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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Echo came to us as a foster and it was immediately obvious something was wrong with her leg. Her femur was broken through the growth plate as a pup and never healed right so now, at a year old, her leg has been amputated.
My concern is how anxious and antsy she is. And she'll just lay there and cry or pace. It's been 2 weeks since the amputation and she's on a high dose of gabipentin. She acts like the other leg is really hurting too.
We've adopted her and I just want the rest of her life to be as pain-free and comfortable as possible.
Thank you for adopting Echo and making such a loving commitment to giving her the best life possible.
Your post has geen approved and we are all here to help you navigate through recovery..
Keep in mind this is still very early on from MAJOR surgery, all while trying to adapt to three and on pain meds.
Do have several questions though.
What's her activity level been like these two weeks? She needs to only go out for short, very short least potty breaks and then back inside for more rest.
If you have vinyl or hardwood floors you'll need non-slip scatter rugs for traction if you haven't already done so.
How much does Echo weigh and what is the dose and what is the frequency of the gabapentin?
Is your vet aware of the pain signals , Etc and what has been the recommendation?
If you have a Certified Rehabilitation Specialist in your area, the Tripawds Foundation will pay for the first visit.
They are excellent at giving you procedures you can do at home to help strengthen Echo's core muscles, keep her strong and fit to avoid any injuries. They can also help identify why the other leg appears to be sore. Etc
Of course, we can give you more specific "solutions" once you have a chance to answer some of the questions.
It appears that the pain meds do need to be tweaked.....possibly a different pain med, or adding an additional type of pain med, could help. It's very possible her leg is sore from too much activity. This early on, it's not uncommon at all too see soreness like this as muscles and joints are adjusting to a new gait.
Massage up and down her spine, her neck and shoulder area. Does she show any sign of tenseness as you do so?
Overall, is she eating drinking peeing, pooping normally? Hang in there, a little tweak here and there is probably all that's needed.
Being so young part of her being antsy might also be boredom. She wants to have her activity level back at puppy speed! 😉 You might want to consider some dog puzzle games, or mind games to help keep her stimulated. Remember, recovery doesn't last forever, right now it just feels like it!
Thank you again for adopting Echo♥️
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!
Welcome to you and Echo. You are pawesome for adopting her 🙂
Sally gave you some excellent advice and her questions are on my mind too. I'm looking forward to answers so we can do a good job helping you!
This is an issue that should be addressed asap, and yes, rehab therapy is a game changer too.
Also, please see our Adopting a Tripawd articles for some more insight on caring for an amputee pup.
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