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
Hi. Starting a new thread(sorry, didn't know how this worked) My 10.5 year old rottie, Gus, was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma 10/29/15. Right Front Leg Amputated Thursday 11/5/15. Brought him home yesterday. This is much more than I had anticipated. The surgery went well. I had to get help to get Gus up and outside yesterday, last night and this morning. I just took him out again by myself, so guess we are getting better. Urinating is a big issue. He fell over both times trying to lift his leg. Now he is just squatting. He's eating well, taking his meds, etc. Gus is also a diabetic, deaf and partially blind, so many other challenges as well. But he's doing as good as I suppose we can expect. He's panting a lot. Don't know if stress, the pain meds, or what. He still has his large pressure bandage (covering a drain) - I take him in Monday to have that checked/replaced/removed. He has a pocket of fluid, I called my vet and he didn't seem overly concerned. This is just super stressful for me - I live alone. I'm sure each day will get better. Gus seemed so beat after hopping to go outside, etc. I guess he will build up more stamina. Any recommendations, suggestions anyone may have to help us thru would be greatly appreciated. I'm sure I'll look back on this in a month or so and smile......but not so much right now.
Gus' people, I'm in the chat room right now if you want to talk. I"ll reply here in just a sec...
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
I'm so sorry to hear about the diagnosis. You treated it promptly and I know how much of a head-spin it is but you are doing GREAT! It took a lot of courage to move so fast, especially with an older dog with challenges, and we applaud you for putting a pain-free quality of life ahead of all else. YAY YOU!!!!
First, know that your experience is totally normal, especially so soon after recovery. Try to picture where you would be right now, I'll bet you'll agree that Gus is rockin' it better than any human can, right? Your emotions, Gus' reactions and his mobility challenges are what many others experience so know that you are on the right path to recovery.
Now, tell us what kind of pain meds he is on. Panting can be a reaction to too much medication or not enough pain meds. Sometimes they need adjusting, that might be what's happening.
About helping him to potty, have you tried using a grocery bag sling? Some dogs will allow it, others are more stubborn. It's trial and error but it's worth a shot if he doesn't have his balance (which is likely caused by wooziness from the pain meds).
I'm glad you'll re-visit the vet on Monday. Do you have someone who can help you take him? It may be a little tough getting him into the car. The sling will help, or a Ruffwear Webmaster harness if you have one.
Yes, he will build up stamina and there are lots of things you can do to help. Check out Jerry's Required Reading List and the Tripawds e-books library for lots of ideas.
We are here for you, you aren't alone so hang in there OK? Also remember we have our Tripawds Helpline if you want someone to talk to on the phone.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Welcome! As you are finding out this is one wicked hard journey! But you are not alone anymore. You have a whole community here ready to help you get through this. It does get easier I promise. And you have had success already. Yay for being able to get him out yourself for the first time! You are very early on in this journey and the fact that he's peeing is also a success! The panting may well be caused by all the drugs in his system which are quite a few right now. Right now he needs to mostly rest, eat and short potty breaks. Getting up and out and back in will completely tire them out at first. As our beloved Sally always points out humans would still be in the hospital on a morphine drip! What drugs is your Gus on? Did your vet tell you to ice the incision area for 10 minutes or so twice a day? Good news that he is eating and taking his pain meds. You want to stay on top of giving him the meds because playing catch up with them is hard. I'm sure you are physically and emotionally exhausted so make sure you take care of yourself too. We also got a harness for our Max which helped us a lot. We kept it on him during the day so we could quickly grab it if he looked like he was going down. We still use it 10 weeks out. Just gives us peace of mind. We used the webmaster harness which we got off this site here. Max was a rear leg amp but I know dobimom used it from day one with her front amp Nitro. Stay close to us all here and if you have any questions post away. In two weeks you will look back at these first few days and pat yourself on the back for a on well done! Hugs to you and Gus.
Linda & Max
It was the ruff wear webmaster harness that Jerry referred to that we used. Also meant pat yourself on the back for a job well done 😀 Darn typos
Linda & Max
Hi Gus's people. We too are on Post Op, Day 2, for our 9 yr. old Dyna, Female Doberman, 85#, Osteosarcoma, Amputation Right Front Leg. Dyna was diagnosed one week ago today and also had her surgery on 11/5/15. Glad to hear Gus is on his way to recovering from his surgery. Unfortunately, we have already had a setback as our Dyna suffered anxiety overnight following surgery and tore her stitches. She had to have another surgery Friday to repair the damage and add a drain tube for excessive drainage from her fluid pocket. We're also going through a lot of stress as we haven't been able to see her since we took her in for the surgery and she clearly wants to come home. The vet wants to get the drainage under control before releasing her and they are better equipped to do that than we are. We're hoping tomorrow will be the day she can get back to her own environment to calm her down.
We also bought the Ruffwear Webmaster to help Dyna in her recovery but obviously haven't had a chance to use it yet. I have read many good reviews on it and I would like to point out that the buckles are on the left side so putting it on Gus will be very easy and won't require lifting his left front leg. The D-ring and handle on the back will help you to stabilize Gus when he needs to go outside and when you need to load/unload him from your vehicle.
Anyway, just wanted to let you know you are not alone and we wish Gus the best in his recovery and strength for you in the process.
Dean & Cathy
Welcome to Tripawds Dean, Cathy, and Dyna, your future posts will not have to wait for approval.
Thanks for sharing your story here and offering your support. I guess Dyna and Gus are amp buddies!
Please feel free to start your own thread and share more about Dyna. I'm sorry that she is having problems and that you can't see your girl. Hopefully she will be home soon!
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
Hi Everyone...
Im Deborah and my baby Zeus, Rottweiler, had a biopsy last Thursday and Vet is pretty sure its Osteosarcoma. Hes not even 7 years old and Im terrified of the results. Being here helps but Im so worried about bringing him home. I live alone and Zeus weighs 146lbs! Is this possible on my own? I plan on amp and chemo but should I hire some help? which harness is the best in everyones opinion? Thanks!
Hi Deborah and Zeus, Welcome to Tripawds. Your future posts will not have to wait for approval.
I'm sorry cancer has brought you here, but this is the best place to be when facing amputation and cancer.
Please consider starting a new thread of your own so Zeus' story doesn't get lost here and you can get answers to your specific questions. You can start HERE, just click on 'add topic' and tell us all about yourselves.
To answer your question- you might need some help at first, but also you can talk to the vet about keeping Zeus until he can get around pretty well.
And many here use the Web Master by RuffWear. You can read about different harness options here.
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
zeusysmom said
Hi Everyone...Im Deborah and my baby Zeus, Rottweiler, had a biopsy last Thursday and Vet is pretty sure its Osteosarcoma. Hes not even 7 years old and Im terrified of the results. Being here helps but Im so worried about bringing him home. I live alone and Zeus weighs 146lbs! Is this possible on my own? I plan on amp and chemo but should I hire some help? which harness is the best in everyones opinion? Thanks!
Hi Deborah and Zeus. My boy, Gus had his amputatin on Thursday. He is 10.5, I was(still am...)scared. I also live alone. Gus is 80#. I did have to have help the first 2 days with getting him up and outside. After that I am able to do it alone now. They learn so quickly! If you want to call me you could. I am doing chemo also. Won't start for 2 weeks post surgery. We had our first recheck today, everything looks great with his incision!
linda8115 said
Welcome! As you are finding out this is one wicked hard journey! But you are not alone anymore. You have a whole community here ready to help you get through this. It does get easier I promise. And you have had success already. Yay for being able to get him out yourself for the first time! You are very early on in this journey and the fact that he's peeing is also a success! The panting may well be caused by all the drugs in his system which are quite a few right now. Right now he needs to mostly rest, eat and short potty breaks. Getting up and out and back in will completely tire them out at first. As our beloved Sally always points out humans would still be in the hospital on a morphine drip! What drugs is your Gus on? Did your vet tell you to ice the incision area for 10 minutes or so twice a day? Good news that he is eating and taking his pain meds. You want to stay on top of giving him the meds because playing catch up with them is hard. I'm sure you are physically and emotionally exhausted so make sure you take care of yourself too. We also got a harness for our Max which helped us a lot. We kept it on him during the day so we could quickly grab it if he looked like he was going down. We still use it 10 weeks out. Just gives us peace of mind. We used the webmaster harness which we got off this site here. Max was a rear leg amp but I know dobimom used it from day one with her front amp Nitro. Stay close to us all here and if you have any questions post away. In two weeks you will look back at these first few days and pat yourself on the back for a on well done! Hugs to you and Gus.Linda & Max
Thank you for all the great input! We had a recheck today, they removed the drain, everything looks great! They re-wrapped lightly, not a pressure bandage. Gus is doing ok. I think its harder on me! He is on Tramadol, antiobiotic and Metacam. Pain seems under control. He did slip today on the vet floor and yelled as he fell on his amputation site! I cried!!
Thanks for letting us know he's doing well!
You'll come to find that vet floors are a Tripawd's worst enemy. These traction ideas are useful for those visits.
And yeah, you'll cry when those occasional stumbles happen but you'll see that Gus will recover a lot faster than you, and even faster if you can hold it together and keep the tears from flowing. I know it's sooo hard though, but you'll get the hang of it!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Don't you hate those vet floors!? Definitely not put there with tripawds in mind. Even four legged dogs can have trouble with them. Yup our Max fell a few times too. It was heart wrenching. I found that's when I had to stay strong so Max did too. If I acted like it was ok then Max followed my lead and was fine. It was tough but I had to do it for him. It sounds like Gus is doing wonderfully well. Enjoy each new victory each new day. Look how far you've come already! Thank you for a great update! Hugs to you and Gus!
Linda & Max
linda8115 said
Don't you hate those vet floors!? Definitely not put there with tripawds in mind. Even four legged dogs can have trouble with them. Yup our Max fell a few times too. It was heart wrenching. I found that's when I had to stay strong so Max did too. If I acted like it was ok then Max followed my lead and was fine. It was tough but I had to do it for him. It sounds like Gus is doing wonderfully well. Enjoy each new victory each new day. Look how far you've come already! Thank you for a great update! Hugs to you and Gus!Linda & Max
Thanks for the kind words! This site is great! I felt so bad when Gus fell today at the vet. Everything was looking SO good! And now, tonight, he seems a bit off..so, I wonder if he got hurt when he fell on his amputation site. I feel so terribel. I should not have let him fall! He didn't even want to go outside tonight to go potty.
jerry said
Thanks for letting us know he's doing well!
You'll come to find that vet floors are a Tripawd's worst enemy. These traction ideas are useful for those visits.
And yeah, you'll cry when those occasional stumbles happen but you'll see that Gus will recover a lot faster than you, and even faster if you can hold it together and keep the tears from flowing. I know it's sooo hard though, but you'll get the hang of it!
One other question. It's only been 4 days since Gus's surgery. Now all I'm thinking about is "oh my gosh"...."he's only got 3 good legs. what if something happens to one of them? I'm so scared every time he walks...and even though he's a big tough rottweiler.... {hahaha} his solo front leg looks so little and fragile.....anyone else have these feelings?
1 Guest(s)
