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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Hi,
Just introducing myself. Our 11 year old 62lb mixed breed dog Ella had her leg amputated today. Last weekend she was playing in our yard and let out a loud yelp and started limping. Her leg was totally lame. We took her to emergency. She had fractures in her back leg and they noticed some spots on the x-ray which they believe to be osteosarcoma. We decided amputation was the best decision to help her have more quality time with us.
She should be home this weekend. This site has been incredibly helpful so far. Is there anything else we would know to help us prepare for her recovery? We have 2 little kids at home, 5 yr old girl and a 20 month little guy.
Hi and welcome, your future posts won't have to wait for approval.
I'm sorry I have to run right now, but I wanted to get your post approved so others could comment. I'll check back later.
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
Hey there! Our dog just had his hemipelvectomy and amputation on Tuesday, so we are right in there with you. We will pick him up tomorrow morning.
Check out some of the Q&A on his thread (just below your post) for some great feedback on recovery.
Good luck with everything!
Lauren
Hi again,
I'm sorry you are dealing with cancer in your girl Ella.
Since you have been looking around here have you seen The Required Reading List? Lots of good info there on what to expect with amputation and recovery. We also have some eBooks in the Tripawds Library you can download.
You will want a quiet place that Ella can recover like a small room blocked off, some use a crate. There shouldn't be anything like furniture that she can jump on. I'm guessing she will be able to do stairs after she recovers, but you want to supervise and assist on the stairs (if you have any) at the beginning.
Traction is huge for tripawds, especially new ones. If you have slippery floors you will want to get some throw rugs or yoga mats. I have tile and my little pug mix rear amp navigates that just fine, but she is 15 months old and been a tripawd for 8 months.
As for the kids I would think you need to explain why Ella is coming home with out her 'sick' leg. You should also look at some pictures of post-op pups in the gallery so you know what she will look like- it can be quite startling. Rear amps rarely have bandages on because they just don't stay- you should ask your vet about that. Maybe you can show the kids some videos of recovered tripawds running and playing so they know Ella will get back to that.
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
The next 2 weeks will be hard, but you will get through it. Think now about your home. Any stairs? Hardwood or tile floors? Where will Ella sleep? I moved my mattress (and ultimately my box spring too) down to the first floor, blocking off the stairs with a baby gate. Otis has three Big Barker beds - 2 in the room we are sleeping in and one in the family room. Even shortly after we came home, he was able to move between them. We have hard wood, so inexpensive industrial floor mats and yoga mats all over to give him a safe space to walk. Also moved some furniture slightly to give him a straight shot room to room. Not sure if Ella is a front or rear amputee - someone mentioned that rear amputees might have a hard time backing up, so you might have to adjust things so she can walk forward. We already had raised bowls - some dogs seem to like those while in recovery. Look at some of the post amp pictures on the site, just so you are prepared - the incision is big, and a lot of fur will be shaved. There are some great posts on this site about Chloe the boxer and how the small kids in her family reacted. You also might want to keep a log book - the med schedule is a bit crazy early on - especially if more than one person will be watching her. If you or someone can be with her the first week, would be ideal. She will sleep a lot, so the log book also helps you to know when you really need to push her to go outside, or offer her water, and when you can just let her rest. Potty outings should be limited - we kept Otis on a lead for the first week or so. You have probably also noticed all of the dogs in T-Shirts (or, I learned, boxers for the rear leg crowd), which is a useful way to protect the incision if the cone of shame becomes an annoyance (and may also help the small kids if they are having a hard time seeing the incision). And most importantly, get some sleep before she comes home. Best of luck to you and Ella. You will feel great when you start to see the end of the recovery period and she starts looking out the window, hanging out in the sun, sniffing around in the yard, etc. Once the staples come out, you will likely see a marked improvement, although depending upon Ella's recovery, she may still be on some pain meds.
Otis - 106 pound lab/Dane mix, lost his right front leg to osteosarcoma on Febuary 9, 2016. Four rounds of carboplatin completed in April, 2016. Lung mets August 25, 2016. Said goodbye too soon on September 4, 2016. Lost his adopted sister, Tess, suddenly on October 9, 2016. likely due to hemangiosarcoma.
Wherever they are, they are together.
Hi Jenn and Ella! Sprry you find yourself here but, under the circumstances there is no better place to be for support and information. You are not alone, okay? We have tons of first hand experience so let us know how we can help.
You've already gotten great advice from Karen and Tess.
Every dog is different and every recovery is different. Most here are sent home with Tramadol, Gabapentin, Rimadyl and an antibiotic. Keeping the pain managed is important for recovery. Sometimes a dog may actually seem feeling better the first day or two because the hospital meds are still in their system and then seem to "crash". Many dogs come home fairly loopy and just want to lay around. Some however, like my Happy Hannah came home very restless and whiny and just couldn't get comfortable. She, nor I, didn't sleep the first nineteen hours! She at okay, never missed a meal, but didn't want to drink water. Some dogs don't want to eat for several days.
For the first two weeks movement should be just for short potty breaks and then rest.. you'll want to keep the pain meds given on a consistent basis so the pain never gets ahead start.
Most dogs are up and mobile within 24 hrs...not all dogs though! Some need a few days of help standing and assistance in walking. They all get the hang of it eventually though.
Well, you've gotten some good insight from everyone as far as tips on recovery. Now, how are you doing? You were really hit out of the blue and had to go straight into a scary diagnosis and then amputation. Not an easy few days, that's for sure! This journey is very tense. Then you learn pretty quickly to follow Ella's lead. She doesn't give a rip about any ole diagnosis. She has no worries! Ella just wants ro be pain free and soak up all that loving and spoiling she's getting from you! Live in the NOW...in the moment...Ella sure is!
Keep us posted! Eat some chocolate!
Hugs!
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
For me, when I went to pick my beloved Happy Hannah, I made a point of not even looking at her incision. I just looked into her druggy happy eyes and told her what a good girl she was and kissed her and applauded her. She didn't look at her incision, so why should I?
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 all for your responses and well wishes. Ella is home and doing well. It was tough the first few hours with the kids running around but now that they are in bed she is relaxing.
she is walking so well it is amazing me, although we are trying to keep her resting.
We have hardwood floors so we put a bunch of yoga mats wherever there is bare floor.
She is not eating her food but will eat cheese sticks and has been drinking water. I am nervous about her getting to her stitches so she has the largest e-collar on. She does seem like she wants to get to it, but thankfully she cannot with the "cone"
Thanks again all
Yay for being home!
Sounds OK so far. Lots of pups don't have much of an apatite at first. Maggie would always eat chicken so I had some of that on hand.
How did the kids react? Just curious, kids are so resilient.
Let us know if you have questions.
Karen
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
The kids were pretty unphased. My daughter said it looked bad and was surprised by how saggy her belly looked, but it was just because it was shaved. My 20 month old is more bothered by the cone. Overall they were fine.
Welcome. Everyone here has given you such great advice already so just jumping on board to give support. We mixed boiled chicken and sometimes low sodium tuna fish with our Maxs food to entice him to eat plus we figured he would be getting some extra protein to help him heal too. Good luck and let us know if you need anything.
Linda, Ollie, Riley & Spirit Mighty Max
SURGERY IS OVER AND ELLA IS HOME!!!
Isn't it amazing how well they adapt to three legs?!
IF you are watching her, you can take the cone off. I was very lucky in that Happy Hannah never bothered her stitches and never needed the dreaded cone.
Hoping for a smooth recovery...as smooth as these recoveries can be!
((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((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!
Hi there, it sounds as though you and Ella are doing really well and you have definitely come to the right place for encouragement and support. One thing I found helpful with Meg was to give her her meds in a lump of pate. I don't know what meds Ella is on, but Tramadol especially seems to be quite bitter. Meg was so pleased with the pate, she just gulped it down without noticing. Might be worth a try if her appetite is down, and this is proving an issue.
Best of luck with everything and good recovery wishes.
Clare and Meg
Ruby, Staffy, born June 2022, became a Tripawd, 23 November 2023, adopted 12 January 2024.
Also Angel Tripawd Meg (aka The Megastar), who died in April 2023, aged 14, after seven glorious years on three, and Angel Staffies Pie and Bille. In the pawprints of giants...
welcome home!!! I am just catching up w/your story ... sounds like your kids are awesome!!!! Ella will do great with all that positive energy in the house.
Please keep us posted and ask us anything!!!!
alison with spirit shelby in her heart (and little jasper too)
Shelby Lynne; Jack Russell/Shiba Inu mix. Proud member of the April Angels of 2014.
October 15, 2000 to April 8, 2014
Our story: Broke rear leg in June 2013 - non-conclusive results for cancer so leg was plated and pinned. Enlarged spleen in September 2013 and had it removed and was diagnosed with Hemangiosarcoma and started chemotherapy. Became a Tripawd January 8th, 2014 and definitive Hemangiosarcoma diagnosis. Three major surgeries in 7 months and Shelby took them all like a champ only to lose her battle to cancer in her brain. We had 8 amazing extra months together and no regrets. #shelbystrong #loveofmylife
Howdy and welcome!!!
So glad you're here! And very glad that Ella is already home! WOOT!
Pictures???
pam
Harmony became a Tripawd on 10/21/14 (MCT). She left us way too soon on 11/1/14.
"We miss you so much; our love, our heart, our Harmony."
- Pam, Ron and Melody, Meesha, Doublestuff and Mariah Carey
Hi again.
I have a question about the incision and bandage. She was sent home with a bandage over the incision. We were told we can just let it fall off on it's on. The only issue is that it is still on and I cannot see how it is doing. If I take it off, it obviously won't stick back on. I am torn, part of me feels like it is probably best to keep it on and keeping it clean, but then I am concerned it is still there. I am being overly concerned? It is not like it is getting wet at all. I do not see anything seeping from the bandage. I would love to hear others thoughts.
Otherwise she is doing well. Ella has been resting a lot, and I am very pleased that is the case. She is on Rimadyl, Simplicef and has a Fentanyl patch that is done tomorrow morning, at which point I will start her on Tramadol. She is eating a full meal once a day, as opposed to twice, but she is eating it. Drinking water and peeing, but still not bowel movement, which I understand is normal also.
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