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
Hi,
Porthos had his amputation 4 days ago, he is doing well, walking, eating, drinking (no pooping as of yet) I have him confined to our bedroom during the day, he is resting mostly at this point.
I was going to take my daughters to kindy tomorrow morning, it is a 20 minuet drive each way, is it too soon to leave Porthos by him self? I dont have to take my daughters to kindy this week, I just wanted to get them out of the house for a while! maybe give Porthos some peace and quite.
Thank you!
Amanda
Angel Porthos, Pyrenean Mastiff, 7 years old Os front right leg, DX 18 May 2012, Amputation 14 June 2012, Hip Dysplasia, Two TPLO surgeries. Is now somewhere over the rainbow, 21 November 2013.
I'm sure he will be fine for a bit by himself just confine him to a small room while you are gone. How is he doing otherwise?
He seems a little down, resting mostly, he still has a great apatite though, drinking more water than usual, walking outside to pee.
We took the drain out today, its still dripping quite a bit, im wondering if thats normal?
If he still seems depressed in the morning and if the opening of the wound is still dripping then I wont take my daughters to kindy. They are 2 & 3 years old and quite noisy! even though they cant physically get to Porthos, im sure he can hear them!
Angel Porthos, Pyrenean Mastiff, 7 years old Os front right leg, DX 18 May 2012, Amputation 14 June 2012, Hip Dysplasia, Two TPLO surgeries. Is now somewhere over the rainbow, 21 November 2013.
As long as the discharge isn't thick or smelly I think it is pretty normal- and seems pretty common in the bigger dogs for some reason. Of course- call your vet if you are concerned.
Line his areas with washable blankets, and/or use some absorbent pads to collect the mess. When Maggie became incontinent I bought those big pads at the drugstore for incontinent adults and lined all the places she would lay down. A bit easier when you are lining pug sized spaces though 
.
If he is eating and drinking and peeing he sounds like he is doing well.
Â
I think it would be OK to leave Porthos while you take the kids to school. Also a thought on the kids- is Porthos used to being with them? It might help perk up his mood if the kids had supervised visits with him. Maggie really would perk up when my Dad visited her.
Â
Karen and the pugapalooza
I think Karen's advice is spot-on. Maybe he just needs a visit from the kids to perk him up a bit
Drainage is pretty normal, it happened to me for about a week after my surgery. Especially with larger dogs, all that fluid that used to circulate through the leg needs somewhere to go once the leg is gone. Sometimes it takes a while to work its way out or reabsorb into the body, and like Karen said, as long as it's not smelly or bloody, it's probably fine. If the wound is looking OK, not irritated or oozing, you're on a good path right now.Â
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Oh, I just commented on the drainage thing in your other post.
And, yes, a little kid time might perk him up! Visits from others was the only thing that perked Abby up.
Also, I think he'll be fine alone for a short time. Let us know when that first poop happens!
Jackie
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!
Porthos didnt have a great night last night, lots of painting and he seemed uncomfortable. He is ok this morning, but I think I will stay home today just in case.
The drainage seems to have almost stopped, so thats something.
My daughters LOVE him! especially my two year old, I will give him a visti from them today to see if that cheers him up a bit.
Â
Thanks everyone!
Amanda
Angel Porthos, Pyrenean Mastiff, 7 years old Os front right leg, DX 18 May 2012, Amputation 14 June 2012, Hip Dysplasia, Two TPLO surgeries. Is now somewhere over the rainbow, 21 November 2013.
We, too, had little ones when Scout had his amputation and we never separated him from the kids-- he loved people and would have been so very depressed to be isolated from the kids. I think the depression is far worse than any injury your kids might do-- especially if you are there with them. Let them snuggle up with him-- it will do him wonders and they won't hurt him, trust me. My kids were home sick with a stomach bug days after Scout's amputation, and I have some treasured pics of the kids and Scout sleeping together on the living room floor.
Scout: January 31, 2002 to November 7, 2011
Scout's diagnosis was "poorly differentiated sarcoma"; amputation 1/11/2011. Scout enjoyed 9 fantastic years on 4 legs and 9 glorious months on 3 legs. If love alone could have saved you…
I agree with everyone else our kids were 5 and 2 when Kayla had her amp and she loved being with them. She spends all her time following the kids around outside (if you need to find them you just call the dog and you get a rough idea of where they are). Treat him like you normally would and he will (hopefully ) behave as he normally would. As pack leader he looks to you and if you aren't worried and treating him as usual then he will feel that everything is normal.
Sarah
A couple of days before his surgery Porthos was laying down in the living room, my youngest daughter just walked past him (by his tumor leg) and he groweled at her, I mean really growled and kind of went to snap at her.
I took this to mean that he was in alot of pain and was warning her to stay away, I moved him into the kitchen area and told my daughter that Porthos has a boo boo and we need to let him rest.
Ive been a little worried about letting them near him while he is recovering in case he is in pain or the tramol is making him act differently, he is a big dog and could really hurt someone if he bit them.
I will see how he is today and will maybe let them visit him one by one (they normally charge at him yelling "big Booooooy!!) so maybe just for a few minuets each and see how he does.
Thank you all so much for your advice, lord knows it helps to be able chat with you all.
Angel Porthos, Pyrenean Mastiff, 7 years old Os front right leg, DX 18 May 2012, Amputation 14 June 2012, Hip Dysplasia, Two TPLO surgeries. Is now somewhere over the rainbow, 21 November 2013.
That totally makes sense that you kept them apart if he growled at her. Some folks have mentioned their dogs growling or showing their teeth for a few days post-op. I think it is similar to how Abby wanted to go off and be by herself. Our vet said the theory is that it goes back to their little wolfy instincts - back in the pack days, you couldn't show that you were hurt or not feeling like your usual strong self, so you go off by yourself when you don't feel good (like Abby did) or you growl to show you are still a tough guy (like Porthos). Hopefully since he's feeling a bit better now, he'll enjoy a nice calm visit from each of the kids.
Let us know how it goes. Hope it helps perk him up. 🙂
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!
Hi Amanda,
I was really worried about leaving Tango alone as well, but the advice here worked well. IÂ blocked off his space to keep him safe, and left a Kong with some peanut butter, Came back 30 minutes later, he was happy to see me, but prettychilled out. I just treated it like a normal leaving-the-house (except for the barricade) and he did what he always does-napped and waited for me to bring home treats.
Â
I hope Porthos cheers up soon!
1 Guest(s)
