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
What a great resource to find; thank you all in advance. I'm sitting in the early am here after a difficult night with my sweet 60 lb, 7 year old labradoodle Ringo, diagnosed with osteosarcoma last week and front R amputation 2 days ago. The first few hours home were awful and or first attempt to stand was meet with screaming and pain on his part and crying on ours. We made it through and he's been up and out 3 times with a sling and major help, but he did it. Rough night but mostly heavier breathing and whining/panting/restlessness. He has a drain in place and we return Tuesday for follow up and to get a chemo timeline. They did not visualize Mets so we are praying.. in the meantime we are already crazy people who joined the holistic dark side 😜 and have consulted someone who has him on a major regimine of a ketogenic /no carb diet, mushrooms, hemp, life Gold tonic, diatemaceous Earth, distilled water.. you name it. I told you we were crazy! My most pressing question for you all is: I am very surprised at how little his back legs are supporting him. So very wobbly, poor positioning, like a newly born fawn. Was this normal for anyone? He doesn't appear overly groggy anymore, does pant a lot and appears generally uncomfortable and restless. But shouldn't his back legs be more helpful? Thanks in advance. I foresee a lot of time spent on here.
Hello and welcome, your future posts will not have to wait for approval.
I'm sorry you are dealing with cancer, but I'm glad you found your way here.
My first question is what meds is he on? The meds left in his system after surgery can make him very groggy and vocal, but that usually is only a day or so after the surgery in my experience. But pain meds in general can make them quite wonky. Panting and restlessness are signs of pain, but also (just to make this extra hard) can also be side effects of pain meds. It may take some tweaking in his meds or the dosing schedule but you should be able to get him comfortable.
Here is a post on recognizing Pain Signs.
And it does take some time to learn the new gait and balance. Some pick it right up, some take longer.
When in doubt call your vet and let them know what you are seeing.
As far as the diet goes- be sure you take a list of supplements with you for your oncology consult so they can check for any potential interactions. He has been on this diet for awhile? If so it should be fine, depending on what the onco thinks, but be cautious making any diet changes while you are doing chemo. If he has a reaction to something you won't know if it is the chemo or diet 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
Just want to add my welcome and ditto Karen!
Most dogs here come home with Tramadol, Gabapentin, Rimadyl and an antibiotic. It is so important to keep him on pain meds consistently so it doesn't have a chance to get a head start.
My Happy Hannah was also restless and whining for the first SEVERAL nights. She just could not seem to get comfortable. I don't think she or I slept more than three hours total those first several nights. And like you, I cried a lot during the early part of recovery. I kmow you are exhausted and emotionally drained
For the next two weeks (approximately) it's jist SHORT leashed potty breaks and then rest, rest and more rest. It is MAJOR SURGERY and not unusual at all for him not to have found his sea legs yet. And the bigger pups generally need a bit longer. I know it's hard to be patient, but he'll figure things out.
Ao yeah, as Karen asked, what are his pain meds and the frequency? The hospital meds are out of his system between day two and three. You may see a little more awareness as far as mhue getting the right balance with his three legs.
STAY CONNECTED! Recovery doesn't last furever....it just feelps like it😁.
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!
Hello and welcome, you're in good company. Many people here can relate to those first sleepless nights.
It's good that you're getting all the different types of opinions about how to deal with his cancer. There is nothing wrong with blending a mix of Eastern and Western medicine, that's called integrative medicine and it's totally legit. Whatever works for your pack is the way to go.
As Karen and Sally mentioned, wobbly legs are not uncommon but do make sure you get his pain addressed. Also, keep in mind that even being the tiniest bit overweight will impact his mobility, so if he needs to drop some pounds, that could be influencing how he gets around right now. Your veterinary team can help you help him lose weight and keep it off so keep them in the loop about his condition.
Finally, try to put yourself in his paws. We are so used to seeing our invincible dogs handle whatever comes their way, but times like this when they are a little off kilter, well we pet parents get nervous and fret. When you do , just remember, people handle this much worse than animals and odds are that Ringo is having a totally normal recovery. Try not to compare his recovery with others, he will get there too!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
1 Guest(s)
