Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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I know Kermit is shy & would rather not poop in front of me, but now he seems to be refusing to poop entirely; has anyone ever heard of this?
He's gotten to the point where little poops are just falling out of him around the house! He tried to poop in the yard a little while ago but he fell down right into it & just laid there looking pitiful. So I'm guessing it's difficult for him to hold himself in a squat position so he's just opting not to try.
Meanwhile I'm scrubbing carpet, washing bedding, and he needs a bath that he can't have because he still has his sutures. They vary in firmness from "pick it up & flush it" firm to "this is never coming out of the carpet" soft.
Since he hates to go while I'm holding his harness, I'm hoping someone might have some outrageously creative solution or alternate idea regarding why he's doing this before I have to diaper him or replace all the carpets!
(on the upside, his path report came back as osteosarcoma with no cancer in the lymph nodes, neither lymphoma nor mets from the osteo.) Yay! 
I haven't heard of this but is he still on pain meds? I'm wondering if he's just a bit wonky from those. Additionally, maybe you should get some puppy pads for the short run? I bought a package for Brendol as a just in case. Fortunately we didn't have to use them but they come in handy. Maybe then he would at least not go on the carpet.
Adelaide is a young tripawd Husky, from an injury. Her amp was on 10/1/12. She has 4 sisters, Aissa (a senior border collie/chow), Maggie May (a puppy Great Pyrenees), Mathilde and Morrigan and 1 baby brother, Bagheera. We are all watched over by our angel Brendol, who was dx with OSA 1/30/13, amp on 2/6/13, and left us on 8/20/13.
You can read their stories at http://adelaide.tripawds.com and http://brendol.tripawds.com
Great news on the path report! Well, sorta. I mean, cancer blows. But no lymph node involvement! Wahoo!
If Kermie was only having firm poo, I was gonna recommend some Miralax to keep things soft. Since he's all over the place, I don't know. Know you feed him well, but perhaps bump up the pumpkin and/or sweet potato?
I take it you don't live somewhere where you can leave him off leash outside to poop? What about a really long line? Or one of those that you can screw into the ground/attach to a tree? Then after affixing him you scurry inside and watch from afar?
I'm sure he's concerned and very worried about pooping inside. When Jackson has an accident related to illness, it's as though the act is less painful than he knowing he 'went inside'! Poor Kermie. He'll work it out. I think Brendol's mum is probably onto something with the drug-draw down. As you get him off drugs, things should get better!
~ Katy
ACL tear in right hind leg 12/5/12 and scheduled ACL repair surgery 12/21/12. Pre-op xrays revealed osteosarcoma. Amputation 12/28/12. Chemo (carboplatin) started Jan 10, 2013 and ended on April 5, for a total of 5 doses. He handled carbo like a champ! No side effects. We started metronomic therapy at his third chemo and have been also doing some holistic treatments. He's a lively, playful 10 year old huskie-boarder collie and a very proud member of the Winter Warriors! Our love. Our funny little guy!
Well yay for the good path report! Celebrate that great news!
Poor Kermit. Has he ever had indoor accidents before? Have you told your vet about this? I'm a little concerned because usually dogs have the opposite problem of not being able to go. I would definitely give the vet a call.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
I remember someone on here taking their dog to a public area where other dogs have been to potty. The scent of other dogs' poo and pee encourages them to poo. It worked.
Liberty (Libby) was diagnosed with OSA on 1-22-13. Right front amputation on 1-31-13. No IV Chemo. Metronomic Therapy started 2-19-13 along with supplements and some home cooking. Lungs clear until 1-06-14. She's still her happy, hoppy, bossy self. Living the dog life to the fullest and a proud Winter Warrior. :) RIP my Libby 4-21-03 to 3-19-14
Thanks guys!
He's still on tramadol & gabapentin, but he's been on those for over a month so no big change there. I spoke to the vet this afternoon & she also thought it might be a residual effect of the fentanyl that came off on Saturday.
Puppy pads wouldn't really help since it just seems to fall out of him at random times- while he's hopping, sleeping, whatever. And it not only doesn't seem to bother him, he seems pretty much unaware of it most of the time. But the three or so times he's tried to go this evening, he's collapsed & sat right in it. 
We do have a fenced yard but even when I leave him alone outside he won't go. And when I lured him out to his favorite poopy spot & stepped away, that was his first attempt & failure of the afternoon.
He had a busy couple days with a lot of walking, so I'm inclined to think his hindquarters are just too tired to hold him up...and he needs a diet! He's not fat but without a leg at each corner he'll need to be leaner...and even the vet was surprised that he hasn't lost any weight in the month+ of chemo treatments & surgery.
I actually think I've been overdoing the pumpkin, because what's coming out looks exactly like the pumpkin going in & staying soft now. 
I make them pumpkin peanut butter cookies & he eats a LOT of them, since he wouldn't eat his food until last night! OOPS.
The vet had said this morning to start to cut back the meds but given that he might be a little sore she said to go ahead & wait a day or two to start the cutback.
What a bizarre problem! 
I did take him across the street to where the coyotes poop & he immediately squatted, pooped a little, &his hind legs buckled & he sat in it.
He's NEVER pooped in the house before, but he didn't stop occasionally marking in the house until about a year ago, so it's not as though he's he type to be mortified about eliminating indoors!
We ARE ecstatic about the path report- dealing with two simultaneous cancers is scary enough- finding out the treatments are working makes it all worthwhile!
I'm hoping once his normal diet is re-established that will solve the problem. It won't hurt a thing to call and check with your vet. That's what they are there for.
Shanna & Spirit Trouble ~ Trouble gained her wings 3/16/2011, a 27 1/2 month cancer survivor, tail wagging. RIP sweetheart, you are my heart and soul. Run free at Rainbow Bridge.
The November Five - Spirits Max, Cherry, Tika, Trouble & Nova. 11/2008 - 3/2013 An era ends as Queen Nova crossed the Bridge.
Oh, I did. She also thought it was weird but not anything to be overly concerned about. I'm going to work harder to "normalize" his diet & routine.
I'm sorry he's falling in his poo. He'll get the hang of it, though! Soon enough.... Every time I read about Fentanyl, I get scared for this sorts of things. It's the coming off it that seems to do utterly bizarre things. So while Kermit is processing his meds, how about going back to basics with him: rice and chicken?
~ Katy
ACL tear in right hind leg 12/5/12 and scheduled ACL repair surgery 12/21/12. Pre-op xrays revealed osteosarcoma. Amputation 12/28/12. Chemo (carboplatin) started Jan 10, 2013 and ended on April 5, for a total of 5 doses. He handled carbo like a champ! No side effects. We started metronomic therapy at his third chemo and have been also doing some holistic treatments. He's a lively, playful 10 year old huskie-boarder collie and a very proud member of the Winter Warriors! Our love. Our funny little guy!
That's pretty much what he gets- I roast 2 chickens every 3 days & mix with brown rice & a few mixed veggies, plus he gets a teensy bit of kibble, which he diligently eats around!
I think he's getting sick of chicken! 
Maybe we'll switch to turkey. 
Maggie HAD to spin before pooping. When I first met her at 10 weeks old she was doing it. She was a left rear amp. The first day home after surgery she tried to spin and fell down. The look she gave me just killed me! She tried for 5 more days- always falling down when she tried to spin. On day 6 she kept her balance long enough to get a couple spins in and finally produced! Conventional wisdom is that pain meds caused the problem (fentanyl and tram) but I think it was in part due to her routine change.
This really doesn't help you much, but maybe a smile!??!
Congrats on the path report! Each bit of good news is reason to celebrate.
Karen
p.s. quad pug Onie just had knee surgery and came home on fentanyl and tram. The vet warned me about the affects of pain meds...he pooped 2 days post op so who knows. That's Obie that pooped, I can't speak for the vet : )
You may be onto something with the routine. Kermit has always needed to back his bum up into a bush or tree and "decorate" the branches, as well as walk forward a few steps while pooping, but he can't really maneuver well enough to do that.
He did finally go out around 2:30 this morning & I sat in a chaise on the patio for about 20 minutes & let him hang out in the grass until he finally got up & pooped. He squatted & walked about 100 feet before he finished but that seemed to get it all out. Not before I found 2 little presents in our bed, which creates a lot of work in the middle of the night!
Incidentally, I noticed when I picked it up this morning that it looks just like pumpkin peanut butter cookie dough, so I think a little diet change is indeed in order...
Sorry to be so graphic but this is just such an odd problem that I figured a maximum amount of detail would help stimulate creative solutions.
Oh gosh, you don't have to apologize for the detail, really. I feel bad you have had to do so much laundry lately!
Ok, my take is the pumpkin is too much for him right now. Pumpkin is weird, it acts as both an anti-diarrheal and keeps the system running smoothly. Sounds like he has a little too much of a good thing, so yeah, maybe cutting it out of his diet for a while is what's needed. Also, tell us his age again? Older dogs often exhibit this kind of incontinence. It sounds like your vet doesn't think that this is a factor though.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
He's 10, but the timing is suspect as far as it being just an old-dog problem; he's never had any digestive issues before, and this is a dog that will eat ANYTHING!
Yep, we're done with pumpkin for a while! Maybe I'll sprinkle some cheese over his food tonight! 
He's used to getting a lot of people food. 
I did get him to go out & poop this morning & he squatted without trouble & had a pretty normal movement (still looks like pumpkin, though) but I just glanced down at him & can see another turd peeking out! Hopefully we can get his gut normalized soon... he had chemo yesterday so I gave him metronidazole last night & this morning- I'm not taking any chances with incontinent diarrhea!!
I left the vet a message as well, so we'll see what, if anything, she has to offer... the poor dog is like a Play-Doh Not-So-Fun Factory with only one available shape! 
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