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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Ollie had a front leg amputated six days ago and has had good hours and bad hours since coming home. We're going for short potty walks three to four times a day, but otherwise he is steadily resting.
I know it's early in his recovery, but to be honest, for such a young and energetic dog (he is six), he is not "bouncing back" nearly as well as I'd hoped, and I'm wondering if we've done the right thing. Today after work he was doing well on a short walk, then all of the sudden he yelped -- it came out of nowhere, he wasn't going fast at all -- and since then he has been favoring only his left rear leg.
There is nothing in his paw pad and we see no lumps or bumps. Has anyone experienced this -- one of a dog's remaining "good legs" starting to give way as he acclimates to tripawd status? We're afraid he has tweaked something in one of his back legs as he learns how to walk with his new body and additional strain is put on his other limbs. I hate to watch this -- he is clearly now hurting in his rear leg on the same side of his front amputation -- and I am questioning the whole "dogs were born with three legs and a spare" thing, as well as the notion that amputation is harder on the humans than on the dog.
If anyone has had a dog "tweak" a remaining leg after amputation and still be OK, can you let me know? It's not that he can't walk at all now -- he is just slower than ever and clearly not moving his right rear leg correctly.
Not sure how much more of this stress we can manage. This experience has been even harder than expected.
Six-year-old Ollie, a spunky, 55-lb. Australian cattle dog mix, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma May 1, 2015. Front right leg was amputated May 12. Did four rounds of carboplatin chemo treatment, ending Aug. 20. Lung x-rays still clear as of end of September. The rest of our story is still unfolding.
There were a few days after Mac's amputation where he looked like he wasn't using his back right leg. I was so so worried he hurt it somehow. I think he was just learning how to adjust his weight, and after a couple of days he started using it again.
Of course, if you are truly concerned, you should take him to your vet. But I know how tough this is! 3 weeks later and we are still waiting to go home. I'd say after about a week and a half, Mac took a major turn and started being himself again. I was so relieved! Ollie will get the hang of it and you'll see, soon, he will be acting more like himself.
Like everyone will probably tell you (as they told me), he just went through MAJOR SURGERY! So it takes some time for him to readjust his weight and get back to his usual self.
Hang in there...I know it is tough but remember who you are doing this for. That's what I keep telling myself every day! Just look into those adorable, sweet eyes and know that you took away his pain, first and foremost. You are doing everything you can to help him and you will see progress soon!
I wish I could hug you because I know how you feel and was just there a week ago. It is so hard, but you have to stay strong and positive! Ollie needs that right now!
We adopted Mac in June 2014 from the GRCGLAR and he is our little baby boy, despite the fact that he is 11.5! Almost a year of bliss turned into complete devastation when he started limping on his front right leg and it was discovered on April 16, 2015 that he has bone cancer - specifically Osteosarcoma. We were luckily directed to Tripawds by our oncologist, Dr. Avenelle Turner, which changed our lives and guided us through the amputation process.
Read more about Mac's incredible story on his blog: http://teammac.tripawds.com/
I became a member here on Day Six of m y Happy Hannah's rear leg a.amputation. I was absolutely terrified that I had made a horrible decision!!
My first post was....Six days after rear leg amputation and I'm afraid I made a horrible decision!
This commhnity threw me a lifeline of reassurance and support. I held on tightly and they got me through!
Hold into us okay? We're not letting go! Every single dog experiences recovery differently! And that's true!! Like you, I was seeing how rapidly some dogs were recovering and my Happy Ha nah was still whining and not sleeping, not drinking water, etc.
All I could think of was "What have I done TO my dog?" It took about three weeks before I could say EST DECISION EVER and I knew I had done it FOR her!!
What pain meds is Ollie taking right now? That's one of the first areas I'd discuss with the vet. It may need to be increased and he may also be having some phantom pain
Does he show any signs of pain ge tly massaging his leg or up and down his spine? He certainly could have tweaked something so easily. It general l y takes about...ABOUT...two weeks to recover from the MAJOR surgery itself. It takes about one month for all the mobility issues to work themselves out...joints, muscles,etc.
Physical therapy or a rehab. Specialist may be a great benefit to Ollie a little bit further down the road. But right now, it is still all about rest and maybe some very gentle massaging and stretching each time before he gets up.
I know it is sooooo disheartening to see him not be himself yet. Try not to feel defeated and jnow that when we say it is still very early in recovery...it is.
I'm not a vet so certainly check things out with your vet. But I would be sure and discuss pain meds too.
Deep breaths....deep, deep breaths....he will get better!!!!! Hang onto us, okay?
Se ding lots of hugs!!
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle 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!
His fentanyl patch came off last night. He has been on rimadyl and gabapentin since the week before his surgery (that was helping with his pain from the tumor and he has stayed on both drugs ever since). We have some tramadol that we were told we could use as-needed but we haven't tried it yet. I'm a little nervous about tramadol, as I know not all dogs tolerate it well. I also do not fully understand the safety of using rimadyl, gabapentin and tramadol all at once ... it just seems like an awful lot, doesn't it?
I emailed his surgeon and she usually responds to me at all hours of the day but we haven't heard back yet. He still has an appetite but otherwise doesn't have interest in much of anything ... just wants to lie in bed (he will snuggle up to me, so he's being affectionate). It's the rear leg/walking issue that is worrying me the most, and then on top of that I hate that his personality just isn't there.
Six-year-old Ollie, a spunky, 55-lb. Australian cattle dog mix, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma May 1, 2015. Front right leg was amputated May 12. Did four rounds of carboplatin chemo treatment, ending Aug. 20. Lung x-rays still clear as of end of September. The rest of our story is still unfolding.
I am so sorry things are seeming so hard right now. It is early days and really all Ollie should be doing anyway is resting and healing! I know it is hard to see him be not his self, but Ollie knows what he needs to be doing right now. You might ask your vet about the side effects of Rimadyl and whether you might take him off it. A quick internet search shows this drug can cause weakness in the back end and stumbling. Just what Ollie doesn't need right now! It is my sense that most dogs come out of surgery on Tramadol and maybe Gabapentin, but not Rimadyl.
I know that it must be really scary to see Ollie limping on one of his remaining legs. But at least its a rear leg and not his remaining front leg. It can take months for a dog to adjust fully to life on three legs. When we brought our first tripawd, Codie Rae, home from the shelter I was really concerned that she would never walk right. She had been a rear leg amputee for a month and was basically still just dragging her rear end around. But given a little time she became the fastest dog at the dog park, no matter how many legs they had. All paws crossed here that Ollie's rear leg injury isn't severe. Given how it happened the likelihood seems low that it is. I am sure your vet will get back to you soon!
Each dog does respond differently, to the amputation surgery and to the drugs. Instead of focusing on what isn't happening, try and focus on all the good things that are happening. Ollie is no longer in pain from his tumor, he is eating, drinking, peeing, pooping, and snuggling. At least you don't have to hog tie him to keep him from hurting himself by running around!
Sending you lots of love and tripawd healing strength from the Oaktown Pack,
Martha
Woohoo! Tripawds Rule!
Regulator of the Oaktown Pack, Sheriff of the Oaktown Pawsse, Founding member and President of the Tripawd Girldogs With 2 Names ROCK Club, and ... Tripawd Girldog Extraordinaire!
I know it is hard, but don't get discouraged. There are a few lucky pups who bounce right back, but most of us had a tougher time. My stubborn pug Maggie didn't play with me for 6 weeks after her rear amp, she was 7.5 years old. All the vets told me that most all dogs do fine on three...and I was thinking- sure, all but mine! I was sure I had made a mistake for weeks. I was in a down mood and I think that made things worse as Maggie really took her cue's from me.
Remember that Ollie is 6 days past a huge surgery. He is learning new balance and using his body differently. He may have tweaked something in his back while hopping. If the leg isn't better tomorrow be sure to let your vet know.
If you think he is in pain you might try the tramadol. I've used it on three of my pugs, and only one had a problem with it, and the problem was agitation. There are many pups here who take both gaba and tram together.
Don't doubt yourself yet, give Ollie a chance to heal up and get used to is new normal.
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
I'm really sorry, I know how ruff and up and down the recovery can be. First off, breathe. This will all be behind you soon enough and you'll wonder why you were so worried.
I'm not a vet, and you did good by calling yours, but this sounds to me like Ollie is doing way too much right now, especially for a front legger. Going for a walk this soon is pretty much too much activity for any dog this soon after amputation surgery. Even at 10 days out, he should really only be going on leashed potty walks and resting, a lot.
I recently learned a very important lesson about how Tripawds use so much energy just maneuvering. It was part of our Fenzi Tripawd Fitness Course, in which we were instructed to walk around the house on all fours like a dog, then doing it but with one "leg" up to represent the limb our Tripawd is missing. If you try doing that, you will see what an incredible amount of work it is! Now try to imagine doing that six days after having major surgery, and on pain killers, and going for a walk. You'll be amazed and totally see why he is so tired. Really, try it! I did, and even after 7 years of being part of Tripawds, it was very eye opening for me to see how hard these dogs and cats work just to get around.
The pain drugs he received are a good, standard combo that all serve different purposes for relieving pain. That's a great regiment, he sounds like he's getting great care from the vet. They do make dogs foggy but that's only temporary. If you've ever taken strong pain killers post-surgery, you probably know that they do make you dopey. That's good. It allows your body to rest and heal.
Try not to expect too much too soon. Take things day by day, and know that every dog's recovery is different. There is a point where you realize the 'new normal' will be shorter walks but you'll also find things to do together that are even more fun. Stay strong and remember we totally understand where you're coming from. Be strong for Ollie, and pretty soon you'll see that sparkle come back.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Wow Jerry! That ks a great exercise for us humans to do! That will be such a valuable "tool" to help us understand the recovery process.
And yeah, Rimadyl, Tramadol and Gabalentin were all three prescribed for Happy Hannah too and seems to be the normal mix for most here.
Keep us posted snd chin up! His sparkle will come back slowly but surely!
(((((((((((((((((((((HUGS))))))))))))))))))
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle 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!
Valentine had trouble at 6 days post front leg amputation too. Suddenly she developed a severe hunchback and also began dragging her rear legs. We were very concerned. Her surgeon suggested a visit to a trained dog chiropractor and massage. We did both and sure enough Valentine got beyond that early adjustment phase and is now 3 months post op and doing very, very, well. The massage therapist said "she is trying to figure this out" and sure enough she was and she is and so are we, trying to figure this out. Good luck, you are in our thoughts.
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