Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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My poor Corie had to have her right front leg amputated two days ago. I have been treating her for arthritis for a year and the treatments started loosing their effect over the summer. My vet did some X-rays and we discovered she has osteosarcoma. It was a devastating diagnosis, with and equally devastating treatment plan! With my head still spinning and trying to absorb all I was being told the decision to do the surgery was made.
Wednesday morning she went in for surgery, everything went great and she stayed overnight for observation. Thursday evening she was released and while she was happy to go home, she was not herself. The doctor said that being very emotional and crying was to be expected because of the meds she was on and she's a husky and they are very vocal.
I stayed with her all night and she whined every minute she was awake. It was a long night! Today was more or less the same! She is reluctant to get up, she's insecure and afraid of falling. There is one step down to get to the backyard and the first time she seemed ok, the second time she was a little more unsure so she stumbled a little and the third time she was afraid and fell, luckily I had put some rugs that cushioned her fall, but after that she hasn't wanted to go out the door at all and she hates getting up out of her bed!
I'm feeling totally out of my depth! I'm questioning if I did the right thing. I've never been through anything like this before and I'm so afraid that she going to get discouraged and decide to just not get up again! I'm overwhelmed and trying to be strong for her but I have no idea what to do!
Welcome to Tripawds, your future posts will not have to wait for approval.
Recovery was hard for most of us, hang in there. Vets don't always warn you, but it is normal for lots of ups and downs during the first couple weeks.
Did the vet give you some type of sling to help her balance? If not you can use a towel or better yet a cloth shopping bag slit down the seams, the handles are built in. Other things I've seen people use are a long sleeve shirt or a scarf.
You said you had rugs down, does Corie have traction
everywhere the floors are slippery?
The pain meds can do a number on our pups- my pug Maggie was really agitated on Tramadol.
Maggie was easily discouraged, I was SURE I had done the wrong thing. Like you I was tired, stressed and overwhelmed. But dogs are amazingly resilient, Maggie figured it out, so will Corie.
It might be hard for a couple weeks, but you will see small improvements. Celebrate each victory, stay strong and positive, and soon you will be amazed! Come here often and ask lots of questions. Of course always keep your vet informed, call them if you have concerns.
I can't post links right now, but if you go to the home page there are links to Jerry's Required Reading List
and several eBooks, both have lots of good info on what to expect with amputation and recovery.
You are doing fine, it will get better.
Karen
OH! This sou ds so famaliar! This is so hard at fir
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!
Corries mom, I'm in the chat room right now if you want to come over
Karen
OOPS! Comuter slip up...sorry.
First of all, B R E A T H E! This is an extremely stressful time for you right now soyou have to take care of YOU so you can care for Corie, okay?
Now, one ore time, B R E A T H E......DEEP BRESTHS, LONG EXNALES.....B R E A T H E
The first week or so is realy tough. Everything you have described is well within the "norm" for day two of a major surgery.
Corie is still on pain meds and still pretty messed up! She still jas the hospital pain meds in ner system too.
For nineteen hours straight after I brought Haph Hannah home, she whined, cried, yelped, c stant restlessness, did not sleep one sedond, did not lay down. All I could think was "wat have I done TO my dog? Horriblr decision!" Actually, I questioned m decision for three weeks!
That was over seven months agao and I can tell you it was the best decision ever! Once recovery took place and her sparkle came back...brighter than ever...I was just thrilled at how well she is doing! Every day is a treasured gift! A vlissful tme of hapiness and locing and spoiling!
And what got me through tose first rough, rough days? I hung o to this site like it was my omlh source of oxygen! I cried here, I panicked here, I vented here and, eventualkh, I celebrated here!! We have all been through the fear, the seco d guessing. We can all tell you that it gets better!! We cn all tell yo your decision is what's best for Corie...even though it's hard for you to believe right now!
Is Corie peeingyet? Pooping yet? Probavy not interested in driking or eating yet, huh?
Perhaps you can use a towel as a sling to help her down the stair.....just ne stair, right?
Now, I'll tell you what others told me. You need to show Corie positive upbeat energy! Confident and strong! Praise every single wag of the tail or mments without crying! Stay empowered and she will feed off your energy.
Pease ow you are ot alone! We are here for you! We are walking right by your side! IF you have somene to help, to give you an hour's relief, call on them. JustKNOW that this rough time does not last forever! You have glorious days ahead! PROMISE!
Let us know how you and Corie are doing, okay! We care! We're not going anywhere and Corie is here with you right now and that's all that matters! Even if she is seeing pik elepnants right ow!
B R E A T H E
Surrou di g you !ith calm, hugs and strength! You are doing great
Sslly 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!
Thanks for the quick reply! No I don't have a sling of any kind, but I can figure one out. And yes there are rugs on all the areas she has access to, which is the down stairs bedroom ( which I converted into a grooming room for my cats and dogs ) and the small hallway leading into the laundry room, and the laundry room where the back door is! I collected all the rugs from all three bathrooms in my house and took the living room rug too.
It might matter that she's about to turn 13 also. On the 14th of this month. She's super emotional anyway too. For example, she will cry the whole time she's getting a bath! She's always been kind of a cry baby, but I know the meds are contributing! She has a fentanyl patch and she takes tramidal and gabapenton. The constant whinnying makes me feel so helpless! In my rational mind I know a lot of it is because of the meds, also she is confused about what happened and she's processing her ordeal. But my emotional mind just wants to fix her and make her happy and pain free and I can't find a way to do that!
And she cries if she even thinks you may want to touch any where near her surgery. Same thing with lifting her, which contributed to her falling, I was trying to reach for her to help lift her down and she got scared and rushed to get off the step and out of my reach.
I know the vets staff experienced that with her.
I just kept hearing that once you take the leg, the pain will be gone and she'll feel so much better! And how other dogs seem to recover in no time. While I have no illusions about her long term prognosis, I made my decision primarily for pain management
and I just hope it was the right thing to do!
I understand everythingyou're saying and I hear the fear in your voice. Every dog is different and some take longer to recover than others. Vut rare, very rare, are the ones who are hopping around perfectly and feeling stupendous just two-three days after this major surgery!
I know right now you feel like "you" are causing more pain.....thispainhas a short tme frame attached toit. Corie will tell you, "Yes, I can get through this short rough period so I can have more quality time gettngloved and spoiled!"
I really think when the fentyl patch comes off you will see a more positive change n her demeanor. Is it coming off kn a day or two?
Gosh, wish we could all flyover and hugyou! I know you feel alne, scared and uncertain! That's normal!
Try and make things as normal as possible....yeah, easier said than done, right? maybe you ould have someone come to the door tomorrow and kock, that mighthelp her to get up. Or have someone brng a cat over!
We've had several seniors here, twelve, thirteen, even older, adjust and recover and have wknderful pan free quality tme Remember, humans would probably be kn the hospital for a moth with this type of surgery.
Please, please check n withmus as soon as you can. I'm up late.....others are up early....and you'll probably be up all night!
Let js know about eating, pooping, peeing, drinking, etc. Oh, and how much does Corie weigh? Look forward to hearng more about Orie's CONTNUED recovery, okay?
You're doing great! Really! We've got our back, okay?
Hugs!
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!
Hi Cories mom
We feel for you right now and understand all the emotions you're going thru. The whining will get better once the meds reduce and Corie will feel much better. We went thru with amputation 2 months ago and like you I felt awful. Everybody here offers constructive advice and support which for me proved invaluable.
Our dog Yasmin felt much better when I stopped feeling anxious and sad. When I was happy, she was happy. Being pawsitive helps immensely as our pups react to our emotions. Corie will feel better soon. Cancer is painful, removing it has already helped. It just takes time to get thru it.
Our thoughts and prayers are with you both. Sending you hugs and pawsitive thoughts.
Kate and Yasmin xxxxxx
Good morning Corie's Mom
My dog, Tucker, is 16 days post-amp of his right front leg.
Please listen to all the words of advice from everyone here because they got me through the first week or two.....
I noticed that the medication really helped Tuck but it did affect him....he was sort of woozy and very whiney....and with a 95 pound dog that can be scarey.
When he first came home he needed help with the sling in and out of the house to pee and poop. And he fell a few times and really yelped......
Yesterday, I moved the chairs that are blocking the 5 stairs up to my bedroom and he followed me right up without hesitation. 
It really does get better.....and now I'm pleased and blessed to say that the "old" goofy Tuck is back.
Linda and Tucker
Thank you so much to everyone who posted replied to my post last night! I read ever one through tear filled eyes! It is such a relief to know that I'm not alone! And I'm happy to report that we were both able to get a little sleep last night. And although she still doesn't want to go outside to pee yet since her fall, she did get up three times last night with out yelling to walk around and to drink some water. I was relieved and satisfied with that tiny progress.
She still hasn't eaten but I'm not worried about that yet. I am a little worried about her holding her pee for so long though. Should I just make her go outside? Eventually she will pee right? She hasn't peed for 24 hours.
And someone asked how much she weights, she's 42 pounds.
Thanks again! And I'll keep everyone updated!!
Hi Coriesmom!
Welcome to our little family....I'm sorry you have to join us here but you've come to the right place!
It sounds like everyones given you some great advice already...just go with the flow and follow Corie's lead. It WILL get better!
Hop on over to the chat room if you want to chat and vent or ask some questions theres usually one or two of us in there!!
xoxo,
Erica & Jill
Jill is a 9-year-old tuxedo kitty. She was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma in June 2012 on her toe in her right hind leg. Her leg was amputated on 12/12/12 and she completed four rounds of chemo (2 of Carbo, 2 of Doxy) in April 2013. "Like" Jill's facebook page: https://www.fac.....tty?ref=hl Proud member of the WINTER WARRIORS!!!! Her blog can be read at http://jillsjou.....ipawds.com. xoxo
Well it looks like she peed on herself sometime last night, probably while she was sleeping. I'm going to try not to worry about it.
YAAAAAAAAAA for peeing!!! Who cares whether it's in the bed or not! Xorie peed!!!
YAAAAAAAAAA for drinking water!!!!
Okay' now soon we'll be Yaaaaaaying forpooping!
And here's a big YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY for Mom!! Good job! And you got a littlrest too? YAAAAAAAY!!
All this, no matter how slight.....all this is still improvemwnt!!
Hang withus! We're ot letring go! When you're at the edge of the cliff, we've got you tethered tous tightly! OUCH! That was a little too tight! Nearly pinched my circulation off!!!
Sending you group hugs and lots of love!
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!
Welcome Corie and Mom-
As everyone has said, the first two weeks are the hardest and some dogs take a little longer. We had to talk Sally (Hannah's mom) off the edge several times and now she is the biggest tripawd advocate you will ever find. Sleep will be in short supply for awhile but you will begin to see little pieces of the old Corie shining thru. That's always a cause for celebration around here! Shooter was 13-1/2 at the time of his amp and there are other older one around here that are doing or did great as tripawd seniors. Figuring out and getting thru the pain med thing is usually the worst part and some need very little while others require more help. Corie will let you know.
Hugs to both of you.
Luanne and Spirit Shooter
Spirit Shooter was a Miniature Australian Shepherd who was diagnosed with a MCT and had a LF amp 1/28/13 at 13-1/2 years old.
Shooter crossed the Bridge on 8/28/13, his 7 month ampuversary and two weeks from his 14th birthday.
Do some dogs ever decided this is all to much and get so depressed they decided not to get up any more? Should I be concerned about that. I'm sorry I feel like a basket case! One minute I'm feeling strong and confident and seeing progress and the next I'm freaking out that she'll never get off her bed again! Ugh!
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