Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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This is Silver 78 and I wrote about my concerns of an amputation on Tuesday and with the input of many of you decided it was the right thing to do. I must add, I'm having a difficult time navigating this site. Not user friendly so far!
Our Golden Retriever Maggie had a right front amputation yesterday afternoon and we picked her up today around 5:00 PM Houston time. She is about 88 pounds and 6 1/2 yrs old. She is doing remarkably well! She met us at the surgical center hopping, wagging her tail and very happy to see us. I made a ramp for her to use to get into my truck and she had no problem. Rode home well ( about 30 Minutes ) I had problems getting her to come out of the truck but finally succeeded. She had a very full bladder and took care of that problem on her own yard. I was very surprised at how well she hopped around after such a short time from surgery.
Dexter, our other guy, was very happy to see his Sis again. Dexter had not eaten so I fed him and decided to try Maggie with more food. They had fed her a little at the vets before we picked her up. Gave her about half as much as normal and she ate it all. Before her amputation, we would always go outside after our meal to do our business and play ball. Tonight was no different. (I iwas shocked ) She wanted to go out with Dexter. Had to help her get on her three feet and away she went! She actually got a tennis ball in her mouth ( there was one on the seat of a chair by the door ) and hopped out to an area she always liked to do #2 at and had a bowel movement. She was having a hard time keeping balance but got it done. Took awhile to get back into our home as she was exhausted. She is resting very well right now on some cool tile. Once again one of her favorit places to lay.
My wife and I can't believe this experience so far with how well she is doing. Is this unusual or fairly typical? Others should know what to expect who may be facing the same tough decision we were facing! I hope those of you reading this believe me as I am telling the whole truth. I just can't believe how well she is doing.
The only problem is now the bandage is beginning to come off and she is trying to lick the wound. They said the bandage could come off in a day or so and to not do anything topicallty to the wound. She is bleeding a little also. Bad timing as this is friday evening and they will be closed over the weekend. I plan on calling our regular vet tomorrow morning for advise. If anyone here has input, please feel free to tell me.
Thanks for your past support and I know I will have questions in the future as she heals. Chemo is an other concern but don't have to decide on that for a few days. Any input on that subject is also very much appreciated.
Thanks again, Silver
I'll share our experience in hopes it will help you.
GiGi our 9 yr old Doberman had her left front amp on Feb. 7th. Like Maggie she walked (hopped) out of the vet the next day and got into my truck. She did her business and ate just like Maggie.
We found that fitting her with a T shirt helped by keeping her from licking the incision. Dark or black T shirt hid any leakage. We had been given a huge E collar but, I couldn't do that to her. GiGi did develop a small hole in her incision that allowed some liquid escape. On our next visit the vet was not concerned. I did read that it was best to not medicate the tear and just keep it clean. Especially, do not use peroxide to clean it. It closed in a few days.
We started to wean her off of Tramadol after about a week. We just cut back a little at a time. She was completely off of it in about 2 weeks after surgery.
GiGi has had 2 chemo treatments so far and has had no side effects and her blood count has been fine. I have read that the chemo can be cumulative so things may change.
I think we have been fortunate so far and I wouldn't change a thing. GiGi's quality of life has been excellent and almost normal and she has had no pain.
Hope our experience helps,
Thanks it is a help and thanks for sharing. It is going on 10:00 pm and Mags is very restless. Getting up and moving around... I know she is hurting and it is not happy for me. I hope tomorrow is better but I don't know. I think it will be a long night tonight.
I pray for you and GiGi. Thanks again for your post. Silver
Our Bo was 6 years old when he had his front left leg amputated from OSA. Bo came home from surgery, hopping around and full of energy. Then, he kind of "crashed". Yes, the first night home was rough. I ended up sleeping on the floor with him...and for a few nights after as well (on a blow up mattress). Something we found helpful was a t-shirt to cover the incision site. We never had any leakage, but if you have any questions definitely give your vet a call.
We did lots of "ice therapy" with Bo. We would ice the incision for 10-15 minutes a few times a day. Usually around medication time to soothe him. Finding the right med combo for your dog can be tricky, especially in the first couple of weeks. Tramadol can make pups quite restless and loopy.
Having a Tripawd is an amazing experience. The first two weeks are tough. It's an adjustment for you and your pup. Here's to hoping that Maggie has a smooth, uneventful recovery and starts feeling better very soon! Keep us posted!
Meghan & Angel Bo
Welcome Silver!
I'm so glad to hear that Maggie's surgery went well and she seems to be herself. (somewhat)
GiGi gave you some great advice. Thanks GiGi!
I just wanted to address your concerns about her being restless. This is a common reaction to just having surgery. I assume she is on tramadol for pain and an anti-inflammatory (like Rimadyl-carprofen, deramaxx or metacam?). She is probably in pain if she is uncomfortable. Or sometimes the tramadol makes them uncomfortable just because it makes them whacked out.
I have no medical experience but have been here a long time (and have been thru many dog surgeries). A couple of things I would personally do, is (if you have one) put a fan on her to help cool her down a bit. Inflammation can cause heat. It may make her more comfy. Also, if you can - gently put a cold pack - like a bag of peas or crushed ice around the surgery site. If you use a gel pack, make sure it's wrapped. (they are colder than ice and you don't want frost bite) Leave it no more than 10 minutes. (that's from a medical doctor's advice - again, you don't want frost bite) And, of course be gentle. Ice can be a miracle pain reliever!
Here's direct information from a vet:
A cold pack may be a pack of frozen peas, crushed ice in a Ziploc bag, or a cold gel pack; place a thin barrier between the skin and the cold pack. An alternative to a cold pack is to freeze water in a styrofoam cup; after frozen cut the bottom of the styrofoam cup out. Cool the surgical site around the incision by rubbing the exposed ice directly on the skin in a circular pattern. Cooling the surgical site helps to numb the area.
Just remember the 1st night especially is going to be ruff! The first week or two is no walk in the park either! (for some) Try not to get nervous if you find her not being nearly as perky as she was today. They get a good adrenaline rush from being happy to come home. They then sometimes crash. And with the tramadol, it only makes their confused state worse.
I hope that helps!
Sending Maggie lots and lots of healing wishes.
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.
Looks like I was cross-posting with Bo's mom!
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.
It's so great that surgery went well and Maggie is wanting to get back to normal! As happy as it is to see her active, you may want to try to keep her quiet for awhile. She's got lots of healing to do and she may not recognize when she's overdoing it. A lot of vets send dogs home without a bandage. The t-shirt idea seems to work for front amps. They make tubes that are a lot more comfortable than traditional e-collars as well.
We had to keep Baby on pain meds for 3 weeks. Hers was a rear leg amp and she's very large, so that made a difference. A lot of stories I've read here mention at least two weeks on Tramadol. You'll have to use your judgement to determine when she's no longer having much pain.
I hope you have a happy, uneventful healing.
Hugs and Wags,
Judy and Baby
1:00 am and she is resting again. Had her outside an hour or so ago and she had a rough time trying to get around. Thought she would have to go after drinking so much water. No luck. I'll stay with her for the next few hours .. hope she continues to rest.
Silver
Didn't expect so many posts and really didn't even look before I wrote the last one. Thanks for all of the thoughts and suggestions, especially the ice. Mom just went to bed for awhile. Dexter and I will continue to be with our lovely Mags!! Thanks much to each of you, being with us is helping.
Silver
5:20 am and we have gone outside a couple of times more but no potty. She cried once tonight trying to get up and it is breaking my hearty to see her this way. She is hurting, not a happy girl right now!! I know I must be strong and not doubt what we did to her but.....
Please know that everything you are posting is completely normal (including the doubt that you feel). I think most dogs are so high on adrenaline when they first get home that they seem so much better than they are, then come nightfall they lose that adrenaline rush and the pain sets back in. The first night home really is horrible, but please be assured that it does get better - I promise.
Perfect advice from those above. Ice also helped us tremendously and the tshirts work great if she won't wear the cone. She most likely will crash at some point this first week - it's almost like the pain, the effort of the new walk, etc finally catches up to them and they need a couple of days to just sleep it off. Rest is the body's way of recovering so don't let that scare you. I will also stress that you should carefully monitor her activity level. Sometimes they overdo it b/c the pain meds cover their discomfort. Zeus tweaked his back one week after amp and became reluctant to walk. We had to leave him on pain meds for an extra two weeks which really affected his personality.
Take care you yourselves, too!
Lisa
Zeus was a Husky mix diagnosed with Osteosarcoma at age 11. A visible lung met and suspicious spot on his liver meant a poor prognosis-six weeks was our vet's best guess. We decided to fight for our boy and his right front leg was amputated on 12/1/11. We did six rounds of chemo, changed his diet and spoiled him completely rotten. We were blessed with 10 great months after diagnosis. Against the odds, the lung met remained a single met and grew very little over those months. A wonderful furbaby with the most gentle spirit, he fought with a strength that we never imagined he possessed. We have no regrets...
http://zeuspod......pawds.com/
Thanks for the support and I'm still going, Dexter too. Thanks for the insight of what may happen in the days to come. I'm leaving her for just a few moments as I'm having a tough time right now and don't want her to see me like this. The good is she wags her tail every now and then when I'm giving her pets and kisses and she has given me some kisses back. No mistake, this has been a rough night!!
silver78 said
I'm leaving her for just a few moments as I'm having a tough time right now and don't want her to see me like this.
Very smart of you - they really are affected by our moods. We live in Pennsylvania and our rule was that we had to go out on the deck out of earshot if we needed to have a meltdown. Considering his surgery was in December, and let me assure you that it is COLD in PA in December, that was extra incentive to not have a meltdown 
. It is obvious how much you love her and that your devotion is 100%. She knows that and she loves you for that. Keep up the good work! Brighter days are coming!
Zeus was a Husky mix diagnosed with Osteosarcoma at age 11. A visible lung met and suspicious spot on his liver meant a poor prognosis-six weeks was our vet's best guess. We decided to fight for our boy and his right front leg was amputated on 12/1/11. We did six rounds of chemo, changed his diet and spoiled him completely rotten. We were blessed with 10 great months after diagnosis. Against the odds, the lung met remained a single met and grew very little over those months. A wonderful furbaby with the most gentle spirit, he fought with a strength that we never imagined he possessed. We have no regrets...
http://zeuspod......pawds.com/
You are deep in the recovery weeds at the moment, but things will get better!
Once she is off the meds and has her staples out, you will see her personality fully return. Don't be surprised if she seems "depressed" for a few days. Abby was like that - she wanted to be outside by herself a lot of the time. She would "hide" behind this big potted plant we had in our yard. She would really only cheer up for visitors.
Hang in there and keep us posted. We like to help celebrate first pees and poops. We're weird that way...
Jackie, Angel 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!
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