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.
Join The Tripawds Community
Learn how to help three legged dogs and cats in the forums below. Browse and search as a guest or register for free and get full member benefits:
Instant post approval.
Private messages to members.
Subscribe to favorite topics.
Live Chat and much more!
Register
Log In
Members
Add Topic
Offline
Odin is back in HIS bed and allowing his hoomans fo share it with him and snuggle! Stitches are out and he's able to enjoy his outside walks again!! This is why we do what we do!! All if good in Odin's world!!😁
Yes, walking on three is tiring and does take a lot more energy than with four, plus they need a little faster pace for balance. Dogs don't care about how far or fast they walk, they just want to enjoy sniffing anything and everything.
If you have access to a Certified Rehabilitation Specialist, they can show you how to build their core muscles and ways to keep their joints and muscles heal. The Tripawds Foundation will pay for the first consult.
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!
Just a question for everyone. Odin does sleep a lot. Don’t get me wrong he is there when I come home to greet me, ready to eat always, and very attentive so I am not saying he is lethargic in anyway but he just sleeps a lot more then before. Is that the new normal? I just want to make sure I understand what the Vet means when they say he will be a normal dog. Do we mean normal like he can do everything but just gets tired a lot or back to the way he was when he was healthy? I hope I am making sense and again I am not saying he is in pain or not paying attention he just seems tired/sleeps a lot.
Thank you all for everything!
Great question! So what is "a lot" and how does that compare to how much he slept before?
Since it hasn't quite been a month, his extra snoozing sounds relatively normal for a recovering Tripawd.
The way to look at the "normal dog" comment by your vet is to consider it a "new normal." Yes, he will have reduced stamina and energy right at the beginning and over time he will build that back up. But it takes time. Will he ever get back to his exact routine? It's hard to say because every dog is different. A visit with a canine rehab therapist can give you a better idea of what to expect for Odin's new normal (don't forget, the Tripawds Foundation may pay for your first rehab visit ).
In general most dogs can do normal activities that they did before, just on a more limited basis. This video by rehab therapist Sasha Foster may help you gauge what is normal for him and what isn't. But it's also good to check in with your vet. When is your next appointment?
Do Dogs “Self-Limit” Their Activity? Or Are They in Pain?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi Jerry,
He actually has no other appointments. He does normal activities but then sleeps for a while after. He just seems more tired. I know it’s hard to tell cause every case is so different. I think when you hear your dog has cancer you become more worried that it’s still there or spread. I’m probably panicking myself more then anything. Like all of you I just want to enjoy many more years with him.
I'll share our recovery story for comparison.
My Pug Maggie lost a rear leg to mast cell cancer when she was about 7.5 years old. Before surgery we walked nearly every day (1.5 to 2 miles) and she played with her toys and her Pug-sis Tani. The first two weeks post-amp she pretty much stayed in bed unless potty-ing or eating which is all the activity the vet wanted. At the two week mark they said she was all healed up and she could go back to doing all her regular activities, what ever she wanted to do.
What she wanted to do was stay in her bed for four more weeks! I took her out in her new stroller but she wouldn't really try to hop around when we stopped. She wouldn't play with me or her little sis. She showed no signs of pain or even mild discomfort. All the input I got from our vets at the time was she should be back to normal and dogs adapt fine on three legs. What else could I think but that there was a problem and I had the only dog in the world that wasn't going to adapt!
In hindsight I realized that she had always been a bit of a lazy Pug, was very stubborn when it came to accepting any changes to her routine and she did start her chemo two weeks post surgery. Mag had her amp pre-Tripawds so we went through recovery alone, no one to compare notes with!
After about 6 weeks the spark came back and she started playing again, she loved to get out to the park and explore like the old days. It took her about 6 months to work up to half the walking distance she did pre-amp but back then I didn't know anything about working on core strength or balance. She never got back to her pre-amp activity levels as far as walking distance but that was fine. Sure there were a few things she couldn't do anymore but those are things I missed, she just got on with her happy, stubborn Pug life!
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
Thank you Karen, that really helped. He seemed good today, it was warmer outside and he found one of his sticks so I loved that so much. But one complaint..I found a stitch they didn’t remove today. That makes me so mad. He had a lot of scabbing and it was hidden under it but jeez. I guess I will have to go there next week.
I always love reading about that Stubborn Pug Maggie❤
Such a bummer about that stitch. Unfortunately we do see that happen here. Good for yoi for spotting it though. Sometimes it's overlooked and can cause an owweee!
Odin is just a little over three weeks post op and he is DOING FANTASTIC! You are in the part of recovery where you ate seeing his sparkle come back and his routine like enjoying his stick come back. Celebrate everytime Odin is Odin again!!
Yes, It is more tiring hopping on three, especially this early on. He's a very smart boy to know when he needs to come in and rest. The other thing, I think we have to remember dogs don't care about how far, or how long or how fast they walk....they actually PREFER standing or laying still and just enjoying all the scents floating in the air. But when we "take them out for a walk", we are the ones constantly moving so they have to do the same. They teach us so much about "stopping to smell the roses".
Continue to Be More Do, live in the now, and no worries about the tomorrows. Odin doesn't have a care in the world, no worries. Just blissfully flowing from one moment to the next.😎
Go get those sticks Odin!
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!
Here is another question. Sometimes I will be playing around with him or another example is that I was holding him back from jumping on someone and he will yelp. Do you believe it’s just from the injury that he is doing that? It has only happened a couple times but it makes me a little nervous. It also only happens when I am intervening. So he never yelps on his own. I also can’t make him yelp by touching him. A little rough playing seems to make it happen but again its only happened twice. Just a worried mom!
It's so hard not to worry over every single little thing. We get it. Yoi'll slowly slip back into a worry free zone and not react to every little thing. Of course, being diligent is a good thin, not saying it isn't. So certainly never hesitate to check with your Vet if you have concer.
Sometimes after recovery, especially this early on, dogs still feel vulnerable and may let out a little help as a result of "anticipatory pain"...thinking rhey arr avout ot fet hurt. It may also be that he is picking up on your subconscious nervous energy and reacts to that.
Another thing, it is possible that the one remaining stitch could be poking or pulling with certain movements.
Just throwing out a couple of simple little things that could be going on. ..
I love that he's feeling so spunky and wants to jump up on people and horse around😎
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!
PS....jist read ir's only happened twice. .Nope, noooo worries!!!.
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 going to x2 Sally's input, it's spot on. I wouldn't be concerned unless it happens totally randomly. Good job watching the pattern as to when this happens. Keep paying attention and making mental notes. If it changes let your vet know.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
I'm going to x2 Sally's input, it's spot on. I wouldn't be concerned unless it happens totally randomly. Good job watching the pattern as to when this happens. Keep paying attention and making mental notes. If it changes let your vet know.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
1 Guest(s)
