Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
Tripawds is your home to learn how to care for a three legged dog or cat, with answers about dog leg amputation, and cat amputation recovery from many years of member experiences.
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Our 7 year old lab, Madeline (Maddie) recently had her right hind leg amputated after being diagnosed with a soft tissue sarcoma. Unfortunately she had to spend about 5 days at the vet because she has been unwilling to put much weight or walk on her remaining leg. Had this happened to anyone else? Should we be worried? How can we help support her? We did see her take about 2-4 steps (or hops) on two different occasions around the house independently after bringing her home. Which is giving us a little hope. I guess it’s just hard to watch her struggle so much and not knowing how to help her. She has also vomited a couple of times after taking her food/medication which has me thinking that it’s not helping her too much. Any advice would be helpful, thanks!
Hello Maddie and family. Welcome. I'm in the Tripawds Chat right now if you want to talk. Meanwhile, tell us more about Maddie. Is she at home now? And what does the vet think is causing her reluctance to walk? Does she have other issues like arthritis, being overweight, etc? And what kind of pain medication is she on?
Yes, other dogs have had difficulty with mobility after surgery and in time they get their mojo back. Has your vet recommended rehabilitation therapy? If not, and your vet doesn't have a plan for helping her, please get a referral to your nearest center or let us know where you live and we can find one for you. The best part is the Tripawds Foundation may pay for your first rehab visit .
I'm sorry to have more questions than answers, but the more you can tell us about Maddie's situation the more we can help with some ideas to help you feel better and ask good questions to your vet. Let us know OK?
Your future posts won't need approval so post away!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hello! It’s so nice to be able to share thoughts and concerns with others who truly understand. Maddie is home now, we brought her home yesterday. She is overweight and weighs around 85 pounds. The vet did mention weight being apart of the problem. She was also concerned about her possibly having torn her ACL in her remaining back leg but she was not able to say for certain. (Just our luck if this does turn out to be the case) She mostly thought it was due to anxiety of being at the vet and being overweight which is why she recommended us bribing her home to see how she does here. She is on quite a few medications but they were reduced today since she had some vomiting. Right now the bet has just recommended letting her rest and see how being home treats her. We live in CT and I’m pretty sure the vet she got the surgery done at had a rehabilitation center. Thanks again.
Yep, we get it!
I'm so glad she is home now, as I'm sure you are too. It sounds like she has her challenges but we've had plenty of dogs here who were overweight at the time of amputation and with hard work on their human's part, they were able to drop the pounds and get around better. Losing the weight isn't so much about exercise but about controlling what goes into the bowl, I know you can do this!
Did your vet guide you through a weight loss plan for her? Right now she should have a decreased appetite anyways because of the pain medications she's on, so that will help. Be sure to check out our Tripawds Nutrition blog weight-loss tips for some ideas about helping her slim down. It will make a huge difference in her mobility.
Also, making sure you have plenty of traction on your floors will also help her get around.
Finally, be sure to make that rehab appointment. Therapists like to see new Tripawds within 10-14 days after surgery. Hopefully they can rule out a cruciate tear and the therapist can also guide you with a weight loss strategy for her.
Let us know what questions you have, we are here to help!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Try using a large towel under her belly for support. Just having that extra little bit under there might help her try to hop around more.
I did this with my 85lb Rotty and the first few days it helped a lot till she got her balance back. Just be patient and be ready to stand there for a bit. I just waited till Ziva wanted to hop/ move and I just took the weight so it wasn't all on her other leg.
It gets better fast mother just need to find their new normal. My girl is about eight weeks post op and we are playing fetch and she is running about like she was born with three legs.
Keep us posted and stay strong !!
steveh said
Try using a large towel under her belly for support..
This works, and you can also make a handy sling with handles from a reusable canvas shopping bag.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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