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.
Join The Tripawds Community
Learn how to help three legged dogs and cats in the forums below. Browse and search as a guest or register for free and get full member benefits:
Instant post approval.
Private messages to members.
Subscribe to favorite topics.
Live Chat and much more!
Register
Log In
Members
Add Topic
Offline
Tank is now 12 days post-op. He had his staples removed on Friday the 11th. Per my previous post, he was experiencing shivering and his eating is different...we basically have to coax him to eat his food or hand feed him (which I am totally fine doing).
He also has had hip dysplasia since we got him at 14 weeks (in both hips) and he will be 5 years old next month. Just this morning he whimpered for the first time since his amputation surgery. We aren't sure if it is pain in his hips, now that he is having to use them more, or if he is having phantom limb pain.
We feel terrible that he is going through all of this and feel as though we made the wrong decision in amputating his front leg. If it is phantom limb pain, how long does it typically last? Is it normal that he just started whimpering 12 days post-op?
We are starting to wean him off tramadol (2 pills, 3 times daily currently) and he is on Rimadyl as well. We have Gabapentin but only used it twice as he seemed extremely dopey while on it. We just want him to be as pain free as possible and back, or as close to, our happy baby boy!
Hi Tank and family, I'm in the Tripawds Chat room for a bit, it looks like you're still online.
Tank definitely sounds like he has pain going on, but please don't feel defeated. This happens often and when it gets under control it makes all the difference. Whether phantom leg pain or not, it doesn't matter but it does need to be handled by a vet knowledgeable in pain management stat.
Now take this for what it's worth. I'm not a vet but it sure doesn't sound like it's the time to wean him off medication. At 12 days out if his pain wasn't managed as closely as he may have needed before and after surgery, then that may be why he's hurting. Mismanaged pain can have repercussions long after surgeries, but that can be fixed.
Have you talked to his vet and what are their recommendations?
Oh, what are your floors like? And what's his activity like when he feels like getting around? Could he be slipping on floors or overdoing things? Just looking at all angles.
Gabapentin has sedative effects with some dogs but adjusting the medication is usually all it takes to lessen the effects. Also please remember, sleep is medicinal during the healing phase. Here's an article about Gabapentin.
I encourage you to read our series of articles about post-amputation pain management , and have a discussion with your vet asap. If your vet doesn't sound very up on pain management , please let us know and maybe we can help you find a pain management specialist in your area.
Try not to be discouraged. Let him rest as much as he wants and don't let him overdo it. Get the pain under control and Tank will be back to himself in no time at all. Keep us posted OK?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Do you have video of his shivering? Sometimes when someone describes what their pet is doing, once the video is shared, we get a better idea of what you mean. With phantom limb pain - usually they are laying quietly & suddenly they jump up, or act surprised, maybe yelp suddenly, and maybe they try to run away from their leg...hope that made some sense! lol
12 days is still somewhat early - less than 2 weeks! This is major surgery, it takes time to recover, and Tank is still in that recovery phase. How soon do you think that you would be up & about, without medications, if you had a leg removed? Sometimes a little perspective helps.
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
Just checking in on Tank AND you! Recovery is often harder on us humans than our pups!
Cheering for you both! Update when you can!
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!
Do hope Tank is starting to feel better. It can be really tough for a while but please don't feel despondent. His body needs lots of rest and time to adjust. All his muscles need to adapt to his new gait as well as his whole system recovering from major surgery.
My Meg has elbow dysplasia and arthritis in her remaining front leg and she's doing absolutely great. Eight months post amp and loving life on three. pain management is a priority for Tank right now, but once he is feeling a bit better (and he will be soon), you will also want to introduce some core strength exercises. This will help him hugely to distribute his weight and build his strength without putting unnecessary stress on those hips. This is manageable. It will get better. It's just really tough right now.
Sending hugs,
Meg and Clare (and Elsie Pie) xxx
Ruby, Staffy, born June 2022, became a Tripawd, 23 November 2023, adopted 12 January 2024.
Also Angel Tripawd Meg (aka The Megastar), who died in April 2023, aged 14, after seven glorious years on three, and Angel Staffies Pie and Bille. In the pawprints of giants...
He had his first chemo treatment yesterday and so far so good. Still hasn't had any adverse reaction to the chemo, which I am thankful for and hope it continues.
He's still looking depressed but I think he is starting to do a little better...he's starting to play with his toy a little and wiggling more. He started to eat more without being coaxed as well so that is a good thing too...he isn't eating his normal portion but pretty close to it.
We have been able to get him down on the tramadol a little and he's doing good with that dose. I know we won't be able to get rid of it, due to his hips and everything, however, I am glad that we have been able to decrease it...so he doesn't seem so drugged out.
We did get his histopathology results yesterday as well...there was no spread to the lymph nodes they took from his arm pit which shows there is no metastatic disease. His chest x-ray prior to his chemo treatment was still clear so that is all very good news for him (and us)!
Tank is now down significantly on pain meds and has started to return to his old self (huge sigh), however, tonight we think he tweaked something in his remaining front leg and I just feel horrible for him again!
For those of u who have gone/are going through this, any suggestions on helping it feel better or how long tweaks take to heal?
First, glad he's done with his first chemo and glad his tests came back showing no spreading. YAAAAAAAAAY FOR TANK!!
Is Tank showing signs of pain in his leg? Is he trying not to walk or get up? How is he showing you that heere tweaked it? Any swellw? Any pain when stretching his leg or moving at the shoulder?
And yes, overdoing it just a little is easy to do for a front legger. Not knowing the particulars and because I'm certainly not a Vet, I can't offer much insight.
Generally though, if it's just a muscle strain, or neck or shoulder strain , completed rest for several days and an anti-inflammatory (perhaps Rimadyl). Some gentle massage may help too.
Keep js in the loop, okay?
His avatar picture is precious!
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!
He is hobbling a lot and it's like he reaches forward more than normal with his front leg...moving around gingerly. He's not crying out or anything and seems ok when massaged and stretched. Doesn't seem swollen.
Try massaging his neck & shoulders. Sometimes Murphy tweaks his neck a little bit. We keep Carprofen (or Rimadyl) around for achy days.
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
He takes Rimadyl every morning, so he is getting that. My husband massaged his shoulder area and it seems to be where it's hurting him,
Okay, can't remeber who doggone it, but a front legger's "tweaked leg" was actually a shoulder issue.Someone with a bettrr memory than I can direct you to the post. Hmmmm...was it Domino maybe??
My Frankie, a front legger, will over do it any chance he gets (but that's a other storh)! He tends to bob his head really low and kind of stretches out his front leg. Je kind of "sinks" at the shoukder. He only has one shoulder blade to help hold him up nkw, so the "sinking" a d head bobbing show up when he's overdone it.
Anyway, it's always good to check with your Vet and get the proper treatment.
Let us know how Tank is doing. Cheering for you Tank!!
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!
I think it might be me you're referring to, Sally. Or, rather, it might be Meg. Could well be someone else too, of course, but anyway, here's a link to our thread:
http://tripawds.....ling-over/
Metacam and strict rest sorted her out. She was allowed five minute lead walks in straight lines as much as possible, with no sharp turns. She also had laser and acupuncture, which had an obvious and immediate positive effect. Although she'd pulled a muscle behind her shoulder blade, this also caused her discomfort right down her back, especially her lower spine on the opposite side from her shoulder. I would recommend seeing a rehab vet if you possibly can. It wasn't at all obvious to me what Meg's problem was (just that something was wrong). There was no swelling or anything, but the rehab vet could feel all the muscles/knots/tension etc. It was great for Meg, but also very reassuring for me.
Do hope Tank feels better soon. I was really stressed about Meg. It took two or three weeks but she made a full recovery and her front leg/shoulder seems as strong, if not stronger, than ever. Keep posting, and I'll keep an eye on this thread in case anything else occurs to me that might be useful fro our experience.
Big hug,
Meg, Clare and Elsie Pie xxx
Ruby, Staffy, born June 2022, became a Tripawd, 23 November 2023, adopted 12 January 2024.
Also Angel Tripawd Meg (aka The Megastar), who died in April 2023, aged 14, after seven glorious years on three, and Angel Staffies Pie and Bille. In the pawprints of giants...
YES CLARE!!! It was I deed sweet Meg! Geez, how could I ever get Meg confused with anyone else! She is definitely one of a kind!! 🙂
Thanks for posting the link!
Lots of love to all!
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!
1 Guest(s)
