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
Hello - Simon at 12 days, walks when he wants, eats, drinks, pees, and poops ok, but does not want to lay down on his own. Will lay on our lap and shows no sensitivity to touch or manipulation. Sleeps pretty well if we start out with him or lay beside him. He’s on Gabapentin, was on Trazadone till this morning, same behavior on and off Trazadone. If we leave him alone he just sits slumped over or leans on furniture. Any prior experience or advice appreciated. Thank you
Hi Dianne & Simon, welcome. Your future posts won't need to wait for approval so post away.
What breed type is Simon? Age? Weight? What is his daily activity level like? Why the amputation?
Sorry I know that's a lot of questions! The more detail the more we can help.
Generally when a dog cannot get comfortable, it's a sign that they are in some type of pain. It may be a shoulder tweak, or a low back ache, or something to that effect. Dogs are so good at hiding pain, it can be hard to pick out those pain signals .
Trazadone is just a sedative, not a pain killer, so it would make sense that it isn't affecting his behavior. What is the Gabapentin dosage he's taking?
I would definitely let your vet know what's going on. 12 days out isn't a long time, so he still has some healing to go, and building stamina. Did you know our Tripawds Foundation can pay for your first rehab visit ? These experts are great at helping to pinpoint aches and pains, and also to learn what kinds of activity are helpful and harmful for our Tripawd. It's definitely worth at least one visit.
Fill us in on the details and we'll try to help some more!
Thank you! Simon is an 8 yr old min schnauzer, 24 lbs (large not overweight). He has malignant melanoma on the right foreleg which started as benign cutaneous melanoma going back 5-6 years and confined to the right foreleg. It’s something no vets (about a dozen general and specialists) have seen before as near as we can discern. Final assessment and amputation was at University of Florida small animal hospital on 3/21.
He’s been on 50 mg Trazadone every 12 hours and 100 mg Gabapentin every 8 hours but UF surgeon said we could dial that back. He completed carprofen on day 5. Honestly, everything else seems as expected or better, but he’s so pitiful resting against a piece of furniture sitting up bcuz he won’t let himself lie down. If we pick him up and hold him or lay him down he is ok. I even tried our old treat trick of “sit” then “down” and he will instantly sit for his treat but acts like he just doesn’t know how or is afraid to go down with remaining left fore limb in front of him. The only other option is a flop and that’s not gonna happen. This behavior seems the same whether we give drugs or not. I can massage and manipulate the limb with no reaction.
We usually walked twice a day about 1-1 1/2 miles each and other play time with sticks, balls, toys. We are retired and home most of the time, constant since surgery. He had no mobility issues or pain prior to amputation so he has no history of compensating pre surgery. We can massage all around his incision and other limbs with no discernible discomfort or avoidance. In two days he will see his general vet for the first time since before amputation for suture removal and general check up.
We appreciate your interest!
Well this is wpquite interesting. Glad you answered all of Jerry's quesions,
And yes, the sedative twice a day does nothing for pain just can whack them out a bit, . Glad you stopped that to see if it made any difference.
The only other thing I could think of to add to Jerry's suggestion would be the slim possibility that maybe there is a stitch that is pulling on him when he tries to lay down on his own.
Also, dogs are used to doing circles when they lay down, as well as having a favorite side on which to lay. He may be trying to figure out the logistics of how to do that. I don't know, just throwing out a couple of things. I agree that a visit with the rehabilitation specialist would really be helpful.
Which is activity like now? Does he just take short leash potty breaks? Does he try any stair climbing or jumping up and down off of furniture?
Do keep us posted. It'll be interesting to see what your regular vet has to say in the next couple of days.
And give your adorable Simon some extra treats for us too, okay?
Hugs
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!
Hello! My Ellie is also 12 days post op! She's a bit bigger than Simon (97 pounds Great Pyrenees), but it's definitely taken her some time to figure out laying down while everything else seems to have been natural to her. When I need her to settle (because I refuse to give her Trazodone unless absolutely necessary) I give her a treat on the ground that she can't just gobble up (my/her favorite is a woof pupsicle or a Himalayan yak bar), so she has to figure out how to get down to get the treat.
With the treat she will go down pretty quick, and then tends to nap after all the hard work of eating, haha, but on her own she does a million circles (the wrong way, poor thing) and keeps reorienting until she finally goes down.
Since Simon can depend on you guys to cuddle up with he might have just not quite figured out how to lay down on his own, and I do think that Trazodone can really zonk them out so he might have not been able to think through how to lay down while on it.
Just my 2 cents.
Thanks for sharing your experience with Ellie. We used to do a “sit” then “down” trick for treats and I’ve tried it a couple of times. He does the sit immediately but then as he try’s to go down brings his butt back up. He seemed to have it all figured out a few days ago as he would sit then ease himself down with his remaining front paw. I don’t know what has changed. He’s firing on all cylinders in almost every other regard. So if he checks out during tomorrow’s exam and suture removal I’ll just be patient and move forward with scheduling PT. Best wishes for you and your Ellie!
Hi Diane! Looks like you had some trouble logging in? If so, PM us, we're here to help.
Poor guy, he does sound uncomfortable. Sounds like all your bases are covered and the UF team is exceptional. I'll be curious about what they say. I'm thinking like Sally, it could be an internal (undissolved) stitch that's pulling him in a weird way. I'll bet the UF vets can figure this out, or if not, the rehab team sure can. Keep us posted!
Hi, thank you for posting about Simon because I am dealing with this right now with my girl, Charlie. I'm beside myself seeing her struggle - I'm so sorry this happening to you too!
Charlie is 26 lbs pug mix and is on day 9 post-amputation of her right front leg (cancer). She is walking great and her incision looks to be healing nicely. She is finished with her 7 day regiment of antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, and pain med, also gabapentin. She is completely herself when she is outside on leash and wants to just go-go-go. Inside, she has been unable to settle most of the time. I just started her on Trazodone but I'm seeing no difference. Starting last evening, she is not laying down. She is EXHAUSTED - I can see it in her eyes. She finally did at 4 am this morning for about 3 hours but she has yet to do so today. She also tries to sleep by leaning against something - but most of the time she is awake and just looking around quietly. Since the first day I rescued her, she has never enjoyed being picked up. So, trying to pick her up and lay her down is not an option.
To add another layer, since she returned home from surgery she has had a stark cry/howl that sounds like a scream. It will often come out of nowhere if she is sitting quietly or right as she is waking up. I can pet and massage on and all around her incision without her expressing any indication of pain. I know she is so uncomfortable but she also has lots of anxiety. I know it is early in her recovery but it is so hard to watch her like this and our post-op appointment and removal of staples is not until April 12.
Hi Caroline and Charlie, welcome. Your future posts will not have to wait for approval.
I'm sorry you had to join our club but happy you found us. I would talk with your vet about what you are seeing. My Pug Maggie was on pain meds for a full 14 days post op, most here are on meds at least 10 days and some up to 3 weeks. Charile sounds like she is showing signs of pain.
Also, please consider staring your own thread so we can learn about Charlie and follow along with her journey.
BTW- I had Pugs over 23 years, now I have two Pug mixes, one Tripawd and one quad although each of them weighs 15 pounds.
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls and Boy
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Caroline -
I’m sorry Charlie is having her struggles including this laying down thing. Some good news from last night for Simon is he finally found his way down! Now, whether he does today again remains to be seen. We have yet to see him do it, but found him in four different places resting peacefully, though not in any of his beds or pads. In each case he was away from us, including three times in our master closet (carpeted) where we simply let him sleep through the night. Our closet is an unusual spot for him to sleep but maybe he felt safer there in a smaller confined place.
Regarding the cry/howl I can only imagine how gut wrenching that is! It seems there are certainly protocols for post op meds, but vets clearly differ on specific prescribed medications. Simon was on an NSAID the first 5 days and Gabapentin (100mg) 3x/day for 14 days. Today when we go for suture removal and check up the vet is supposed to assess whether we continue the Gabapentin even longer. Like your Charlie, Simon has had no sensitivity to touching his incision or surrounding area for days. The Trazadone was prescribed “as needed for anxiety” which sounded straight forward but soon also became ambiguous. One member of his team said it was if he tried to do too much too soon, like running, jumping, etc. Another said it was if he was “restless.” I’m not a vet and I’ve never been through an amputation so I don’t know how to discern pain vs. restlessness vs. anxiety, vs. phantom pain … I agree you might want to talk to your vet with specific questions before your next scheduled visit.
We hope you’re able to resolve these soon. Simon sends puppy kisses.
Diane, I'm so glad that Simon is feeling better. I hope today is a good day! And you are right, vets do differ on pain control, especially if they are not with AAHA-accredited vet practices, which always follow the same protocols. But even so, all dogs differ in how they respond to pain meds, just like people. We asked world-famous vet pain expert Dr. Robin Downing why there are such differences in pain control, here's what she said:
Meanwhile, Caroline, yes please talk to your vet, don't wait until that appointment to discuss better pain control. In the meantime I would cut back on Charlie's outdoor activity and focus on interactive brain games . Many dogs are allowed to do too much too soon (through no fault of their parent, it's such a learning curve!), so if you scale back on those walks and running around outside, you might start to see a difference. Start a new topic so we can help you better OK? Thanks!
Thank you all so much! I will start a thread and share Charlie's journey, but I wanted to thank you for your wishes and ideas and give a little update.
First, I called the vet and got Charlie in for her post-op and staple removal this week! I'm so relieved. I am going to advocate for continuing gabapentin.
Secondly, last night she jumped up on the bed, laid down immediately and fell asleep. She slept all night without a peep! When she fully woke up, she started her cry/howl for about 30 seconds. I'm feeling more and more that she might be experiencing phantom pain . I think getting back to the 'normal' routine is something she is craving, like sleeping in the bed and going on walks. But I've got to be a good pack leader and make sure to not allow her to overdue it -- and not jump off the bed (it was a negotiation but I won this morning)!
So thank you, I'm feeling hopeful and so happy for our appointment the day after tomorrow!
Sending puppy kisses to Simon!
Simon has finally learned to lay down and hop up with ease! He doesn’t want to be in his beds, just on a rug or carpeted floor, I think because he doesn’t have to work as hard on the firm surfaces. This morning we took our first leashed walk, about 1/2 block then back home, and he was so happy. We kept it shorter than he might have wished, but this is just day 15 so we’re starting small. Thanks to everyone in the Tripawds community!
YAY Simon! That's really great news, sounds like you're figuring things out. And yep, firmer surfaces are easier than squishy ones for a Tripawd. Things like walking in sand or snow is super hard work compared to walking on a sidewalk. It's a good workout later on but for now, take it easy and keep on with the healing!
Diane, you're doing great by starting those walks very, very short. Build up slowly. And don't forget Tripawds Foundation can pay for your first rehab visit with Simon so we hope you'll take advantage of the program to learn how you can help him get strong and stay injury free. Let us know if you have any questions about it.
So happy to read this pupdate!!! 👏 Good job of staying the course, figuring things out and letting Simon figure out his own recovery pace in his own way.👍
I know the ahort walk sis you voth good to start to reclaim a little bit of uour normal routine, slowly but surely.
Hugs
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!
1 Guest(s)
