Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi all - our 6 1/2 year old fur baby, Cole, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma on 8/5 and had his front right leg amputated on 8/10. He has been pretty amazing post-surgery; kept his great personality, has been going up and down the three steps to go in and out for potty and drinking lots of water. He has not eaten one single bite of his normal dog food (Science Diet) since coming home, however, and it is starting to become quite a concern. He takes his medications with either peanut butter or rolled up inside a piece of deli meat, will eat his treats (biscuits, dentastix, etc.) with no problems but completely ignores his normal food. I have tried a friend's suggestion of white chicken chunks, plain white rice and plain yogurt as a healthy substitute which worked for one meal and now he even turns away from that. I don't want to come off as an over-worrisome mom, but at what point is it okay to call and ask the vet? I don't know if it is the medication that is playing the role and possibly making him not wanting to eat, or if the cancer could be playing a role. I just don't know what to do.
Thank you in advance for any insight.
Stacy - the mommy
Russ - the daddy
Cole - the tripawd fur baby
Cally - his annoying cat sister
Hello and welcome, your future posts will not have to wait for approval.
I'm sorry cancer has brought you and Cole here, what kind of dog is Cole?
First of all- never feel bad about calling your vet- that is what they are there for! This surgery is a big deal and you need to be strong and confident to help Cole heal. At one time I didn't even have to say my name when I called in- everyone knew my voice 
What meds is he taking? Meds can certainly be causing him some tummy issues, but since he is eating treats and taking pills in lunch meat maybe he is just being picky? Was he getting different food at the vet that maybe he likes better? When you gave him the chicken, rice and yogurt was it all mixed together or separate?
Lots of people here have experienced apatite issues with their pups after surgery- it's not uncommon. Stay tuned for more input!
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
Hi Stacy,
So sorry to hear about your fur baby! The fact that Cole is bouncing back like this is awesome! Our pup took quite a while to get his personality back, so I'm happy to hear that part.
About the eating... I echo what Karen says. Our dog didn't eat his regular food until he was fully off of his pain medications, and even then we were still having to sneak some ground turkey into his food. He started off post-op eating scrambled eggs, then wouldn't eat those, so we had to keep upgrading his fare (smart pup). If he's still on drugs, it can certainly be those affecting his appetite. The one thing he never stopped eating was peanut butter, so Oliver and Cole have something in common!
I also agree with Karen--call your vet! We called so many times that we were on a first name basis with all of the techs. They're there to help!
Good luck!
Aubrey & Ollie
HI Stacy,
My dog also had an amputation last week - on the 9th. While in the hospital she ate nothing for the vet team for 3 days - I had sent her with her regular food but she wouldn't touch it. She didn't want to eat much the first day after I brought her home. So I made her some bone broth - and then every meal since, with bone broth, she has scarfed down with lots of enthusiasm.
It might be worth a try. Has really worked for us so far.
Also I should note that she is accustomed to getting bone broth from time to time, so I knew it wouldn't upset her tummy.
Good luck!
Jessica
Jessica thanks for joining. Please do feel free to start a new topic so we can follow along with your adventure.
Bone broth is a pawesome appetite stimulant! Thanks for sharing your experience. And for those who don't know how to cook bone broth, or vegetarians like me who just don't walk the meat aisles of the grocery store, Honest Kitchen makes a great bone broth with turmeric. Just add water, I love it!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi Stacy,
So glad your Cole is doing well. My Ted had his front left amputated on 8 August. He seems to be doing really well, but not eating too much either. He has never been a huge eater but he does love to have bacon grease on his food and he will eat the whole bowl (we usually do that on the weekends when we are home and not rushing to get to work). I don't know what you've been giving Cole to take his meds but I've been wrapping all those meds in cheese! We've been spoiling him with treats like we've never done, and we've been putting chicken stock and sometimes chicken in his food. So...... I can't blame him for turning his nose up at plain old dog food. 🙂 I have made sure that he has his "normal" food available, but have also made sure that he eats something (laced with stock, cheese, chicken, or whatever) before I give him the antibiotic and anti-inflammatory because it's really important that he gets those in his system and keeps them down. Hope this is helpful.
Wanda
krun15 said
Hello and welcome, your future posts will not have to wait for approval.I'm sorry cancer has brought you and Cole here, what kind of dog is Cole?
First of all- never feel bad about calling your vet- that is what they are there for! This surgery is a big deal and you need to be strong and confident to help Cole heal. At one time I didn't even have to say my name when I called in- everyone knew my voice
What meds is he taking? Meds can certainly be causing him some tummy issues, but since he is eating treats and taking pills in lunch meat maybe he is just being picky? Was he getting different food at the vet that maybe he likes better? When you gave him the chicken, rice and yogurt was it all mixed together or separate?
Lots of people here have experienced apatite issues with their pups after surgery- it's not uncommon. Stay tuned for more input!
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls
**First of all - thank you ALL so much for your wonderful feedback. There are times right now I feel so helpless when determining what the next step should be, especially when he can't share his thoughts or feelings with us, so having this website and forum as a resource and outlet has been an absolute blessing to find.
Cole is a Labrador/Border Collie mix.
His medications are (forgive me if spelling is wrong) Ramydol - which he stopped taking yesterday morning following a call to the Vet, Tramydol - he takes 100mg twice a day and Amoxicillin which he also takes twice a day.
When I gave him the chicken, rice and yogurt combination it was all mixed together. He happily ate an entire plate the first day and then ate maybe 1/4 of the same amount the following evening.
We actually found two piles of what we believe to be vomit yesterday, which is why we finally called the vet and stopped the Ramydol. That believed it could be upsetting his stomach, which I thought was odd because he hadn't vomited before then but am willing to do anything at this point.
In the past 24 hours he has become a bit more whiny, which is makes Russ and I feel so helpless because we don't know what could be causing it. We are guessing and grasping at anything - maybe it's his surgery area starting to heal and it itches, maybe it's the bandage making him uncomfortable, maybe he is still in more pain than the medicine can help. Russ and I work full-time jobs, so I keep pulling up our security cameras on my phone app to check on him and he hasn't moved off of his bed. A friend stopped by earlier to get something and he sent me a text and said that Cole didn't even get up when he came in the house, which is something Cole has never done before. I worry about this sudden change in his personality almost more than I worry about his lack of eating his normal food.
Again - thank you all for your outpouring of support and help. It is immensely appreciated and welcomed.
Stacy
Just catching up!
First thing that jumps out to me is a need for more pain meds!!!!. Possible increased doseage, along with maybe every six to eight hours!! Of course, talk with your vet. Also mention adding Gabapentin. Usually we find the antibiotics cause stomach distress. Of course, it could be the Rimadyl. But talk to vet avout giving him Cerenia if hes nausea ted or something to coat hus tummy.
TRY not to worry! This is sooooo early in recovery. Talk to vet about increasing pain meds. This is MAJOR surgery and it hurts!
As far as food....whatever he will eat! Junk food, pizza, eggs and cheese, drive thru cheeseburger, stinky loverwurst...anything!
Glad he's resting...he's a smart voy! 'Rest a dd potty breaks and more rest for now.
Have to head out! Hang in there! Talk to vet about uppi g pain meds a d more frequently.
We are all right nere with you!
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!
We've all been through that helpless feeling at least once- hang in there! You are doing your best for Cole and that is huge!
Good idea to stop the rimadyl- anti-inflammatories can cause stomach upset. If he doesn't seem better in a couple of days there are lots of anti-nausea meds out there- ask your vet if you think Cole needs it. The antibiotic can also cause stomach issues- how many more days is he on the amoxicillin?
It's hard to sometimes what is pain and what is reaction to pain meds. Many pups are whiny on pain meds, especially tramadol. My pug Maggie got very agitated on the stuff, although I've had 3 other dogs take it with no issues. Has Cole been on tram before? Can you compare his behavior?
How much does Cole weigh? If he is around 50- 60 pounds I think there is definitely room for more tramadol. Another thing to consider is giving him pain meds more often, 3 or even 4 times a day. You can also add gabapentin which works on nerve pain. Talk with your vet about all these ideas to get Cole more comfortable.
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
Murphy definitely went through the whole not eating thing - or just being picky about food. And he still, 3 years later, goes through bouts of it! I think part of it is that they figure out very quickly that they can manipulate us into giving them better food! lol Scrambled eggs works wonders when Murphy's going through a his stage. I usually through in whatever I have in the fridge as far as meat or cheese just to add some extra protein.
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
Ruby did not eat her regular food for two weeks post-amp. She got very bad tummy aches from the meds so we put her on a chicken and rice bland diet. She LOOOOOVED that, in fact got a little spoiled. She is back to eating regular food now, but still wont start eating unless I hand feed her the first few mouthfuls. Now, as for giving her meds....my smart girl figured out the pill pockets on Day 2, figured out the peanut butter, now we are on to hotdogs. I will cut them into inch size pieces and cut a slit to put the pills in. So far she hasnt caught on!
Ruby is my (almost) 8 year old Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever. She had her left forelimb amputated due to cancer on July 28, 2016 and we are on the road to recovery!
:(. I'm sorry that this is hard for him. I'm going to say something that might not go over well.... but, he needs his people. He should not be alone through this. He needs his people to be home with him and helping him through this - not a camera watching what he is doing and how is recovering. stay home for a few days. In the long run it will be the most effective way to get him through this. You love him, he loves you. take a couple of days.....
I think you've received a lot of good advice here. Maybe Cole's tummy will feel better going off the drug causing tummy problems and then he'll want to eat. And, as other's have said, his pain needs to be well managed.
I've just chimed in to say hang in there and to let you know my tripawd kitty Mona suggests feeding Cole some of his annoying cat sister's food!
Kerren and Tripawd Kitty Mona
Hi.
It does seem clear Cole had some stomach upset and both the Rimadyl and the antibiotic could cause that. But stopping the Rimadyl means he is on just one pain med - one modality of pain med - and that doesn't seem like enough at a week out from surgery when many dogs are on 2 or 3 for the first few weeks.
Rimadyl is an anti-inflammatory as has been mentioned - works to alleviate pain by reducing the inflammation, swelling. Tramadol works in the brain - blocks pain receptors. Gabapentin, which he is not taking at all, works on nerve pain. And Cerenia is a great anti-nausea med that can help him feel better, possibly eat better.
If he hasn't been eating much, that will increase the probability of stomach upset by the Rimadyl or the abx - those are full tummy type meds.
On eating - my guy got sliced turkey and rotisserie chicken mixed with his kibble and a lot of hand feeding to start; as others said, anything to get him to eat. You can also ask about getting Mirtzapine, an anti depressant that seems to stimulate appetite, to try to get him eating again - this is short term, occasional use only.
But not moving much and whiny means pain to me, so I, personally, would work with vet to get anti nausea and Gabapentin going. Also, the Tramadol can definitely be given more than 2 x a day - you want to prevent the pain instead of always trying to play catch up if 2x daily is not enough. Talk to vet about dosage if you want to try giving Tramadol to Cole every 8 hours. 100 mg might be fine or you vet might suggest 75 mg, but the experience in this group seems to indicate a dog of Cole's size should be fine with 100 mg every 8 hours. My dog was and he is 70 lbs. Pofi was on antibiotic 2 x daily, 100 mg Tramadol 3 x daily, 300 mg Gabapentin 3 x daily and then Rimadyl 75 mg 2 x daily after meals.
Cole could well be feeling sick from Rimadyl - but if he starts to eat better and if he is taking anti-nausea, you may also be able to work that back in short term. Also, Pepcid AC, over the counter, can be given to dogs and helps prevent stomach upset. It is part of our routine now.
Best thoughts for him to start feeling better
Lisa, Minneapolis
On October 27, 2016, nearly 6 months after amputation, and 18 months since his cancer likely started, we lost Pofi to a recurrence of Soft Tissue Sarcoma in his spine quite suddenly. His canine sister also succumbed to cancer on March 1, 2019 - we lavished her with our love in the interim, but life was never quite the same without her only real canine friend. Cliff kitty had to leave us, too, suddenly, in August 2019. Lucia kitty grieved all these losses, but helped us welcome two new Lurchers into our home and our lives, Shae and Barley.
I am absolutely grateful for all of the amazing outpouring of support and advice here!! Thank you all SO much!!
Cole had a pretty rough evening and we woke up to another small area of vomit on the ground, so we have made the choice to take him into the vet and have him examined today. They decided to admit him for now as the vet is in surgery and won't get to examine him until later today. He doesn't have a cone on and he has been non-stop licking the area where he shaved his left leg (for an IV is what I would assume) and trying to lick his area near and on the bandaged surgery site.
He has also stopped eating just about everything, including his treats, which is really worrisome. Last night I tried scrambled eggs, ground beef and rice - I offered him a small bowl of it and he started to eat some and then just stopped. I hope you are all correct in that the meds are playing a role in this - his last dose of antibiotic is tonight, we stopped the Rimadyl per the vet's office already, so that would leave him just on the tramadyl. That could change after we hear from the vet though. We are of course praying it is just the medications and nothing else related to the surgery or cancer.
Thank you again for all of your amazing advice and support. It is definitely reassuring to find a community where we don't feel alone in this battle.
Blessings to you all -- Stacy
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