Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Farley is still down this morning but did eat some chicken and rice (plus his pill pockets with his antibiotic); down and eating is better than down and not eating
down and eating is better than down and not eating
Yes! Take the small victories.
^^^ Totally!!!!
And hopefully the cerenia will help smooth things out in future rounds.
Natalie & Juno (aka June)
And I may have missed it, but are you keeping your Onco in the loop? If Farley does have a stronger side effect than what would be considered "mild", his dose adjustment can be lowered of necessary.
Also, cant help but wonder how the pneumonia is playing Into him being so lethargic. Is the Bet keep Gaba on that aspect to make sure he's on the road to recov? No fever, no respiratory distress, etc?
And yes, YAY for eating better!!!
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!
Farley had what seemed to be kennel cough at about the same time as his OS diagnosis; he had been on a pro trainer's truck travelling in the upper midwest for field training and competitions for several weeks. Lung infiltrates were seen at the time of his diagnosis and he was treated with doxycycline up until his surgery on the 20th. The oncologist changed the antibiotic to augmentin after the surgery.
When he is up and around he clears his lungs and coughs less
Today I have my daughter's dog here today (for agility class tomorrow and then he goes home); whether Farley's better because he's over the side effects of the chemo, or because he's stimulated by the other dog, I don't know, but he is much more alert and active today
I've been feeding him rice and chicken; I added a spoonful of unsalted condensed cream of chicken soup and he gobbles it right up. Back to regular food tomorrow
I'm very thankful for the comments I'm getting as I continue into unknown territory with my tripawd
Another win for Farley! 
Watching his progress here is really exciting, I'm so happy that he's up and around. And what a menu too. Lucky dawg. Eat up!
We're glad you're posting, remember you're not alone. It's unknown territory on your end but many of us have been through these experiences so we totally feel for you and understand your worries. Keep us posted.
Today Farley is almost back to his normal self (albeit short one leg); he ate his normal breakfast and is chewing on his toys. He's up and around so the coughing is less as he clears his lungs. I'll be ready for the fifth day post-infusion next time (and should have a supply of cerenia available)
Now I'm wondering if new tripawds need rehab? Farley seems to be getting around fairly well; he goes down stairs with ease but we have not let him go up stairs yet. We figure he needs more strength in his back leg to go up stairs
YAAAAAAAY! We love good news around here!!!
Now I'm wondering if new tripawds need rehab?
A resounding YES if you are able! Often time one consult with a really good Rehab Specialist is all you need to understand the basics. AND The Tripawds Foundation will pay for the first visit
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!
Following up on what Sally said, here’s a blog post that answers your question exactly:
Is Rehabilitation Therapy for Amputee Dogs and Cats Necessary?
Natalie & Juno (aka June)
So rehab is important; do i wait until after the chemotherapy is finished?
Nope! You can start during chemo! Our June has been doing so since 10 days after her first dose and many more here have done similarly. Pardon the quote, but I just answered this else where for someone else, so I’ll share the same here:
I would mention the osteo diagnosis and chemo treatment to your rehab therapist - it can/will influence the modalities they use. Also, ours didn’t want to see us until 10 days after June’s first chemo. I’m not sure why this was (and I should ask!) but my guess is that she wanted to make sure any adverse chemo reactions were caught and dealt with before we started putting Juno through her paces. I don’t know if all CCRTs will require this.
Enjoy! Our June was already getting around well after recovery, but rehab really took her to the next level!💥
The only other thing I’d add is to also let them know about the pneumonia diagnosis, both for...
- Farley’s sake as they may want him as healthy as possible before starting (don’t want to create a setback!),
- and for the other dogs who visit the practice and could be exposed.
If you need help finding a Certified Canine Rehab Therapist, pm @jerry or call the Helpline for recommendations in your area.
Natalie & Juno (aka June)
I have a recommendation for a rehab vet from a friend with an IWS; the vet has a mobile practice so I won't have to expose Farley to other pets. This vet is on the foundation list
Farley is definitely better
thanks for the advice
Soooo happy he is doing so much better! Farley's got his MOJO back!
Big thanks to Natalie and Sally for mentioning rehab. Yes it really does make a difference even when dogs don't seem like they need it. Most people get lulled into a sense of "well my dog's just fine we don't need it." Their dog goes on doing what they do, and oftentimes the dog gets injured because their human isn't aware of their unique limitations and capabilities. That's really for who the rehab evaluation is for: the parent, us! I'm so happy you found a therapist, and a traveling one too. Yay! Can't wait to learn all about the visit.
Tomorrow Farley has his second chemotherapy infusion; in general, he has been doing okay, but I notice he's definitely weaker in the late afternoon and evening. It seems as if his rear leg is weak
Yesterday, I again had my daughter's dog here for agility class so Farley was up and around a bit more than on most days and definitely had some trouble getting up. This has persisted today (the other dog has gone home)
Farley seemed pretty strong once he came off his pain meds which sedated him but now is much weaker; is some of this due to the chemotherapy? He's been a canine athlete and it's hard to se him go down because his leg gives out
He's eating and drinking fine
Christine
We had something similar happen with June at around a similar time in her post-amp chemo time. Is it like his back leg crumples under him unexpectedly? As she became more active it took the single leg a while to make up for some of the 50% loss of power and strength back there.
If he has good “stand,” “sit,” “down” commands, you might try doing short 2-5min sessions of these randomly a couple times a day to help build up that back leg. We also noticed a huge improvement for June over time as we did more balance and core exercises which our canine rehab therapist taught us to do.
Also we noticed that sometimes the back leg crumpled at moments where she would instinctively switch weight to or brace herself with the now missing leg. We think it took a little while for her to relearn new muscle memory in these situations.
It also could be, as you say, that the chemo is affecting him in this way. It could be worth bringing these concerns up with both your oncologist and rehab therapist and see what both say. We brought it up to both of ours and both concluded that she was simply adjusting to tripawd life - and we’ve found over time that that was true.
Sending my best to you and Farley 
Natalie & Juno (aka June)
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