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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Abbie my 10 year old Aussie/golden retriever mix is 4 days post surgery. She had a right front amputation. It was a rough couple of first nights, but she finally had a solid nights rest. (Mom and dad sorta). Abbie has yet to poop. We live in the mountains and she is used to going off on her own. We do not have a fenced in area and I’m wondering if being on the leash is inhibiting her in some way? Any help would be appreciated. Her appetite is good and she has urinated.
Hi Abbie and family, welcome, we are glad you are here (but sorry you had to be). What was the reason for the amputation?
Sorry you had a ruff time those first few nights. What is her pain medication routine right now? Oftentimes pain meds need fine-tuning so the new Tripawd can feel better and their people can get some rest.
Don't worry about 
right now, constipation is a side effect of pain medication. You can move things along though, with some steamed squash, pumpkin pulp (not pie mix), metamucil flakes or olive oil in her food. How's her appetite?
As far as free-roaming....it's quite a predicament for a new Tripawd and many people have had to deal with it. It's tough! Dogs will go and go and go until they drop and when they lose a leg, especially a front one, it's not in their best interest to do that kind of thing, although it really depends on what her pre-amputation fitness level is like. But in general, as pet parents, it's up to us to regulate their activity and ensure they don't overdo it and get hurt. As much as it may pain you to do it, putting some limits on her free-roaming needs to happen if you want her senior years to be pain-free. Those limits may include leash walking and very short, supervised outdoor free-roaming, once she is all healed up.
What I recommend is getting her to a canine rehabilitation therapist so that they can assess her strength and stamina, and let you know how much free-roaming she may be able to tolerate. Otherwise it's really just a guessing game and how you find out about her limits is when she is unable to get around one day because she's injured. So don't wait for that OK? Look around for a therapist right now, and get her assessed before things get to that point (we see it all the time here, unfortunately). The best part is the Tripawds Foundation can pay for your first rehab visit ! I'm happy to help you find a therapist if you'd like.
Thanks again for joining us. Be sure to check out Jerry's Required Reading List and the Tripawds e-books library for lots more insight into the Tripawd Life and stay tuned for feedback from others.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Abbie had a malignant tumor. My sleep deprived brain can’t come up with what kind it was. She’s is currently on tramadol two 50mg twice a day, and 1.5 of 75 carprophen once a day. She’s not showing any signs of pain, which we are thankful for.
I will definitely add the pumpkin. She already gets olive oil.
She was in pretty good shape, no signs of arthritis. We will all need to get used to a modified life style.
Thanks for the encouragement and support.
Hurray! I went out and bought the canned pumpkin and gave her a small amount. Abbie finally pooped. I’m sure she feels much better!
Woooohooo! Yay for ! That's awesome!
I'm sorry she lost a leg to cancer. That evil doer grrr 
Keep an eye on her pain level and watch for pain signals OK? If she wasn't given a 3-day injectible drug (Nocita) along with that Tramadol and NSAID, I worry that she may not have enough pain control. For most dogs, it isn't. Current pain medications dogs usually come home with include two, and Gabapentin for nerve pain.
We are here for your mountain girl! Keep us posted.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hello and welcome.
I'm glad to hear you got a poop! Yes, we celebrate every victory!
So maybe it's not a leash issue...I've had dogs who have such a routine that if they can't do it then they don't go.
As far as her roaming- once you get past the healing process then you can evaluate. Tripawds usually have a pretty fast gait, especially front amps. It's a balance thing, sort of like riding a bike in my mind, when you go fast it's easier to stay upright. If she has a good re-call then I think you can let her go again (after she is fully healed). You do want to protect that one front leg and the hopping gait takes a toll on the body so you want to account for that when you set her activity levels.
I have a little Pug mix who lost a back leg to a car accident. She is 5.5 years old now, I got her when she was 10 months old and full of puppy energy. Because she is small and missing a back leg I taught her to use little steps or stools to get up on furniture but it took a while for that to become consistent. We also work every day on her balance, leg and core strength though training, games and puzzles. I do try and limit 'burst' type activities to save wear and tear on the one back leg. Because I keep her fit and strong I don't worry too much about the occasional burst, like when she discovered the little rabbit on our walk a couple weeks ago and she gave chase over rough terrain.
But for now just focus on her recovery- keep her quiet and resting as much as possible. Overall she sounds like she is doing pretty well so far.
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Yesterday was a pretty tough day. Abbie was clearly uncomfortable last night. Pacing and unable to settle. This morning I reached out to the vet and she is now on Gabapentin and a bit more of the Caroprophen and the regular amount of Tramadol. She rested most of the day and has a decent appetite.
I know I made the right decision for her, but it’s sure hard to watch your fur baby struggle.
Looking forward to better days ahead 🙂
Oh good! I hope the pain medications make her more comfortable. Now that she is on more, she should not be showing such severe pain signals . Please keep us posted OK? I promise those better days are ahead!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Just catching up on your sweet Abbie ♥️
I'm glad that you got the Gabapentin added into the mix. Gabapentin and tramadol work well together in a complimentary sort of way. Of course, speak with your vet, but many here found that they could give the Gabapentin maybe an hour or two apart and that seemed to keep the pain management on a consistent basis.
It's hard to be patient, but this is major surgery, all while trying to adapt to Three Legs. I joined this site on day 6 after amputation because I was afraid I had made a horrible decision.
This community threw me a lifeline, call me down, and made me feel a little bit more normal about what, to me, was a very rough recovery. A lot did have to do with getting the pain meds tweaked in a way that worked for her specifically. I will say though, it took me about three weeks before I could finally say I did this FOR her and not TO her. Once her recovery was complete and her Sparkle started coming back, it was absolutely the best decision ever!
Hang in there and keep us posted. We are here for you and understand that this is the roughest part of the recovery, but it does get better.
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!
Thanks for all the encouraging words!
Abbie slept great last night. ☺️ She didn’t even mind my waking her to give her meds.
Was wondering how long after surgery/recovery did you leave your furry child alone? I just found out my husband couldn’t get this coming Monday off of work and I may not be able to either. She will be 10 days post surgery. I’m trying not to be a worry wart. Abbie has always been a fairly needy girl and I know she’s loving her pawrents home with her.
Jeni
Hi Jeni,
I think ten days out sounds reasonable to leave her by herself for a little while. When do her stitches come out? I would make sure she can't go too bonkers, like run all day in the yard or that kind of thing. Can a neighbor come and check on her at all?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
She gets her stitches out a week from Friday. I have a t-shirt that I can put on her. Currently she spends most of the day sleeping. Unfortunately my neighbors are only part time residents so there is no one available for that. She would be indoors in the living area that is carpeted and blocked in. If I can just work the morning she’ll only be alone for a few hours.
Oh gosh that sounds totally fine to me, I think it's a good plan. Just be absolutely sure that she cannot get to those stitches. I would consider putting the cone on her when you are away.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Abbie is now one week post surgery.
Im sure it’s the medication but she spends most of the day sleeping. She is eating and does go out to take care of business. I’m honestly a bit worried. We are doing our best to project positive vibes for her. It doesn’t help that the air quality is poor and living in a high fire risk area is certainly adding to the tension.
Thanks for letting me vent a bit
jeni
One week out is not a long time, really. She's eating and pottying? That's AWESOME!
Try to put yourself in her paws, and picture where you would be just seven days after amputation surgery. She will get there! Stay strong and remember that rest is good medicine too.
I'm sorry you live in one of the fire risk areas, that is truly scary and definitely makes things more stressful. Try to keep calm, drink lots of chamomile tea and know that recovery is only a temporary ride to a better life ahead. You can do this!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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