Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Maverick's surgery was Thursday November 7th. He had is front left leg amputated. He came home yesterday, 2 days after surgery.
it was tough getting him into the vehicle and much tougher getting him out. He is extremely thirsty and eats small amounts of wet food only at this point. He was trying to sit up in the laying position on his own and doing fairly well. He wanted up (needed help from his harness) to go outside several times, however, in the early evening he peed himself while lying down, he even defecated a very small amount.
During the night at 12:30, 2 and 4, he ever so quietly whined because he wanted up to go out, which we did. Then around 7 this morning, he whined again so just as I was about to help him up, he peed himself again, is this normal? I cleaned up his mess and my husband took him outside while I changed all the bedding.
about 2-3 hours later, my husband tried to move his back end and he yelped, moments later he tried to move his front paw and he yelped again, it's heartbreaking hearing him yelp. He's on gabapentin every 8 hours, onsior - anti inflammatory and pain every 24 hours. He is also on an antibiotic.
He did a face plant yesterday so I did give him 2 tramadol. I debated giving him some today but ended up giving him 2 around noon today.
i keep waiting to see my old dog appear, I know it takes time, I guess I'm just hoping this was the right decision.
I have read so many posts here and it seems like the consensus is around the 3 week mark, dogs seems to be back to their old selves. It is comforting to know this, but man, going through this is emotionally tough.
nanci and Maverick
Deep breaths.....we understand what you are going through. What you described is NOT unusual at all! The first seceral days he still has strong hospital meds in him. Peeing and popping in the bed is not unusual. And, believe mitmor not, it IS good that he's peeing and pooping!! It IS good that he drinking and eating, even if it's just a little. Feed him anything he'll eat for now....warm chic, scrambled eggs, cheese, etc.
While sour rational mind says this is MAJOR SURGERY, all while Maverickmos adjusting to the legs and on pain meds while woozy, oir jeart says "Hurry up and be Maverick again!" And he will be...just not for quite yet!
Face plants are pretty common at first for front leggers. If you have hardwood floors or vinyl, you'll need non slip scatter rubs fot traction .
I'm not as familiar with Onisor given for amputation surgery pain, other than more as an antiinflmmatory (could be off base on that). More often we see Tramadol and Gabapentin given, along with the Rimadyl and antibiotic.
You want to be CONSISTENT with the pain meds and not let the pain get a head start. The Tramadol and Gaba compliment each other. You can stagger the two and give them an hour or so apart so he has a constant flow of pain meds.
Not a Vet and not giving Vet advice. How much does Maverick weigh? What are his dose amounts of Tram and Gaba and how frequently?
Guessing he needs more consistency in his pain meds. Tweaking them usually occurs right around this time as the hospital meds get out of his system.
Also give him some gentle massaging before he tries to get up. His muscl7 are all pretty tight right now as he adjusts to his new gait. His mobility will get better. It generally takes about two weeks to recover from the surgery itself, and about thirty days to get the mobility worked out.
Hang in there! Recovery doesn't last furever, it just seems like it!
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!
Nanci, hang in there. This is the tough part. But there are plenty of things you can do to make it better.
1. Let your vet know that Mav seems uncomfortable. Describe the symptoms, and mention the accidents in the house. The medication is likely making him so woozy that he's losing control of his bowels. It seems scary I know but I'll bet that with some fine tuning of the meds (with your vet's help), he will rally. Yes, onsior is an anti-inflammatory. Did he have any other medications, like a pain med injection called Nocita? Check your discharge instructions.
2. Stay ahead of that pain until his meds run out. Don't debate about the medication. Dogs are great at hiding pain. Give him whatever your vet has for him, on schedule. Remember once pain gets out of control it is twice as hard to bring down.
3. The front paw movement that he yelped over is likely not his paw but some muscle strain. Sally's suggestions to massage are spot-on. Here are some pointers: https://tripawd.....s-massage/
Things do get better, I promise. Stay in contact with your vet and let them know what's going on. His signs aren't unusual, if that makes you feel any better. Keep us posted OK?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hang in there Nanci - The initial relief of having surgery over and getting to the other side of surgery can be quickly replaced by the fret of them getting used to life on 3 legs.
I agree with the of the above - many pain medications need to be given consistently in order to have maximal effect and once "wind up pain" happens it can be hard to get on top of. I would call your vet and describe just what you have to us and see if they can get you a modified pain plan.
Its a lot of work to get used to using that front paw - our vet had us work on passive range of motion exercises because Grover was locking it and it was getting really stiff.
One day at a time is one day closer to pain free.
This is the hard part, for sure. If you have slippery floors, please do cover them regardless of whether or not Maverick had trouble with them before surgery. We have terrazzo floors in our home, and we've made pathways for Ranger to walk using rug runner by the foot available at Home Depot or Lowe's. Our vet also suggested wrapping a towel under his head to keep it up and to help with balancing.
To make your life easier, put a pee pad and old towel/sheet on his usual bedding so your job during this time is easier. Just go ahead and do it regardless of whether or not you think he might have another accident. I was washing old towels and sheets twice a day just two weeks ago, so I promise you it will get better. Try to get him outside as close to his pre-surgery schedule as possible. Before he was walking, we would take Ranger out on a towel and let him stay out there until his doggie business was done. A lot of times, he would do it on the towel, but at least he was in the grass and in familiar territory. They really don't like to pee on their bedding, so I know that's heartbreaking. I hope your weather allows you to do this.
All of you need a sense of normalcy to get through this. I agree with being consistent with the pain meds, but also get him back to his normal diet (even if you have to augment with a little something that smells better) as soon as you can.
And one more thing. We found that if we petted the part of Ranger we wanted to move before we actually tried to move him, it helped.
Good luck, and don't forget to come back to us as he progresses.
Cindy & Ranger
Cindy, good tip avout placing Ranger on a towel outside to do his bidness. I would imagine just veing oitside, helps make peeing feel a little tiny bit "normal", of that makes sense.
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!
Super duper suggestions Cindy, thank you!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
It's been awhile since I posted an update, apologies. 2 days after we brought Maverick home my husband's younger brother suffered an aneurysm and our world was turned upside down once again.
Maverick has been doing incredibly well. He started to get his playful personality back about 1-2 weeks ago. Hes had 2 rounds of chemo and is scheduled for 2 more.
The entire time (after surgery) he has walked funny with his back end. His front leg hops and the back legs appear to almost float or hesitate before stepping. I figured it was because he's a big great dane. A neurologist looked at him and thinks he might have a slight case of wobblers.
We cannot find boots to fit him, so I have been using vet wrap and it has provided some traction .
Stairs are difficult, definitely easier to go up, coming down is another story.
Hope all is well with everyone and their tripawds.
Wishing you all a Happy New Year.
Sooooo good to hear how well Maverick is doing!!! Seeing him get his sparkling personality back is a beautiful thing to behold!
Yeah, front leggers can go upstairs a bit easier than rear leggers. As you said, down is harder.
Has Maverick seen a Certifed Rehabilitation Specialist? The Tripawds Dpundstion Maggie Moo Fund will pay for the first visit. While Maverick may have the onset of Wobbler's, the Rehab can pinpoint any other issues. The fact that this gait came on suddenly right after amputation, could ind7 a tweaked something in addition to Wobbler's
An earlier member had a Hreat Dane named Atlas who was diagnosed with Wobbler's BEFORE amputation. In fact, the first two Vets recommended euthanizing. Thankfully third Vet said absolutely not and Atlas thrived fot ocer two years as a tripawd and enjoyed life to the fullest. I know Atlas's mom did a lot of Rehabilitation therapy as well as acupuncture.
Another large Great Dane, Eurydice did, I believe, find boots that fit. Go to member search and put in Eurydice to see her posts and pictures.
Speaking of pictures....jere's a link for adding images .
Hugs
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
PS. So very sorry about your brother in law. My condolences to you and your husband.
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!
I'm so sorry your family went through a tragedy like that, my condolences to all of you.
As for Maverick, thank DOG he is there to help you all heal. What an inspawration! I'm thrilled he is doing well. As for the possible wobblers, that sounds like what happened to our friend Moose the Dane. He had some wobblers symptoms after amputation and the neuro docs couldn't confirm or deny it, so they went with the diagnosis. But when all was said and done his dads think he had something else besides wobblers. I would be happy to connect you with them if you'd like.
Oh as for the slippery floors situation...are you looking for traction for inside your home? We have been using Dr. Buzby's Toe Grips on Wyatt Ray 's feet this pawliday season (my parents have super slick floors), and they are a lifesaver. You may want to give them a try.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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