Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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My 13 year old pitbull, Teak, was recently diagnosed with sarcoma. We are waiting on the full results to determine if it is, indeed, osteosarcoma. The vet recommended amputation and I decided to move ahead with the surgery to give him the best quality of life possible. Although the surgery and recovery seem to have gone well, we have run into a couple of rough patches. The first was the constant whining and whimpering that just broke my heart. It seems to have subsided after I removed the pain patch and he had fewer opiates in his system. However, the second issue is still very persistent. The little man nests constantly. He will circle and whine for several minutes before lying down, just to do it all over again 15 minutes later. He has shredded his beds, my sheets, and several blankets by grabbing with his mouth and pulling with his hind legs. While he nested a bit prior to surgery, it is a full time job now. Has anyone else seen this in recovering amputee pups? So nice to not feel like I am letting him down 🙁
Welcome and best wishes for Teak's speedy recovery. Your future forum posts will not require moderation?
What kind of bed does Teak have? Believe it or not, big fluffy beds and lots of blankets are not always best for recovering tripawds. Find details and recommendations here.
How long ago was the surgery? Many dogs on the mend prefer a cool firm surface for comfort. Restlessness can also be caused by the side effects of medication.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
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How long ago was his surgery? Could it possibly be Phantom Pain ? Just a thought. Gabapentin works well for this. May be worth talking to your vet about. Lori, Ty & Gang
TY GUY, Best Black Lab ever! Diagnosed and had amp in January, 2014. Kicked MRSA's butt. Earned his angel wings on April 16, 2014. Run Free my boy and don't forget a shoe. Ty is a proud member of the " April Angels". Ty sent us Daryl, a Tripawd rescue in Sept. of 2016. Daryl is 5 +or -. We are also Pawrents to Chandler, a Border Collie mix who is 15 and 1/2, Lucy, a Corgi who is 7, 2 minis, 2 horses, and a feisty cat named Zoe. Zoe had a non skeletal Osteosarcoma removed in July 2015. No Chemo, she was at least 16. She is going strong although she is now completely blind. She is now close to 20 and her hobbies are eating and sleeping in front of her personal heater.
Jack did this! My sense at the time was that she couldn't get comfortable and she was nesting out of frustration. She didn't know how to make herself feel better and that behavior was a way of trying to get rid of uncomfortable sensations. This settled down once we got her on the right combination of pain meds- it took a few days and four separate medications, but she finally got more comfortable. I would talk to your vet about it and see what they suggest.
Sorry you have to be here, ,vut, under the circumstances, there's no better place to be for support and understanding. And boy oh boy, do we understand!
You are probably pretty exhausted emotionally and physically. It's such an inte se time leading up to this point. And know this to be true...you are NOT letting Teak down! Yoy are giving Teak a chance to have more quality time, pain free, full of loving and spoiling, treats and tummy rubs!
My Happy Hannah whined and whimpered and barely slept at all for the first several days....and she didn't have a patch! In her case I think the major surgery hurt! It took awhile to get the pain meds balanced and the timeframes between doses just right so the pain didn't get ahead start.
Just wondering if some of Teak's shredding and pulling the sheets is possibly an expression of pain. Most dogs are given Tramadol, Gabapentin, Rimadyl and an antibiotic.
Happy Hannah, a rear leg amp., didn't lay on her amp side for over five weeks.
I sort of jave a theory about your Teak. Prior to amp,, he was used to .laying a certain way, turning and circling a certain.way when "making his bed". His routine has been turned topsy turvy and he's trying to find a "new normal" for his sleeping position.
I have a Rescue front leg amputee. He spends a lot of time making his nest, circling, pulling the vlankets just right etc. He repeats this routine maybe once more before settling down. Frankie seems to be able to settle down once he has made a little "soft pile" of bedding under his amp. site. Whenever he lays next to my other dog he likes to prop his amp site up on her. I have no idea why his leg was amputated so I don't know what his bedtime rituals were.
Anyway, just throwing stuff out there.
You are doing EVERYTHING possible to help Teak and he knows it! He's clearly a very loved boy!
We would love to see pics when you can. I know things are still a little hectic right now, but Teak will get through this recovery and get hisnsparkle back...and so willmyoi!!
Hugs to all!
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle 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!
Just saw Jack's post....her experience seems to give credence to the "pain" theory....good input.
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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