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
Glad to hear that he is out of surgery and all went well!
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.
So glad to hear he's out of surgery and doing okay! Don't beat yourself up about waiting. For all you knew at first, it was a sprain or something. The same thing happened to me. It's sucky, but best to focus on moving forward and loving up your little guy as much as you can, now.
Let us know if you need anything, and best of luck for recovery!
So he's home, and its been a very trying 3 days and two restless nights. He doesn't tolerate the onesie at all, and flailed uncontrollably after trying it on him. My boyfriend and I alternate watching him during the night. He's been having these fits between 1-3am. He'll get up from sleeping and start thrashing about. He even flailed off the bed today, fell, and ripped one of his back toenails almost off. 
After he fell, we noticed blood on the floor and saw it was his paw. The vet's seen him and he's got a topical Lidocaine for the pain.
The fentanyl patch comes off tomorrow, so hopefully he'll be less out of it. We've talked to the surgeon's overnight nurse and we don't think it's a medication issue. He may have too much pain meds that's causing the sudden waking up and freaking out.
We had to go and buy him a large dog cage in case he decides to start flailing about again. He seems a lot more calm inside the cage. we'll see how tonight goes. I really hope taking the fentanyl patch off tomorrow will help him out.
But his appetite is very good, and he's eating like a champ! And his amputation area looks super good. There's a little bruising, but nothing too major.
Did anyone else have this issue with their cats/pets suddenly waking up and freaking out?
Awwwww that is a rough time! I hope the kennel helps him feel more secure and not hurt himself again. You guys are doing a great job, and it really sounds like he's making a good recovery otherwise.
I know that many dogs do have quirky behaviors like this when on pain meds, and I'm sure it's the same with kitties. Hopefully our awesome kitty families will chime in with their experiences.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
The first two weeks are rough.
Thats great Shmagegy is eating and incision is looking good!
Glad you have your boyfriend to help!
Thats scary ! Im sorry he fell off the bed. Poor Shmagegy and you guys going thru the fall on top of recovery!
We put our bed on the floor during recovery . Kind of stripped the room to bare bones as he was learning. Less activity the better! There is still a relearning process on coming down, there will be some flopping as he relearns.
You will want to try making the downs easier in anyway you can.
pain management we were sent home with were Buprenorphine and Gabapentin.
I would wonder if it was the Fentanyl patch causing the freaking? I would ask about the Gabapentin if he continues with the panic attacks!
There is a ton of nerves in that area ! The Gabapentin is to help with nerve pain.
Purrkins was on both meds for 10 -14 days. Thats a bit longer then most. No animal is the same or recovers the same.
We learn that the hard way by experiences with each animal.
You might want to put a towel or blanket over the cage might help him feel even more secure inside.
I'm glad your in touch with your vet!
Let us know how tomorrow goes please!
Hugs
Holly & Purrkins
Sorry to hear about the flailing around. I'm curious about the timing. Is he due for more Buprenex when it happens. My cat Mona was on Buprenex and Metacam and would start racing around the house when it was time for the Buprenex. I suspect the pain was starting up again. I was told to give her the pain meds 3-4 times a day and in retrospect I think 4 times would have been better than 3 times.
Mona didn't flail. She went from flopping around to racing up stairs and then she'd crash. As the days went by she'd hop slowly and then race again. Racing is actually easier for them than hopping slowly.
When she seemed uncomfortable I would use cool and warm damp wash cloths on the site and she enjoyed that. She also loved to be brushed and stroked. After two days she slept with me but then slept in the closet when I wasn't around.
I think we all need to find what works for our cats.
Now, I have to admit that Mona escaped from the house on day 4 by crashing through a screen door. It was time for her pain meds. I could not find her for over 24 hours. I felt like a really bad psychiatric nurse who let her patient escape the ward. I say psychiatric because Mona was not herself and did many bizarre things (even peed in my desk drawer). Please contact your vet again if your cat continues to have these flailing "fits". He needs to be more comfortable.
I hope you have a better night.
Kerren and Tripawd Kitty Mona
As usual, great advice!!
I'm kinda' thinking some of this IS reaction to the drugs too. Tne patch does sometimes cause whacky reactions in dogs. I'm thinking Shmagegy may be seeing all sorts of scary things in his altered state!
I know this is rpugh and really hard to see our furbabies like this! Recovery does NOT last furever though! Hang in there!! You're doing great!!
Keep us posted!
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 everyone! He had a fentanyl patch, and was getting Buprenex at 0.4ml every 8 hours. We were giving it to him between hour 7 & 8. I think it was too much for him. We started giving him 0.2ml of Buprenex every 8 hours last night, and he's seems to be more with it. Since we've had him in the cage, he's been very relaxed. I think he also wanted his own space to sleep, even though we had multiple spots laid out before where he could be alone. He has no interest in coming out of the cage so far. He's been sleeping and relaxing, and things are better! We took off the Fentanyl patch today, because it was the day to come off. Last night was definitely much better!
Glad to hear Shmagegy had a better night ! The surgery ,pain and meds makes our guys/gals unpredictable! No two animals are alike.
Glad you are figuring out what works for him! You might still need to tweek things more just keep doing what your doing! Keep watching and listening to Shmagegy! You will know;)
Things will get better When the stitches come out and he is off his pain meds you will have your Smagegy back!
Share some pictures when you can we would love to see him!
Keep us posted we are all here for you ! Keep healing Shmagegy !
Big hugs to you both!
Holly and Purrkins
Just geting caught up. Sorry you had a rough couple of nights. I know how painful the worry can be! Sounds like you're getting things figured out, though, and it's great you've got a 24 hour nurses line to call as well. I know that helped me, majorly.
I don't have any advice to give re: medicine. Just wanted to swing by and say I hope things are continuing on an upward trend (and sorry the onesies weren't a hit! They were such a life saver for me...damn cats and their individuality)
Hi everyone, just figured out how to get photos on here, so I'd thought I'd share some of Shmagegy and his recovery. He's still on 0.2 Buprenex every 8 hours, and doing very well. He still tries to move his left arm that isn't there anymore, so I hope he'll get more used to life without it. 
Day 1-Just after getting home from surgery the day before. He jumped straight on our bed and went to sleep. Our bed's already on the floor, but I was still amazed he made the jump without any issue only 24 hours after the amputation. The little patch near his side/belly is the fentanyl patch. I was expecting something much bigger! Even our primary vet commented on how small it was. 
Day two: Thanksgiving day. He was actually out and walking around in our living room when family was over. I think he did too much today, because that night he was in a lot of pain.
Day 3: He's showing some bruising under his other leg's armpit and stomach.
Day 8: This was taken today! His staples were getting itchy and he was constantly trying to lick them, so we had to use the onesie (say's worlds smallest super hero on it). He actually started purring like crazy after putting it on him-which is the top picture-it's his purring face. lol I think he can tolerate it now because the Fentanyl patch is off, and we've lessened the pain meds.
Im so glad to see things are going well! Glad you were able to get the pictures loaded!
Shmagegy is tooo cute, omg love the smallest super hero outfit😍 He is and will be a super hero !
Shmagegy and our Purrkins have some of the same markings on the eye check area. Are his eyes yellow too?
Im glad he is allowing the onesie now ! yeah that makes life easier!
Purrkins is in his 4 month now and he still tries using his missing limb ,it had decreased ALOT! He was trying to use it all the time and each month it has decreased. I have only noticed him trying to use it in the litter box now.
I don't know if all cats are the same in that aspect just sharing what we have seen with Purrkins.
Keep healing Shmagegy you will get those scratchy staples out soon buddy! Life will be so much better then!
Hugs to You both!
Holly & Purrkins
What a great update, and love the superhero onesie! Glad he can tolerate it now. It is so nice to get the cone off and not have to worry so much.
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.
A o esie never looked so adorable as it does on Shmagegy! So cute! Glad he liked it so much he started purring.
The incision looks good and the bruising isn't bad. He's doing really well!
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!
1 Guest(s)
