cancer! We got the diagnosis Wednesday. Our surgeon said amputation plus chemo was the best bet at giving her some time but that time, would probably only be a year. A YEAR! Doing nothing would give her no time at all. She's only seven. She not sick! I mean she is apparently horribly sick, dying sick but at the same time she's so happy and energetic. How? None of this makes sense.
I've lost dogs to cancer before. Because it was always discovered too late, I was hyper vigilante with Mojo. Every bump, every sniffle since she was a puppy we got checked out. We caught this early. She's still super healthy! We did everything right. How can that not matter?
And it's all happening so terrifyingly fast. Tested Tuesday, diagnosed Wednesday, surgery Thursday. Now she's not recovering as quickly as predicted. I know it was only 12 hours and I'm calling back this afternoon for an update but the doctors that said it's not cancer were also pretty sure a dog this energetic would hop back up after surgery and that doesn't sound like what's happening.
Reading your stories, struggles, and victories over the past few days has helped with some of the anxiety. Today I decided to sign up because this is going to be a long process and I think I'm going to have a lot of questions. I thought I'd be better equipped to handle this. I'm usually very good in emergencies but that's hand on stuff. She's not home yet, this is the part I'm bad at, the waiting and the guilt.
The guilt is eating me alive. When I heard she was just doing "OK" this morning I had so much regret. Am I making her suffer and maybe she won't even come home? I mean she will, she probably will, as far as they can tell it hasn't spread, it's just her leg. I know with this kind of cancer it is almost certain to spread at some point, but the not obvious yet part means we have some time. Some time for her to be pain free and happy. Because before surgery she was, if not pain free, at least in a lot less pain then she is in right now. I hope I did the right thing.
Mojo and family welcome. Your future posts won't need to wait for approval so post away.
Take a deep breath. This is not unusual veterinarians, always give the worst case scenario. Your dog is high on surgery drugs not sure what's going on and needs time to catch up. Chances are good By the time you call again your dog will be ready to come home.
For now, please read our What to Expect articles so you can have a better idea of what recovery looks like. Rest assured we will be here for you both.
I need to run now, but I will be back tomorrow with some more feedback. Stay tuned so others can chime in. Stay strong. You can do this.
First of all, I adore Mojo's avatar and reading about her delightful, personality. Laughing about her "forcibly befriending everyone"..... what a special gal!!
Now, let's put youur mind at ease about this recovery phase. A couple of things right off the bat that you were told, or that you expected.....
Now she's not recovering as quickly as predicted.
12 hrs after MAJOR SURGERY is not something she's going to bounce back from instantly and feel like running as marathon. Humans would be in the hospital for days and days and on a morphine drip!
VITALS ARE GOOD!!! Great news!! Mobility will come. Appetite will come! Promose!!
were also pretty sure a dog this energetic would hop back up after surgery
Sure, some dogs have some form of mobility the first 24 hrs....some don't. It can take a couple of days to get their sea legs and usually with assistance. .It's hard to find a consistent correlation between how high energy energetic dogs bounce back compared to couch potatoes. EVERY DOG IS DIFFERENT. EVERY RECOVERY IS DIFFERENT. Vitals are good and that's so important.
He said she was uncomfortable last night and will stand but won't walk or eat this morning.
Absolutely not unusual at all!!! She can stand and that is a victory right now!!! To not be mobile yet, to not want to eat or drink yet......not unusual at all!!! The only part I didn't like was that she was "uncomfortable ". She should be so full of strong hospital meds and whacked out enough that her pain was under control. Kind of a double edge sword. You want her pain managed, yet sometimes that great pain management can make them too dopey to stand, etc,
The guilt is eating me alive. When I heard she was just doing "OK" this morning I had so much regret. Am I making her suffer and maybe she won't even come home
You are not alone at all with these thoughts. We've all been right where you are! You are in what we call the "What have I done TO my dog?" Soon, not soon enough for you right now though😉, you will be saying "I'm so glad I did this FOR my dog!" You are giving her a chance at an extended pain free quality life for more snuggles and "aggressive friendliness"!
No dog has a timeframe stamped anywhere on their butts. Regardless, dogs don't count days on a calendar and could care less about any tomorrow. They live in the NOW, in the present. That's the greatest lesson they teach us. You might want to read Be More Dog ....Jerry's story .
STAY CONNECTED ! You are not alone! We understand the fear, the panic and the mental and physical exhaustion getting to this point.
Surgery is done! Check that off your worry list! She's able to stand! Check that off your worry list. Soon she will be hopping and her appetite will pick up. It takes about two weeks to recover from the surgery itself (-some less time, some more time). It takes about thirty days to adjust to three, develop a balanced gait with good flow. Again, some less time, some more.
Mojo will show you you did the "-right thing". We know you did👍
(((((((((((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!
Thanks so much for the kind replies. After reading (several times, it was comforting) I was able to calm the craziest fears in my mind and get some sleep. A couple updates this morning but biggest is she might be coming home today!
When I checked in with her doctor yesterday afternoon (24 hours after surgery) she had started walking, with assistance and was tolerating the sling well. I asked about the "little bit uncomfortable" from the morning message and he clarified he did not think it was pain, he thinks it was mostly anxiety. Then reminded me, as you did, that message was only 12 hours after surgery, and she was still fighting off the effects of the anesthesia. I do remember from her spay surgery she was very confused and vocal that first night. Far more so than any of my other dogs so it had scared me at the time. I think she's just a bit more sensitive to the anesthesia than the others were.
This morning's update was much more encouraging. She did very well last night. She ate a large meal and is moving around more. Still with support, but that's fine I already bought a sling to help until she gets her strength and balance back. I will probably look at a new harness as well. We're avid hikers so she already has a really nice harness (ruffwear front range) that she loves (because it means hikes or car rides) Transitioning to a new one with a handle shouldn't be a problem. She adapts to most things very easily which is one of the reasons we went ahead with this surgery.
He said the incision looks good but there is some edema and moderate bruising, which is normal. The bruising I expected but the swelling scares me. He was not overly concerned about it and said it would probably look worse for a few days then get incrementally better each day. I'm very worried about this part. The swelling will get worse? How will I know if it's "normal" worse in the process of healing or this isn't normal I should get her back to the ER immediately?
The decision weighing on me right now; The doctor said I can take her home today (yay) or they can keep her one more day (is that better?) I'm torn on this. I want her back because I miss her like crazy but would an extra day of around the clock surveillance by medical professionals be better for her? I need to take a few hours and really pro and con what is actually better for her. He said either decision was fine. He understands this is routine to them but very new and scary to us. He even said I can come visit around dinner time and see her then decide if that helps.
Logically that probably would be best. See her, see if I can handle whatever stage she's at or if I could use one more night of help. Emotionally if I see her, I think I might just grab her and run I miss her so much. So, I'm trying to make this decision before I see her and emotion overrides logic.
This doesn't really matter much for when I pick her up. I don't think a day will make a difference there, but I do worry about her excitement level. She gets so ridiculously excited about absolutely everything. We strolled into the ER on Thursday with her bouncing 4 feet in the air like Tigger. I'm much more hopeful today so this is probably a silly concern but... Do they have a secret back entrance for dogs who think walking through the hospital waiting room is a trip to Disney? How am I going to get her out of there without her busting a stich or worsening the swelling?
You sounded a lot like I did about 3 weeks ago. Enzo was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma the Tuesday before Thanksgiving (11.22.23) and we had surgery scheduled for Wednesday following (11.29.23). He had his left hind leg amputated. I was wrapped so tightly around the axel about the whole thing, I marked the leg to be amputated with a big white X (he's a black standard poodle so I used a white sharpie marker) so that they did not amputate the wrong leg. I am sure they laughed when they brought him into the surgical suite. I fretted; I panicked; I was fearful of doing the wrong thing. He is a sweet, calm, happy boy. He's 8 years old. I too am hyper vigilant about my dogs (I have 4 standard poodles). As soon as he started limping, I took him to the vet who said he had a partially torn cruciate ligament and I needed to "crate rest" him for 6 weeks. No running, jumping, playing - just out on a leash for potty time, and back in the crate. He's a couch potato so the crate rest really didn't bother him. But after 6 weeks it didn't get better. It's when he stopped eating that I raised the panic alert again. That's when they did x-rays and immediately sent me to a specialist for CT, ultrasound, and detailed chest X-rays.
I guess what I am here to tell you is 3 weeks out, Enzo is doing great. He's pain free without the cancer in his back leg, and he seems so much happier. He's pretty thin so he's had a fairly easy recovery. I had to deal with his lack of interest in food (which he's kind of always had) and some GI upset/loose stools - but we got that resolved. You will be surprised how quickly your sweet girl bounces back. I will say the first 3 or 4 days are just plain hard on them. It's major surgery. And she's going to want to rest a lot. Just let her. It's her body healing. By day 3 when the surgical pain meds are wearing off, make sure you are giving her discharge meds on time. You want to stay ahead of the pain If they have not prescribed enough or maybe she needs something different, don't be afraid to advocate for your girl. You are her voice.
So take a deep breath. It will be ok. This is just another kind of journey the two of you will be on together. And you are not alone here.
Keep us updated -
Anne, Enzo, and the whole SPOO crew
YAAAAAY FOR A GOOD UPDATE! it sounds like he is exactly on target of what is "normal" 24 hrs after surgery. It did sou d like his pain was managed.....they were just describing shaking off anesthesia, etc.
Do they have a secret back entrance for dogs who think walking through the hospital waiting room is a trip to Disney? How am I going to get her out of there without her busting a stich or worsening the swelling?
A trip to Disney.....you crack me up! Just let the Vet Techs are "professionals" at getting surgery patients into the car Just let them handle it👍 Yes, there are various entrances they can take him through to avoid waiting room area if needed.
When to to go see him or pick him up to go hom, have a STRONG, CONFIDENT, PAWSITIVE energy. That's soooo important! Don't even botherntomlook at his inc or draw attention to it. He just wants to see your sm face telling him he's a good boy and he's going home!
When you do look at it later, don't be surprised at how much fur they shave! Actually found that to startle me more so than seeing the incision.
Yes, some swelling and bruising are normal. Check out the link to seroma . I think that will help uou understand it's "normal".
As far as bringing him home, of yiundo not feel like you are ready, even of he is, then leave him another night.. If you decide to bring him home after seeing him, we will be here to help uou navigate thro recovery.
Ypu"ve got this!!
Hugs
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
PS..Anne...good gpfeedback. Thanks
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'm on pins and needles wondering if you brought her home!
Yes bruising gets worse before it gets better. That is totally normal, and as scary as it looks, you don't need to panic. I know, easy for me to say! But unless you notice an odor or really gross discharge, bruising indicates nothing more than muscles and tissue that are on the mend. Here's another one for ya:
What to Expect: Is My Cat or Dog’s Amputation Bruise Normal?
Your vet sounds awesome by the way. They are presenting all of the possible scenarios to you, just in case. I especially like that they are handling all of your concerns very gently, and even suggesting that you come for a visit to try to decide whether or not to take him home. That tells me they are really good with pet parents!
Keep us posted.
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