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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Hi everyone, a hasty update
A long day until now,, Up at 5:30 , at the vet at 7:30, and I was talking to them a few minutes ago.. He was "neutered", they repaired a small "belly button" hernia, and did the amputation. Right now he is "conked" out on hydromorphone, and there were no problems with the surgery.. Unless anything changes, we can pick him up tomorrow morning....
Then expect the first screams for "HELP", when we have him home, and the reality is facing us (or at least lying down)...
We have the enclosure set up, with his bed, and some old t-shirts and old bed sheets handy...
First "HELP".... How long will it be before he can eat solids....I envisioned home made chicken and boiled rice initially, (easy to digest) before going back to his regular food.. He will need something in his stomach to cope with the ant-inflamatory medication.
Our other GSD Raven, is running around at the breeder, with her GSD family (and losing Winter fat)
I'll no doubt be back on line "Tout-Suite" tomorrow, as soon as we get the little fellow home (plus some photos, if it is not too gruesome )
Regards
Richard
"No matter how eloquently the dog may bark, he cannot tell you that his master is poor, but honest".....Bertrand Russell
Richard,
Sassy ate solid foods the next day. She came home the same night though so that is why she didn't eat much. You can feed Gandolf what you have planned for him. Sounds like you have a great set up
Hugs
Michelle & Angel Sassy
Sassy is a proud member of the Winter Warriors. Live long, & strong Winter Warriors.
sassysugarbear.tripawds.com
07/26/2006 - Sassy earned her wings 08/20/2013
05/04/2006 - Bosch, Sassy's pal, earned his wings 03/29/19 fought cancer for 4 months.
"You aren't doing it TO her, you are doing it FOR her. Give her a chance at life."
Hi! My boy Domino just had his leg amputated yesterday and he was eating solids no problem this morning. I just gave him his regular dry food and he did great! Fingers and paws crossed for a quick recovery for your baby!!
Cassie and Domino
“A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.”
Domino had his left front leg amputate on May 13th 2014 after being hit by a car. He's now living a happy healthy life on three legs :)
Hey Richard..
welcome to the adventure... and what a great adventure it is!!! Good that you have the enclosure set up. When our tripawds do very well after surgery it is hard not to let them run around since they seem to be coping just fine!! but.. my oh my.. he has had quite the surgeries!!!! There are many blood vessels etc that are cut during amputation and rest is the best cure for helping these heal. My vet warned me that you didn't want to have one of those rupture!!
As well.. throw rugs are a best friend to tripawds. Especially if you have hardwood floors, laminate or even tiles.. they can all be slippery for them and dangerous!
My Franklin ate his regular food the day he came home... which was two days after his surgery. They did give him some food in the hospital the day after surgery. I beefed his food up with a little gravy as well because he also had liquid medications in his food and he ate kibble.
keep us posted.... we are always around here to answer questions, etc... and of course, ooh and ahhhh over pictures of your handsome boy!
Christine... with Franklin in her heart♥
Franklin, he was the Happiest Dog on Three Legs! Diagnosed 09/26/2012 with Osteosarcoma, amputated 12/4/2012. Had a wonderful 5 1/2 months painfree until he ran for the Bridge on 5/15/2013. Always in my heart, and always a guardian angel of my pack... You can follow his Tripawd Adventures, before and after, in my blog, Frank'n'Farter!
Congrats! Here's to a healthy healing!
My girl Shelby ate solid foods the same DAY! She was always a healthy eater and nothing came between her and a meal. The only time Shelby was finicky (and yet she still would eat) was when she had her chemos. She was just more picky about "what" she ate. Beds and rugs are great!
Looking forward to more photos!
Shelby Lynne; Jack Russell/Shiba Inu mix. Proud member of the April Angels of 2014.
October 15, 2000 to April 8, 2014
Our story: Broke rear leg in June 2013 - non-conclusive results for cancer so leg was plated and pinned. Enlarged spleen in September 2013 and had it removed and was diagnosed with Hemangiosarcoma and started chemotherapy. Became a Tripawd January 8th, 2014 and definitive Hemangiosarcoma diagnosis. Three major surgeries in 7 months and Shelby took them all like a champ only to lose her battle to cancer in her brain. We had 8 amazing extra months together and no regrets. #shelbystrong #loveofmylife
If he refuses to eat solids, baby food turkey, beef and chicken work. As will some canned cat food. I cooked for Ty and he ate that. He stayed 2nights. Eggs are also good. Cottage cheese. Another think that may help, if you did not get a harness yet, is a canvas shopping bag with the sides cut out. Just one of those reusable ones you get at your local grocery store. It helps support them the forst few days and is also a great help to get them on and out of the car. Glad everything went well. Love from, Lori and Ty
TY GUY, Best Black Lab ever! Diagnosed and had amp in January, 2014. Kicked MRSA's butt. Earned his angel wings on April 16, 2014. Run Free my boy and don't forget a shoe. Ty is a proud member of the " April Angels". Ty sent us Daryl, a Tripawd rescue in Sept. of 2016. Daryl is 5 +or -. We are also Pawrents to Chandler, a Border Collie mix who is 15 and 1/2, Lucy, a Corgi who is 7, 2 minis, 2 horses, and a feisty cat named Zoe. Zoe had a non skeletal Osteosarcoma removed in July 2015. No Chemo, she was at least 16. She is going strong although she is now completely blind. She is now close to 20 and her hobbies are eating and sleeping in front of her personal heater.
First many days and nights may be a little tiresome as you may ot get much sleep. He maybe whining and restless...or not.....every dog is different!
Let is know when you have first poop and first pee...we celebrate anything around here!
Yeah, my Happy Hannah ate just fine too (sme dogs do not eat very well though for a few days...so do't be alarmed). Give him whatever he will eat to coat his tummy...chicken is usualy a "winner--winner--chicken dinner"! She did not want to drink water toug...weird! 'Had to coax her by putting a sponof ice cream in the water.....yeah... she trained me realy well in the art of spoiling!!
No, there are no gruesome pictures of tripawds on this site.....everything avout them is beautiful.....so post away!!
Look forward to your updates.
Sally and Happy Hannah
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!
Cassie said
Hi! My boy Domino just had his leg amputated yesterday and he was eating solids no problem this morning. I just gave him his regular dry food and he did great! Fingers and paws crossed for a quick recovery for your baby!!Cassie and Domino
Hi Cassie and Domino,
What meds did they give you to take home.. I haven’t spoken directly to the vet yet about meds, but the vet tech who assisted, said that he would probably come home with metacam, both as an anti-inflamatory and painkiller, and if he showed any distress, then give them a call and pick up new meds. They are only 30 mins away, and the senior vet (who actually did the surgery on Serge) lives within "shouting" distance of the clinic. If an emergency were to arise, they always have a vet on call..
I will be able to talk to the vet directly tomorrow, and I will ask about other pain meds..
Good Luck
Richard
"No matter how eloquently the dog may bark, he cannot tell you that his master is poor, but honest".....Bertrand Russell
Thanks everybody,
It's so reassuring to have this sort of support, especially as you have been down the road that I'm about to take (Wow...a poetic Welshman..who would have thought !!)... I feel better already, and we haven't even picked the little fellow up yet..
It is a certainty that you will hear from me tomorrow..... Now to relax and watch Montreal Canadiens skunk the Bruins in Game 7 in Boston...... and furthermore, be able to watch it from beginning to end without constant interruptions from wet German Shepherd noses being pushed into my hands !!! Unfortunately, it is only for this evening, then the circus begins again.. "Vesti la guibba...!!"...(Pagliacci..)
King Regards to you all
Richard, Charlotte, Serge and Raven...
"No matter how eloquently the dog may bark, he cannot tell you that his master is poor, but honest".....Bertrand Russell
I just love this place, everyone comes running when one of us yells Help! 
My Jake came home the same night and was eating the next day. I didn't have any issues getting him to eat but drinking was a different story. Not sure if its the same with most after surgery, but I would make him a "stew" for his meals to make sure he got plenty of fluids. Just an option if you find yourself in that situation. They can't resist yummy broth (easily made by mixing chicken baby food and water, then warmed up for a few seconds). We came home with Tramadol and Gabapentin for pain killers.
Mom to Tripawd Angels Jake (2001-2014) and Rosco (2012-2015) and Tripawd Tanner. “Whatever happens tomorrow, we had today; and I'll always remember it”
We also came home with Tramadol as a painkiller but it made my girl seriously loco!!! So we had to put her on Trazadone (an anti-anxiety med). Shelby came home 2 days after her surgery and was a perfect angel about 2 days until the meds they had given her wore off. She also had a Fetnyl patch.
Keep in mind, the meds do make them a bit crazy and while you may think that they are depressed or anxious about the missing leg, it's most likely that they are seeing pink elephants on the narcotics. Shelby was also on metacam. This was her hardest surgery but she did recover and she did GREAT once we got her painkillers adjusted properly but in the beginning, I didn't sleep a lot as she would pace and wander about our small, small apt.
Good luck and feel free to share any photos! We've all been there and seen it all. Oh one helpful hint someone shared with me when I started was to snap photos of the wound site daily so monitor change. It will be red, bruised and rather ugly but this will help you see if it gets worse (and as it gets better). I did that for about 5 days till the swelling went down.
Alison & her Shelby fur-ever in her heart
Shelby Lynne; Jack Russell/Shiba Inu mix. Proud member of the April Angels of 2014.
October 15, 2000 to April 8, 2014
Our story: Broke rear leg in June 2013 - non-conclusive results for cancer so leg was plated and pinned. Enlarged spleen in September 2013 and had it removed and was diagnosed with Hemangiosarcoma and started chemotherapy. Became a Tripawd January 8th, 2014 and definitive Hemangiosarcoma diagnosis. Three major surgeries in 7 months and Shelby took them all like a champ only to lose her battle to cancer in her brain. We had 8 amazing extra months together and no regrets. #shelbystrong #loveofmylife
Glad to hear Serge is out of surgery and on his way to recovery.
In my personal pug experience (one amp and one knee surgery) an anti-inflam like metacam is not enough for pain. In both cases the pugs came home with a fentanly patch, an anti-inflam and tramadol. The patch and anti-inflam was not enough in each case, tramadol was a must.
All dogs are different, but most here have at least a pain med in the mix for the first week or two.
Karen
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Hi there! Glad that he is out of surgery! Don't be afraid to come here and yell help! Everyone is so helpful! Cody was eating solid foods as soon as he came home. We did put some wet on it just to keep his appetite up because he was a little out of it for a few days. We had tramodol for pain. It sounds like you have a good plan in place! Just take it day by day and before you know it the recovery period (which is the hardest part) will be over and you can get back into a routine!
Good luck and keep us posted!
Cody and Family
Cody is our 7 year old Australian Heeler mix boy. Diagnosed on 2/20/14 and became a tripawd 2/21/14! We chose a homeopathic approach and he is being treated by Dr. Loops our of NC.
Good morning Richard
Glad to hear that Serge's surgery went well! Tucker stayed at the clinic for two nights and came home on Tramadol and Metacam. In the clinic, Tucker had a fentanyl patch but it was removed before he came home. Tuck was on the Tramadol for two weeks (and it did make him pant sometimes) and he still takes Metacam as he has arthritis in his one hip.
Tuck -who is a lab - happily ate his regular food though I did hand feed it to him some days while he recovered and adapted to his new reality.
Happy homecoming to Serge today - and give him lots of snuggles for all of us 
Linda and Tucker
Yay Serge! How are things today?
That's too funny, Wyatt Ray had a belly button hernia AND needed neutering too, so his vet did it all at once as well.
I agree with Karen, metacam is not enough for pain control. It's like only giving a human patient an Ibuprophen after amputation. But then again, GSDs are pretty tough dogs and I do know that our Wyatt does horribly on Tramadol, we had to stop giving it to him (too much anxiety, pacing and whining). Instead, when he's had surgery he's had Gabapentin and Xanax to keep him calm.
Keep us posted on how the trip home went.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
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