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, I'm new to the site and wondered if you could please give us some advice. After over a year of fighting to save our 18 month old Scottish Deerhounds Rannoch's leg after severe trauma and spending most of his short life in vet hospital and contained at home with many problems with infection etc we finally took the decision to have his left rear leg amputated.
The first couple of days he was fine and it was hard to keep him still but from about day five to now , day ten, he has stopped wanting to go out, has lost his appetite and occasionally growls threateningly if one or other of the other dogs comes too near his enclosed area.
He went through so much in the past year with long stays in vet hospital and all sorts of medication but never once did he lose his good temper , his desire to be up and about, his curiosity and fun and NEVER EVER his phenomenal appetite. Therefore, we are desperately worried about this behaviour and particularly about the loss of appetite, despite trying tasy treats etc. he is on Previcox and Tramadol as well as his antibiotic but they are not helping to make him feel any better and it's becoming increasingly difficult to give them to him as he won't eat. It's a special worry also as Deerhounds are (like Greyhounds) naturally thin and he's getting thinner.
We feel we've made the wrong decision now although he could not go on with the leg in the state it was and had spent thousands of pounds doing everything we could. He has had no proper puppyhood due to being hospitalised or contained but now we feel like he'll never have a fun adulthood either.
We are so very anxious and depressed about this. Please help.
Hi Rannoch and family, welcome. Your future posts won't require approval.
I'm so sorry to hear about the troubles that you've all had, I can't imagine how heartbroken you must feel right now. I know it's hard not to feel hopeless and that you made the wrong decision, but I assure you that many, many people have felt the same way after surgery. You are not alone.
Here is one member, Sally, who joined us in the same emotional state, worried and feeling so hopeless. Follow this discussion all the way to the end and you'll see how yes, there is hope:
six days after rear leg amp and getting worse--update: VERY HAPPY-GREAT DECISION
Now, about Rannoch..when a dog snips like that, it's a real sign that he's in pain. It sounds like the pain medication he's on right now is just not doing it for him. Have you talked to your vet about switching to something else? Ask about combination of stronger meds like Gabapentin, Tramadol and maybe even an anti-anxiety like Xanax, which has been helpful to many dogs in recovery. Also keep in mind that pain meds in general cause decreased appetite. Here are some tips from our Nutrition Blog for encouraging him to eat.
Also, I'm wondering about the Previcox: have you been watching Rannoch's stools? This NSAID can cause GI upset in a lot of dogs, and manifests as black tarry or slimy stools a lot of the time. I'm not sure if loss of appetite accompanies that too but if it's upsetting a GI system enough to do that, I can imagine it may.
One more idea; how much activity is he getting right now? Is he trying to keep up with the pack? A dog who is getting too much exercise so soon after surgery may feel tired and defensive at the end of the day, and maybe that's another reason why he's cranky. For a dog like Rannoch, ten days post-op isn't a long time and he may need some good quality time by himself to heal.
There are just my first thoughts but I would definitely talk to your vet. It's my understanding that sighthounds are very sensitive beings so hopefully Rannoch will start to feel better soon.
Please ask any questions you'd like, we are here for you.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thank you for your response. I am going to read Sally's post after writing this.
Rannoch has actually not been exercising . Initially he wanted to be with the other dogs but for the past three days he has practically constantly stayed in his crate and will only come out for a poo or pee then heads straight back in. We are trying to tempt him with food he would normally wolf down like chicken or mackerel but he's not interested and is drinking very little. He's been on Previcox for quite a long time now but has so far had no side effects as regards black stools, upset stomach etc.
his thigh above the amputation site shakes constantly and rapidly. I wondered if he'd have been better on Gabapentin than Tramadol?
He's back tomorrow for the stitches out and we're not sure where we go from here. He has laid in his bed all day today again, showing no interest in food or drink , the other dogs or us. At his worst point and in the worst pain in the past he was never like this.
Hello and welcome.
You said in your first post that it was hard to keep him still the first few days- is it possible that he hurt his back or one of his other legs? You do have the 'advantage' of having seen him in pain and on meds before so it seems you would have a good idea of his pain level. The Tripawd gait is very different than a 4 legger, even if the 4 legger is dragging one leg. Has he fallen at all?
My little pug Maggie also lost her left rear leg. She was a stubborn thing that didn't like changes in her routine. She was very easily discouraged when she couldn't hop to far, and when she would fall into a sit it took a lot of coaxing to get her to try again. Most pups you read about here are back to themselves in two to three weeks. Maggie didn't play with me again until about 6 weeks post surgery.
I would ask the vet about Gabapentin, the leg twitching could be nerve pain from the surgery. And maybe something for his stomach too so he feels like eating. 10 days is still pretty early in the recovery period.
Let us know what the vet says.
Karen and Spirit Maggie
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
I'd definitely ask the vet about switching up the pain meds. The unhappiness, not eating, etc can be signs that the Tramadol is just not working well. Gabapentin was much better for my Jake. Is Rannoch on pepcid? We had Jake also on NSAIDS, but always with pepcid before to help with his tummy. I wouldn't be as concerned about eating as much as drinking. Will Rannoch drink broth? I could not for the life of me get Jake to drink anything. An easy trick is to get a jar of plain meat baby food and mix a spoonful in with some warm water. We would give him a little bit every hour, and slowly he started to gain his appetite back. If all else fails, a syringe (without the needle) of broth inside the back of the cheek works too. You can get one of those from the vet's office.
I think if you get him some different pain meds, and start getting a bit of nutrition in him you'll see a world of difference.
HUGS
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”
Hello Rannoch and Family! We're going through a similar appetite loss with Odin. He is 11 days post amp (rt front due to osteosarcoma). About 4 days after surgery, he started vomiting and losing interest in food. So worked with vet to adjust meds. Odin only vomited twice after that, but still isn't eating much. And, as you pointed out, it's getting more and more difficult to give him his medicine.
Today was the worst so far, he ate a marble size snack at breakfast. He wouldn't take his meds in his food, so I had to place the pill in the back of his mouth (not fun for either of us). A little over an hour later, he vomited. And has refused all food I offered throughout the day (he is drinking however). As a last ditch effort to get him to take his meds this evening, I hid the pills in a bit of toast, and had my son offer it to him. Success! So I loaded more toast and had my son offer it. All was going well until I peeked in on the last one, Odin saw me, and immediately quit eating (I should have left well enough alone). It took some coaxing, but Odin finally ate the last pill, -silly boy actually spit out the bread and swallowed the pill.
It could be Odin was finally hungry enough to nibble a few crusts of toast, or maybe it was a fresh face feeding him and he wasn't connecting it with medicine, or maybe my son gives off a relaxing vibe. I'm just happy it worked tonight. I'll be touching base with our vet tomorrow and see where we go from here.
I hope you're able to find a solution for Rannoch soon- Hang in there!
-Renee
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