Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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My dog Sunshine is eleven and a half years old. He was diagnosed with a malignant tumor on his left hind leg, and had it amputated last Thursday. Sunshine has had athritis since he was a puppy and has hip displaysia. He is able to almost walk when we have him in a sling, but he is not able to get up and down by himself. How long should it be before he can walk again or be able to get up and down by himself. It breaks my heart to see my good old sunshine so dopy and down from the pain meds and watch him struggle getting up and down. Even though he can't walk he was able to drag himself to my room while i was sleeping 2 days after his surgery.
Also they have checked his heart and his lungs, and say that all of his internal operations are being performed great. I still don't feel comfortable about leaving him alone and am very worried about his well being. Is there anything that i could do to protect him and make his time easier? Ive been spending as much time as i can with him trying ot comfort him because he loves attention.
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Hi there...I understand how hard it is to see your dog suffer. It's going to depend on a lot of things...the age and temperament of the dog, etc. Some dogs take a week or two or three to start being mobile, others are figuring out how to get around by themselves right away.
My dog was walking right after, but very, very dopey. After talking to the surgeon, my own vet and reading about others' experiences, I took him off the Fentanyl patch and stooped the Tramadol on day four. Almost immediately he started doing better. Since he was willing to lie on his amp side, I decided it really wasn't hurting him much at all...prior to the amp, with his very painful (left front) leg, he hadn't laid on that side at all.
Dogs differ a lot in how much they're going to show pain or discomfort...Cooper is very stoic and absolutely will not whine, even the vet couldn't get a "pain response" from him except perhaps a very low growl. But when he was REALLY hurting, he became depressed and unwilling to get up unless absolutely necessary....when he was off the pain meds and getting up for food or to meet me at the door with the other dogs when I came home, I took that as a sign he really was feeling pretty good.
So I don't know what pain meds Sunshine is on, but some can make a dog very looped...perhaps your vet can suggest, I don't know, metacam, Deramaxx, Rimadyl, to help with the arthritis and general ouchieness? Pam/tazziedog here is a vet, she'd probably have better advice.
Also you're probably doing this already, but some good joint support supplements (ie glucosamine, chrondroitin, fish oil, Duralactin, etc) certainly would not hurt. Perhaps even Adequan injections, which can be very helpful. Hang in there though, it hasn't been long so give your old guy time! This is major surgery and every dog adjusts at their own rate. Just because you may read of some doing great within a few days, doesn't mean there's anything wrong with a dog that takes a bit longer!
Cherry's Dad here,
We all are very sorry to hear of Sunshine's diagnosis and the difficulties that he is having. Cherry turned 11 just days before her surgery so they are of similar age. Each dog responds differently. Cherry did not take the medicines well. From the pain killers, appetite stimulants, anti-nausea, anti-diarrhea, and worst of all the chemotherapy, Cherry always did better as soon as I could get her off these medications. The chemotherapy treatments were far worse than the amputation. Even five months later, we are still dealing with a diminished immune system. However, seeing Cherry pain-free, the sparkle in her eye, her inquisitive nature return, and willingness to get into mischief have made all the difficulties worth the journey. Make no mistake, this will be a difficult journey, but much of what defined Sunshine's more than 11 years will return.
I started a diary to help me keep track of her condition and to allow better assessment of her progress. You can read this diary at http://home.com.....ryjourney/. Try to keep positive while around Sunshine. I just step outside and then totally loose it myself. Be sure to treat the spirit as well as the body. For Cherry, this means daily rides in the car or truck. She really does look forward to these rides and it started to break the problem I had with her appetite. They truly need a purpose. There will be ups and downs but you are going through the worst now. IT WILL IMPROVE!!!
Stay in touch and all our energy from Northern California
Bob and Cherry
Hi Sunshine,
Thanks so much for sharing your story with us. Just a quick tip: if you register here at Tripawds, your posts will get approved immediately, and you'll receive responses a lot sooner.
So as you've probably already seen here, senior Tripawds can do great on three legs! We've had tripawds as old as 14 and they've done just fine.
We definitely agree with Carina and Cherry about pain meds. They make us dopey and lethargic. I guess that's supposed to be good for us, so that we chill out and relax while our body heals. But for many of us, it can be traumatic. So use your judgement on the pain meds, and if you think she's having a bad reaction (i.e., whining and antsiness), you should discuss it with your vet and see if cutting back might help.
Dogs are so stoic, aren't they? They will do whatever it takes to hide their pain from the pack. But it's good if you let him recuperate and heal, and try not to worry too much. He will pick up on your reaction and feed off of it. Be a strong pack leader, and Sunshine will be a strong member of the team. Yes, he may be down now, but if you project good, strong energy, he will know it, and work it in his favor.
Hmmm...what else can you do? I'd say if you can, keep him in smaller spaces so he heals (baby gates are good). Slip-proof any slippery floors with runners or mats, whatever you have. Raised feeder bowls are good.
But the biggest thing by far, is to keep a pawsitive attitude and know that he will come through this with flying colors!In a week or two, he'll be a whole new dog again, just wait!
Good luck, and keep us posted OK?
Many hugs,
Rene, Jim & Spirit Jerry
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
I have a quick question, My dog has been doing much better today with his new pain medicine patch. Hes been able to hold his weight on his hind leg and is showing a world of improvement over yesterday. My question is Do dogs have a rougher time getting around after the pain medicine is done? Could the pain patch be relieving the pain of his athritis which is why he has been doing so well today?
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