Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi All-
THis is my first venture into blogging and such.
My Irish Setter, François, came home today after having his right front leg amputated. He has been diagnosed with osteosarcoma.
He is still pretty zonked from the fentinyl patch, and his other pain meds-tramadol and rimadyl. His legs are like rubber bands and he is reluctant to stand..even when I try and help him. He seems to be in too much pain to want to try and do much other than allow me to bring him water to drink and tempt him with homemade food bits.
Is all this normal? Is it too soon to hope that he would be up and around?
Mary
Hi Mary and François,
Welcome to Tripawds. We know you're going through a lot of emotional and ruff times right now but we'll do our best to make the journey easier for you.
Mary, first off...breathe. Yes, from what you've described this sounds very normal. Remember, François has been through major surgery and he is still doped up. I'm assuming he spent last night in the hospital, correct? Keep in mind the first couple of days can be like this, full of ups and downs, wobbly legs and lots of sleep. To get a good idea of what to expect please check out our Required Reading List and if you choose, download our eBook, "Three Legs and a Spare" for more in-depth information.
Keep your vet's phone number handy just in case, but it sounds like he just needs time to sleep and recover. If he is drinking water, that's a good sign. As for food, many dogs dont' want to eat a whole lot for the first couple of days. Most dogs are up and about doing very minimal activity within a day or two. It's good to get them moving around a bit within a day or so, not too much, but just enough to help them get used to their new physique, say, walking to their food bowl. For more tips, check out these videos.
I'm betting by Monday he'll be walking and getting around far better than he is tonight. If you have any doubts at all though, do call your vet and let them know what's going on. Keep good notes about his behavior so you can describe it to them.
Relax and know that this is only temporary. Recovery is the pits but it's not forever. Keep us posted.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi Mary! Welcome to the club you didn't want to join! The next few days may not be the happiest of your life, but they certainly are temporary. We're only 6 weeks out from our front amputation (spindle cell sarcoma), but so far so good. Hopefully things will be getting better by the first of the week, though you will have some peaks and valleys over the next couple of weeks.
Keep us posted on how things are going, and make sure you let us know about milestones: first piddle, first poop, one week, two weeks, etc. We celebrate absolutely everything here!
Shari and Dakota
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/
Welcome Mary and François to Tripawds!
So very sorry about François' diagnoses. It's all very scary at first. As Jerry and Dakota said, it's gonna be a bit ruff at first. It's a super major surgery to recover from and you'll be nurse for awhile but it does get better!
We'll be rooting for you guys all the way! Don't hesitate to come over and ask questions. We may not be vets but we can give lots of support and advice from our experiences. (we do have one vet on board actually, Dr. Pam user: tazziedog)
Best wishes! And yes, we celebrate with treats, ice cream, cheese and sometimes green beans! (not a big favorite at my house)
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.
Welcome to the family. Boy does that sound familiar, rubbery legs, doesn't want to stand, to much pain, oh what a night that was,I swore the next morning I'd never do THAT again, oh, sorry, we're talking dogs here!!! I can't tell you about the side effects of the patch, but I know several here have used them. Gus was actually looking pretty good when he came home, he even had to hop up on the counter in the vets office when they brought him out to see what was going on, but about a day or so later he crashed, sort of anyhow. His appettite was so-so, restless, lots of heavy panting, he was on tramadol, rimidyl, then a few days later he started having phantom pain so we started him on gabapentin. He had trouble with Tramadol, so we took him off that and he did seem better, but the phantom pain stayed with him for about 4 weeks. That only happened a couple times a day, but the ups and downs were pretty normal the first couple weeks, but I'd say by week three he was showing nice improvement every day. Grab some sleep if you get the chance, you may not get much these next couple. These guys usually won't be themselves for awhile, but once the meds leave their system they start being themselves again, just don't expect it to happen at least for a couple weeks. don't be afraid to ask anything, experience gives the best answers, good luck, Paws up, Spirit Gus and Dan
My buddy Gus had a left front amputation on April 7, 2010 and lived a great life until July 26,2010
What a glorious morning!!!
I slept on the couch so I could be near François, should he need me. This morning, I let my other dogs out. François laid there wagging his tail furiously.....and next thing I knew, he was trying to get up. I helped him and he started growling and moaning. But we persevered and he stood....gingerly at first.
I used the sling around his neck to steady and guide him...slowly we made it outside, but not in the dog area. He just stood there and did nothing. I left him and walked a couple of steps away and he turned and started to follow me. We came back into the house (on his own as he did not want my interference) and he wanted to go out into the dog yard. He made his way to the door and I let him out and he hobbled over to his spot and peed for 5 minutes....all the while wagging his tail.
He seemed so proud of himself...and I was so happy to see him gaining his strength and coming back into the kennel and letting everyone know the king was back.
He ate a fair amount of breakfast and drank water and then went back to his spot in my living room. What a dog!!!
Like everyone said, he will do it in his own time. What a great and caring group to share our journey with. I am so glad I found you all.
Mary
First pee! Yay! Ok, gotta go find a low-cal treat for my guys. They already got their morning Velveeta (to hide that blasted pill), so maybe an apple? Good job, King! When the other milestones come, let us know so we can pass out the yummies!
Shari and Dakota (and the monkeydog)
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,
As everyone else has said, the first two weeks are a challenge. But it does get better. Each dog is different. but all recuperate in their own time. Just be patient and leave the expectations out.
Everyone here is great and has lots of experiences and suggestions. Just ask away and best of luck to you both.
Joy & Champ
We had lots of ups and downs and still are! But every day is a blessing we get to share together!
It took about 3 weeks to really see his "Budness" back in tact. Francios tail wagging is great news!
Paws Up you two!
Hi Mary and Francois,
Welcome to tripawds.
Well, you have already seen the ups and downs most of us experienced after amputation surgery. First pee, tail wagging, and eating are all cause for celebration! Hopefully Francois sails through recovery- but be prepared for some down time just in case.
Karen and the pugapalooza
We're glad you fund us too! Sounds like the King is doing as well as can be expected.
Please keep in mind that helping him too much (like every time you think he may need help) can make him dependent upon your assistance, and make for a long difficult recovery. As Dr. Walman mentions in the CARE videos Jerry linked to, if you want life to be normal again, you must act as though life is normal. As she says, a little tough love can go a long way.
Thanks for the update, please keep us posted.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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