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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wow. I wasn't sure that night was going to end. First night home post op with my 6year old Great Dane, Kinder. She had her rear left leg amputated due to possible osteosarcoma. I expected it to be hard, but that was something else. I'm not sure I've ever felt as helpless.
Before coming home the vet told me she was getting around ok and eating, had gone poop but not pee. Still trying to help her go. She always had a real low stance to go and it seems that's having an effect no matter how much I support her with s towel. Does anyone have advice.
Also it looks like seroma has started at the wound. I emailed pics and vids to the emergency vet but they told me that was ok and not super worrisome right now.
A long night of second guessings and guilt to say the least.
Welcome to Tripawds, your future posts will not have to wait for approval.
Did Kinder come home the day of surgery? What meds is she on?
We can all relate to what you are feeling...yes it is hard, and NO you did not make the wrong choice! That is exhaustion and worry about your girl clouding your thoughts. BTW- I was sure I hadmade the wrong decision with my little pug Maggie!
Tell us more about what is going on with Kinder, what is she doing?
seroma 's are common, as long as the vet has seen it and is OK then it's probably fine. As long as the incision looks good and there is no smelly discharge.
You might try a canvas shopping bag split down the sides as a sling. It is easier to hold than a towel and less bulky.
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
Stay connected, okay? The support and first hand knowledge is I invaluable! Yep, scared, panicked, nauseated, uncertain, second guessing everything, helpless, exhausted, stuck in a nightmare....we get it!
My beloved Happy Hannah spent the first night at the hospital. She came home walking astoundingly well (some dogs do, some it takes days to get their sea legs). However, she whined and was restless and competently inconsolable for the first three nights. I really don't think she slept but about five hours total those first nights. I had not joined this site yet...had very little instructions from the vet and had nooo clue what to expect.
Tried ro use a towel as a sling at first to make sure she wouldn't fall...she wanted nothing to do with that. She would just freeze. She may not want to pee with the sling. The fact that she has already pooped is great!!
And yeah, she had a big seroma too! Just keep an eye on it a d, if necessary, the vet can drain it. They usually clear up eventually though.
Just log in the number of hours in between pee. It is not uncommon for pain meds to mess up their potty schedule.
The main thi g right nkw is rest, potty breaks and keeping the pain managed. She's probably still lretty drugged from the hospital meds, as well as the pain meds the vet sent you home with.
BTW...we have some great success stories from some wonderful Great Danes.....Atlas....Queen Nova...just a couple to check out.
Oh, and I questioned my decision for about three weeks! What in the world had I done TO my dog! But once recovery took place and she got her sparkle back bigger and brighter than before...WOW!! I knew I had done this FOR my Happy Hannah!
Hang in there! Recovery is no picnic, especially for bigger dogs sometimes! Let us know how she's doing when you can, okay?
Hugs to you both!
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle 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!
We've all been there so 100% we are understanding your emotions. First you have to remember Kinder is still loopy from surgery drugs plus the drugs you come home with. He will figure out what works for him for elimination. Our Max wanted nothing to do with using a sling. Fought us every step. We ended up using the webmaster rough wear harness from this site and it helped us immensely! It gave us the piece of mind that we could grab it quickly if it looked like he was going down. Max also didn't want us to help him. He wanted to do it on his own so we let him knowing we could grab the harness handle if we felt we needed to. Max was also a rear amp so had no problems with the harness near his incision. There were times early on where he would just sit down and then pee while he was sitting there so you might want to watch him if he's just sitting there while outside too. I promise you your days will get better. Max also developed a seroma but his opened up and leaked. It cleared up in about a week. If you need to clean that area do NOT use peroxide. Check with your vet to see what he recommends. Our surgeon had us use Hibiclens mixed with warm water twice a day to inhibit bacteria growth. I have also heard that gentle massage by the seroma helps absorb it. If it gets too large your vet may have to drain it which is also quite common. Each new day will show you progress. This is a wicked hard journey but soon soon you will start to see light at the end of the tunnel
Linda & Max
Hi and welcome. Good advice so far! And yes, the first couple of weeks are rough. The first few nights----yeah, I remember those! Bill and I felt so helpless too. We were hovering around and trying to read her mind and worrying the whole time. But it gradually gets better, though there are likely to be lots of ups and downs. So don't get discouraged.
Like folks have said, between the meds and the surgery and the acute pain, Kinder is probably unsure of how to stand to do her business. And she's having to hold up a lot of weight all of sudden, and she might just not have the abdominal strength yet. On the other hand, poo-ing already is quite the achievement---Kinder might hold some kind of record around here!
We also had a large female (Pyr mix) w/ a rear amp. Our method for using the sling was to pull it sort of diagonally back as she lowered herself and create resistance for her to lean on rather than trying to actually hold up her rear end while she squatted. Does that make sense? Sometimes we also just used a forearm placed under her hips if we didn't have the sling w/ us.
Denise, Bill and Angel Ellie.
Active 10+ Pyr mix suddenly came up lame with ACL tear in left rear leg. Scheduled for a TPLO but final pre-op x-rays indicated a small suspicious area, possibly OSA, which could have caused the ACL tear. Surgeon opened the knee for TPLO but found soft bone. Biopsy came back positive for OSA. Became a Tripawd 9/18/14. Carbo6 with Cerenia and Fluids. Pain free and living in the moment. Crossed the Bridge on 7/12/15 after probable spread of cancer to her cervical spine. A whole lifetime of memories squeezed into 10 months. Here's her story: Eloise
Welcome to you and your gal, Kinder. The first few days/nights are not remotely easy...emotional and physical exhaustion make it so easy to wonder if you have made a horrible mistake for a dog you love. Kinder has been through a traumatic surgery, is loaded up with meds and still has some pain in spite of the meds...but you will be amazed at how fast she progresses over the next couple of weeks.
I found that my Sketchie, who also had a rear leg amp, used leaning against the fence in our dog yard as a support when he did his business for several days post surgery...if you have a fenced yard you might try leading Kinder to it and helping her lean against it so she get's the idea.
Trini and my Sketch Boy
Howdy and welcome!!! Love the avatar picture!
So much great advice so far. You definitely came to the right place. There's not a single emotion we haven't all gone through. But Karen is 100% correct, exhaustion will compromise your thought processes. Put the blame where the blame belongs and that's on cancer.
Can't wait to hear more about your sweet Kinder! (love the name!)
pam
Harmony became a Tripawd on 10/21/14 (MCT). She left us way too soon on 11/1/14.
"We miss you so much; our love, our heart, our Harmony."
- Pam, Ron and Melody, Meesha, Doublestuff and Mariah Carey
Hi. My rottie, Gus, has osteosarcoma. Had front right leg amputated on Thursday. Brought him home yesterday. Boy, this is so much more difficult than I thought. He doesn't want to get up or walk. I have to basically force him. He did go out to pee twice, after MUCH coaxing... My question...he still has his large pressure bandage over the incision area. There is a drain underneath it. He has some fluid build up toward his belly area, it's not by the incision, more toward his mid torso. Should I worry?? He goes back in for a recheck on Monday and to have the drain removed. I hate to drag him back into the vet today if I don't need to. This is terrible. Wish I had left him in the hospital for a few days.
Also, Gus seems to get totally exhausted just going outside to pee. Is this normal???
Hi Gus and pack, Welcome to Tripawds. Your future posts won't have to wait for approval.
Our surgeon told us that Maggie should only be walking for food and potty breaks. The meds can make them loopy, and we have seen that some pups don't like the feel of the pressure bandage. Beyond that Gus is recovering from a major surgery. The fluid may be building up because of the pressure bandage- can you call the vet and discuss? I would guess it's nothing to worry about but you need to be sure.
As for getting exhausted on a potty break- that sounds pretty normal. A combination of meds and hopping on three. Gus has to learn new balance and build up strength and endurance.
Again, if anything seems not right, or you need reassurance call your vet. We can share all of our experiences but we are not there with you and Gus.
also, please consider starting your own thread so we can learn about you and Gus and so your story doesn't get mixed up here in this thread.
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
Can I just say thank you first to everyone's encouraging posts? They're already a huge help in calming my nerves.
I'm new here... my very active 12 year old cattle dog came up limping 4 days after CanAm a few weeks ago (flyball nationals). We saw our rehab vet and when she didnt improve after a week - the rehab vet sent us to ER. There we saw my girl (Clementine) had a partial fracture right above her left knee...osteosarcoma is suspect (will know more after biopsy). That was this past Monday (11/9/2015) and she had her leg amputated yesterday (11/12/2015). Initially I was going to go up to Colorado State University for treatment, but they can't see us for two more weeks for the first evaluation - so I acted quickly and took her to a surgeon down here in Denver, since chest x-rays and ultrasound were clear.
So far I guess she is doing ok.. pretty drugged up (she's has a Fentanyl patch and is on Rilexine (antibiotic), Tramadol and Carprofen). No drain...is that something I should be concerned about?
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She's getting around much better than I expected although I will be using a sling for the steps and when she is fatigued. Hoping she can sleep through the night comfortably...
Welcome to Tripawds, your future posts will not have to wait for approval.
I saw you posted on FB as well. I'm sorry you have had to find us because of cancer, but this is the best place to be for information and support.
Some pups have drains, some don't, it seems to depend on the vet that does the surgery. My pug Maggie was a rear amp and she came home without a drain.
You should think about starting your own topic to separate your story and so we can more easily answer your specific questions and follow Clementine's progress.
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
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