Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi friends,
My 9 yr old kitty Fred just came home from his front leg amputation for a low grade fibrosarcoma. I am overwhelmed by all the paraphernalia hanging off my poor boy. He has a onesie, the back of which is already wet with urine. There’s a drain that seems like it’s just stuffed in there and could be stepped or slept on. Not to mention the cone. He’s on a fentanyl patch and purring, and he’s eaten 2 churus. But I am just so scared that I won’t be able to take proper care of him and prevent infection. I really just need some support and guidance. I am supposed to empty the drain in the morning and I am scared! Should I take off the onesie if it is wet with urine? Sorry to be so helpless — I am just really scared of letting my boy down! Thank you all so much for listening—
Christina
PS edited to say that I decided to take off the soiled onesie - I replaced it with a makeshift tube made from an exercise legging with a hole cut out for his remaining foreleg. I was able to sort of tuck the drain inside that ‘shirt’ when it was on him. I hope I didn’t injure him by changing his clothes!
Hi Christina, welcome. Your future posts won't need to wait for approval so post away. How is Fred doing today?
I know this is scary, we all do. You are taking GREAT care of him, your instincts kicked in (great idea to remove the onesie) and the legging trick was spot on! Did he mess with it at all?
It's super hard to see our animals all woozy and wonky at this time. Try to focus on the long-term picture. That bad leg is gone and Fred will feel better real soon! It's a fantastic sign that he's eating already. Pain meds usually dull the appetite but sounds like he's still got a good one. YAY!
Were you able to empty the drain?
I'm in the Tripawds Chat right now if you want to talk. I'll be there for about an hour (it's 11:23 am Pacific). Also, you can always call the Tripawds Helpline too OK? We get back to folks within 24 hours at latest. 844-TRIPAWD
Keep us posted!
Thank you so so much Jerry! It means a lot not to go through this alone. Fred is mostly sleeping today. I managed to empty the drain and record the volume of the liquid, even though I was pretty squeamish about the tube and the blood! I pilled him with his antibiotics and his oral pain meds too. Mercifully, he is a very easy cat to pill.
I am still really nervous about moving and touching him, scared that I could injury his incision by manipulating him any more than necessary. His drain "bulb" keeps popping out of his little shirt, and that makes me worried that he'll somehow yank it out or injure it. Although, to be fair, he hasn't shown any signs of doing so.
I am so grateful that he is eating -- he really loves his churus, and I can sort of squirt them right into his mouth so he does not need to get up and hop to the food bowl. He has ignored the food in the food bowl so far. He has used the low litter box I made for him, although there is a lot of flailing around and the litter goes everywhere!
Right now, I am trying very hard not to give into feelings of "what have I done??" and "I have mutilated my poor cat!" But I also know that this was his only option for a longer life. I just hope I did the right thing. I read your ebook for cats and it was a real help - thank you! My mind is still kind of in a whirl though; my emotions are kind of running the show because I am so worried.
GOOD JOB!!! 
Yes that JP drain is pretty icky for squeamish people like you and me. Our Wyatt Ray
had one, I know what it's like to empty. I also worried about it getting caught on something but it never did. Still, ick! But you gotta do what you gotta do to let the stuff drain out and Tripawd Moms always rise to the occasion 
Honestly everything you are describing is a rock star recovery. I know it doesn't seem that way. But between him using the litter box, eating the Churus (which are so amazingly helpful, and why we include them in the Kaiserin Pet Cancer Care Package for cats), and not messing with the drain. He's PAWESOME and so are YOU!!!!
Those feelings you have will pass in time. The more he proves that he's got this, the less panicked you will feel. In a few days your biggest challenge will be to keep him from doing too much too soon.
Thanks for reading Cool Tips for Tripawd Cats ! I'm glad you found it helpful. You can thank Purrkins' mom for it, she's the inspawration behind it and a huge help in putting the content together.
Take a deep breath whenever you need to assist him. Remember it's a fine line between babying and letting him do things himself. You're doing a great job so far! Keep us posted.
Wow - thank you so much - you really made me feel better! I would do anything for my little guy, but boy oh boy that drain and big incision are pretty tough to look at! I am so glad that he sounds like he's doing well. I will keep you updated. Thanks so much for caring about us!
As you can tell from Jerry's response, You Are Not Alone! We are all here right by your side to help you navigate through recovery. And you really, really are doing a stellar job of caring for Fred! Even though all of this is scary, you are plowing through the sphere and doing what needs to be done for his well-being! He is a very lucky kitty to have you as his Hooman.
And yes, eating, using his litter box, resting comfortably, all of these things are huge signs of doing really well this early on. So often cats or just not willing to eat and not willing to use the litter box and have no Mobility whatsoever. But you're Fred sounds like he's already ahead of the vurve. Right now it feels like you are doing this TO Fred oh, but we promise you soon you will realize you are doing this FOR Fred. Recovery is no picnic at first but you were doing a masterful job of taking care of him.
All of the visuals you were dealing with right now add an extra layer of scary. The shaved fur, the drain, Etc. Once the drain is removed, and the Staples are out and the fur starts growing back you won't even notice the Fred is a tripawd anymore. I know it sounds strange but it's true
STAY CONNECTED. WE ARE HERE FOR 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!
Thank you so much Benny55! Your kind words have given me a lot more confidence today! I am getting more comfortable changing the drain, and it is making less fluid. I managed to look at his incision twice today, and it looks clean and healthy.
He ate some of his wet food from the bowl last night, and today he has eaten 7 or 8 churus. He is mainly resting in his little cat house inside the kennel, but he purrs when I pet him. I hope his pain is still under control from the fentanyl patch; my follow up appointment at the vet got pushed back from today until Wednesday.
He looks a little more alert today, a little more like himself.
Thank you so much for your support!! 
Christina (and Fred)
This update made my day! Look at you go with your vet nurse skills!
That boy is doing so well. It's probably best that his vet visit got changed, just to give you both more time to lounge at home. How does he do on car rides?
The fentanyl patch is 72 hours so now that pain control is done. Is he showing any pain signals ? And what other meds is he on right now?
Putting is such a beautiful aound...especially this early in recovery. Fred seems to be resting well and is smart ro use his cat house as a calm healing place.
And good for you for qgain for your great nursing skills!! You voth are doing great!
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!
Thank you Jerry! He has also been getting Robenacoxib, but his last pill for that was this morning. Then he’s not going to have pain meds of any kind. Do you think I should call/email the vet about getting him some more pain meds? After my hysterectomy, I definitely needed meds for more than 3 days!
Christina
PS - Fred hates car rides! 😀
Thank you benny55! I am so glad I bought him that little house; he has spent almost all his time there since coming home 💗
I'll just jump in on the paain meds real quick. But Jerry and kitty members can advise you further.
I would call the Vet and ask for some. more pain meds. Most kitties around here are on Buprenorphine, or maybe even Gabapentin, for a where from five, to seven, to more days
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 x2 Sally's suggestion. Three days is not a long time at all. Your gut instinct is spot on.
That's a bummer that Fred hates car rides! In that case yeah, a few extra days of R&R at home before the big drive will be good for both of you.
Let us know what your vet says OK?
Thank you so much Jerry and Sally! I called the vet and they said that his fentanyl patch will be good for one more day, and we will discuss more pain meds at our appointment tomorrow. I am going to advocate really strongly for more gabapentin at least, since he had very good pain control with that pre-surgery.
Last night he ventured out of the kitty house and used the litterbox again (first #2 since surgery!). He also ate 4/5ths of the wet food from his bowl and spent some time looking out the window at "his" backyard. We have a cat-proof fence around the backyard and he gets to spend time out there, so I though it might cheer him up to be able to see his old stomping grounds from the temporary kennel.
He definitely has not gotten the hang of hopping too well yet. He can get himself up and go one or two steps, but then he kind of lists over to the side and lies there for a little while looking confused. He doesn't seem to be in distress - more just surprised. He purrs up a storm for me and rolls over to get his little shaved belly rubbed, so hopefully that is a good sign.
I am really anxious for the vet appointment tomorrow, both to get a new supply of meds and also to just confirm that his incision is healing properly. Everything looks good to my untrained eye now, but it will set my mind at ease to have a professional opinion.
Thank you so much for all your support and advice - It means the world to me
Christina
Christina you are so welcome! I love that you are seeing how when Fred tips over a bit, he's not upset, just a little bewildered. Many people jump to conclusions in that situation (I did!) and assume their Tripawd is upset. But you're not, you're seeing the BIG picture. YAY! And yes, his belly up and purring sounds like a good sign to me too.
Tomorrow will be a big day for both of you. Make a list of questions and things you want to discuss so you have it handy during the visit.
At some point I'd love to see the outdoor fencing you have for him. Very smart!
YAY for 
! Forgot to say that. Another milestone Fred handled like a pro (and you too!). Celebrate!!
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