Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi there,
koko is now 11 days postop and her pain appears to be well under control only getting Rimadyl and gabapentin at night before bed low-dose. Now that her pain is under control I’m noticing some thing that I’m having a very difficult time treating. Depression. She is a completely different dog all she wants to do is sleep all day all night. I get her up to go outside, I get her up to eat, I get her up to drink by sweet talking her and motivating her...she physically does the work herself but again I have to persuade her to get up. It’s evident she is very aware that she has lost a limb and doesn’t want to look in that direction. She no longer comes into the kitchen while I cook, she no longer follows me around the house, she no longer follows me in the bathroom. The most exciting thing I can get her to do is sit up during car rides which we do daily. Since she came home from surgery I have not seen her wag her tail and she refuses to play with her toys and doesn’t even want to look at them. This is coming from a dog who was always happy, always wagging her tail, always wanted to play with toys and always following me around. What can you do in times like this? She’s so aware of what I did to her it’s not even funny. I tried bringing her to her favorite park a few times she just takes a couple hops and then just stands there. Does the same thing in my backyard. Not sure what to do here, any ideas?
Oh my gosh please don't bear yourself up, you didn't do anything to her, you did it for her. I know it's hard to see that right now and I'm so sorry she hasn't gotten her mojo back yet. Some dogs just need more time.
There can be many reasons for her behavior and usually it's something that is related to general weakness and lack of strength. I can't recall at the moment but have you booked a rehab therapy appointment yet?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi Yes. Unfortunately Uni Penn had no openings for suture removal until Jan 3rd. Once they are out she will see rehab Dr on the 5th. They had no openings for treadmill until the 10th. I hope to get her in sooner or maybe the day of her eval..I know it will help her learn better ways of getting around and increase her strength/balance. Any ideas for at home until then?
Oh awesome! It's just around the corner! Rehab can do so many great things to build a dogs confidence and get them feeling good again!
At home, I'm wondering if you can get her favorite visitors to come over and just hang out?
Also, try not to expect too much right now. It's still early and her body is still in healing mode. I know it's hard to see the big change in her but overall her progress sounds good and now it's time and therapy that can get her back to a sparkly place.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Jist wrote a long post and got kicked out....then logged out...blag blah...anyway I did tdo a "cooy" after two "try again" notices
I now see in the meantime Jer4y and you jave posted and replied....just gonna post my reply anyway...so apologies if it no longer applies
First of all.......
She’s so aware of what I did to her it’s not even funny.
Nope, not at all!!!!! You are feeling a little uncertain right now, maybe a little "defeated" and question your decision......these are all hooman emotions....NOT dog emotions!
Is it possible that the "depression" you are witnessing is tied into the reduction of pain meds?? That, along with maybe some more muscles, etc?
It’s evident she is very aware that she has lost a limb and doesn’t want to look in that direction
Not sure why she would have a reason to "look in the direction" of any of her limbs. I'm sure she didn't look at that leg when she was a four legger.😉 One thing I always say when picking the dog up after amputation surgery is not to draw attention to the incision. All they want to see is your smiling face telling them they're going home.
And that leads me to what is your energy like? Dogs really are tuned into your energy. One thing that has worked with many is to have a friend or family member Koko really likes come over. Have them come in all excited and upbeat and just gushing all over Koko. Almost always you'll see the tail start wagging and the energy become more upbeat.
You've probably mentioned it before, but what's her activity been like on a day to day basis? For the first two weeks-ish it's just SHORT, leashed potty breaks and back in for rest. You mentioned daily carrides. What kind of effort does she have to expend to get in and oit of the car? Dors she have to jump up to get in or down?
As far as taking her to the dog park, it's really too early for her to be running around, or even walking around a lot at the dog park
Pain, pulled muscles, tight muscles may be what you are observing. You may want to re-introduce the Gaba back into her schedule rather than just once at night. Many dogs stay on it for about two weeks before the reduction takes place. Of course, not a Vet and not giving Vet advice.
Again, apologies if you've already mentioned this, but have you tried lots and lots of massages? Go up and down her spine, her neck area, her shoulder, etc. Any signs of tension ??
A Rehabilitation Specialist will be of great help too. They can help analyze her gait, any areas of tension, areas that need more strength, etc. The Tripawds Foundation will pay for the first visit.
One more thought. Let her show you she needs to go out rather than you taking her out at various times. Let her indicate that she can't hold it anymore and needs to go potty. Not following you around, not wanting to get up....definately possible pain indicators...whether surgery related or sore and tight muscles or both.
All of this is in the FWIW category and just throwing stuff out there, okay? Adding the Gaba back in more frequently, doing the massages, continued rest, the BFF coming over.all this may help her start to get her sparkle back.
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'm so sorry to hear Koko is having a rough go of things. When my dog Atticus had his amputation, we were in the same place at the two week mark. He was acting very depressed and lethargic, and he just wanted to lay down and mope all day in our office (not a normal place for him pre-surgery). He also would only eat/drink if I hand-fed him tasty things. I thought I had made a terrible mistake and ruined his life.
In the same time frame we got the all-clear from our surgeon that he was officially "healed" from the surgery. What I truly think was happening was that he was depressed and anxious from losing his leg. My surgeon and our rehab vet agreed with me. They said it's more likely in dogs that are very smart and sensitive, and in dogs that were still weight-baring in the limb they lost.
To pull Atticus out of his slump I had to make him realize that he still could do all the things he loved to do before. Even though he just wanted to lay down, I made him get up and go on short walks, go to the pet store and pick out bones, and go to the dog park. I made him go to his bowl and stand to eat. Little by little he perked up and saw hints of the old Atticus shine though. It's sounds like you are on track here with car rides and the park. Is there anything else Koko loves to do?
I agree with Rene and Sally on rehab- it will really help! Even though Atticus was considered healed by our surgeon, and moving really well according to his rehab vet, he had a lot of muscle spasming and adhesions at the surgery site. So he was still in some pain. Koko still could be in some pain, or acting this way due to weakness/lack of strength. Rehab will be really helpful there, so I'm glad you already have an appointment scheduled.
Megan that is such smart advice and tips to help Koko, thank you. Being able to "normalize" life again like you did has so much to do with helping them feel normal too. About how long did it take for him to get his spunk back?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi thanks so much everyone. So, Koko’s pain is much better controlled than was a week ago. I got her off Codeine completely and knocked the Gab down to just at bedtime to try and get her to wake up a little during the day. She gets Methocarbamol 2x/day around when she is active to relax muscle spasms and keep her comfortable. That was so helpful when she tore both ACLs that I had some left. Once I added that to her regimen she no longer shakes or whines. We do car rides, my skinny butt picks her up so she does nothing physical to get in or out of the suv. At the park she gets pushed in a dog stroller and takes a few hops here and there at her fav sniffing spots. Today she played w her first toy since surgery. Huge step. Just wish she would walk a little more than a hop here and there. All in all today is a better day. Thank u everyone for your encouragement.
Hi,
I wanted to share my experience with my first Tripawd Maggie's recovery... but first remember that Koko is only 11 days into recovery from a HUGE surgery. Even if her pain is well controlled she is probably exhausted from her new gait and balance. We also sometimes see here a big change in attitude once the sutures come out.
On to Maggie- she was a little Pug who was 7.5 years old when she lost a rear leg to cancer. Surgery went well, pain well managed and no complications. Mag was an absolute slug for about 6 weeks- only getting out of bed on her own for food or potty breaks. She wouldn't play with toys, wasn't engaged on walks (mostly a stroller after the first two weeks of recovery), and wouldn't engage with her little sis quad-Pug Tani. She was grumpy so I was grumpy- I think we fed off each other. It only occurred to me much later that my attitude affected hers. I was sure I had made a terrible mistake by choosing amputation. About the 6 week mark she finally came around and got back to herself.
In hindsight it made perfect sense- Maggie was stubborn and set in her ways, any change to her normal routines would make her grumpy. For example- when I first got her she would ride in the front seat of my truck, she loved to look out the window. When I got the second Pug I got a SUV. I put the seats down so they had the whole back to themselves. Maggie spent about a month pouting every time we went somewhere and I wouldn't let her in the front seat- she would sit with her back to me and refuse to look out the windows 
.
Anyway- give Koko time to build strength and get used to her new normal. Some pups bounce right back after surgery but my Maggie certainly wasn't one of those. All dogs have their own time line for healing and dealing with change.
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
jerry said About how long did it take for him to get his spunk back?
About 4 weeks. Up until his surgical recheck at 2 weeks I was not really encouraging him to move a lot. At the two week mark we were all concerned by his depressed behavior. Once we got cleared, from 2-4 weeks we were on the move! Dog park, wine tasting, beach trip! We packed a lot in, and he loved it. At four weeks post-op he was enough back to his old happy self that we started chemo.
Happy to hear that Koko is doing better! Recovery really is baby steps. I’m glad to hear she is getting methocarbomol. When we went to our first rehab therapy appointment, the rehab vet put Atticus on a two week course of it. It helped his muscle spasms/tightness significantly, and really increased his overall comfort.
YAY for Koko! How cool that she is moving around and excited to play with toys again. Little by little she is getting there and each day will be better than the next.
Thank you Karen, and Megan, for sharing so much great input. Honestly, we just haven't encountered the depression situation with our own Tripawds so it's really good for others who have gone through it to share the steps they took. In the past vets would say dogs and cats don't get depressed, but I think that is changing because the more recent science shows far more complex emotions in dogs and cats than was once believed. We learn so much from our pets!
I'm going to turn this into a Tripawds News blog post, so thanks for the inspawration.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi,
When I was trying to learn about what to expect after surgery the following kept coming up. "The first two weeks post-op will the hardest". My boy is a few days short of a month post-op. He had his front right leg removed. My experience is this, the first two weeks were the hardest like I read about. Then I could see real improvement after the meds were discontinued. My Franklin began to get the sparkle back in his eyes. And he is starting to act like his old self again one day at a time.
Enjoy all the little steps forward with Koko. I bet before you know it Koko will be his old happy self once again. Then you will know you absolutely made the right decision to move forward and beat the cancer. We'll be here cheering you and Koko on...
Best Regards,
Joe, Franklin and Little Rosco in New Hampshire.
jerry said
Thank you Karen, and Megan, for sharing so much great input. Honestly, we just haven't encountered the depression situation with our own Tripawds so it's really good for others who have gone through it to share the steps they took. In the past vets would say dogs and cats don't get depressed, but I think that is changing because the more recent science shows far more complex emotions in dogs and cats than was once believed. We learn so much from our pets!
Depression may not be the best word for it- just what I used because that's how I would describe the behavior in a human. Maybe anxiety, mixed with a little grief? I know those are emotions that dogs can have. Atticus definitely has a hard time dealing with change- he spent a month sulking in his crate when we got a puppy. I imagine going from having four functioning legs to three was a huge traumatic change for him, that took a few weeks to wrap his brain around.
I hear you, definitely! Depression in humans isn't the same in dogs, but versions of it are possible just as you described (and others). Thanks for sharing!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi and thank you everyone for your encouragement. I am very happy to say that the past two days have been extremely good. She really turned a corner and I see just by the look in her face that she’s back. She’s relaxed looking tongue hangs out with ease, she hops around ears flopping back-and-forth as she gains momentum with multiple steps at a time, plays with toys and follows me into the bathroom. All of these things tell me she is feeling more like herself. I could not be happier. Sutures come out tomorrow morning and rehab hopefully starts on Wed. Yay. Thank you all again for easing my worries and assuring me I made the right decision.
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