Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi, my name is Janet and my dog is Shiloh, a 10 year old collie mix who just had an amputation 2 days ago for osteosarcoma. It was in his right front leg. I just brought him home today. He is not able to get up on his own and can't really walk yet - I have to hold him up with the harness. He used to weigh 70 pounds (not sure now) so it is hard. He has been given pain meds but still seems to be crying and uncomfortable. I tried to take him out to pee, but nothing happened so I have a doggie diaper on him.
It seems like his front leg doesn't hold him up well or he doesn't know how to use it yet. When I was supporting him, there were a couple of times he held up his own weight so maybe that was a good sign? One question I have is how best to help him get up from a lying down position. Should I lift up his front until he is in a sitting position and then help him lift his hind end? Before I lifted both ends together. I want him to learn how to do it.
I would appreciate any advice about these initial days and what to do if he won't potty outside. Thanks.
Hi Janet and Shiloh, welcome. I'm so sorry to hear about his diagnosis. Amputation is enough to make your head spin and it's worrisome for sure. But we are here to help make it easy.
Ok, first, don't expect much right now. He is wonky and hopped up on pain meds, which is what you want so he can rest and heal. Most humans don't handle recovery nearly as well as a dog does, especially a border collie! Don't make him walk around any more than he needs to, other than to potty once or twice a day or however often he goes.
Here's an article about how to help a new Tripawd urinate.
What kind of pain management is he getting? What meds, how much, and how often? I'm guessing he is whining from a Fentanyl patch or other narcotic medication? Pain medication can make dogs dysphoric and out of it, but that's not always a bad thing. It can take a few days to fine tune the meds with help from your vet so keep them in the loop.
Be sure to check out our What to Expect articles for some tips about coming home and handling recovery. Jerry's Required Reading List also has good stuff (but I need to update it so forgive me for some things that are kind of old in there).
When I was supporting him, there were a couple of times he held up his own weight so maybe that was a good sign?
Yes! Definitely! Again, don't expect a whole lot right now. He doesn't need to go on walks or do anything but couch surf for a while.
One question I have is how best to help him get up from a lying down position. Should I lift up his front until he is in a sitting position and then help him lift his hind end?
I hate to answer a question with a question, but why are you trying to help him get up? Unless it's totally necessary, like encouraging him to eat or potty, letting him snooze is the best thing you can do. He won't want to eat much for a few days because of the pain medication, and his body's more focused on healing, so don't expect a lot there although you can encourage intake with some warm scrambled eggs or boiled chicken, super tempting foods. Just keep him hydrated and right now it's fine to bring his water dish to him. Spiking it with some no-salt broth or even tuna water will encourage him to drink.
Unless you notice some odd things, like breathing difficulty, or excessive anxiety, he's probably having a typical first 72 hours at home. Keep your vet in the loop though anytime you are concerned, they really do want to know how he's doing. We do too! So keep us posted OK?
I hope this helps!
Thanks so much for the information and advice. This is now our fourth day post surgery. He is pretty good physically in that the incision looks good and he is eating well. The pain meds he is on are codeine, gabapentin and Rimadyl. He is also on Trazodone (sedative). The Trazodone, codeine and Gabapentin they told me to give every 8-12 hours. He did seem to be in pain the day after I took him home, but better now. I spoke to a vet tech and she said to give the meds every 8 hours which I have done but I am thinking of extending the time now. He slept well all last night.
My major problem is he doesn't want to get up and doesn't cooperate when I try to get him up. He weighs over 60 pounds and I am 74 years old and NOT in super great shape. I thought I could handle this and was successful practically supporting his weight the first day home but now my body is rebelling. I started to sweat (in a cool house) and had some heart palpitations which I haven't had in a long time so I'm thinking I need to get help. I do have a great pet sitting service and there is a young man who said he would come over if needed. I think I will need this assistance.
So he hasn't peed or pooped outside and I didn't get him outside at all yesterday and my attempt today failed. He peed on the floor yesterday which was actually good because it was his first pee since I had brought him home and that was close to 20 hours. He also has had some poops "in place". Now I have a doggy diaper on him and some pee pads under him. He is quite unhappy and barks a lot but I think it is not from pain but just frustration.
Please tell me he will eventually actually walk. The vet said he would but I am so anxious about this. When I try to roll him onto his belly in preparation he sometimes whines and once nipped at me (but he has a cone on). Yesterday he did try to get up once on his own but got nowhere but I thought it was a good sign. I encouraged him with treats. But today nothing. So I am feeling very discouraged. I think I will call the pet sitter and see if we can get him outside later today at least once. I have the strappy harness on him and am hoping the new support harness I sent for will arrive soon. It is in transit from Chewy.
Thanks again.
Janet, I'm so sorry things are tough right now. I know you must be feeling overwhelmed handling this solo, so yeah, definitely see if you can get someone to come over to help. FWIW here's my thoughts/suggestions:
Don't extend the Gabapentin out more than 8 hours right now. I'm not a vet, but they have taught us that the way of treating post-op pain is to stay ahead of it. Once pain spirals it's very hard to get back under control and takes twice as long.
Trazadone is a sedative, it is not a pain reliever. Sounds like your dog is very sensitive to it and may not need it. If anything, I would stop that one right now but check with your vet OK? It's very likely the cause of your dog's unwillingness to stand. In fact, another member here was just dealing with the very same thing. I ranted about Traz in their post. See:
https://tripawd.....-rear-amp/
Yes, he does need to urinate more than every 20 hours. Every 12 hours at most is the longest you want to wait. I have a suspicion that stopping the Traz will help tremendously with his mobility AND his mental health. See if that works and let us know.
Don't get frustrated, don't give up. This is so early and once you fine tune the pain control (this is usually necessary for most new Tripawds), you'll see a difference.
Also feel free to call the Tripawds Helpline for support 844-TRIPAWD
Just catching up and want to add my support and a big ditto to Jerry's sage advice.
I joined this community several years ago six days after my Hapoy Hannah's amputation. My "thread title" was something like "Sox days post amp and I fear I have made a horrible decision". This community threw me a lifeline and pulled me back to solid ground.
So hold on to the lifeline we are throwing out to you, okay. We are holding o to you tightly and will keep you planted on firm ground..
Cannot stress enough about eliminating the Trazedone. Of course, with Vet approval. We are not Vets and not giving Vet advice.
We celebrate pee and poop this early on during rec, even if it is on the floor or on his bed! You have seen him try to get up and you have seen him hold his leg on that front leg a time or two. Celebrate that!
Dogs recover at their own pace and in their own way. Try not to make comparisons. It takes some dogs more time to get their sea legs and to get mobile on their own. We know it's soooo hard to be patient. To ditto Jerty again, I do think you will see some improvement when he is off the Trazedone.
Usually, not always, it takes about two weeks plus to recover from the major surgery itself. Then it takes avout a solid month for dogs to adjust to three and become more fluid in their gait.
I can certainly relate to how hard this is physically and emotionally, especially when we are 'mature" hoomans. So definitely take advantage of the pet sitter offering to help. It's exhausting mentally and physically getting to this point in recovery and you have to rake care of yourself. If you can get some good rest, get some help for a day or so, I think you will get your pawsitive attitude back and feel more confident. Eating some chocolate helps too!! That good energy will transfer to Shiloh too.
Make sure you jave non slip rigs if you have hardwoods for traction . And if his bed is firm, that's much easier to stand up on than a soft squishy bed.
FWIW,, some dogs freeze up when you try to help them with a harness or towel sling. My Happy Hannah did. It may be that you use it to help him stand and, of he refuses to move, you'll know roto ise it just to assis in stan up.
Please k ow we are here with you and will help uou navigate through recovery. Shiloh will get his sparkle back!! YOU ARE NOT ALONE!
((((((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!
I joined this community several years ago six days after my Hapoy Hannah’s amputation. My “thread title” was something like “Sox days post amp and I fear I have made a horrible decision”. This community threw me a lifeline and pulled me back to solid ground.
Here it is!
six days after rear leg amp and getting worse
Jerry and Virginia,
Thanks so very much for all the encouragement. I am happy to report that yesterday I was out of the living room where Shiloh was lying and I heard some thumping and went to see. He was walking towards me. He did 4 steps before collapsing. Already today he is trying to move around but can't walk more than a couple of steps without support but I am just so overjoyed right now.
My surgery vets were out this weekend and today I am going to contact them about the Trazodone and the other meds. This is such good information. Also the pet sitter is coming in twice today and we might try to get him to his usual pee place outside (we have to do some stairs to get there) and see if he will pee outside. I also got some spray for puppies that induces them to pee in a place so maybe that will help with the place I made on the deck with astroturf. Doesn't help that we are getting a deluge of snow here in Chicago in a few days. If I could get him to pee there, I think I could do this on my own because now he is cooperating in walking when I lift. I just can't do it when he is dead weight.
So thanks again for the encouragement and information. You are peaches and gems! I will report updates on his progress in case it helps others who read this. And this website is a god send.
Spect update! Remember, every "little" improvement is a HUGE improvement during rrcovery!! A couple of steps this early in recovery is like running a marathon! Good job Shiloh!! And good job Mom!
BTW, great "pee plan"😎
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!
Oooh I missed your last Shiloh pupdate, thanks for commenting Sally or I never would have seen it.
I had no idea there was a spay to show puppies where to pee. Did it work?
Did you ever get to ask the vet about Traz? How is Shiloh doing today?
I hope you guys are doing OK and staying warm in that awful cold. BRR. Be safe and holler when you get a chance.
Shiloh is now 13 days post surgery. He is doing well overall. We did stop the Trazodone right after it was discussed here but kept up with the pain pills. He walks around without a harness and goes out to pee and poop on the deck. I hope this continues after the snow melts in a few days but probably it will be OK. The spray to encourage puppies to pee didn't help with him --- I will return it. It might help others though. I just kept walking him around the deck and saying the things I used to say to hurry him along and finally I think he peed because he couldn't hold it anymore. After that, he understood.
He still doesn't walk really well, I would say. Sometimes he falls and some days he walks better than other days. I had the pet sitter come over last week and we were teaching him to do stairs (I have 7 stairs to my front door). But I found he seemed sore the next day so I backed off of that. I think he has to get stronger before doing the stairs. Tomorrow we will have to do the stairs because he is going in for a recheck. I hope to have help to get him down the stairs and into the car.
I ordered a ramp, but he might not be ready to use one yet. It hasn't come yet anyway. I have a sedan rather than an SUV so that helps, but I still can't lift him in on my own so if the help doesn't come over I will have to postpone the appointment. It worries me a bit because if there was an emergency I don't know how I could transport him without help. Hopefully that won't happen.
Thanks again for the help. I'll keep everyone up to date on things as they progress.
Sounds like Shiloh is doing really well in on target for a full recovery.
Generally it takes about two, maybe 3 weeks to actually recover from the surgery itself. It takes about a month before they adjust to the three-legged gate, using all the proper muscles, pace, Etc so try not to worry about him walking perfectly yet. Still keep things at a slow pace. If you are able to get to a rehabilitation specialist, they will be very beneficial in helping Shiloh build up his core strength, which is how he will perfect his mobility. I I understand the Dilemma of trying to get a dog in the car when it's just yourself. I don't know where you live, but if you ever have an emergency and need help transporting him, try calling your Sheriff's Office. It may be that they can come out and help with the transport. I know how very very scary and awful it is if you are unable to do a transport on your own. Anyway, just a suggestion.
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!
Thanks for the update! His recovery sounds like it's on track. Every day he will make progress even if it seems tiny.
No need to rush him right now, two weeks isn't that long in the big picture. As Sally mentioned, a rehab therapist can help you know what's good activity for him right now. And Tripawds Foundation can help pay for your first rehab visit too so yay!
Yes, stairs are hard hard work. Go slooooooow. If he really needs to do those stairs the harness will help. Does it have a handle like the Ruffwear Flagline harness so you can guide him up and down?
Hi Everyone. I'm new to the group and my 12.5 yo golden is 3 days post op from her front limb for osteosarcoma and I just want to say thank you to all your words of wisdom. Reading this is really helping as I too am on the edge of "what did I do" my poor isabelle is following a similar trajectory to Shiloh and the vet literally told me none of this. And it was the famous Angell Animal Medical Center, so I'm surprised. I was completely unprepared for how hard it would be. All the advice here has been solid and helpful and I'm looking forward to learning more and getting help by reading how you have helped others. So thank you and good luck to Shiloh, I'll be rooting for you from a few weeks behind.
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