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.
Join The Tripawds Community
Learn how to help three legged dogs and cats in the forums below. Browse and search as a guest or register for free and get full member benefits:
Instant post approval.
Private messages to members.
Subscribe to favorite topics.
Live Chat and much more!
Register
Log In
Members
Add Topic
Offline
Dakota is just at 5 weeks post-op. He's recovered nicely. He's getting some fuzz and his incision site is vanishing. He isn't sore when I massage him. But he's losing it, I think. He acts nuts. I think he's depressed.
This is what he's doing: He only wants to lay on the large (3 x 4 foot) thin rug at the front door. That rug is on hardwood. When he lays there, his back end is on the wood and only his chest and head are on the rug.
While he lays there, he licks the rug. The whole damn rug. All 12 square feet. Over and over and over again. It's a doormat; it's dirty. He licks the debris off of it that we track in and he licks up all the dog hair that collects on it. (Yes, I shake and wash the rug, but it's a doormat!).
Once Dakota is done licking the rug, he licks his remaining front leg. He has always done this, but it's increased since the surgery. He licks the equivalent of his forearm, up as high as he can go. He licks it so much that it almost drips. I have to clean it up with a towel.
This is the OCD/anxiety behavior I've mentioned before. It literally occupies his day if I don't keep him distracted.
Distractions are hard. He has dental hypoplasia so his teeth are in very bad shape. Chewing on things like bones is hard for him and he doesn't do it much. Steal bones from Evelyn, yes. Chew them, not so much. Because he was an abandoned dog, he never learned to play with toys. So that's not an option. If can give him a Kong but again, he only hoards them. And starts a fight with Evelyn over them.
Why do I think he's depressed: Before surgery, Dakota was given access to our 4 acres and also the 34 acres of national forest that we back up to. We have no close neighbors and that's his turf. He's used to being outside and investigating whatever chipmunk or rabbit peed on his turf overnight. He was always easy to locate because he stuck close to home. However, I can't let him out like that now. He doesn't have the endurance to be trusted to come back when I call. And if he fell down and I had to find him, I might not be able to. But a coyote could at night. So that would be a mistake now.
If I go out with him, he hops around and investigates things. But he acts very tentative and really doesn't ambulate the way I've seen other tripawds move when I've watched videos. He moves like he did after just a few days post-operatively. He isn't fast at all. And he moves the front leg, pauses, moves one back leg, pauses, moves the other back leg. The pauses are a couple of seconds; it's not fluid. I don't know if this will change. So even me going out with him is weird now. He acts like he's waiting for me to tell him what to do.
Dakota was part of a gait analysis study at CSU. In fact, he is their only dog (so far) whose gait will be analyzed pre-op and post-op. He goes for the post-op analysis Tuesday and I plan to talk to them about that.
Another thing: Dakota no longer plays with Evelyn. At 4 weeks, he spent a couple of days acting like he was going to. But just as she started really engaging him, he quit. He literally does not play with her, and she is missing it terribly. She tries so hard.
As for the nutty behavior, if anyone has any advice or insight, please chime in. I have to add this caveat: I don't have funds for rehab, acupuncture, etc. I'm on my own with Dakota. I can take him outside and try to get him interested, but I can't pay someone else to help with that.
I'm sorry this was so long. I've been pondering this for a couple of weeks and just didn't know if I had a problem or not. Now, I think I do. Thanks for whatever thoughts anyone might have.
Shari
From abandoned puppy to Tripawd Warrior Dude, Dakota became one of the 2011 February Furballs due to STS. Our incredibly sweet friend lived with grace and dignity till he impulsively raced over the Bridge on 12-15-12.
Dakota's thoughtful and erudite blog is at http://shari.tr.....pawds.com/
Shari,
I'm sorry that Dakota is acting so strangely. I don't have any advice but I wanted to let you know you are not alone. It does sound like Dakota could be depressed by his inability to run his territory like he used to. I really think that time will come again. He will learn how far he can go and make it back. It is just so darn hard watching them have to learn a new lifestyle.
There are probably natural antidepressants. I seem to remember other members using them but I can't think of the name.
Good luck. Give Dakota a big hug from me.
Debra
Debra & Emily, a five year old doberman mix, who was diagnosed with an osteosaecoma. She had a right rear leg amputation on May 19, 2009. On November 10, 2009 she earned her wings and regained her fourth leg.
regarding the licking.. have you checked inside his mouth - roof, cheeks, tongue, under, over, and everywhere to make sure there is nothing in there that could be causing the problem. if there is a growth, or something is stuck between teeth or in the gumline, he may be licking due to excessive saliva. use a flashlight and try to look all the way back too. may be nothing, but it's worth knowing that's not the problem...good luck.
charon & gayle
Life is good, so very, very good!!! Gayle enjoyed each and every moment of each and every wonderful day (naps included). She left this world December 12, 2011 – off on a new adventure.
Love Never Ends
Hi Shari
I am sorry to hear your description and I have no insight into the problem.
Maybe an exercise pen outside will at least let him spend more time outside, but it is not clear that is what he wants given his current lack of mobility. And you have made it clear that you need to keep him safe.
I know that some of our dogs, the ones who are slow to recover mobility, seem to approach it in a fairly calculated way, one leg, then the other. But they get past that. If Dakota has some cognitive challenges, maybe it is harder for him to get past that point of thinking about how to walk on three legs and just let it rip.
I like Debra's suggestion of asking about an antidepressant. I have no idea if that is an option, but you have made a very clear description of his behaviour. It might be worthwhile showing the vet your description, for it may contain relevant details.
I don't remember - how old is Dakota Dawg?
Wishing you the best of luck in figuring this out,
Susan
Charon, I did look in his mouth. Nothing there. Just some teeth and slobber. But thanks for pointing out that I should do that.
Susan, Dakota probably turned 9 last month. Before the surgery, he hadn't acted like this at all so I doubt that it's doggie dementia. I wish it were; there's a pill for that!
He does have a yard he can go into, with a dog door. He has remastered the dog door so that's not an issue. The yard isn't the nicest place for him right now because it's on the north side of the house and will be the last place for the snow to melt.
Thanks!
Shari
From abandoned puppy to Tripawd Warrior Dude, Dakota became one of the 2011 February Furballs due to STS. Our incredibly sweet friend lived with grace and dignity till he impulsively raced over the Bridge on 12-15-12.
Dakota's thoughtful and erudite blog is at http://shari.tr.....pawds.com/
Hi Shari,
I'm not sure I have any good suggestions. My first inclination would be to suggest you take him somewhere he likes to go, or somewhere different. But as I recall he has problems in the car. Is that any better?
Could you have someone bring a doggie pal up to your place? Give him something different to do.
After Maggie's amp the two girls rarely played together anymore- at the time I chocked it up to their aging.
Can he chew on soft stuff? I got the flexible, softer type of nylabone for Obie, which was a mistake because he is a hard chewer, but might work for Dakota? On the other hand- I know some front amps took awhile to learn how to hold stuff to chew on.
What did you do before the surgery to distract him from his OCD behaviors? Getting him back to as much of his normal routine as before
might help.
Do you feel comfortable putting him out- and watching him from inside? Maybe he is waiting for you because you are there watching him, and he is not used to it. Seems like if he hasn't built up a lot of endurance yet he wouldn't get too far.
My last thought is to be sure that you are letting him do as much as he can on his own, and not protecting him too much. I had to resort to tough love with Maggie a few weeks after her amp. It was started by my parents- Mag spent a lot of time with them after her amp while I was at work. Their grandparent genes kicked in and they took to carrying her around a lot- including up the one or two stairs she needed to get into their house. So she learned to just sit and wait for someone to come and get her when she was outside. I had many standoffs with her at my house- I just left her in the backyard until she figured out that she was on her own, and the only way in was on her own. It took awhile but she figured it out, and after she did we didn't have any problems with her getting around on her own.
Karen and the pugapalooza
Hi Karen,
Dakota will chew on softer stuff. I just don't really want him doing it all day long, but I do give him some softer stuff. So I can bump that up.
I've also thought of taking him to a dog park to see what he would do. He's never been to one. Away from his own turf, I think he might act interested. I'm not sure he would play with another dog, but he might enjoy the experience. Here at home, he would not be a good host. He has territory issues.
Before the surgery, distraction was easier for this OCD stuff because he wasn't doing it so much. He has gone from occasionally engaging in this stuff to living for it. And he never licked that rug before. He would lick our carpet (even lick it to a lighter shade) but laying on that rug and going to town on it is brand new stuff. But before, distraction was softer chew stuff. Or Evelyn. I could use her to distract him.
Dakota is a huge micro-manager. If I began playing with Evelyn, he would immediately come interrupt it. Then they would play together. So I often set it up. I would start playing with her knowing he would get up from his carpet licking and butt in. But not now. The last time he really played with her was the day before his surgery. It was like a light switch.
I can probably put him out and keep an eye on him. When I go out with him, I don't stand over him. I have been afraid that he would feel weird about me just staring at him so I take him out and do stuff (pick up stuff or sweep the steps, etc.) so he doesn't feel like he's on display.
I understand the tough love thing. I had to do that with the dog door. Dakota went out on his own about 5 days after surgery and blew me away. He walked around the house to get back in, and there was a ton of ice outside. But he did it, so I knew he could. Then he began refusing it. He would wait for someone to go outside and then meet them at the door to be let out. About a week ago, I realized he wasn't really using the dog door so I just stopped letting him out. I figured either his bladder would explode or he would go out. His bladder did not explode.
Thanks for the ideas. Maybe a trip to a dog park would work. He does still hate the car and have all kinds of problems with that, but it might be the lesser of the evils right now.
Shari
From abandoned puppy to Tripawd Warrior Dude, Dakota became one of the 2011 February Furballs due to STS. Our incredibly sweet friend lived with grace and dignity till he impulsively raced over the Bridge on 12-15-12.
Dakota's thoughtful and erudite blog is at http://shari.tr.....pawds.com/
Hi Shari,
Gosh darnit! I'm so sorry about Dakota going all full blown OCD on you!
But I finally have a topic in which I'm experienced! Mental issues! YEEHAW!
As you know Comet was a mental mess. If she felt safe, all was great and she was adorable. But she wouldn't let anyone touch her for 12 LONG YEARS except me, George, her vet and a couple of vet techs!
If Dakota isn't sick or in physical pain and you truly believe it is mental, then I think it's because his has lost his "fight or flight" ability.
Dakota seems to be experiencing anxieties from his inability to "fight or flight" coupled with his OCD. If he had anxieties beforehand, then this could escalate. If, as a dog you can't run away for safety or fight to be safe, mental anxieties can take over. This may explain the licking. This may explain the lack of play.
I lived under this dark cloud for 12 years. I'm sure I made Comet worse by being overly protective. I can say that now because I'm not living it every day anymore. Had my own fears not grabbed ahold, I would have done it different.
I shielded Comet from anythign that upset her. I avoided company coming over, I never let people touch her and I never let her go to Petsmart. Scary stuff for her! I should have done the opposite. I should have showed her it was okay and she would have become immune to it. Once when I wasn't watching her at the physical rehab center she walked by an older man sitting in a chair and he petted her. She let him. I almost had a heart attack! But it was because I wasn't there paying extreme attention to her!
He needs some confidence!
I go back to "ignore the negative, reward the positive". Go outside and take treats and make him follow you for treats. Reward him when he does behavior that you like (or normal in his case). Even if it's a 50 treats a day! Be a constant treat to him! Make life for him seem like a circus!
Even now with Cosmo, I forget to do this because Rocket and him get along so well. But he's a puppy and isn't completely pottied trained nor trained to do what I want him to do. When I remember to reward him for behavior I like, he "gets it"!
And last, I got and still have prozac for Comet. I decided to got that route with her once. It doesn't work like you may think. All it does is make them mopey and sleepy. I stopped it immediately since she had no personality on it. I retried it when she was depressed when Rugby died, it didn't do anything but make her more mopey. I'm all for modern medicine, but it's really not going to have the effects you want unless you like mopey and sleepy dogs!
Try making life fun and showing Dakota the world is safe without being a protective mom!
Keeping paws crossed!
Doggie Psychologist out -
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.
I agree with Cometdog. I have dealt with depression in a few of my rescue dogs. It varies from mild to extreme. The triggers can be similar to human triggers, but in this case I suspect it is trauma and, I know it sounds strange, but grief. Most dogs bounce back from depression within a few days to a few months
As Cometdog mentioned, reward any happy behaviour, even if it is a tail wag. Try not to encourage the depressive behaviour.
Could he still be in pain, or maybe an allergy? What did your vet say?
Now, homeopathy and natural herbal remedies are used in the UK, in fact my vet is in favour of them in most circumstances in conjunction with traditional medicine if appropriate. We discuss it in full, but he is quite open minded. Some vets are not however. Anyway, if you are willing to consider natural remedies then maybe the following could help. Obviously, look these up to satisfy yourself and talk to your vet, but these have worked on a few of my dogs before when they were rescued from traumatic situations.
You could consider Star of Bethlehem for shock (mental, emotional, and physical), e.g. shock following accidents, traumatic events, and grief. Also, the herb St.-John's wort has been used for a long time with good results on people suffering from depression. It can also be used safely whenever your dog feels depressed, anxious or tense. St.-John's wort is available in tinctures, which are easier to use.
I do hope I haven't broken any forum rules giving you this information. If I have I appologise.
I do hope this helps. Grief is difficult for us all to deal with and a loss of this magnitude may be affecting Dakota emotionally.
Toby is not his usual self. He is 3.5 weeks after surgery and he just sits outside. He rarely comes in the house, which is very unusual, he used to be fixed to my leg. He licks his front leg constantly to the point we now have him in a protective collar. At one point his licking was almost frenzied. We took him off certain foods to see if it was an allergy, but we suspect it was an allergic reaction to the medications he was on. He eats well, but he seems off balance emotionally. He is stoic, not our normal Toby, but we will let him work through it and hope he comes out the other end happy again.
Toby
Your last paragraph sounds so much like Tazzie. Tazzie was normally Mr Velcro but became relatively aloof during recovery, unless other people and dogs were visiting. Do you happen to live in a relatively quiet or isolated area (country)? I just ask because I noticed that other rural tripawds seemed to be a little slow on the uptake, perhaps due to less social stimulation. Once I took Tazzie to the city, where he had chemo, he became much more interactive, at least as long as we were in the city with doggy parks and doggy and human friends.
Hi Shari,
I'm sorry you & Dakota are facing this. The rug licking thing alone can make you crazy. It does sound like the licking is an emotional behavior. Often when a dog finds some anxiety relief in a certain behavior, that behavior becomes habit. Together, they are difficult to redirect.
I agree he is probably somewhat depressed over his lack of freedom. He's unable to understand why he is confined & that is fueling his anxiety. It doesn't sound like his restrictions will ever change, for safety reasons.
Did you ever try the melatonin?
Because this is likely now a multifaceted problem, progress will be slow.
Are you able to provide short exercise periods, followed by a period of distraction with any resource (other than chewing up Evelyn...) he might enjoy?
The gait he has adopted was probably his first post op attempt at ambulation. It sort of worked, so he stopped there. Something I started immediately post op with Isabelle and then again after her second surgery, when she was unwilling to straighten her leg, that worked well:
Do you have a flat area outside where you can walk with him? If Dakota will take treats (make them high value) outside, while walking him, throw treats a few feet ahead & let him trot ahead to get them, then return to you for another treat. Repeat this several times, gradually building up his endurance & distance. The distraction should eventually cause him to naturally alter his gait. The work should also help tire him out. When you return home, if he's exhausted, great. If not try to develop some sort of distraction for him. When you say he hoards Kongs, would he do so if you coated one w/cheese orcanned food & froze it? Maybe you could separate him from Evelyn while he works on his. All of this will have to be repeated as often as possible, especially at the beginning.
You have to approach this slowly & expect minimal progess, but consistency & repetition, in small doses may help. If possible, break the licking immediately, by taking him outside & working on some simple exercises for a few minutes. The effort it takes for him to redirect should eventually eliminate the habit (by replacing it with a new desireable one) & alleviate some anxiety.
Dakota may also need some medication to help him, & if that's what it takes for his quality of life to improve, then it is what it is...
The laying on the floor thing is something some dogs just like to do. One thing I do notice with Isabelle (& seems to be a common theme with dogs at rehab)...when they are having some pain issues, particularly, ortho/arthritis related, they seem to be more comfortable on a hard surface. She will choose the floor often over many choices more preferable to me.
Isabelle had similiar issues with lack of interest in toys and still finds herself bored & depressed because she isn't as mobile as she once was.
I use a lot of interactive toys...that are food loaded, as distractions.
Are you able to get a FitPad & do some physical therapy at home? That would benefit Dakota's mind & body.
If there isn't an option, to prevent him from licking himself into a medical problem, you can temporarily, loosely wrap his leg in Vet wrap. Not the best solution, but maybe a short term respite....
Dogs like Dakota adapt to change very slowly & not willingly. It will take time for him to accept things like walking with you, as normal.
You can only do your best with the resources you have available.
Cynthia
About the only thing I can relate to is after Gus had his surgery, front left, he also seemed to lick his remaining leg just like you are describing, and the same with the blanket we had on the couch for him, it looked like you dumped water on it when he was done, but he was able to do everything just as before by 4 weeks and I don't think he had any depression issues
My buddy Gus had a left front amputation on April 7, 2010 and lived a great life until July 26,2010
I may try some of the natural remedies to see if I can perk him up some. I doubt my local vet would do anything but smile at me if I suggested it, but that's ok. I think I'll mention it Tuesday when I take him back to CSU for his gait analysis. They did the amputation, so they are very interested in how he's doing. And if they want to suggest some pharmaceutical, I think I'll let them. For me, I mean. 
I'm going to try some of your ideas, Cynthia. I have to think of a treat that's enticing enough to get Dakota to want to move a bit faster. Sardines come to mind but I'm not sure I can throw them down the driveway...but maybe!
When I said he hoards Kongs, it's the same behavior he exhibits with a bone. I have 2 dogs. I never put down fewer than 3 bones (or whatever they're chewing on) and usually 4. I still invariably will have a dog fight. Generally, Evelyn wolfs down whatever she has without chewing and then goes to within a couple of feet of Dakota and looks at him. He gets bent out of shape and lunges at her. And if there are extras on the floor, he is determined to have them all. He often takes her stuff from her, too. Even out of her mouth. So if it's a Kong, he takes it. If he could talk, I swear he would say "I don't want it and can't even use it, but I'll be damned if I'm gonna let you enjoy it." Sometimes he's just a pissy old man. And Evelyn is uber submissive.
I have never tried freezing stuff in a Kong, and that I will try. I've put all kinds of squishy stuff into them and then embedded dog food into the squishy stuff. But freezing it might be better.
I've given serious consideration to the Fit Pad but can't for the life of me imagine getting him onto it. Right now, he acts like I'm asking the world of him to move so I can vacuum under him. I can almost hear him sighing and see him flipping me off behind my back.
Evelyn was very good for Dakota, when he'd let her be. She has kept him young and involved. About 15 months ago, we lost a dog at age 13, and she was Dakota's second half. Evelyn was just a puppy then, and if she hadn't been here I honestly believe Dakota would have laid down and died. So if he would just let Evelyn play with him, if he would act a little interested, they would both be happy. I think she is as confused as I am.
Someone asked if we are rural. Yes, very. We are wooded mountains. But even if we lived in town, I don't know if Dakota would want to be any more involved due to his history. He trusts no one but my family, and he is afraid of so many things. We can write his history based on his fears (men, baseball caps, brooms, hoses, water...) and they've always been there. I don't coddle him and I never feed that anxiety. I've made him face his fears on a regular basis. It's hard to watch sometimes, but I do it.
Shari
From abandoned puppy to Tripawd Warrior Dude, Dakota became one of the 2011 February Furballs due to STS. Our incredibly sweet friend lived with grace and dignity till he impulsively raced over the Bridge on 12-15-12.
Dakota's thoughtful and erudite blog is at http://shari.tr.....pawds.com/
Aww... poor Dakota... My little girl dog (not a tripawd) has huge separation anxiety, along with I'm sure ADHD. She has about 5 balls that she licks constantly, has to always be attached or on top of me (which makes sleeping a challenge) and used to pee whenever we pet her. Thank god she only does that now to strangers. But of course it's so hard to say to everyone who comes in the house "DON'T pet the black and white one... she pees"... lol
Although she has improved somewhat over the last 2 years, she's still quirkly. She has a licking thing as well.. her ball... her toys. Now, Champ has allergies so he licks his feet and belly because they itch. I'm not sure how we are going to handle spring as yet. Although I prayed we would, I didn't think he would still be here. Last spring when he was diagnosed they gave him 1 - 2 months. We never found an antihistamine that truly worked for him and with metronomic chemo, prednisone is out of the question. But that's another issue... lol
Can you put something that doesn't taste well on the rug? I have an anti-itch spray I put on Champ and he doesn't like the taste so he stops licking. Kinda like nail biting. Ooopps... that's my problem. And, nothing has kept me from biting my nails... lol
Best of luck and let me know what works for Dakota.
Joy & Champ
Hi Shari,
Bones and other high resource items like stuffed kongs are somewhat "sacred" and even dogs who live well together should not be placed in a position of competition around them.
When you stuff the Kong, coat the inside with a wet food, cream cheese works well.
For walks, try an aromatic meat, like chicken sausages---chicken feta is always a favorite. The same might work with the fit pad.
Good Luck,
Cynthia
1 Guest(s)
