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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hi - happy new year to you all
Thought id update on Maxs progress. It is almost 3 weeks since surgery (it feels like much longer) & hes doing great at the moment.
He opened his christmas presents and was like a puppy playing ball - it confirmed we'd made the right decision - no more pain - and a happy dog again & happy mummy!
The vet put off taking the stitches off for 2 weeks as Max had managed to lick the wound despite him wearing a tshirt or collar! Ive noticed hes even better now theyre out - hes laying on the surgery side.
I had a worry last week as he wasnt eating so good i thought the worst but i changed his food and hes back to eating breakfast & dinner & asking for more.
One thing i have noticed is how tired he gets. It is only 3 weeks (almost) post surgery i suppose - hes taken himself off to bed tonight at 8pm when he usually stays up with us until 10. He has managed the stairs once but it almost seems like hes lost confidence understandably. He is going out for walks with daddy & enjoying the fuss from strangers telling him how brave hes been.
I am finding it very difficult not to look for signs that the cancer is spreading (we decided on no chemo so im aware its a ticking time bomb). Maybe im still shocked its all happened but im trying my best to enjoy every single day with my boy, from him lay in arms sleeping or just sitting next to me on the steps outside.
This site has really been a great help & i thank you all so much!
Claire, Dan & Max
Happy update! Tripawds use a whole lot of energy to get around and it takes awhile for them to build up their stamina. My guy was like yours - doing well but tiring easily at first. You are still really early in recovery and it sounds like he's doing perfectly. Others can chime in on rehab type programs, etc. - I didn't do anything like that, but sort of worked with him myself.
I was just like you - worried about everything. I took him in within the first month because he had a "spot" on his remaining front paw. I was convinced it was some sort of new cancerous growth. My vet looked at it and said it was nothing, and indeed, it was nothing. I was also worried that he was panting too much - my vet explained in very general terms how they behave if its spread to his lungs, and didn't think it had. I was kind of questioning whether to have x-rays done again, and he gently said why bother. That was over six months ago and Clyde's panting is back to normal. Clyde's seven month ampuversary is tomorrow and its taken me nearly the whole time to get less worried about everything. I was telling my family that this journey has taught me so much about patience and acceptance. That has been the weird silver lining to this whole thing.
.ax is doing fi e!!! REALLW!!! Everything you're describing in week three of recovery sounds very "normal....INCLUDING all your worrying....OVER NOTHW!!! I'm saying that "with @ove and a giggle" becw weALL worry over a hiccup or a burp and convince ourselves it's something horrible...and it's NOT!!
Adjusting to three legs DOES take a lot of energy and it IS tiring, especially for bigger dogs!! And it IS still early in recovery. He should still be taking it slow and not overdoing it at all. Many Vets say it takes a full month for dogs to get all their joi ts, muscles, etc in sync with three legs.
It's really too early to be thinking abput climy stairs too. Itsw really, reall hard for rear leggers ro go UP stairs. That's a lot of "pushing" that's rewuired of thst ine back leg. Going down is usually much easier. So for now, I would hold off on stairs, at least not without the help of a harness anyway. While it may be "confidee",it's most likely that Max k ows it's not a good idea to try steps for awhile!! Smart boy!!
Also it is HUGELY important to BE. MORE MAX!!! Live in the NOW! In the MOMENT!! In the PRESENT!!! To let worry and fears creep in robs you of your blissful time together!! Max is NOT a statistic a d he doesn't have a timeframe stamped ANYWHERE o his butt!! And, as you've probably already observed here, chemo is NO guarantee o e way or another!! NOOOO GUARANTEE ONE WAY OR ANOTHER!!
What IS a GUARANTEE is Max is withnyiu TODAY and today is all that matters!! Don't let it be a wasted day fullmof worries, okay? Actually, you're already there...you just needed a gentle remi der!! You are doing great anf so is Max!!
Thanks sooooo much for the update!! We'd love pictures!!
A d HAPPY AL OST THREE WEEK AMPUVERSARY MAX!! A d it keeps getting better a d vetter!!
LOVE!
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!
Sounds like Max is doing amazing!!!
As far as worrying goes - Murphy is 3 1/2 years since his surgery, and I worry every time he has an off day, or if he's breathing funny, or if anything seems different at all! So, welcome to the club!
Donna
Donna, Glenn & Murphy
Murphy had his right front leg amputated due to histiocytic sarcoma at 7 years old. He survived 4 years, 2 months & 1 week, only to be taken by hemangiosarcoma at 11 1/2 years 6/12/17
Read about Murphy's Life on Three Legs
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