Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi, Candy is a 10 years old Keeshond. She was diagnosed with a sarcoma in her front left elbow 2 weeks ago. A full body CT scan was clear with no further evidence of cancer elsewhere chest or abdomen, based on this and further discussion with her Oncologist we decided to go ahead with surgery to amputate her leg to give her her best chance of survival and relieve the pain caused by the cancer, surgery was done on the 24th April. Other than her cancer her physical health was very good.
Surgery went well and she spent 2 nights in hospital. It was a big shock when we picked her up and seeing her was very emotional for all the family. She was standing in a harness, but not willing/able to walk at all so my husband carried her to the car. That night wasn't great, a lot of whining, panting and she wasn't able to pee. The next morning she was hoping in the backyard and finally did a wee, it had been 24 hours since her last wee. She did this balancing on her own but then fell over. A few minutes later she did a poo, but fell over doing this too. We tried so many times to assist her with a sling, but she wouldn't go, she was determined to do it on her own. The rest of day 4 she sat and laid around, clearly in pain and unable to relax. She didn't want to stand or do anything so we carried her outside every few hours to see if he needed to go to the toilet (go potty)... but every time we tried to get her to stand her back legs just collapsed.
Yesterday morning we took her back to the vet as she couldn't stand at all and hadn't pee'd in 24 hours. The vet started her on a Fentanyl patch and was very happy once this was applied. For the moment they have manually got her urinate by expressing. Vet said they just pressed on her bladder and it happened very easily. Apparently she does have control over her bladder, but just doesn't seem to go herself, i guess her back legs are to weak to do this by herself so she just won't do it. She has been toilet trained since 13 weeks old and would never just pee indoors.
The medication they gave her is 15mg Codeine 3 x day and 1 x Meloxicam per day
Vets are puzzled as to what is going on with her hind legs and now are suggesting we do an MRI?? A neurologist will see her tomorrow, hopefully some new diagnosis will come from this consult. We've confirmed Candy has feeling in her back legs, as she was responsive to the reflex test. She is mentally very alert and is eating and drinking well. Should I be worried or does she just need more time to recover?? Please help, feeling very unsure what to do next, so any suggestions or advice would be appreciated.
Penny
Welcome and best wishes for Candy! Your future forum posts will not require moderation.
It is still very early in the recovery process, and Candy is hopped up on all sorts of pain meds. Immobility issues could be attributed to these factors, or the fact that she was "hopping around" so soon...confinement, rest, and activity moderation are key to a quick, safe recovery. Her weight, age and overall health are also major factors.
Neurological issues are rarely the cause, so instead of investing in an MRI, you might consider consulting with a certified canine rehab therapist for proper orthopedic evaluation and recommended treatment with exercises you can do at home to get Candy back on track and keep her fit and strong after the stitches are out and she has healed – she could certainly need a bit more time on the recovery roller coaster.
Please not that we are not veterinarians, nor to we pretend to offer any veterinary medical advice...just speaking from experience. Once she's ready, look into the Maggie Moo Fund for Tripawd Rehab and visit a CCRT or CCRP to quality.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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Sorry you find yourself here. But as you can see from the input our Admjn Guy gave uou, it's the best place to be for support and information.
it is good news that your girl is eating and drinking. And, regardless of rhe circumstances, pooping is good too! Many dogs refuse to walk, much less potty, when in a 'sling" with their hoomans holding them. As challenging as it is right now, even if she does have an "accident" in her bed, that happens early on sometimes too. Potty pads are invaluable!
As Admin Guy said, we are not Vets ,and mot goving Vet advice. But if at all possible, having a Certified Rehabilitation Specialist assess her could give you tremendous insight I to what's going on. And the Tripawds Foundation will pay for the first evaluation up to $200. Maybe there is a mobile Rehab Specialist who will do a home visit.
Another thought, it appears possibly her pain hasn't been managed those first five days and that can really set back her progress. It's MAJOR surgery and Candy is a slightly "matuire" girl. and needs to take things at a sloooow pace. I know codeine is used for pain control. But usually we see, TRAMADOL, GABAPENTIN, RIMADYL (or a other anti inflammatory like the one you are ussing), and an antibiotic. Sometimes they also co e uome woth rhe patch for a few. days. From what you said, the patch was put on at day five and that made a difference. So that indicates maybe her pain management wasn't quite enough previously. Whining and panting are generally signs of pain.
When you massage up and down her back,, spine, shoulders, neck, does she show any signs of tension?? It's not uncommon at all to tweak a muscle this early on.
YOU MADE THE RIGHT DECISION to give your girl the BEST chance for extended quality pain frre time!! We know you can't see that right now, but you will.
Talk to your Bet about tweaking rhe pajn meds differently and try and get a Rehab appointment asap. Where do you live??? Maybe someone here can give you a recommendation.
STAY CONNECTED. Stay strong and confident in your energy. One more thought. Rather than take her out every couple of hours, just let her rest longer. If she starts to show really noticeable signs of gettingantsy and anxious, then maybe take her out at that point.
Update when you can. We're all cheering for Candy.
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 for your reply so quickly. It's reassuring to hear that is is still early days with her recovery considering she is a mature dog. I did think she wasn't on enough pain relief, however they seemed to think she wouldn't be feeling much pain now the cancer was removed. In saying that the cut is very big and as you both said it was a MAJOR SURGERY.
Interesting that you say these setbacks we are having with Candy aren't usually neurological. From what her surgeon and other vets at the clinic are saying most amputees are up and walking no problem within a few days, whereas Candy's health has been on a steady decline since the surgery. The vets have said she's an unusual case. So we're thinking there is something major going on with Candy, this is making us very worried. The vets have suggested she might now be suffering from a slipped disc now or spinal stoke?? But her back is not sore to touch, she can feel her toes, wag her tail and she hasn't had any big falls since her surgery once home. She is currently back at the hospital awaiting more tests but we feel like bringing her home. It is so expensive leaving her there day after day while they try to figure out what is going on.
My question is, if we bring her home how do we get her to pee or poop if she won't stand up? What if we get her home and another 24 hours goes by without her peeing? I'll get some pee pads today to prepare just in case, thanks for this suggestion!
Also her weight is currently 13 kg (27 pounds) and we live in Sydney, Australia. I will look at a rehab specialist, as suggested. Thanks again for the detailed responses and advice 
Hey there, I see you're online. I'm in the Tripawds Chat for a bit if you want to talk. Back in a sec with some thoughts...
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
penny200 said
My question is, if we bring her home how do we get her to pee or poop if she won't stand up? What if we get her home and another 24 hours goes by without her peeing? I'll get some pee pads today to prepare just in case, thanks for this suggestion!Also her weight is currently 13 kg (27 pounds) and we live in Sydney, Australia. I will look at a rehab specialist, as suggested. Thanks again for the detailed responses and advice
Aww you are so welcome. I can only imagine how worried you are. Try to stay strong, she has a whole vet team working hard to try to figure out what's going on.
Since a pain patch is typically applied immediately after surgery, it does sound like her pain management might not have been the best it could have been right after surgery. When pain spirals out of control, it can do crazy things to a dog's behavior, causing many of the symptoms you are describing.
You mentioned that she was happy once she was finally given stronger pain medication so once the patch starts wearing off, if her previous symptoms return, that sounds to me like it would indicate unaddressed pain. An evaluation by a canine physiotherapist could help get to the bottom of it and perhaps avoid the expensive MRI. I searched Google for "sydney australia canine physiotherapist" and found a few in your area. Just make sure they are accredited with a CCRT or CCRP credential to ensure they offer the most current care. The MRI may still be needed, but maybe not. Whatever path you take, just make sure she stays on the right pain medication blend that will help her continue to be happy until this is figured out.
Meanwhile, about helping her urinate.... We were told by a vet that if a dog won't urinate after 12 hours, it's time to manually express the bladder. Imagine how uncomfortable it is to not urinate for 24 hours. Ouch! Here is a video that describes how to manually express a dog's bladder (many others are on YouTube as well)
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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