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.
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My beautiful athletic 8 year old staffordshire/pit mix had his right front leg amputated 8 days ago. He had developed a limp about a year ago…two sets of xrays 5 months apart showed no evidence of bone cancer. Since then he has had two rounds of cortisol shots and arthoscopic surgery in July to repair a torn shoulder tendon. When the improvement we waited for did not come.. a third xray in November confirmed our worst fear…the signs of Osteocarcoma.
At that point we knew what our options were and had the surgery done to remove his pain. A bone biopsy was performed on his leg and showed what I prayed had not been there.
We are trying to give him a painless and happy life for however long that may be. My concern has been in his recovery. The first few nights were a nightmare. My poor boy was up restless and constantly whining. He did not seem to be in any pain but the drugs appeared to be freaking him out. I removed the Fetynal patch a few days early and he has been off everything except DERAMAXX for a few days now…all with the approval of his vet. He just seems so lethargic and unhappy. He is eating with my encouragent from my hand most of the time and can make it up and down the stairs to do his business. He does show signs of his old self some times and is scheduled to have his staples removed next Tuesday. I hope this brings some of the spark the readers here have mentioned. We are not sure what to do at this point as far as chemo/radiation or holistic therapy. Would love to hear some first hand thoughts and experiences on any of these alternatives. Also, he has been panting on and off for days..is that common? His shoulder does not appear to be painful to my touch.
I apologize for running on and misspellings but I havent slept for a week and my head is spinning. It was comforting to stumble upon this site and see that some of his reactions to the surgery are experienced in other dogs who eventually felt like their old selves again.
His name is Bender and I have loved him dearly from the moment he JUMPED into my life 6 years ago!
Thanks to all who listen,
Betsy, Tim and the Bdawg
Betsy, Tim & BDawg, welcome. We're sorry about what you're going through right now, but rest assured you are in good company, most of us have been through the recovery process and we understand about sleepless nights (typos are most definitely forgiven here!).
I have a feeling that you will find in a few days that BDawg is slowly getting back to his old self. How long has it been since surgery? It sounds like only a few days? If it's been less than 2 or 3 weeks, you're still in the early part of recovery which can have a lots of ups, downs, sleeping, panting, lethargy and restlessness. A world of fun, for sure! But really, most dogs do get past this and back to their old pawsonalities after a few weeks. Consider how you would be if you had a leg amputated, and then you'll be amazed when you see how Bender is handling this recovery. Always keep in touch with your vet and call them with any questions, that's what you pay them for. Make a journal or keep a Tripawds Dog blog to document his recovery, so you can watch his progress.
Did you read our Required Reading List or check our our EBook, "Three Legs & a Spare"? You'll find tons of links in there to help you get through this, as well as help you decide what to do about chemo, if anything. This forum (where I moved your post to so it wouldn't get lost in the original one you posted in) also has tons of stories that can help you feel better about things).
Always remember that there are no right decisions, just the ones that are best for your pack. And for now, focus on getting through recovery before you decide about treatments. One hop at a time is the best way to get through this process.
We're so glad you joined. Try to relax and know that you're not alone, we're here to help.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Welcome to Tripawds.
I'm sorry you had to find yourself here, but there is lots of experience and support to be found on this site.
It actually sounds like Bender is doing OK- my tri-pug Maggie did not do well on pain meds either- lots of agitation and sleeplessness (for us both!). Maggie was stubborn and did not like change, she was pretty unhappy for about 4 weeks. Not in pain... just stubborn. She came around and thrived on 3 for almost 4 years. She had mast cell cancer and her prognosis was 6 to 9 months after her amp WITH chemo.
On chemo-it is really a personal decision. You factor in Bender's overall health, your beliefs, your finances, your location.... etc. I have a local friend who's pup lost a front leg to OSA and chose not to do chemo- he is going strong and getting close to 2.5 years post amp! Some here have done chemo and lived a few months. It is almost impossible to tell what the outcome will be. And most dogs tolerate chemo pretty well- they tend not to be as aggressive with dogs as people. Maggie did pretty well on her chemo regimen- a little down time, but we never had vomiting or diarrhea.
There are no absolute right or wrong answers. You do what will be best for you and Bender.
Things will get better as Bender heals- and you get some rest! Everything is harder when you are stressed and exhausted.
Karen and the pugapalooza
all of the above is true. (my Lab, Ajax, was 8 when he had his right rear leg amputated due to a chrondrosarcoma - not OSA).
I recommend you read the stuff Jerry suggests but in the morning with a cup of coffee, not in the middle of the night when you're exhausted.
I bet things will improve markedly when the stitches/staples come out.
Also, something we did (and others here have suggested) is to do something he likes once the stitches are out - for us, it was full on running and swimming, but others have taken car rides, or invited favorite people over, or gone to a special park - when he is up to it, if you try something like that I bet he will show you a little spark. And it will be good for you too.
Hang in there!
ps I'm not sure anyone addressed your questin - panting is totally normal, there are many many posts asking this question with a thread of people saying the same thing. many if not most do it post op, and some (including mine) continue panting in the evenings without it ever meaning anything terrible. so don't worry about that too much.
Thanks for the words of encouragement. We all actually slept a little better last night! Amazingly Bender has really perked up in the past few hours. Maybe it was the drive to the beach and the hand fed hot dog!
I will be combing through the links mentioned so I am better informed of our options going forward. He is such a strong tough guy I was really starting to doubt our choice with the amputation. I am again encouraged by reading this forum.
I will keep everyone updated and share and advice I have going forward.
Thanks again,
Betsy,Tim and Bdawg
bdawg1 said:
...I was really starting to doubt our choice with the amputation.
I should add that around day 6 or 7 I was convinced I had done the wrong thing. The vet's advice was pretty much 'dogs do fine on three legs' and I thought yea- all dogs do fine except mine! No one told me how tough the recovery period could be... and Tripawds wasn't here yet.
Bender will be amazing you soon!
Karen and the pugapalooza
Welcome to you and Bender – sorry you had to find us here, but you won't find a more supportive group on the 'Net.
The first couple of weeks are hard, and when you are sleep deprived yourself it all starts to seem worse. Once the stitches are out and the pain meds are done you should start to see the old Bender. Abby really started showing glimpses of her old puppy self at around days 10-12.
As Jerry said, the main thing for now is to get through the recovery. You have time to consider your options for going w/ chemo and/or holistic treatments – it really is a personal decision based on you and what you think is best for your dog. Our last dog who had cancer was otherwise in great health, but she was 12 and was terrified of going to the vet, so when she got cancer (not OSA) we opted to just do one procedure for her and that was it. However, with Abby (who has OSA), she was only 15 months and in great health and she actually loves going to the oncologist's office, so we decided to do chemo for her. With her, we are doing what I call a "halflistic" approach (you can read everything we've done/are doing in my sig) – it's not "wholly" holistic, because we are blending chemo and traditional meds with herbs and supplements. One resource I would recommend is Dr. Dressler's book ("The Dog Cancer Survival Guide") – he really lays out all the traditional options plus holistic ones and he says it's fine to blend them. (There's so much info out there it can be overwhelming – that's why I liked his book since it seemed to summarize what all was available and weed out the things that were untried/untrue.)
As Karen said, there are folks who have skipped the chemo and their dogs have done well. It's totally up to what you feel is right for your situation. And if you start down one path and don't like it, you can always change it up. These decisions don't have to be made right away.
Hang in there – we're here for you if you have more questions or just need some support!
Jackie, Abby's mom
Abby: Aug 1, 2009 – Jan 10, 2012. Our beautiful rescue pup lived LARGE with osteosarcoma for 15 months – half her way-too-short life. I think our "halflistic" approach (mixing traditional meds + supplements) helped her thrive. (PM me for details. I'm happy to help.) She had lung mets for over a year. They took her from us in the end, but they cannot take her spirit! She will live forever in our hearts. She loved the beach and giving kisses and going to In-N-Out for a Flying Dutchman. Tripawds blog, and a more detailed blog here. Please also check out my novel, What the Dog Ate. Now also in paperback! Purchase it at Amazon via Tripawds and help support Tripawds!
Welcome Bender and family,
As others have said, we aren't the place you want to be but we are glad you found us to hopefully ease your mind.
I'm sorry to hear about Bender. And yes, you are right - he's beautiful!
If you are sleep deprived, worried and questioning yourself - then you are NORMAL! 
Amputation is not an easy thing to go through since you have to play nurse to someone that can't tell you where it hurts or doesn't hurt or whatever! But it will get better in due time! It's major surgery! It just takes time to heal.
Sending the Bdawg lots of speedy healing wishes!
Angel Comet's mom
Comet - 1999 to 2011
She departed us unexpectedly January 23, 2011 at the age of 12 1/2.
She was born with a deformed front leg and a tripawd all of her life.
Bender continues to show more energy. He is going up and down the stairs pretty darn good. I can't wait to get the staples out and see how he does...miss my crazy clown!
He is back to chewing on his favorite....bones but still will only eat if I hand feed him. Is that normal after 12 days...is he being spoiled...should I just leave his bowl with kibbles and meat until he feeds himself at this point? I just purchased raised feeding and drinking bowls. He is drinking on his own but that's it so far.
Thanks again to everyone.
Betsy
It does kinda sound like he is training you to wait on him, hand and foot. 🙂 I imagine if you try just leaving it, he'll eat it eventually.
Glad to hear he is spunkier!
Jackie, Abby's mom
Abby: Aug 1, 2009 – Jan 10, 2012. Our beautiful rescue pup lived LARGE with osteosarcoma for 15 months – half her way-too-short life. I think our "halflistic" approach (mixing traditional meds + supplements) helped her thrive. (PM me for details. I'm happy to help.) She had lung mets for over a year. They took her from us in the end, but they cannot take her spirit! She will live forever in our hearts. She loved the beach and giving kisses and going to In-N-Out for a Flying Dutchman. Tripawds blog, and a more detailed blog here. Please also check out my novel, What the Dog Ate. Now also in paperback! Purchase it at Amazon via Tripawds and help support Tripawds!
Betsy, I would say he's definitely waiting for his waitress to bring him dinner! If he's eating from your hand without a problem, I'm betting he'll eat from the bowl. Try it. Tough love...remember! Keep us posted. (and good move on getting the raised bowls, it really does make a difference)
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Woohoo Bender has had a few good perky days. Everyone was right so far. He is eating from the bowl as of this morning! We went to the park today and he was hopping around without hesitation... just finished a standoff to get the ball back before he chews it to pieces! Tomorrow the stitches come out and Christmas seems brighter!
Warm regards,
Betsy, Tim and the Bdawg
Hip-hip hooray!!
YAY for the Bdawg!!
Comet - 1999 to 2011
She departed us unexpectedly January 23, 2011 at the age of 12 1/2.
She was born with a deformed front leg and a tripawd all of her life.
we're so glad to hear the bdawg is getting back to his normal, wonderful self. this can be such a stressful time after surgery - hope you guys enjoy christmas with your little man. hugs to all.
charon & spirit gayle
Life is good, so very, very good!!! Gayle enjoyed each and every moment of each and every wonderful day (naps included). She left this world December 12, 2011 – off on a new adventure.
Love Never Ends
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