Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Moby's big day tomorrow. She has had a good week, she's been eating and drinking well so hopefully she is strong and well enough to handle the big op.
So what can we expect when we pick her up tomorrow night? Any advice?
Not looking forward to tomorrow 
once your eyes meet, you will forget all of your fears. tomorrow means a start of a 'new normal' for both of you. sometimes they send the pups home with vet-wrap around and over the incision, sometimes they are just left naked to the air. the surgery site always seems to be shaved WAY to much, but they need to get it sterile, and the hair will grow back. gayle came home with a wrap, which we removed the following day. there will be bruising, alot of bruising, and the colors will go purple to orange to yellow as it subsides. some pups get seromas, where the fluid that normally would flow through the lymph system to the leg gets trapped at the incision. these usually self-obsorb, but your vet will tell you what you need to do if this occurs. some pups come home with drains to pull off the fluid (gayle didn't), and some pups come home with fentanyl patches for pain (we didn't have that either). the incision might 'seep' a little at first, so have some old towels, sheets, etc that you can just throw in the washer as needed. the incision will look big, but it's part of what's necessary to help moby, so just know it will heal, and soon will be hidden by hair.
please let us know how she does, and don't hesitate to yell out if you have any questions. paws crossed for successful surgery and speedy recovery!!!
charon & spirit gayle
Life is good, so very, very good!!! Gayle enjoyed each and every moment of each and every wonderful day (naps included). She left this world December 12, 2011 – off on a new adventure.
Love Never Ends
Will definitely keep you posted! At least we won't have to look at that horrible cancer lump any more. Thanks for the info 
I'm hoping she's going to be a brave little trooper!
First, expect a huge feeling of relief to have your girl back in your arms. Seriously, one hundred calls from the vet saying 'she's out of surgery and doing fine' are nothing to compare to seeing it with your own eyes!
Charon gave a great description. One thing I will add is that she may cry through the night since you are bringing her home the same day as surgery. Our vet warned us about that when we picked Zeus up from his biopsy and we did experience a lot of crying - not loud, but just kind of a mournful sound in the back of his throat mixed with a bit of light grunting. Dr. R said it is the anesthesia that's left in their system and it makes them feel really strange. We did not notice it after the amp surgery, but we didn't get to bring him home the same night.
We will be thinking of you tomorrow. Please post when you can to let us know how she is doing!
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/
We'll be thinking of you tomorrow.
Like Zeus' mom said, the crying might go on all night. I didn't do amputations but i did knee surgeries and I wouldn't let Comet stay over night at the vet's since no one was there so my vet warned of the crying. I sat up all night with her just talking about all of her favorite treats! She stopped crying and would listen to me. I offered treats but she didn't want anything. So, I just talked about them so her ears perked up and she didn't want to cry. That went on for hours until she nodded off.....at 3 or 4am!! You can try that little trick if she is upset.
Just remember the cheerier you are, the happier she is. Snuggle her and love her up but be very, very happy about it all. And don't forget, she isn't going to miss that leg.....you are. That leg is a nuisance and she'll be happy without it. If she is sad seeming it will be from the meds and surgery.
Speedy 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.
Just to add one other little piece of advise I was given - Treat her normally! - If you are behaving like you usually do then she will take the cue from you - by all means pamper her like we all did 🙂 but at the same time dont baby her. hope that makes sence. It worked well for us with Kayla. You are their pack leader and if leader isn't worried then it must be ok. oh and its a huge shock when you see them the first time after surgury but you get used to it very quickly when you realise they are still the same dog just better 🙂
Good luck and keep us updated.
Sarah
Good luck! Keep us posted!
With Abby we saw her right after her surgery - and it was a little shocking. She was not up and around yet when we saw her - we had to go pick her up to take her to an overnight place, so we saw her right away, but didn't bring her home until the next morning. Her incision was bigger than what I was expecting and as Charon said, the shaved area was huge. The next morning was VASTLY different - she came hopping out to greet us, happy and wagging her tail. So... if she looks pretty rough when you pick her up - don't worry. Even just another 12 hours can make a huge difference in how they're doing.
Abby came home without a wrap. We put old t-shirts on her to catch the fluid from the drain. It would leak when she would get up and move around. We had old towels all over the place.
We're here if you have specific questions. It can be a rough 10 days or so, but hopefully she'll get through without too much trouble. Once the pain meds are done and the staples are out, it'll be like your old pup is pretty much totally back!
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!
Good luck! If no one has told you this yet, make sure that you have rubber-backed rugs or something on any slippery floors at home. They're pretty unsteady on their paws at first and you DON'T want to see the pain and fear in her eyes that you will see if she slips and falls.
Other than that, as everyone has said, you will just be so happy to have her with you!
Oh, and make sure to stay busy tomorrow during the day...it feels like days instead of hours go by while you're waiting for the call from the vet.
Alex & Hollybeans
Thanks everyone. I'm really worried and anxious now. Moby is happily wandering around with her tennis ball and waggling her bum. she is going to be so excited when she knows she's coming in the car with me this morning.....I'm going to feel so guilty 
One hour to go to be at the vets at 9 am, then I'm off to work, though I doubt I'll be able to take my mind off Moby.
Once Moby is settled back at home, I'll update.
Good luck Moby and be strong!
Good luck wishes from Tango and me! The first night will be rough, but then hopefully it will get better everyday!
And on a more useful note-Tango came home with no bandages or anything, his surgeon prefers that method. I was FREAKING out internally about it, but I've kept it clean and dry and he seems to be doing nicely. It's not pretty, but you get used to it surprisingly quickly. So it might be a shock at first, but just take a deep breath and you'll both be fine!
This advice is hard to top, it's all so wonderful.
My biggest piece of advice is to stay strong. Look into her eyes and tell her she is beautiful, because she IS. It will be a surprise to see how she walks, and if she's not wearing a bandage (some do, some don't), it may be shocking to you. But remember, Moby doesn't care about how she looks or her new walk. She's just going to be happy to be free of that pesky leg!
And yes, definitely treat her normally, and don't baby her. The more you "normalize" your routine, the easier and faster she will recover. If you haven't already checked out our CARE videos about recovery and rehab, you might want to do so while you're waiting on pins and needles!
Good luck to you both. Keep us posted.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Wishing good healing thoughts for Moby on her big day today....My Rizzo cried at night and I just laid and talked to her about the park and going bye-bye and stuff to take her mind off her being sore or loopy. She would finally nod off and I think it is the anesthesia that causes a lot of the wimpering. Get well soon Moby!
Suzie and Rizzo
Jack Russell born in 2001. Mast cell cancer found Dec 2009 and right rear amputation. Five rounds of chemo done before all treatment stopped. Living life to the fullest!! Read my story at http://rizzo.tripawds.com
We're picking Moby up in 30 minutes! One leg down....but she's coming home, that's the main thing! The vet said they were having to ice pack her wound to bring the swelling down, I hope that is under control when we pick her up. I can't wait to see her 
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