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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Peyton came home last night on Day 1 post op. He was doing so well the vet felt he would be much better served at home. He came home with a wound soaker catheter, that we are instilling Bupivicaine into every 8 hours. He'll get his last dose of that this afternoon and then I can take the catheter out. He was supposed to go back to the hospital to have it out but it was such a challenge getting him in and out of the car yesterday I've opted to take it out myself as I'm an RN and pretty sure I can handle a couple sutures and a piece of guaze 
His incision is huge, much bigger than some of the pictures I've seen online but it looks great. So far no redness, swelling or drainage. Getting him home took a lot out of him home last night and he pretty much laid down and stayed there when we got home. He looks great this morning. I was worried about him doing the 3 stairs we have to get outside in the front yard so I brought a bunch of leaves up on the back deck thinking he'd just pee there (only one small step to get out there). Well, I opened the door and he headed right for the deck stairs (8!) and did them all before I could grab him! Guess I'll take him out front from now on but I was amazed at how well he mastered the stairs! He's essentially been 3 legged for the last few weeks so he's benefiting from that now I guess. I'm struggling to keep him confined to the family room as he wants to follow me everywhere I go. Just now I heard him hopping out to the den to find me. Not sure how I'm going to master that one...it's a big open room and there's no gate large enough to close it off. Right now I have bean bags and kitchen chairs in the way but need to come up with a better solution.
Overall I feel pretty good. Although, I have moments where I wonder if I did the right thing. If his recovery continues like this I'm sure I won't have any regrets. He definitely seems to be glad to be rid of that nasty old leg with the tumor!
For meds he's on Tramadol 2 tabs 3-4 times a day, I've opted to keep him on the Gabapentin 200mg 2x day and will start to taper that tomorrow maybe. He's also on Rimadyl 3/4 tab twice a day.
I'm in the process of switching his food to Wellness Core and exploring raw options as well. I definitely need some more info on supplements! There is so much info it's overwhelming!!!
Thanks everyone for the support! This board is an amazing source of information!
Brenda & Peyton
Hi,
I'm glad to hear Peyton is home & doing well. I'm a big proponent of letting dogs find their own way when post amputation. I never confined my dog & let her regulate her own activities, but she is a dog who does this well and more significantly was not protected by a local anesthesia. The first jolt of pain when the local wears off, especially since Peyton, being pain free, has not limited himself, can be a bit of a shock, so you might want to be a little cautious at that time. Don't be discouraged if he is a little less active. He may have been exerting himself since surgery without the boundaries post op discomfort would ordinarily impose.
There was a long discussion recently on the forums regarding feeding choices, you may find helpful:
| Eating Healthy What do you feed your other dogs that are not tripawds or that don't have the big "C"? |
I'm sure Peyton will soon be happily hopping around as his old self!
Cynthia
Hi Brenda,
Glad to hear Payton is doing so well. I will second what Cynthia said about being prepared for Payton to seem to have a set back after all the pain masking drugs wear off. Many of us had lots of ups and downs the first couple weeks after surgery- sometimes it makes you question if you did the right thing- so don't get discouraged!
Payton does have a bit of an advantage because he was a virtual tripawd for awhile- but he still has a lot of strength and endurance to build up- and his balance will be different with out that extra leg.
Hopefully he is one of those lucky pups that sail through recovery.
Karen and the pugapalooza
Very cool! We're glad to hear that he's doing so well.
I think a lot of times the reason that new Tripawds have trouble navigating stairs is because they're doped up, not because they really can't. I was a virtual Tripawd too for a couple of weeks so I had plenty of practice, but when I was on Tramadol I was just seeing so many pink elephants, they got in my way whenever I tried the steps.
So now we have two RNs here? Yay! Cynthia (littlemanjake) is a nurse too. Your pups are so lucky to have you for a pawrent!
Try not to get too overwhelmed with information, supplements etc. I think a great place to start is Dr. Dressler's free dog cancer diet book.
We found it helpful to focus on just two or three supplements/dietary changes at a time and then work up from there, and omit things as necessary. And remember you don't have to do all of the dietary changes you think are necessary, all at once. Rotating supplements is helpful. Core is a great food for cancer dawgs, btw.
Good luck this week! Keep us posted.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
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