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! I wanted to know if it is okay that our dog is barely moving after his rear leg amputation on Monday. He came home Tues afternoon and has only gotten out of his bed twice each day to pee. And even those trips outside have taken a lot of convincing.
Also, it seems like when he does get up to walk, he wants to do it on his own. He doesn't seem to like the towel sling we've been using under his belly. I'm so worried that he'll fall and tear open the incision.
I know I'm probably over-analyzing everything he does, but this all happened so quickly! It was just last Friday that the word 'amputation' was even first mentioned! Thanks for any advice!
Welcome, your future forum posts will not require moderation.
Every dog is different, but it is still very early for your pup. Most members see vast improvement once their dogs are off all the pain meds at about 12-14 days. Until then, there is really no need to get up and about except to eat drink and potty. Twice a day should be more than enough, since what he needs most right now is rest. Keep in mind too that the more you help your new tripawd, the longer it may take for him to learn how to get about on his own. So if he wants to go it on his own, by all means let him. Just don't let him overdo it. Yes, he may stumble, and as disheartening as that may be, it is how he will learn and adapt to his new gait.
Everyone here could be of much more help if we knew more about your dog though... What breed? How Old? What Weight? What medication is he taking? Larger heavier dogs often take longer to rebuild strength and some pain meds will make them just want to sleep for a couple weeks. On the other hand, some dogs will bound out of the hospital and start hopping around right away.
Please consult with your vet if you have any serious concerns and let us know what they say. But the best advice is to stop worrying since your dog will follow your lead. Does he have a name?
Consider watching our Tripawd Rehab Videos from Cal Animal Rehab for more information about recovery, exercise and more.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thanks for your quick reply! Colby is a black lab and will be 11 next month. He's about 85 lbs. He's been taking Tramadol since the surgery, and has also been on Rimadyl (sp?) since the summer. Before the surgery he had been limping and a tumor on his leg was growing. Last week he could not walk at all, and was clearly in terrible pain. On Friday the vet guessed by the looks and feel of it that it was bone cancer. 🙁 However, when we took him in on Monday for xrays and ultrasound, the bone looked perfectly fine, but was surrounded by a huge, hard tumor. He has other fatty tumors but this one looked different on the xray, and felt different, and since he was in so much pain we decided to go ahead with the amputation. His lymph nodes and lungs were clear, thank goodness!
We go back to the vet on Friday to have his drain removed, and in the meantime I think I'm just being a little paranoid! Every time he moves a bit I jump up to help him- I can almost see him roll his eyes at me.
melissaf said
Every time he moves a bit I jump up to help him...
He really may become dependent upon that help if you keep it up. We all know it's hard to see our pups struggling, but Dr. Kramer recommends a little "tough love" can go a long way towards a speedy recovery.
Thanks for the details and good luck at Colby's follow-up. Please keep us posted.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi Colby and family. So sorry you are having to go through this ordeal. Please know that you are in the very early stage of recovery and this time is not only physically trying but also emotionally exhausting. I think every single member here has posted about their lack of sleep the first two weeks (due mostly to paranoia more so than complications).
Our dog, Zeus, is 11.5 yrs and had his front right leg amputated 12/1/11 due to Osteosarcoma. I think age plays a big factor in how quickly they are up and about. Zeus would walk to go out and he actually seemed to get around quite well, but other than that we kept him very still as much as possible that first week and kept him to potty walks ONLY for the second week (even with that he managed to strain his back just from not being used to the new hop-walk and we had to keep him on pain meds for an extra couple weeks). His incision healed beautifully, he had very little bruising and no drainage, which I think was due to so little movement pulling on the stitches. It was at least three weeks before we saw a big difference in his energy level and about a month before he was playing and jumping around.
Just know that every dog is different and you will, eventually, start to see his 'new normal'. Good luck with the recovery and don't hesitate to post if you have any questions at all. I have found this to be the most amazing and informed group of people ever!!
Lisa
Zeus was a Husky mix diagnosed with Osteosarcoma at age 11. A visible lung met and suspicious spot on his liver meant a poor prognosis-six weeks was our vet's best guess. We decided to fight for our boy and his right front leg was amputated on 12/1/11. We did six rounds of chemo, changed his diet and spoiled him completely rotten. We were blessed with 10 great months after diagnosis. Against the odds, the lung met remained a single met and grew very little over those months. A wonderful furbaby with the most gentle spirit, he fought with a strength that we never imagined he possessed. We have no regrets...
http://zeuspod......pawds.com/
It's OK to be paranoid Melissa, everyone here can relate! I'm so sorry you are on the cancer journey, but we are here to help however we can.
One of the best things you can do for Colby's fitness and strength capabilities is to keep his weight down, and thinner than most dogs of his breed. It's no secret how labs love to eat! Our Nutrition Blog has tons of tips and weight loss ideas.
Take things one day at a time, and try not to get too overwhelmed.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Welcome Coby and Mom,
Baby was the same way! When we brought her home from the hospital we were so careful to help her out of the car. Then we tried to help her around the yard. She just sat down (no arguing with 150lb mastiff) and looked at me like 'Mom, you've got to be kidding'. So I let go of the harness and she hopped off on her own and did just fine. Some dogs prefer to be independent.
It's important that he moves a little, but medicinal napping is the primary action for awhile. See what your vet says, but it sounds like he's doing fine. Dogs know more than we do sometimes about what they need to do to heal.
Get rest when you can - Worry is exhausting! Give it time - lots of scratches and cuddles.
Hugs and Wags,
Judy and Baby
Welcome to Tripawds.
My rear amp was a small pug named Maggie. She was walking on her own the day of surgery and did not have any medical complications because of the surgery. But she was not very interested in moving for two weeks. When the sutures came out she was a little better about moving, but not much. She was a very stubborn pug, not very adaptable, and easily discouraged. When she would fall she would just sit and look accusingly at me. I had to really coax her to try again. But she did get the hang of it, and eventually used a fall into a sit position as a planned maneuver to change directions!
Sounds like Colby is getting around OK on his own- I think you should let him, within reason. Maggie spent some time with my parents soon after her amp and they decided to carry her in and out of the house. Well, she got quite used to that service and expected it at my house too. We had several standoffs with her sitting in my backyard waiting for a ride. Sometimes she would sit for 30 min waiting on me. Once I broke her of that habit she was fine, and hopped around as a tri-pug for almost 4 years. She was pretty little, only 12 inches at the shoulder, so going up a big staircase was not doable for her, she could comfortably go up two or three stairs though. In general rear amps have more trouble going up than down.
I hope Colby's recovery is uneventful.
Karen and the pugapalooza
Welcome Colby and Family,
I have a rear amp 7+ year old golden male named Boomer. He is 1 month 13 days post op. I understand your concern. You can jump on live chat and talk to the admin and jerry; I spent much time talking to them about my worries, paranoia, concerns and fears. You are in the right place for support. The people and tripawds here know what you are going through so hang in there (best priced therapy you will find anywhere is what I say).
Boomer was slow to start also. It was so scary. I still sleep with him in the entrance room on a mattress we put on the floor. Yes, he is getting along a lot better but once in a while he will overdue it and need some pain medication. So be prepared for the rollercoaster. Celebrate the good days and don’t beat yourself up on the bad days.
Charon, etgayle gives great advice and Judy, Baby’s mom has already shared it with you…Medicinal napping is a must. Not just for Colby but for you also. Remember, you need to take care of you and keep up your strength so you can care for your furry kid.
We are ooking forward to reading great recovery stories in the future and I am so glad to hear the bone, lymph and lungs all look good.
Tina and Boomer aka Super Boomer
Hi Melissa, unfortunately I am not able to help with advice but Colby's tumor sounds very similar to my dog's situation. I have a golden who had swelling on his left front limb and nothing really showed on xrays or ultrasound so he had a CT scan which showed what appeared to be an infiltrative lipoma. It was removed/debulked almost two years ago, and everything looked like success but then it came back about 8 months later. I had it removed/debulked again in September this time knowing that it definitely was infiltrative and I was just buying quality time and that he would need the limb removed. Did the vet or surgeon mention anything about it being infiltrative? I will follow your posts. Good luck to you and Colby. I see so many remarkable stories and this is giving me strength to make this decision .
Harley is an 8 year old Golden Retriever. Amp surgery for an infiltrative lipoma canceled due to two masses in chest. A rescue, he found his forever home on 3/18/07 and left for his eternal home on 1/09/13. His story and medical history are at http://myharley.....pawds.com/
Just chiming in to assure you that Colby's behavior is perfectly normal. It is so hard to relax after the amputation and we pawrents tend to worry about every step of recovery. When Sammy's right front leg was amputated, I was both terrified and proud when Sammy tottered off to go potty right after we got home. He hated the sling from the start and would never go when we tried to help him. He, like Baby, would just sit down until we removed the offending item.
About two weeks after amputation, I was just sure something had gone terribly awry. He laid around listlessly, didn't want to eat or drink and resisted getting up to go outside. His vets said adding gabapentin alongside the tramadol and deramaxx sometimes helped but it only made him worse. My husband and I decided to try weaning him off the meds instead of adding more. Once we started, his mischievous golden spirit reappeared.
I haven't heard many others address this, but I wish someone had warned me that he might have phantom pain . The first time he screamed we freaked out. We examined him from head to toes and found nothing. The second time, we realized he also was frightened and confused about the new way he had to move. It usually happened when he tried to step down from the couch or up on the hearth. And while it was, to me at least, the most harrowing part of his recovery, it only lasted a month or so.
We slept downstairs with him for several weeks, afraid to let him go upstairs on his own. Then one day when I "just ran upstairs to get something," I turned around and saw him sitting beside the bed. He looked proud as punch — and that's when I knew everything was going to be all right.
In a few weeks, you will be over the worst of it. Just hang in there!
Beth and Spirit Smilin' Sammy
Smilin' Sammy, March 16, 2004 – Dec. 5, 2011
Golden retriever, diagnosed with osteosarcoma in September 2010 — right front leg amputated November 2010. He fought valiantly to stay with us; but a second diagnosis of osteosarcoma, this time in his left front leg, was more than our golden warrior could overcome. He loved his pack — and everyone else he met.
We loved him even more.
Thanks for the pennies, Sammy. They helped.
Thanks so much everyone for your support and advice! I definitely needed to back off and let Colby do his thing. I'm not sure what got into me, because I am typically NOT a coddler! (just ask my kids!) Once I gave him his space he started getting up and moving around when he needed to. Luckily, it's been a beautiful past few days here in PA, and I've been able to just leave our family room door wide open and Colby has been able to go outside when he chooses. Today he snuck out while I was in the kitchen and hobbled up our hill to his "spot" to poop, so I'm happy. 🙂
The vet did not mention the phrase "infiltrative" but I googled it, and it sounds just like what she described. I plan to ask her more details about what exactly was in his leg when we go back today.
Thanks again!
Welcome! I hope Colby continues to do well!
Lots of good healing wishes coming your way!
Comet - 1999 to 2011
She departed us unexpectedly January 23, 2011 at the age of 12 1/2.
She was born with a deformed front leg and a tripawd all of her life.
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