Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hello Everyone, especially buddies Bledsoe, Novak, and Milo our Ampuversary Mates! Just an update (which sounds an awful lot like Bledsoe's Day 5 update a few days ago.)
Ruby woke up a happy girl, raring to go (despite occasional night squeals and whimpers and ongoing explosive diarrhea, prob the Rimadyl). When I took her out she hopped the farthest she has been 30 yds? (Maybe lil more). She was pretty smiley all day up until about 3pm when she started limping very bad with her tail tucked between her legs and her back end sort of tucked up under her and barely moving and able to hop around. She's been restless all afternoon and has gotten slower and slower to the point that she is barely moving. She is sitting up a lot too rather than laying down like usual.
Do you think she is just sore from learning to hop her 50 pound body around? We sure hope so but if she is not better in the morning we are going to take her in. Kacy is trying to be a confident pack leader and told me I'm worrying too much (agreed). I'm very proud of her today being able to just take this in stride.
Poor Rubys diarrhea is just the worst so Rimadyl is definitely our Catch 22. The dr did call in an RX for the diarrhea so hopefully tomorrow will be a better day all around.
Ampu-Day Buddies, give us an update. Older friends who have been thru this please let us know your experience with this, Off to google some more posts that may shed light.
Good Luck to all!!
Lisa
Sounds like it could possibly be muscle strain, back or disc issues. Let's throw in pulled neck muscles while we're at it! All this can definitely happen the first couple of weeks as tripawds adjust their entire body to a new way of walking.
Glad that Ruby was doi g well earlier. That's a sign of progress!
Yep, a vet trip would definitely be in order just to check things out and get Ruby some relief. In the meantime yoummight massage up and down her spine and neck area to help relieve any tension or to see if there are any signs of soreness too. The vet will check out why she's limping too.
No worries, but the vet does need to assess her and get her the right treatment. He can double check the diarrhea also and maybe prescribe something ither than Rimadyl if that's what he thinks is the cause.
Deep breaths....all this recovery time is fullmofnups and downs and little hiccups for avout the first two weeks. Seems kike forever though! TRY and get some rest!
Update us when you can.
Hugs to all!
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!
Most dogs experience a crash around days 3 - 5 when the hospital mess wear off. You should talk to the vet about the pain meds. Most of us had to make some adjustments to dosage or medication. And if Rimadyl is causing diarrhea, maybe it is not the best option? Hope the vet gets that diagnosed soon! Do you also have tramadol and gabapentin (good for nerve pain)? Remember also that day 5 is still really early. I would stay with short leashed potty breaks, at least until the staples come out, about day 10 (when you will likely see remarkable improvement). The 30 yard hop is a lot on three legs. My vet said to imagine moving through your house hopping on one leg, and Ruby is doing it after major surgery. There is bound to be muscle pain as she learns to get around - you just want to make sure she has time to heal in other ways. Good luck!
Otis - 106 pound lab/Dane mix, lost his right front leg to osteosarcoma on Febuary 9, 2016. Four rounds of carboplatin completed in April, 2016. Lung mets August 25, 2016. Said goodbye too soon on September 4, 2016. Lost his adopted sister, Tess, suddenly on October 9, 2016. likely due to hemangiosarcoma.
Wherever they are, they are together.
Obviously, meant hospital meds, not hospital mess.
Otis - 106 pound lab/Dane mix, lost his right front leg to osteosarcoma on Febuary 9, 2016. Four rounds of carboplatin completed in April, 2016. Lung mets August 25, 2016. Said goodbye too soon on September 4, 2016. Lost his adopted sister, Tess, suddenly on October 9, 2016. likely due to hemangiosarcoma.
Wherever they are, they are together.
Do you think she is just sore from learning to hop her 50 pound body around?
Could be, but if you're concerned and the pain meds aren't making a difference (along with these massage tips) then by all means do call the vet. It's why you pay them so don't be shy.
OH have you seen our posts about diarrhea help? Many of these ingredients are easy to find a health food stores so you can try this before the prescription comes in.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Oh no, sorry Ruby is feeling so so. All those other answers are great. Because Im a newbie with all that amputation thing, I don't have any advice, but Im there, in spirit 🙂 Novak is doing well, but Im following the "orders" to the letter, Im too scare not to LOL I feed him gastro food since day 1 of post surgery to make sure it was easy to digest, Im now beginning to mix with his regular food, slowly. There a lot of advice for diarhea, so try them. I would visit my vet for sure, to maybe adjust the meds. Good luck xxx
Thanks everyone!! I will definitely search posts on diarrhea; it is really bad (we went 4 times last nite). When Kacy wakes up we will take her into the clinic for evaluation. Right now Rubys meds have not been adjusted as she said we were maxed out on these. She is getting Tramadol and Gabapentin every 8 hours, Rimadyl and diarrhea meds every 12 hours. We feed her twice a day (her normal food).
Also going to research accupuncture and massage on the boards now. Then a quick nap as we are soooo tired from being up all night again LOL.
thanks again,
Rubys Gramma
Sorry to hear about Ruby's difficulties; we never had to deal with diarrhea, as Nitro wouldn't eat for the first week (no food, no poop). I think it's wise to inquire about acupuncture, as it has tremendous benefits. And I agree, don't be afraid to contact your vet for alternative med choices, there has to be something out there that will make her recovery easier. And like the others said, it really is still very early in her recovery. I had to keep telling myself that for the first few months, much less the first few days. It pays to stay vigilant, like you are, but remember too, this journey can become draining if you let it. Like the motto here.....Be More Dog . Keep us posted.
Paula and Nitro
Nitro 11 1/2 yr old Doberman; right front amp June 2014. Had 6 doses carboplatin, followed by metronomic therapy. Rocked it on 3 legs for over 3 years! My Warrior beat cancer, but couldn't beat old age. He crossed the Bridge peacefully on July 25, 2017, with dignity and on his terms. Follow his blog entitled "Doberman's journey"
"Be good, mama loves you".....run free my beautiful Warrior
Milo checking in on his triplet Ruby.
We are fortunate that we haven't had any diarrhea or phantom pain . Well -- once he was lying on his would side and started whining/whimpering. I flipped him over, and he was fine. We finally got a decent poo today. We'd had a few that were worthy of a Chihuahua before this, but today was a big, smelly, solid poo. Who knew I'd ever find that stuff exciting?!?!
While Milo is eating, drinking, now pooing, and not in pain, he's still a potato for the most part. He did spend a big chunk of the day lying in the shade under his favorite tree, just watching the world go by. But that's as active as he got. And it seems today that when he stands up, he's real tentative to even take his first step, like he's in pain or uncertain. He's sort of hunched and gives me this look, then eventually takes that first step and gets moving. I just finished giving him a head to toe massage and helping him stretch all of his limbs. He hasn't moved an inch since I finished. He is ultra-relaxed right now! It's not obvious which muscles are tight or bothering him, but it's almost certain that's coming into play.
It sounds like Ruby may be a bit more active than Milo -- even if it's just because of the trots. But I think she was also more active than him before the surgery. Milo was the chillest puppy I've ever seen, and just keeps getting calmer. He's a great pet, but never been much of a dog. He's never been willing to chase a ball, or frisbee, or play tug-of-war. His favorite game is hide-and-seek in the house with a stuffed toy -- he's not very good at it either -- horrible sense of smell.
We are supposed to take off the fentanyl patch tomorrow, which leave him on just gabapentin. I'm a bit worried about the transition, but I also feel like I'm seeing some light at the end of the tunnel. I'm even considering sleeping in my own bed tonight. My old body would like that!
I'm looking forward to sharing positive stories a few weeks from now with Ruby and Novak. I truly believe we'll be there together soon.
Peace,
Jenifer & Milo
Just a thought about the diarrhea....has your vet mentioned pro-biotics?
Paula and Nitro
Nitro 11 1/2 yr old Doberman; right front amp June 2014. Had 6 doses carboplatin, followed by metronomic therapy. Rocked it on 3 legs for over 3 years! My Warrior beat cancer, but couldn't beat old age. He crossed the Bridge peacefully on July 25, 2017, with dignity and on his terms. Follow his blog entitled "Doberman's journey"
"Be good, mama loves you".....run free my beautiful Warrior
Boiled rice has always been our go-to food for diarrhea.
KAthi and the Turbotail April Angel...and the Labradork
Murphy is a five year old Lab/Chessie cross. He was hit by a car on 10/29/12 and became a Tripawd on 11/24/12. On 2/5/13, he had a total hip replacement on his remaining back leg. He has absolutely no idea that he has only three legs!
UPDATE: Murphy lived his life to the fullest, right up until an aggressive bone lesion took him across the Rainbow Bridge on April 9, 2015 and he gained his membership in the April Angels. Run free, my love. You deserve it!
Are you alternating the tramadol & gabapentin? Instead of giving them both at the same time - you want good coverage.
Definitely try massaging down her back - I'm a huge fan! They are using muscles in a different way than before. We massage Murphy when he's on his side from his neck all the way down to his hips & his back legs. He will moan & groan and bend backwards into a "C" shape.
Donna
Donna, Glenn & Murphy
Murphy had his right front leg amputated due to histiocytic sarcoma at 7 years old. He survived 4 years, 2 months & 1 week, only to be taken by hemangiosarcoma at 11 1/2 years 6/12/17
Read about Murphy's Life on Three Legs
Thanks again to all who replied. Sounds like Milo is doing great and we are so glad. We just hope Ruby pulls out of this stage she seems to be stuck at. We are only on Gabapentin and Diarrhea meds now as she has 2 fentanyl patches. She is soooo restless. We actually gave her 1/2 dose of Trazadone yesterday just to calm her and she actually got some sleep with that. Sleep for all of us is in increments rather than stretches so you can imagine how sleep-deprived we are. LOL.
We are only eating boiled chicken and rice now and have scaled back on any treats, actually not giving her any. Her appetite is good today but was not so hot yesterday. Her poops are less frequent but still fairly soft not normal at all. We think this may be why she is so whiny and looking towards her backside, vs any sort of injury to her hind hips/legs. They may be sore but I don't think they are injured I think and hope it's just aggravation over a sore bum.
Her incision is worrisome and we are so sad they may have to open her up again Monday t do improve the incision. Almost like going thru this again.
Well weekend is here and I have troops here to relieve us somewhat....
WIll update on Monday again and want to hear from all our triplets plus Bledsoe!!
Oh no, very sad new about opening her up again, but I saw the picture and yes, I would be very worried. But, you will take of it and someday, all this will be over. Hang in there! xxx
Dear Kacy & Ruby,
It seems we are having an easier time than you right now, but we do have our glitches. When reading your posts, the old saying that "God only gives us what we can handle", crossed my mind. You and your mom are clearly strong and amazing and are doing so much for Ruby. You are clearly a solid team and both so concerned and loving. I never would have thought of a wagon! And the attention to detail to get the right medicines.
By comparison, we're doing our best, but I'm a natural born idiot who can't remember to give him his pain medicines on schedule. I see him hyperventilating in pain, then I remember. Just tonight I realized I could be setting my phone alarm. Yes -- I'm an engineer and can be really smart in some ways, but not in others. We are lucky Milo hasn't had medicine issues, or diarrhea, and that his wound is healing. (BTW, my children are now 19 and 21 and are incredibly independent and smart and capable now after surviving my idiotic parenting. I guess there are upsides.)
Ruby is so lucky to have the two of you.
All my best to you. I'm sending positive energy your way -- to all three of you! You'll be our number one focus and visualization when we curl up to sleep tonight!
Peace,
-Jenifer & Milo
P.S. Jump in thought (my ADHD). You mentioned starting classes on Monday. Good for you! I was able to work from home a few days this week, but also had to go into the office a couple of times. I paid a neighborhood college kid who hadn't started classes yet to watch Milo. I tried to pay him $10 an hour, but he was hesitant to take even $5 an hour. He came over, watched TV from my house, surfed the web from here, ate my junk food, gave Milo his meds, took him outside on occasion, and was here when Milo would lie on his wound side and get stuck. He also sent me a few text messages with pictures during the day. Maybe you can find a high school or college kid who could help after your mom leaves.
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