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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Are there anyone whose pets' surgery was done by a general vet with lots of orthopedic experience, instead of board certified surgeons? If yes, can you please share your experiences? Would you take your pet home the same day, transfer to an ER for overnight monitoring, or leave him/her at the hospital without monitoring for up to 7 hours?
Thanks a lot for your advice!
Hi Bean.
Welcome! Your future posts won't need to wait for approval so post away.
I would say that most people go with a general vet, since specialists are in short supply. But our advice (and that of many vets) is to never ever leave your dog or cat alone overnight for any amount of time after a major surgery like this. A vet who cannot do overnight care is not an uncommon situation, and it doesn't make them unqualified to do the amputation. But when a situation like that happens, the patient is better off with their humans, or being transferred to a 24/7 clinic.
But honestly, if you have a choice, you really want to go with the vet who is best equipped to handle your cat or dog's overall situation. Tell us more about why you're asking. Does your dog or cat have a complex health situation? The more details the more we can help.
I'll have some links to share in a bit when I'm back at my desk, about choosing a vet. Stay tuned!
Online
The only thing I'll add is that my regular Vet did do amputations but did not like to do them on " larger" dogs. Guess he had about thirty/forty years experience. My Hapoy Hannah weighed about 125 lbs at time of her amputation and he referred her out to an Orthopedic Surgeon with 24/7 care.
Is amputation due to osteosarcoma?
We'll look for your update and will help you in anyway we can.
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!
Thank you both. Yes, the amputation is due to Osteosarcoma. Bean is our dog's name :). He is 2 years old and about 80 lbs. He is otherwise pretty healthy without any other underlying health issues. We do have access to two ERs with specialists, but we are leaning toward another hospital (let us say Hospital C) as the price different is pretty steep($5000-$6000 vs $1000-$2000). Hospital C is locally owned and has been around for many years (40-50) with great reviews. They have many Vets but the Dr we are working with does most of the orthopedic surgeries, including ACL and amputations, though probably not as many as the specialists. My biggest concern, as you both mentioned, is that they don't have 24hr monitoring as they close at midnight, hence the 7 hours gap.
Also are there big differences between general vet vs specialist, with the former essentially trained on the job with years of experiences?
Any suggestions?
Thanks a lot!
Well hello Mr, Bean! Love the name.
Yes, we all understand the financial constraints involved in this type of surgery, or in any type of surgery.
While I can't address the specific differences between the training of a specialist and a vet, I do agree that many years of experience indeed counts as a positive. Some areas don't even have specialists within a reasonable distance or 24-hour care. So it's certainly not unheard of to go with an experience veterinarian and bring your dog home the same day of surgery. The main thing would be you would have a telephone number for him or her should need it. It's definitely not easy bringing them home the same day as they are shaking off the anesthesia, usually quite restless and whiny, Etc, not always though.
Anyway, we,will all be here right by your side to help you navigate through those first several days of recovery. Bean will need to only go out for short least potty breaks and come right back in for rest and more rest. He may not have his sea legs yet when you first bring him home so you might want to get some puppy pee pads to place under him if he's not able to stand on his own the first night or so. Drinking and peeing will be important, but he may not feel like eating much and he may not poop for a couple of days. That's all normal.
Will be here to support you and help you navigate through the recovery. It's not easy for the first week or two, but recovery doesn't last forever. Thanks for your feedback and let us know how we can help further.
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!
Bean, my dog (58lb) went to a regular vet who does lots of surgeries and amputations. He had surgery on Friday (Dec. 9th) late day, and stayed overnight for 3 nights. They had someone there that night and are open on Saturdays so he had good care that day too. Then a vet tech comes on Sunday for the day, to feed and he they took him out 3 x a day. I felt very comfortable with them and they called me often to let me know how he was doing. I was glad they kept him over the weekend to monitor him. But you have to be comfortable as well. I asked this vet how many amputations she had done. I had had a bad experience at the vet oncologist he had been seeing so being in an office that was professional and responded immediately to my concerns was reassuring. The vet called me when she was getting ready for the surgery and also after to let me know how he did. They had him on a fetanyl drip for about 24 hrs then other pain meds.
Best of luck to you.
Patti,
Thank you for sharing your experience with me. That is very helpful. It is great that your dog was monitored at the vet for three days and was well taken care of after the surgery. I myself is pretty scared at the idea of taking care of my dog Bean right after such a major surgery.
Did your dog have a full or partial amputation? The orthopedic surgeon suggests full, and the general vet suggests high femur. I am also trying to get myself educated from the following link:
https://tripawd.....mputation/
Thanks!
Li
Oh Li I'm so sorry about your dog's diagnosis! Our Jerry had the same one. If it's any comfort he lived 2 years beyond diagnosis so you just never know!
About the surgeon: having a good relationship with your current vet is worth its weight in gold. Have you asked the vet how many amputations a year s/he does? That is where I would go next. No, they may not do nearly as many as the specialist, but if they're doing at least several a year, I would probably feel OK about that but ONLY if the vet is practicing current pain management (see link for lots of info about what that entails).
The no overnight care shouldn't be a dealbreaker IF you are prepared to be with your dog during the difficult first 48 hours after surgery, and your home is easy enough for the recovery ward (traction on floors, easy way to access a potty spot, no stairs). You can expect lots of dysmorphia, anxiety, whining, maybe some crying. Generally no sleep at all. And you REALLY want to be sure your dog will get the most current pain management , which will make or break recovery for any patient.
Many folks here either didn't have access to a vet with 24/7 care, or opted to use their family vet. They did the overnight care after surgery, but it isn't easy and can be tough on a pet parent. So if you are nervous and squeamish about that level of care, you can ask your vet to refer you to a 24/7 ER clinic where you dog can be taken. You will most likely have to play ambulance though, both after surgery, and when returning your dog to the vet for a post-op re-check in the morning.
Otherwise, I would go with the specialty center that can offer more comprehensive care.
As for full or partial amputation, the current thinking is that a full amputation is best for overall recovery, IF a prosthetic leg is not in the pet's future. With your dog having osteosarcoma, if the tumor is too high up, then a prosthetic is probably not an option. The type of amputation is something that has to be decided before surgery.
Thank you. That is very encouraging and we are also hoping that Bean will be able to enjoy a longer pain free life due to his younger age.
No, prosthetic leg is not in the picture. His tumor is located at the top of tibia. So both full leg and high femur amputation are reasonable options. Per my understanding, full leg amputation is more complicated with higher risk of bleeding. Does it actually lead to faster recovery with less complications?
Thanks again for all your help!
You are so welcome.
Honestly I have not heard about a higher risk of bleeding with a full foreleg amputation, but what is more common in front-leggers are seroma fluid build ups. Not a big deal but they can be icky with fluid leakage. Nothing to panic about though.
I would say that a large percentage of partial limb recoveries we see here do tend to have wound healing issues.
You are talking about a rear amputation- correct?
Assuming that is true then I'm not sure you get to choose what type of amputation is performed- the surgeon does what they are trained on and comfortable with. You could ask them though.
I've had two rear amp dogs, both small pups. Maggie the TriPug lost her rear leg to a mast cell tumor. Her surgeon did what they called a mid-femoral amputation. I wasn't given any options- but back then (2006) I wouldn't have known the difference anyway. The surgeon told me at the time that he did that surgery because it was faster and easier so that Maggie wouldn't be under as long. Maggie's tumor was in her knee so that still gave enough margin. Mid-femoral is a bit misleading as they only left a little piece of the femur and wrapped it in muscle. You couldn't see it except when she moved it- and then it only looked like the muscle moving.
Now I have a Pug-mix named Elly who lost her rear leg when she was 7 months old after being hit by a car. Her femur was broken in a couple of places and so she had a full amputation of her femur.
In my opinion with my small sample size of two the mid-femoral amputation is better- but I believe that goes against the current practice. Maggie had a better base to sit and her back was more stable. Elly's back end gyrates much more when she hops along and I think it's because her back end is so unbalanced. Maggie lived almost 4 years after her amp and never had any issues with her amp side or her remaining back leg. Elly has been on three for 7.5 years now. When I first adopted her she wouldn't sit on hard surfaces and she didn't like me to touch anywhere near her amp site. Elly has had one injury to her remaining leg but that had nothing to do with they type of amputation she had.
Bottom line though either surgery will relieve the pain of bone cancer.
And FWIW- I would never leave one of my dogs overnight where there isn't 24 hour care.
And- if I misunderstood and you are taking a front amp then you should never leave part of the leg bone.
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls and Boy
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Sorry I wasn't being clear. Yes, it is for rear leg.
Karen, thanks a lot. That is very useful information, and that is exactly what our vet suggests, a high femur amputation where at most a third of the femur is left and wrapped around by thigh muscles. It is great to hear that Maggie's surgery was successful and the remaining femur didn't bother her at all.
Oooohhh! OK now I get it, thanks for clarifying.
Our Wyatt had a mid-femoral amputation, which is what I believe you are describing. Karen is right: more vets are now taking the entire leg up to the hip. Wyatt's surgery was in 2009, and they left a pretty good amount of stump, but not bone, it was all muscle. Over time the muscles on his stump atrophied, and he had one pressure sore that would never go away but also never got infected, so he did pretty well overall. At one point he did have a lump at the stump site. A very expensive surgery revealed the cause: "bone wax" had come loose from the amputated bone, and was migrating out of the body. We learned that bone wax was used to stop bleeding where the bone gets severed. Once the lump and wax was removed he was fine. I have never heard of this happening with any other member here.
If you are comfortable with your vet and want them to do the surgery, and that is the process they are used to doing, then chances are good that your pup will be fine. Ask if they use bone wax, just in case. I'm not sure how many vets are still using it. But to me, that would probably my biggest concern.
Jerry,
Thanks a lot for sharing Wyatt's experience with me, and I am sorry that you had to go through the second surgery due to bone wax issue. I will definitely ask about bone wax if we decide to go with the high femur route.
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