Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Our dog's name is Hayden. She is a 9 y/o (10 in April) husky. She was diagnosed with a soft tissue sarcoma on her front right leg just below her elbow in Sept 2020. Due to the location of the tumor, good margins were unlikely if the tumor was just removed, so unfortunately the best option was to amputate so the tumor didn't grow back.
We're a little over 7 weeks post op now. She's recovering well for the most part. She hasn't been on any pain medication for about 4.5 -ish weeks now. She wasn't eating consistently after surgery, which we contributed to being nausea from the pain medication. Plus huskies are known for skipping meals every now and then. Once she wasn't taking the medication anymore, she began eating breakfast and dinner pretty regularly again.
Within the past week or so, she's back to either skipping one or both meals almost daily. We've tried pretty much everything imaginable to get her eat. We even tried making her food for a while. She's also urinating in the house now, which she never use to do before. Directly after surgery, we understood the accidents as it was difficult to stand and she was slow to get moving. She would also cry and whimper throughout the night. Again, understandable as she was most likely in pain.
We know losing a limb is traumatic. So the fact that she is still having accidents and crying throughout the night could be her way of still coping. 7 weeks seems like a while, considering how resilient animals are at adapting. But at the same time, it's only 7 weeks. We're just wondering if this behavior is common, how long does it last (we know that probably depends on the dog/cat and circumstances), is there something we should be doing before bedtime?
She does cry throughout the day too, but it's mostly between 1-6am. We're reading 3 legs and a spare and Loving Life on 3 Legs . We started exercises with her today (we know we probably should've started them a while ago) and we've increased how many times she goes out and walks per day.
Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated by my husband and myself. Obviously this is not about us, but the crying throughout the night keeps us awake and makes for exhausting days.
Hi Amy and Hayden, welcome. Your future posts won't need to wait for approval so post away.
The things you are describing: inappetence, improper elimination and vocalization are all typical pain signals . I know that Huskies are vocal even when they aren't hurting but the combination of everything points to an issue she's having. So the question is, where is she in pain and why? Have you tried massaging her when she is distressed to see if she reacts to your touch on any point of her body? Sometimes there is a suture that didn't get taken out that is bothersome. Also, have you tried taking her temperature to see if she might have a fever from an incision infection? Sometimes the infection is internal and easy to miss. What does her incision look like?
Have you talked to your vet about this? What did they say? I would say definitely give them a call today.
At seven weeks out, it's not a long time really but based on what we see here, a healed and comfortable Tripawd doesn't exhibit these signs if they are having a normal recovery. She could also be having anxiety too, but it sounds more like unaddressed pain.
And oh gosh as for the exercises, don't beat yourself up, you are doing your best and right now the more important thing is to figure out why she is having these issues. Please keep us posted OK? Let us know how the convo with your vet goes.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thank you so much! I spoke with her vet today. He seems to think she’s experiencing pain as well. So we’re going to reimplement some pain medication for a little bit to see if it helps. I do try to massage her and pet her when she is distressed. Sometimes it helps and other times it does not. I will definitely keep you posted with Hayden’s progress. This site and the books I’m reading have really helped a lot so far. Thank you for being available and making so many resources available during such an exhausting and emotional situation.
Oh I'm so glad your vet is helping to figure this out. They sound very attentive and helpful!
We'll keep our paws crossed that things get better for sweet Hayden. Huskies are such stoic, strong doggies, I'm betting that 100% recovery is just around the corner for her. Stay strong.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Jist catching up. Glad you took Jerry's suggestion and spoke to the Vet about more pain management . It's not uncommo. for some dogs to need some dose of meds for a couple of months after surgery. Hopefully this will help. Keep is posted!
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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