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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Thanks for your post and I hope all goes well for Zeus and you. Did you do Chemo with Zeus? Just wondering. Mags took her morning meds with a couple of cookies. Finally wanted to go out to do her business. The morning has started off a little better, she is resting now and I will try to limit activity as was suggested.
Silver
Thank you. And, yes, we are doing chemo. He will have his fifth treatment of Carboplatin in about a week. Every dog is different, and some members have had very good results without chemo, so definitely search the forums for chemo so that you can be informed of all the experiences. For us, Zeus had a 'suspicious' spot on his lung that showed on a CT scan before amp. CTs are much more sensitive than x-rays, which is the standard test for detecting mets. Zeus' was so small that our vet admitted he probably would not have seen it on x-rays. In our minds, that put us back in the statistics that say that chemo is warranted if no mets show on "x-rays" so we decided to give it a shot. At two month post-amp follow-up x-rays, the spot had grown a little but was still only one spot (which is a bit unusual since normally when it metastasizes it is aggressive and shows as multiple spots). Dr. R felt like the Carbo was doing its job and fighting spread so we continued with the next two rounds of chemo. We had another set of x-rays yesterday and they revealed that there is still only one met and it does not appear to have grown, so Dr. R wants to continue with the last two rounds of Carbo.
I will also point out that some of the very well respected vets and oncologists feel that a low-grain diet is essential in fighting this cancer (the cancer feeds off of carbs which are easily processed into simple sugars and feed the cancer). You might want to look into switching foods if Maggie is on one of the regular dog foods. I really believe that has made a HUGE difference for Zeus. There are several commercially available foods as well as some pretty simple home-cooked high protein diets. PM me if you ever want any info on that. I would be happy to pass on the websites for the diets.
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/
I'm glad Maggie's surgery went well!!! Charley was a L front leg amp and I put one of my small t-shirts on him to keep him from licking, to catch any leakage (luckily he did not have any), and to keep the staples from getting caught in the carpet.
Charley was a 2 year old lab when he had his amputation and he did not get up or move much for the first week or so....I think he knew better than us that he needed the rest. One of the days, he did not get up or pee for 24 hours. He even refused food (unheard of for a lab) and we did hand-feed him anything he would eat. I tried to offer high-protein to help with healing--scrambled eggs with cheese, salmon, hamburger, chicken, etc.
We did have some problems with the tramadol after a few days...he panted excessively, his back legs would have severe muscle spasms when he was laying down, and he would start yelping for no apparent reason. He seemed very anxious and confused. The ortho surgeon suggested it was dysphoria (a side effect of tramadol) and after we stopped the tramadol on day 5 and gave the deramaxx only he was much better. On day 13, when his staples were removed he was immediately 95% better....he even had his 1st round of carboplatin right after (the onco and ortho are in the same practice).
The first 2 weeks can be rough, but you'll be fine. Just remember one day at a time! Sending lots of positive thoughts and prayers to Maggie!!!
Hugs and chocolate labby kisses,
Ellen & Charley
Charley's Blog: CHOCOLATE KISSES
DOB: 3-29-08, male chocolate lab
Dx: OSA L proximal humerus 10-19-10
Amputation: L front leg & scapula 10-28-10
Chemo: 5 rounds of Carboplatin
Video (12 weeks post amp):Tripaw Charley Playing
♥♥♥ Lots of supplements and love!!! ♥♥♥
Oh I'm glad to see today is better. I hope this continues. Be aware that there can be ups and downs but it's nothing either of you can't handle. And if you have any questions at all, or any concerns, call your vet no matter what OK? Some people hesitate to do that but after all, it's why you're paying them.
Paws crossed for a beautiful day and continued recovery!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi Silver,
It sounds like you are having a very normal recovery so far. It's hard for us to see our dogs in pain, but rest assured, it does get better -- that first night is no picnic for anyone. And it sounds like your Maggie came home right after the surgery, so you got to see the very worst of it all. My Rio spent two nights at the vet after her surgery, and still that first night home was pretty ruff. We were about 4-5 days post-surgery before the nights got easier and she seemed to be more herself, but a lot of dogs don't get back to "themselves" until they're completely off the meds.
This early stage recovery is the most difficult time, but you will get through it -- remember, we were all in your shoes at some point in the not to distant past (and look at us now!!!
). Just remember to keep breathing, and try and get some rest. It's gonna get better!
Micki, Rio's momma
 |
~ ~ Rio ~ ~ |
Thanks Jerry. Mags is having lots of rest so far today. Appears to be calm and comfortable. I hope tonight is better than last night. I'm a little tired today.
Hang in there! Like others said, it will get better - I know it seems hard to believe right now, but she will be great soon. First few days are awful...the worry, exhaustion and second guessing all takes a toll on us....you'll be ok. Sam was a front leg amp too....wearing a t-shirt helped with the licking and the seeping. Every day gets better but the real change came for us at day 9 when the staples came out. Sam ate very, very little in the first 2 weeks. Hang in there, try to get some rest and know that Maggie loves all you have done for her! Xoxo Sue
Hey Silver and Mags! It sounds like our story with Lucy. She stayed in the hospital two nights and came home the third. She did not have a lot of spunk when she got home but we knew it was the meds. By the evening she was so happy she was home she had a little more energy. She was on rimadyl and tramadol, she was getting meds every 4-6 hours. She had her ups and downs during recovery. She had some pain when trying to give her deep barks and it was rather frightening to hear her screaming. We tried to limit anything that would typically trigger the barking and that helped and by week two she was better. Meds can play funny tricks. It makes them pant which is also a sign of pain and they are restless which can also be a sign of pain, we continually questioned it. Honestly looking back it was a little easier than what I had imagined. I had to "step out" several times but she was always the trooper. Hang in there! And as Jerry indicated, call your vet whenever! I did and sometimes I took the advice here online vs what they offered but at least I asked. Everyone on here is great, they'll always offer assistance if you ask. I see you have already figured that out!!!
Mary, Lucy's mom
Lucy's front right leg was amputated 12/19/11. Thankfully there was no tumor, but her nerves were found to be degenerative. Life as a tripawd is Lucy's new adventure!!
Silver78, please update us at the other forum. You know, the one I referred you to this one from there? many members are worried about you and Mags.
This site is difficult to navigate. I tried to post a picture of our friend Bailey the tripawd with no luck
So here is the link.
Hello. Glad that Maggie is home and doing ok. I clearly remember Valentina coming home and seeming very alert. But that didn't last long. She was very restless sometimes and sleeping for hours and hours at some points too. I did use a fan for her when she had panting episodes and it really helped. Many times she really did not want to get up off of her bed to go out or eat. I had to hand feed her and bring her water to her some of the time because she was so exhausted. While their bodies are trying to heal from the surgery they are also having to use their muscles in different ways as they learn how to walk on three legs so this can make them super tired too. I would imagine that their muscles get very sore from using them in different ways just like if we suddenly start to do new exercises. All of that combined with the meds can make them lethargic. After a few weeks when the staples come out and they are getting the hang of balancing their newly remodeled bodies they start to perk up and become more alert and happier. The tshirt thing may work to deter her from licking but if there is alot of drainage it may soak through and she may try to lick the tshirt. Valentina had alot of bleeding and drainage so I had to end up wrapping a towel around her neck and fastening the two ends behind her neck with a ponytail holder and letting the towel drape over the incision. The towels absorbed much more drainage than the tshirt and she didn't try to lick at it. I had to change the towel every few hours. Most Dogs do not have as much drainage as Valentina though so the tshirts usually work ok. Praying that Maggie continues to do well, you can get some rest and that she heals super quick. Welcome to Tripawdhood Maggie!! You have lots of new friends here!! 
Angel and Valentina Angel Dane
Hi, and welcome! I can echo what others have said almost exactly! Although, I was a little fortunate in that Happy stayed at the vet until day 4. I was going to get him day 3 but he had a little fever and they wanted to be sure he was good to go since I am a 2 hour drive away(by the way, I'm in Austin and we went to A&M for the amputation and treatment. Whoop!) He wore a T-shirt I made him(sewed up the sleeve) and did really well. They said he hopped out on his own ever since the day after surgery, although I only had to weather night #4. He is always ready to be energetic, but there's no getting around the downtime and rest the body takes to heal. Don't be alarmed about it, it is normal and good, and it won't be long before her down times are less and less. We are only at the 3 month mark and had 5 weeks of radiation afterwards. We are hoppin' around Zilker Park making lots of friends with the initial and occasional sprint to the ball, or over to a pretty female 🙂
Just a quick update for last night. Maggie did really well and me too. My wife stayed with Maggie all night ( I checked on them occasionally ) and she told me Mags was up and down but rested very well. Only cried once and it was minor in nature. This was a prayer answered as we want Maggie OK again.
A side note. After Maggie ate last night she was really to tired to go outside. But after a rest she went out and picked up one of her tennis balls at the entry door. She hopped over to the sidewalk, laid down on the grass with her nose and ball near the sidewalk. One of her favorite games is to put the ball on the sidewalk and give it a shove with her nose to watch it roll away and down the walkway. She did this last!! Made my wife and me very happy.
We did buy a t-shirt yesterday and it is working very well. Thanks for the tip.
"Goldencamper" I wrote a fairly large update on the link you provided for the Golden Retriever Forum and submitted it. I couldn't find it though. I have to go to work today and won't be able to redo it until later. You said there were others interested to know how Mags is doing so if you don't mind could you give them a short update and I will follow up either tonight or tomorrow. Thanks much
Thanks to all of you who have supported and advise me. I can't tell you how much it has helped. I know the process is only beginning and there will be bumps in the future, but having you with us is so very much appreciated.
Silver
Yay Maggie! So glad the night went so well. Should make for a pleasant day. I can picture her watching the ball roll down the walk. How cute is that! Keep on healing!
Wags and Slobbers
Judy and Baby
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