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
My 17 month old Pitweiler, Tipper had her 2nd amputation surgery Tuesday, 8/7. To quickly recap, she came to me as a 10-12 week old foster in February, 2011, with a badly broken hind leg that required amputation. Last month I noticed irritation/abrasion at the incision scar and it was determined that her femur had grown too long for the stump. Tipper tolerated the first surgery and recovery very well, but she was just a tiny baby at the time.
Tipper has always been a little 'sensitive' emotionally, but I am concerned now. She's having a very difficult time after this surgery. The vet did remove about another 3 inches of her femur. (OUCH!) First, she won't eat. Well no more than a handful of kibble at each meal time. Won't drink water, either. I did get her to drink chicken broth but she won't even eat the boiled chicken! All this makes getting her meds into her a REAL challenge.
And to top it off, suddenly she is TERRIFIED of going outside! Of course, I am keeping her totally separated from the other dogs. I have to guide her by her collar to go out to do her business (another thing she is avoiding as much as possible) and as soon as we get outside, she stays glued to the wall of the house! Once, due to my unfortunate oversight, she was so intent on getting back inside she FORCED herself through the doggie door, which turned her E-collar completely inside out! In hindsight, it could have been pretty funny except I was so upset at her complete terror of being outside. This is the same dog that has spent the past 15 months systematically digging up the tree roots and rocks in my yard and making stealth Mommy holes for my ankle-spraining pleasure. Now inside, she just lays up on her big fat orthopedic bed and sleeps. she even seems hesitant (but tloerant) with me when I get down on the floor to cuddle or put compresses on her incision.
How can I help her get back to normal?
Hi Tipper & Family,
First thing to remember is that three days post amputation is not a lot of time, in fact she is probably still doped up from the surgery medications. Most pups will spend their first few days sleeping a lot (some do have a quick rebound right after surgery, only to crash hard and sleep for days afterward). Most dogs need at least two weeks before regaining their normal personality. Some need longer, some less.
What kind of pain meds is she currently on? Pain meds can also make dogs woozy, see pink elephants and act nervous because they don't know what's going on in their brains.
She is also getting used to using her body in new ways, which could explain her reluctance to walk around. By any chance, are your floors non-slip? If she has had to walk on slippery floors, this can also break her confidence.
I know you said she is an emotional dog, but now is the time for you to be strong, and not be emotional, so she can be strong too. The best thing you can do is to right now is to "normalize" your life together, so that she can be confident during her recovery. Check out these CARE videos about amputation and recovery, and you'll see what I mean. Also, by any chance have you checked out our Required Reading List? This can alleviate a lot of your concerns.
As usual though, contact your vet if you believe this behavior is worrisome or unusual. It's good to keep the doc in the loop about what's going on, and in the meantime, we're here to help however we can.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Poor pup! Two amputation surgeries, wow.
Do you remember how she did on the pain meds the first time? When tri-pug Maggie had her amp the tramadol and other stuff made her a slug. But later in life when I used the same or a lower dose of the same meds she freaked out. She was anxious and scared. In her case she kept going outside but would just sit on the deck and look around like she was hearing or seeing things. She didn't sleep once for about 12 hours (and she was a pug!).
I can also tell you from personal experience that any surgery involving bone is very painful. It is such a hard balancing act to get enough pain meds in, but not too many.
And you are only a few days out- maybe less of a surgery this time but still pretty major.
Can you put boxer shorts on her (tail goes out the fly) to give her a break from the cone? There are some alternates to the cone too- maybe that is upsetting her?
For drinking you might try tuna water- that has worked for some here. Have you tried cheese or peanut butter for the pills? With Maggie I ended up stuffing them down her throat when she wouldn't eat- probably a little easier with 17 pound pug! Then treats afterwards- if she would eat them.
If the vet says no medical issues then Tipper might need some time. I know your worries with a sensitive dog- it does not take much routine change to have behavioral setbacks with my adopted pug Obie. What I find with him is the sooner I can get him back to his normal the better he does. I know Tipper needs to heal, but maybe some supervised dog pal visits and as much normal as she can tolerate.
I hope you find one or more of these ideas useful.
Karen and the pugapalooza
Karen, thanks for waking me up this morning, I just caught the fact that this is Tipper's second surgery. Duh! Sorry about that guys! Great suggestions for dealing with a sensitive pup, thank you.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thanks, Jerry. Tipper is on Tramadol for pain, Cephalexin and Prevacox as an anti-inflammatory. Getting used to her body shouldn't be an issue since she's been an amputee all her life (since 10-12 weeks of age); this was just a correction to the previous surgery.
My floors are all rough stone tile, non-slip, as I run a rescue and this has been the best floor I could find for dogs of any age and mobility and level of continence. She gets around just fine, actually RACES to her bed or the kitchen if I take her outside. This isn't a mobility issue - that would be easier to address. No, she's definitely afraid of going outside. She isn't eating (although in 15 years of rescue I have yet to see a healthy dog allow itself to starve) and she is loathe to do her business.
I hope this gets better soon.
LOVE the boxer shorts idea, Karen, thanks!!! I will try that as possible. With 8 dogs in the house, unfortunately I cannot keep my eye on her at all times, but during the times she has her rotation out alone with me, I sure will try that. And here's a suggestion I have used (forgot about this till now) with spay surgeries - putting clear gel antiperspirant on either side of the incision (not ON the incision) will keep a dog from messing with it simply because it tastes so bad!
Meds, well, she's spitting out any food item I offer her, with or without meds, so I have had to resort to just stuffing them down her throat. Fortunately she has a nice, wide Pit Bull jaw, so there's plenty of room!
I just want my happy baby back.
I forgot you were doing rescue- I didn't remember you had so many pups.
Did she fall or have a bad experience outside? When Maggie became a tri-pug and she fell she was really reluctant to try again- and in most cases would not.
I got Obie when he was 4 and he would not go out by himself. I don't know why, but it took about 4 months of work to get him to understand that he was OK by himself. Your situation sounds different though- she was fine before the last surgery.
Will she stay outside with you? Can you take her ortho bed outside for a bit and see if that makes her more comfortable?
The only other wild idea I have is to see if her vision is OK. Obie has very poor vision and will walk along walls or edges of things, especially in bright sunlight.
She will be happy again!
Karen and the pugapalooza
Yeah, this is really a mystery. The only bad experience she's had outside is that the last time she went anywhere it was to the vet for the surgery. Tuesday morning she trotted out to the yard, did her business, played and ran around as usual. I took her for surgery in the AM, picked her up PM and since then she just doesn't want to be anywhere near the outdoors - even with me right there. I've tried sitting outside with her and reading a book, nope, she slinks along the back wall, tests the doggy door, and lays down at the door. If I guide her into the yard to potty she just lays down at my feet. Now iside, she'll actually jump right up into my recliner like she did before the surgery!
I'm just going to consider it one of those mysteries that makes us wish dogs could talk and hope it passes soon.
I do have a Bite-Not collar on hand so I will try that, but I think she'll be able to reach the incision still. Going to Wal-Mart to buy some cheap boxers tonight. Now THAT should be a photo-op!
Really appreciate all the ideas and support, thanks!
Could she have fallen or had a scare at the vet? (other than the surgery of course!). Did they keep her until she went pee before she could come home?
Have you tried getting her in the car again- that might tell you if she is relating being outside to the car ride to the vet. If she won't eat then it is hard to reward her for being outside or doing her business.
You may never figure out the trigger- but I am curious. Obie is my first 'sensitive' pug, he did not have a good start in life. I am always looking for ideas to help him be more comfortable. Maybe something you learn in Tipper's recovery can help someone else deal with similar issues.
Karen and the pugapalooza
Our dog didn't have much of an appetite after her surgery either. We had to coax her to eat with really meaty/stinky canned wet foods.
Hope you figure out what the outside/fear issue is about. Hopefully, with time, you can reintroduce her to the joys of being outside. (Our dog was the opposite - not afraid of inside, but she just would NOT come in. She would plant herself out in the yard and no amount of coaxing or treats could get her to budge and come back in the house. We were afraid to pick her up and force her to come inside for fear we'd hurt her, so we'd just leave her out there and leave the door open until she'd finally come back in every night.)
Hang in there, you are still not far out from the surgery. Things will hopefully start getting better soon!
Jackie, Angel Abby's mom
Abby: Aug 1, 2009 – Jan 10, 2012. Our beautiful rescue pup lived LARGE with osteosarcoma for 15 months – half her way-too-short life. I think our "halflistic" approach (mixing traditional meds + supplements) helped her thrive. (PM me for details. I'm happy to help.) She had lung mets for over a year. They took her from us in the end, but they cannot take her spirit! She will live forever in our hearts. She loved the beach and giving kisses and going to In-N-Out for a Flying Dutchman. Tripawds blog, and a more detailed blog here. Please also check out my novel, What the Dog Ate. Now also in paperback! Purchase it at Amazon via Tripawds and help support Tripawds!
Well, I'm wondering if maybe she just wants to be inside because it feels safer right now while she is recovering. Kinda like how dogs will go and hide when they don't feel good?
She'll be back to her old self soon, you'll see. Go with the flow and follow her lead, I'm sure this is only temporary.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
So I sat myself down and gave myself a good talking-to! 
My regular vet (not the one who did the surgery) suggested adding another pain med, Gabapentin, and that seems to have helped a little. Other than that I have just decided NOT to fret.
I will take her outside at appropriate intervals and make sure she does what she needs to do. If she just lays down, I go putter around or go back inside (it is a blasted inferno here in Texas!). If she knocks on the door I let her in. I am basically letting her work it out herself. She's not eating as much as I'd like, but she's not starving, either. Meds are still a challenge, but she has to have them so we grit our teeth and get it done.
Unfortunately, the boxers were a dismal failure. She got her little snout right up the leg and popped 2 staples within 3 minutes. While my natural instinct is to baby her, I am finding that the more matter-of-fact I am, the less needy she is.
We're just a week out from surgery. She's doing a darn sight better than I would be, so that's good enough for now. If I want her to gain emotional strength, I need to give her the opportunity to learn how.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it! 
Not fretting sounds like a good game plan. One week in is still so early. It'll get better! Really!!
Jackie, Angel Abby's mom
Abby: Aug 1, 2009 – Jan 10, 2012. Our beautiful rescue pup lived LARGE with osteosarcoma for 15 months – half her way-too-short life. I think our "halflistic" approach (mixing traditional meds + supplements) helped her thrive. (PM me for details. I'm happy to help.) She had lung mets for over a year. They took her from us in the end, but they cannot take her spirit! She will live forever in our hearts. She loved the beach and giving kisses and going to In-N-Out for a Flying Dutchman. Tripawds blog, and a more detailed blog here. Please also check out my novel, What the Dog Ate. Now also in paperback! Purchase it at Amazon via Tripawds and help support Tripawds!
rotnhouse said
While my natural instinct is to baby her, I am finding that the more matter-of-fact I am, the less needy she is.
You're a quick learner! That is perfect. I think you'll encounter much smoother sailing ahead. Congrats!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
1 Guest(s)
