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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Hey guys,
I have a six year old boxer mix who was diagnosed with fibrosarcoma on tuesday. Thursday she had her front right leg amputated and is currently snoozing on her bed next to me with a t-shirt and her brand new ruff-wear harness (thanks to the tripawds site for all the info. So far it's working out great, i only wish i could've afforded the two-parter one with the extra hip support for lifting!)
She's currently on tramadol TID, gabapentin TID, rimadyl BID, and cephalexin BID. I'm also keeping up with her regular joint supplement.
The thing i'm concerned about with shelby is that she has a weak back left ACL (partial torn with some calcification to the joint,) and obviously if something happens, she no longer has that extra leg to support herself with. Knee replacement surgery WAS in the works, but the sarcoma came up literally over the course of two and a half weeks. It was incredibly aggressive and I knew that I'd rather have her alive and deal with the issue of the ACL than euthanize my otherwise healthy, happy dog. So far, things look good. It doesn't appear to have spread beyond the leg we removed. We sent off the core of the tumor, as well as a biopsy taken of the lymph nodes closest to the affected limb. We'll get word on Monday or Tuesday as to the results of those biopsies, but as of right now the cancer has not metasticized anywhere else in her body. (hooray!)
So my question is, does anyone else have any experience with amputations in dogs whose mobility was already partially compromised in another limb? What should i watch for in her gait? Of course she kind of bobbles around now, so it's hard to tell if she's trying to favor her leg or if her prior condition is being aggravated by her loss of limb. Any advice would be greatly appreciated, also if you have any good, clear video of your front leg amputees hoppin' around, i'd greatly appreciate a link to it. I'd like to have something to which i can compare Shelby's walk.
Thanks so much!
-Gina & Shelby
Hi Gina and Shelby,
Welcome to Tripawds. My pug girl was a rear amp and we were fortunate to not have any issues with her remaining legs.
You should hear from Angel Comet dog. She had a deformed front leg and lived until she was 12. She had both of her back legs surgically repaired.
You also should search the forums . I remember Chuy who is a front amp and had his back legs worked on.
As far as videos go- check out Jerry's Tripawd YouTube channel. All kinds of videos there.
You won't have to wait for your new posts to be moderated, only the first one has to wait.
Karen and the pugapalooza
Offline
Welcome, Gina and Shelby! ACL talk is pretty popular around here. There was a recent thread about prevention, I think. We have a new member who had a front amputation and ACL repair at the same time. Their story is here: http://dakotagi.....011/09/05/
We have a lot of videos showing various tripawd gaits. There is a tripawds youtube channel, as well. I'm sure people will link some to you, but for now you might benefit from reading the other Dakota (mine is a male Dakota) blog.
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/
Gina,
It was a tough decision but when the vet said she would will go as far as we'd take her our decision was made. We could still not really imagine how she was going to get around but the vets at CSU and our primary Vet all said that when a dog has the will and spirit they will figure it out. Dakota was seen by three surgeons whom all had a different sequence of how they would handle her case. We could tell that her back leg could not support the weight with the injury. Do we really felt that doing both at the same time was the best decision for her. It turns out she had a complete rupture of the ligament and menescus so she was very unstable with her knee.
What we just cannot believe is how great she is doing with the amputation and knee. The healing of the back knee is the longer recovery because of they surgery involved. We have no regrets and are so proud of how she is doing (slow mind you but still gerat). She is not back to her ole self yet but we know she will be.
Best to you and Shelby. Glad you found this website, it has a strong community of supporters of fellow pawrents.
Amy & Darren & Dakota
Amy and Darren,
Thanks for coming over to the forums and posting here.
Just so you know- your future posts will not require moderation- only the first one has to wait.
Best to Dakota on her recovery.
Karen and the pugapalooza
Welcome Gina and Shelby,
It is really tough making these choices for our babies. I am glad you found us here! I don't have experience with ACL tears or anything like that but it seems we have had several who have, so hopefully they will post here too.
I just wanted to welcome you,
Elizabeth and Sammy
Diagnosed with osteosarcoma in the right front leg 8/23/10,
leg fractured 8/27/10,
leg amputated 8/30/10
http://sammyand.....pawds.com/
I couldn't begin to say how special Sammy is to us. Living and laughing with and loving this wonderful boy is priceless.
Thanks guys!
She had the amp AND the knee replacement at the same time?! Holy smokes! I don't think that would have been an option for my girl, though. She needed to have the amputation THAT DAY, and it would've been impossible to get the ortho surgeon in there in time. The cancer went from non-existent to debilitating in less than a week, and in my mind and also in my vet's mind, time was absolutely of the essence. Unfortunately, I'm also in that lovely broke-college-student phase of life, and the nearly $1k vet bill Shelby already has is definitely keeping me from being able to put down an additional $1,300 for the second surgery. Thankfully, she's at the clinic where I worked for well over two years, so the owner is working on a payment plan with me and allowing me to return to work at the clinic for a bit in order to help pay things off. The ortho, however, doesn't work with the clinic directly. He comes in to perform surgeries and then the clinic bills on his behalf. There's no working things off there ;(
My main issue is trying to identify whether or not she's favoring a leg when she's missing one! The hop is impossible to distinguish from a limp!
Gina
dakotagirldog said:
Gina,
What we just cannot believe is how great she is doing with the amputation and knee. The healing of the back knee is the longer recovery because of they surgery involved. We have no regrets and are so proud of how she is doing (slow mind you but still gerat). She is not back to her ole self yet but we know she will be.
Also, thank you everyone else who's posted in here. I appreciate the support. Shelby's a strong girl and has a great attitude- she's already up and bouncing around. (She's not pooping though which bothers me a little..) That's pretty much the root of my concern. She IS a strong girl, and the last thing she wants to do is slow down. I have to keep her from running and she's only 48 hrs post op!
Oh the pooping is such a big deal here that we celebrate first poops (and pees) with ice cream! That should tell you that it's not really anything to worry about. It'll happen.
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/
Speaking of poopin', i suppose it's time i take her back outside to see if i can coax her into a squat...
Dakota Dawg said:
Oh the pooping is such a big deal here that we celebrate first poops (and pees) with ice cream! That should tell you that it's not really anything to worry about. It'll happen.
Shari
I don't have any experience with knee troubles plus amp, as our front leg amp girl is quite young, and - except for that pesky cancer thing - in otherwise great health. But just wanted to welcome you to the site. It's the site no one wants to join, but everyone is glad they did. I don't think you'll find a better, more supportive group online! And some of the folks are also darn funny which helps when dealing with this crappy disease.
And, yes, we do indeed celebrate the first poops! I still remember Abby's... good times.
All the best to Shelby (she looks like Abby's best friend, a boxer named Dakota),
Jackie, Abby's mom
Abby: Aug 1, 2009 – Jan 10, 2012. Our beautiful rescue pup lived LARGE with osteosarcoma for 15 months – half her way-too-short life. I think our "halflistic" approach (mixing traditional meds + supplements) helped her thrive. (PM me for details. I'm happy to help.) She had lung mets for over a year. They took her from us in the end, but they cannot take her spirit! She will live forever in our hearts. She loved the beach and giving kisses and going to In-N-Out for a Flying Dutchman. Tripawds blog, and a more detailed blog here. Please also check out my novel, What the Dog Ate. Now also in paperback! Purchase it at Amazon via Tripawds and help support Tripawds!
What's with all the Dakotas? They're all over the place! Mine was named after the place we found him dumped. Are all the others from South Dakota, too?
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/
Gina and Shelby,
Welcome! As you've seen, there are some fantastic folks here that you can lean on. We're glad you found Tripawds and the Webmaster harness useful. I'm betting that in a few more days, there's no stopping your girl!
We've had many dogs here with pre-existing conditions in other legs before and even after having the amputation. Search for "ACL" and you'll find tons of stories here. Max is one dog I'm thinking of, who had bi-lateral hip replacements before his amp, and Tazziedog, a Mastiff who owned Dr. Wiltzius, Tripawds' favorite vet, also had an ACL surgery before her amp (sorry, tried searching for the post where she mentioned it but I can't find it right now).
As far as the Tripawd Hop, it will be hard to make any calls right now about whether or not she is using her natural gait or limping, it's too soon after surgery (I think). Give it a few weeks to see how she's doing. Whatever physical therapy you can do at home will really help. See these video interviews with California Animal Rehab for more info and tips.
By the way, you are super special for sticking with your girl even as a broke college student! It's not an easy place to be in!
Good luck this week, keep us posted.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
we had an acl scare and our vet had suggested the possibility of an Atrac knee brace...perhaps it may be another option for you rather than surgery. You could ask your vet or check it out at woundwear.com
well wishes for recovery!
Welcome to our Tripawd family! I don't have any experience with acl issues or problems with another limb, but just wanted to say hello & welcome. Please keep us posted on Shelby, especially about the pooping! Then we can all celebrate!!!!
Sending you many golden hugs.
Cathy
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