Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi, i'm new to this forum and our 6 yr. old doberman, Kaiser, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma on 8/30 and had front leg amputation surgery last week on Monday, 9/9. His recovery has been rough, he was kept at the surgical center for two nights due to him not walking or eating. He finally was able to walk, eat and potty and returned home on Wednesday, 9/11. We started him on gabapentin, rimadyl and trazadone, however, the trazadone made him sick so we had to stop that anti-anxiety medication. He stopped eating his kibble, so we tried boiled chicken, rice and pumpkin. He ate the chicken and pumpkin but not the rice. We then tried boiled chicken, sweet potatoes and some boiled eggs which he ate. The surgeon recommended Benadryl as an alternative to the trazadone to help relax him and get more sleep. He also developed a little bit of infection at the incision site which the surgeon prescribed antibiotics(cefpodoxime). We seemed to have turned the corner over the weekend as he was eating, drinking, getting up and going outside for potty breaks. However, starting today, Monday 9/16, he has loss of appetite of all his favorites(boiled chicken, sweet potatoes, boiled eggs and pumpkin). He only ate a few bites early this morning and won't drink any water and has refused to eat anymore as of later this morning. He had his morning potty breaks(normal pee and poop). He seems more lethargic, depressed and whiny today. Could the antibiotics and benadryl cause him to have a loss of appetite and not drink water? Any other ideas on getting him to eat and drink water? We have tried most of the recommended food options as well as spiking his water with a little chicken broth or gatorade. Those options are not working today. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Hi Matt and Kaiser.
You've come to the right place for support, information and understanding from those who have been where you are. Your post has been approved so ask any questions and just know that we are here to help you.
Couple of quick questions first, how much does Kaiser weigh? What are the doses and frequencies of the meds that he is on now? What's his activity level like? Have the antibiotics improved the infection appearance on the incision?
It's still very, very early in recovery. I know it's hard to be patient during these first two weeks. Just remember, recovery doesnt last furever!!!
Some things to celebrate......he's pooping and peeing.....he's mobile even if it's just a few hops here and there and, even though it's not consistent, he is eating "some".
Regarding drinking, FWIW my Happy Hannah had to have her water brought to her and I had to entice her with "flavoring" to make her drink during recovery. Her "flavoring" that finally worked was a scoop of ice cream!! I would give her a taste of the ice cream on a spoon......sort of led her nose/mouth to the water as I stirred the remaining ice cream in the water. Yes....ice cream was her motivation!!!
The meds and especially the antibiotic can definately interfere with appetite sometimes. As far as the Benadryl, I know it makes me sleepy and, of I do have to take it, I only do it at night.
Obvioisly not a Vet and not giving Bet advice, but unless he's really extra hyper, it doesn't"t sound like he needs anything the Traz (which you already stopped) or Benadryl anymore..
Being whiny can definitely be a sign of pain. pain management can be tricky at first and may need some tweaking. It may be he needs a bigger does or more frequency, etc. (Of course, only with Vet approval) Keep tabs on when his dose wears off and see of his pain signals show up before his next dose. Or does he seem uncomfortable even after his dose?
As far as earing.....give him anything he'll eat for now. The chicken seemed to work for awhile. Try anything with melted chesse.scrambled eggs, cheese pizza, ,macaroni and cheese. stinky licerwurst, steak, cheeseburgers....you get the point. Maybe skip the pumpkin for now as he is pooping.
Does he show signs of nausea.....turn his head away ...lick his lips, etc. The Vet can prescribe an anti nausea or even an appetite stimulant if neccessary..
Overall, based on what you've said, Kaiser's recovery with some ups and downs doesn't sound too unusual this early. Of course, you'll want to make sure the infection is being handled, no fever, etc.
Update when you lcan. You're doing a great job!!!
Hugs
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
Hi,
Thanks for the reply and advice! He's 95 lbs. The antibiotics are helping and incision looks good. As for the pain meds, the surgeon increased the gabapentin dosage to 600 mg every 6 hours. His activity is just going outside for potty breaks 3-4 times a day. No nausea at the moment. I was able to get him to eat some oatmeal and turkey baby food with crushed ice! So, at least he is eating something and getting hydration now. We are gonna get some appetite stimulate meds from the surgeon just in case. What's weird is he won't eat out of his food bowl or off a plate anymore, hand feeding him is the only way he will eat now. We read a lot of posts in the forum to help us prepare for this difficult recovery time but until you experience you are never fully prepared. Thanks again for helping us through this journey!
The antibiotics are helping and incision looks good. As for the pain meds, the surgeon increased the gabapentin dosage to 600 mg every 6 hours. His activity is just going outside for potty breaks 3-4 times a day.
Good news about the incision and the upped pain dosage sounds good too. Yeah, if it was lower than that before it may not have been as effective for a 95 lb pupper. If you find that for some reason this isnt helping, you can also ask about adding Amantadine into the mix.
What's weird is he won't eat out of his food bowl or off a plate anymore, hand feeding him is the only way he will eat now
Actually, not too weird during recovery😉 We do find that sometimes dogs won't eat out of their food bowl and do want to be hand fed. You can provide some "-tough love" later and stop hand feeding him, but not now. A little extra TLC is a good thing right now.
but until you experience you are never fully prepared
Yep!!! Its quite exhausting emotionally and physically getting to this point. Reading about the recovery and experiencing it can feel like worlds apart sometimes. With this community you will never feel like you are an island alone.
You've got this!!!
Hugs
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
Hey Matt, I'm glad that Kaiser is doing a little better. This is such an up and down kind of ride, and what you're describing isn't uncommon. Between the pain meds, an infection, and the sheer exhaustion of learning to move on three (especially larger dogs), it's typical to see a dog have these challenges. As long as you are jotting down symptoms and communicating them to your vet, you're both in a good place.
The hand feeding is helpful, but don't do it too long or he will get used to is. As a therapist once told us, a little tough love goes a long way. Once you know he's willing to eat and more enthused about it, try holding his bowl to get him to eat out of there, and then slowly start returning it to his normal spot.
Also, don't mix pain meds with his usual meals. You can put them in anything super yummy and tempting. Just don't turn him off of his normal meals by sticking the pills in there, because he'll smell them and not want to eat.
Let us know how tomorrow goes OK?
Hi, thank you for the excellent advice! Kaiser is doing much better today, his eating and drinking is getting back to somewhat normal. The appetite stimulate is working and he is eating out of his food bowl. He drank water yesterday but this morning he refuses to drink, so we'll keep working on that. The incision looks good and staples come out on Friday. We had a canine rehab therapist stop by to work on some exercises with him and he responded very well! Gobbling down salmon treats while she worked on exercises to strengthen his back legs, work on active range of motion of the limbs, backwards walking, as well as some nice massage of the legs, shoulder and back. It was amazing watching him complete the exercises a week after surgery! He was sooo tired! Overall, we're making progress and want to thank the Tripawds community for all the advice and words of encouragement. We realize we have a lot of work ahead and are taking things day by day but are encouraged with Kaiser's progress so far. Thanks again!
Oh my gosh these are all GREAT signs that he's on the right track!
I love that you had a therapist visit you. Mobile therapists are heroes!
You are so welcome for the help. Anytime, that's why we are here. We are really really happy to know Kaiser is doing so well. Keep us updated.
No better feeling than when you finally start to see some improvement! Remember, every "little" improvement during recovery is a HUGE IMPROVEMENT!!!
So glad you had such a good rehab visit at home. It sounds like he really nailed all of the programs she put him through. Yes, I bet he is tired!
Thanks for the update, Im really glad to hear how things have gotten better so quickly. Of course, I know it didn't feel quick to you, but it really has been a pretty fast turnaround!
Hugs
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
Hi
So sorry to hear Kaiser and you have to go through this. However, I am very happy to hear he is doing better.
As others have said it just takes time. My 55 lb lab had his right back leg amputated on 7/1/24. He has always been very food motivated. He ate but i did have to bring the food to him for a while and change up our eating process for a little bit. He also changed his sleeping habits and sleeping places for a while. It just seemed like he wasn’t going to be the same and it made me very sad. I am happy to say that as of today he is 100% back to himself and acts completely like he did before. He is doing the same crazy goofy stuff he did before. He had some complications that caused his recovery to take a bit longer so he wasn’t able to be on the complete mend until mid August. When I was in the middle of his recovery I just could not fathom him being the same happy go lucky pup he was before or even myself not feeling overwhelming worry and anxiety about him Now that we have moved past the recovery… I find it hard to remember how I felt during his recovery. It sounds like you and Kaiser will get there soon….it just takes time and patience. Good luck!
When I was in the middle of his recovery I just could not fathom him being the same happy go lucky pup he was before or even myself not feeling overwhelming worry and anxiety about him Now that we have moved past the recovery… I find it hard to remember how I felt during his recovery.
So well said Amy!
Hearing from a member like with first hand experience to share is so important. Yoi are proof recovery doesnt last furever!
Hugs
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
Hi, thanks everyone for the words of encouragement! I'm happy to report that Kaiser is pretty much back to his normal self. His staples were removed this past Friday, 9/20 and he is back to normal eating and drinking habits and Tripawd hopping around fairly well. We are doing his rehab exercises everyday and are seeing progress each day. Also, we started chemo(carboplatin) yesterday and so far no side effects. Also, he received his first EGFR/HER2 Yale vaccine injection. I will make posts in the Chemotherapy: How Did Your Tripawd Handle It? feed to note his progress and can post in the EGFR/HER2 Yale vaccine feed to note his progress with the vaccine. Thank you again Tripawd community for the wonderful support!
Even though we say "recovery doesnt last furever, it just seems like ot", until you get past recovery the words ring hollow. Your update on Kaiser is just more "evidence" dogs really do return to their Happy, normal selves.
Looking forward to the updates on the chemo and vaccine e. Tha ks for being willing to share the progress.
Extra smooches for Kaiser from all pf us!
Hugs
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
Awww super glad to know things are going great! 
Kaiser is so strong and resilient. He is having the recovery we all hope for, and the therapy that is so promising we hope with all our hearts he gets lots more hoppy days ahead because of it. Thank you for keeping us posted on chemotherapy and the vaccine in those other topics. It will help so many people in the future.
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