Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hello,
Our 80 pound lab mix had her front leg amputated Thursday due to a large mast cell tumor. We brought her home yesterday afternoon and she's doing fairly well so far. My only concern is that she doesn't seem to be getting up to go potty at all....she'll just pee while lying down wherever she is. Is this normal or side effect of her medicine? We unfortunately have three steps off our deck outside and she seems hesitant to go down the steps. My husband built a ramp for her, but she seems even more hesitant with that. She unfortunately fell the first time she tried to go down the stairs and rolled to her side...I felt awful!! I guess I'm just wanting some reassurance that this is all normal for now and she'll be able to navigate the stairs and go potty outside again soon? Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you 🙂
Hi Cisco's Mom. We are in the Tripawds Chat right now 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
I'm so glad you posted. Recovery can be such a roller coaster and you're in the craziest part of it right now. Is your dog's name Cisco?
What kind of pain medication is she on? She should definitely be mellow and just napping a lot right now, other than going outside to potty. But if she's too woozy to stand it sounds like she may need to have her meds adjusted. Call your vet today and let them know what's going on. My guess is that it's just a matter of figuring out what combo works for her.
Be patient with the ramp (your husband is so sweet for building it!). Many dogs need time to start using ramps, if they haven't already been using them for a while. For now, do you have a Ruffwear Webmaster or Flagline or other harness or sling you can use to guide her outside? That would be so helpful, since they have handles on the back. You can even try a grocery bag sling to assist her. Also, how are your floors? Are they slippery? Whatever you can do to give her a confidence boost will help tremendously.
For now, let your vet know what's going on and get back with us, I'm curious what they suggest.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi Jerry, thank you for replying. So yes, her name is Cisco and she is on several meds. Tramadol 100mg twice a day, Trazadone 200mg twice a day, Rimadyl 75mg twice a day, and Cefpodoxime 200mg once a day. Unfortunately our vet is closed until Monday now. Should we continue to try and use the ramp or let her get used to the stairs? We've been trying to help sling her with a beach towel to help support her weight on the back end, but she still seems hesitant to go down to the grass either via ramp or stairs. She's getting around in the house more today than last night, but seems to tire easily. We unfortunately have stairs at every door of our house to get to the outside.
Just catching up on your sweet Cisco. Glad Jerry was able to hop on and ask some questions, as well as reassure uou.
Everything you have described certainly falls within the "normal" range soooo early on. First of all, she still has some hospital meds in her that can make her a little whacky. And on top of that, the Trazadone is basically a sedative.... sort of a tranquilizer .....it is NOT a pain med. The only "real" pain med she is on is the Tramadol. The Rimadyl is an anti inflammatory with some mild help with pain and the other is an antibiotic.
We are not Vets and not giving Vet advice. But what we "usually see here medication wise is, Tramadol AND Gabapentin for pain. They compliment each other. Then we see the Rimadyl and an antibiotic.
Giessing the reason she's peeing in bed has more to do with the sedative Trazadone than anything else. So, unless there is a reason she is on it, ask the Vet about reducing ot, or eliminating it. Then see about adding Gabapentin in to help manage the pain with the Tramadol.
If she's just on the pain meds as ment avoce, she may even be more steady on her feet and more accepting of the ramp. I'm sure she relates the ramp to her fall, so her confidence is shaken. A fade plant and a tumble here amd there do happen at first sometimes, so don't beat yourself up on that, okay?
As Jerry said, ramps take a bit adjusting to, even with a four legger. If you haven't already done so, ask your husband if he can add rails. Dogs have poor depth perception and rails may make her feel much more secure. ,maybe you and your husband could walk on either side with her to help her feel more secure.
Is there anything you can put on the ramp for traction ? Maybe some cheap yoga mats? Also, if you have hardwood floors you'll want traction for those too.
Front leggers generally have an easier time going up the stairs, and a harder time going down. The reverse is true with rear leggers.
My Happy Hannah also would have nothing to do with sling help either.
As far as steps or ramp, just continue to try the ramp. She'll get the hang of it, as well as the stairs. Right now my guess is the Traz has her a little spaced out.
Keep in mind, humans would still be in the hospital on morphine drip!! This is MAJOR surgery, all while adjusting to three legs! It IS tiring to walk on three legs, but she'll get better at that.
Sloooow and easy. Potty breaks (even if it's in the bed) are all she needs right now. Rest of the time just rest.
Reco doesn't last forever!!! Promise!!
Hugs
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
PS...do check into that Trazadone reduction or elimination with your Vet.
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!
Thank you benny55 for all of that helpful information and advice! I really do appreciate all of your help and knowledge. I'm starting to think its the trazadone that's causing her to not want to get up much...which I guess is the reason for it? To keep her a little subdued? I noticed this morning before her meds she was a little more active, but then this afternoon she's been sleeping a lot. Now as evening is approaching, I'm starting to notice her being more active again. She even went down the steps by herself and peed with no falls about an hour ago! We were so happy to see that 🙂 I'll definitely call the vet on Monday and ask about the trazadone...the vet did mention that we may have to adjust dosage. Her progress today is nothing short of a miracle to watch...animals truly are amazing!
Hello and welcome.
I'm glad that Cisco is doing a bit better now, and doing the stairs!
I've never had much luck with trazadone or ace with my pups. It completely wacks them out and they can barely walk- and that was with 4 legs! I'm guessing that it is the reason for peeing in bed and falling. Do talk with your vet- especially if it seems like Cisco is in pain as she continues to recover.
As far as the ramp- I built 3 ramps for my Pug Maggie over the years after she lost a back leg to a mast cell tumor. She would have nothing to do with them.... ever. She also wouldn't go up or down stairs if they were open, she wouldn't walk on a deck if she could see through the cracks, sometimes she wouldn't cross thresholds. I learned later that some dogs have a visual issue - I think it's called a visual cliff. It has to do with depth perception. Anyway- even though after her amp she couldn't do a lot of stairs she could do 2 or 3. I made sure there was good traction on them, especially the ones outside (the deck was a bit slippery). I put down outdoor carpet strips and she wouldn't even try to go up and down if they weren't there. In contrast- Maggie's little sis Tani had a neurological injury which caused her some mobility issues and she took to the ramps no problem!
Fast forward to today- I have an older quad-Pup and a rear amp Pug Mix. My Pug Obie has those visual issues which have resulted in me carrying my 4 legged dog up an open stair case while my Tripawd Elly goes up and down by herself 
.
And if you are interested you can read Maggie's story and about her amp and chemo for mast cell cancer, the links are in my signature below.
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Thank you all for your replies...it really helps to hear others advice, especially ones who have been through this before. Cisco had another good day today. She seems to be getting around quicker and easier today than yesterday. The stairs off our deck seem to be our biggest issue right now...she still seems hesitant to go down them, but will do down eventually. Sometimes she stumbles a little at the bottom, which I hate to see, but other times she does good. She seems to get up them no problem. We tried the ramp again and she wanted nothing to do with that. Her appetite is ok, she will eat hot dogs and cheese great, but not so wild about her usual dog food. She will eat some of it though. She is peeing outside now and even had her first poop tonight...yay!! I'm simply amazed at her recovery so far...watching her adapt to her new normal is pretty amazing <3
I'm so glad she's doing better! Yes, the Trazadone is a sedative that can make dogs very sleepy and out of it. I'm glad she seems to be coming out of the fog. She may not do the ramp but you can leave it and bribe her with hot dogs to see if you can train her. Meanwhile, is there any way you can assist her while she's going downstairs so she doesn't tumble at the bottom? Dogs missing a front leg have a much harder time going down than up, because they carry so much weight on the front end. If the beach towel sling isn't working for you, a harness with a handle on top like the Ruffwear Webmaster or Flagline harness is our recommended gear for amputees.
And like Sally mentioned, we aren't vets but we see a lot of recoveries here. I'm glad she seems to be doing better but Cisco's pain management is pretty minimal in my non-vet opinion (see the latest news about Tramadol...it's not as effective as once believed). If she seems like the new sparkle in her step is catching up with her and making her painful, let your vet know and have her medications adjusted.
Oh and YAY for the first poop! 
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thank you, Jerry. I will definitely keep an eye on her pain management and make sure she seems comfortable. We decreased the trazadone from 200mg twice a day to 100mg twice a day. That definitely seemed to help her not be so groggy. Today she has made huge strides....getting very active, to the point that I worry she may be overdoing it? I'm torn on letting her do what she wants or holding her back some? I don't want her to hurt herself, but when do you let them do what they feel they are comfortable with? We also found she does much better with our garage door stairs to get outside rather than the deck stairs. There are only two of them and not as steep I think. She's been going up and down them all day with no problems to go outside to potty. She's only four days post amp today, but today she's even been a little playful. I can definitely see her spunk coming back 🙂
Aww this is such great news! We all cheer when a new Tripawd turns the corner! 
Right now, she should only be doing leashed potty walks. That should last until her stitches come out. At day four, that is still very early and it will take more time for her body to catch up with her brain if her activity continues to go unchecked. Our job as Tripawd parents is to manage our pet's activity to avoid muscle pulls and accidental falls.
Be mindful of how much she is doing physically, and try to place a bigger emphasis on tiring her brain out first. Nurture her canine instincts to hunt and play, but do it gently. Interactive brain games, food puzzles and even simple obedience refreshers are way more effective at wearing her out, now, and even into the future.
I know it's tough to scale back but you can do it!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
That's great news about Cisco! I am continually amazed by the stories of resilience shared on Tripawds, along with my first-hand experience watching Griffin adapt and thrive. Griffin and I are sending positive vibes from NYC! ~ Stacy
Griffin lived an amazing life for 11 years! Diagnosed with osteosarcoma on March 17, 2020, Griffin's right forelimb was amputated on April 2, 2020. Ten days later he was running and playing fetch! Lung metastasis discovered in July 2020 did not slow down Griffin and he lived joyfully for the next 7 months, passing peacefully at home on February 11, 2021. https://griffin.tripawds.com
So glad gett7 her off the Trazedone (or reducing) helped!
And ditto everything Jerry said about doing too much too soon. It's such a joy to see them feeling better, but that's when "holding them back" is important.
Cisco is rocki ' being a tripawd! Excellent job!!
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!
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