Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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My dog Fudge recently had her left foreleg amputated due to cancer. She is 12 years old, mixed breed (sharpei, dalmatian, lab and chow), weighs 60-65 pounds, and her hips are not good. She seems reluctant to put any degree of weight on them, thus taxing her single front leg. I have several things to consider and would appreciate input.
1) Would pain meds be likely to be helpful in getting her to use her hips more often?
2) Are there prescribed exercises for dogs in this situation?
3) We give her stretching therapy daily (she doesn't like it very much but tolerates it). Are there other therapies to consider?
4) Is there anything topical that might relieve some of her hip pain?
5) Is more exercise generally better than less? Or is moderation a key?
I am certainly open to any and all reasonable suggestions.
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Welcome and thanks for joining. Your future posts will not require moderation.
How recent is recently and what kind of exercise does she currently get? Perhpas Fudge is overdoing it too soon. Streches and massages are all good. Review our video interviews with Dr Waldman from California Animal Rehab for more dog rehab exercise and stretching advice.
Hydrotherapy can be very helpful as it is low impact. Even jest getting Fudge to walk in water just deep enough to reach the ground can help, as long as it's not too cold. A chiropractic evaluation may help determine if spinal issues are causing her pain, just make sure you visit a certified veterinary chiropractor.
Note that walking does not build strength, only endurance. Unstable surface work and other proprioception exercises are best to help Fudge develop strength. Most importantly, be sure to keep her weight down.
Hope this helps! What has your vet said? Perhaps consider consulting a rehab specialist. Please keep us posted on Fudge's progress.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi Fudge and pack,
Welcome to Tripawds. Admin guy gave you lots of good suggestions on exercise.
Have you considered an anti inflammatory med like a NSAID instead of a pain med? I have found in my 11 year old quad- pug with arthritis that NASIDs have really helped with her stiffness and increased her mobility. You do have to be vigilant doing blood work to check organ function.
Also I didn't see any mention of a harness. Many here use the Ruff Wear harness to help their tripawds get around and relieve some stress on the remaining legs and joints.
Good luck with Fudge, looking forward to hearing more about her.
Karen and the pugapalooza
Welcome Fudge and family!
My Comet was a tripawd all of her life (front left) and when she was 11 years old, she was put on NSAIDS (Rimadyl specifically) for the rest of her life daily just so she would be more mobile. It helps tremendously for inflammation of the joints.
There isn't anything topical that I am aware of. They would probably lick it off anyway.
And pain killers really don't address the inflammation causing the pain. The pain pill of choice is tramadol and it just helps them cope mentally with the pain but it also makes them loopy.
I would certainly ask the vet about a non steroidal anti-inflammatory like Rimadyl. It will help a lot. And then later after Fudge is completely healed, if you have a place to do water therapy, that works great too. Swimming for them really is great therapy.
Good luck!
Comet's mom
Comet - 1999 to 2011
She departed us unexpectedly January 23, 2011 at the age of 12 1/2.
She was born with a deformed front leg and a tripawd all of her life.
My dog is a large even for his breed and a rear amp. He has arthritis in his hip and recently hurt his knee causing it to swell. He is currently on previcox to help with the pain and inflammation.
He has only been a tripawd for a little over a month. We are currently just doing short leash walks in moderation. He has to rest frequently.
He is also on a big time diet to get him lean!
We are new to all of this and have found a wealth of information and some very supportive new friends on this website.
Best Wishes for Fudge!
We put Tai (and her geriatric 14 yr old Lab brother Bandit) on Metacam, aka Meloxicam. It seems to be the drug of choice when it comes to musculoskeletal pain. Like Rimadyl it is an NSAID. There can be some issues with long term use but the mobility benefits were obvious. Bandit can literally bound around when he is on Metacam. You can start with a normal dose and then reduce it to a half dose for long term use after a couple of weeks. I agree that the hydrotherapy is beneficial too but sometimes not all that easy to achieve in the winter months.
Laura, Bandit, Kali and Angel Tai
Tai – 9 yr old lab. Diagnosed Osteosarcoma Dec 18/09. Front right leg amputated Dec 21/09. Started chemo Jan 7/10. Lung mets discovered Sept 16/10. Valiant to the end on Oct 26/10 when cancer reappeared in a leg and we made the decision to set her free. Forever in my heart where not even cancer can take her from me.
FYI you can get Metacam in a generic form that's much cheaper. I used to get mine in human form compounded just for me (a dawg weighing 75 pounds) from a holistic human pharmacy and it was about half the price.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Wow, thanks for all the quick responses!
We are trying Rimadyl after a discussion with the vet. She's also on Tramadol, and I haven't noticed it making her "loopy" although obviously there's been some personality change, but that's not too surprising. The amputation happened on March 2. She had her 12th birthday on March 11.
We are now trying to take her on "around the block" walks with a support sling holding her up, hoping that her desire for daily walks (which were always prominent when she had four legs...we would walk 3-4 miles daily) will be ramped up by these jaunts and that at some point she won't need the sling (obviously this is a work-up-to-it circumstance).
We continue with daily stretching of her hips as physical therapy. The surgeon suggested water PT, but we need to figure out how to do that without paying through the nose to go to doggie PT and the underwater treadmill. Frankly, the surgery took a lot of the financial resources and we just can't afford hundreds of dollars monthly for PT.
Be sure to take it easy with those walks until Fudge builds up her strength. It's still early in her recovery so don't push it. More frequent much shorter walks are highly recommended for new tripawds. Even just a couple hundred feet, a few times a day can be better than one "long" walk. Don't be disappointed if you don't make it all the way around the block, all in good time...
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Just a reminder (or for those who don't know) you can get Meloxicam (Metacam) at the Walmart Pharmacy $4.00/30 tablets.
Good luck, I hope you find what works the best for Fudge.
Dr. Waldman from California Animal Rehab also highly recommends third-party tested Sam-e from Nature Made as a great pain reliever for dogs.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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