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
Hi everyone!
My senior rescue pup named Kit who is about 8 lbs had is back leg amputated about 3 weeks ago. He had badly broken is leg and I was assured it was the right step after 6 weeks in a splint with no recovery. He is a really sensitive and dramatic boy who has been through a lot, so I was so happy to hear recovery should be quick and he would be in less pain after a few short weeks of healing. Sadly that has not been the case.
Kit had a splint for those 6 weeks so we assumed he would be able to easily switch to three legs, which is has for the most part but he has also been in so much pain and we cannot figure out why. We’ve played with all the meds but he was so dysphoric we settled on a high dose of gabapentin. He still yelps on pain whenever I put him on the ground and randomly yelps and tries to run in a panic while he lays down.
He also will continually cry for the whole day and was really really restless and would just be vocal and confused all day. His separation anxiety has soared through the roof but he also doesn’t want to be close to me like he usually does. Nothing seems to help him. I had weeks of sleepless nights and I’ve the past few days he seems so defeated and just sleeps and doesn’t want to walk because his pain and seems completely depressed.
My vet is pretty stumped and thinks it’s phantom limb, but it’s just getting worse and he just sits and shakes all the time. I feel like I’ve lost my fun adventurous and loving pup.
any ideas or advice would be so appreciated!
Ohhh poor Kit! I'm sorry things haven't been going well. Stay strong though! Once the source of his pain is resolved, he will get his sparkle back. For a senior dog, three weeks isn't that long of a time. Exactly how old is he?
Exactly how high of a dose of Gabapentin is he getting? And what does he weigh? Many dogs are under-dosed with Gaba.
What is your vet's plan for helping to get to the source of his pain? Did they refer you to rehab therapy or a pain specialist? If not, now is the time.
Relieving pain can often require multiple approaches besides medication. Acupuncture, massage, etc. are part of the plan and usually help when you work with an expert. If your vet did not refer you to a therapist let us know and we can help find one for you. Plus, the Tripawds Foundation can pay for your first rehab visit so you've got nothing to lose and everything to gain.
I'm not a vet, so take this fwiw, but it may or may not be phantom pain . That type of pain usually occurs randomly, and in short, awful sounding bursts. Since he's showing pain at other times too, he may have something going on with his spine, or maybe something as simple as a muscle strain. Hard to say and I don't want you to panic. This isn't that unusual but it's time to get him some pain specialty help. The shaking is concerning so let's figure out how to get your poor guy feeling better again OK?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi Jerry!
Thank you so much for such a helpful and kind response! Mr Kit is a rescue with a pretty tough history, so we don’t know his exact age but we think about 15. He is really spry for his age and loves to run and play still (when in better health).
His gaba dose is 2.2 ml 3-4x a day and he is roughly 8 lbs.
The board certified surgeon who did the operation checked his whole body for the source of pain last week and wasn’t able to actually find any specific area causing it. Today marks the exact 3 week marker of his surgery. My vet is really at a loss as to what to do and is now opting to put him on Prozac which I’m open to trying, but it just doesn’t seem right quite yet.
One thing to know about Kit is he can be really aggressive to people. He is really only truly bonded with me but he can still be aggressive to me— he has no teeth so it really is just him making noise and can gum people. I think with his age his trauma became more apparent and his body hasn’t been in great health with pain management . At a certain point with his age we were no longer able to do acupuncture because he would be too reactive to the vet’s touch even though he was able to in the past. I’d love any ideas you may have about this since I’m open to doing anything at this point!
I’d love some help finding a good rehab as well- like I said, I’ll try anything! I love him so much and it’s so hard to see what feels like him slipping away.
Thank you so much for the help!
Ah, so that explains quite a bit. So two great vets are still stumped. What a challenge!
I'm with you about holding off on the Prozac for now. It's not going to anything if he is having pain. And it takes several weeks to kick in.
Have you looked into Fear Free vet clinics? These folks are amaaaazing at handling dogs and cats with behavior challenges, they're credentialed with the latest methods in fear-free handling. I noticed a huge difference in how our super anxious dog Wyatt handled vet visits once we started seeing a Fear Free vet.
You can find clinics here:
https://fearfre.....directory/
Also consider reaching out to a pain management vet specialists. These vets have extra credentials in troubleshooting and treating pain, they can make a huge difference in how quickly you can find out what's going on. A directory of practitioners is here:
https://ivapm-m.....sp?id=6052
One more consideration: working with a Veterinary Cannabis Counselor. These vet professionals can help troubleshoot as well, and come up with a quality cannabis product that may help with his anxiety and pain. VCCs in training need case studies to get their credential and you may be able to get vet help at free or low cost:
https://tripawd.....e-studies/
Kit is sooooo lucky to have you looking out for his needs. Don't give up! There IS a way to make him feel better!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Yes, Kit is very fortunate indeed to have you as his hooman. You clearly adore him and understand him in ways others may not be able...or willing!.
Was there ever a time during recovery earlier that he didn't have quite as "severe aymptons" as he does now., or has it been this way throughout? None of these "symptoms" showed up during the time he was in the splint and he pretty much was being himself during that time? Just talking about physically, not the agression, reaction to touch etc.
Just some FWIW stuff.....Any chance at all he has a disc or spine issue of some sort? Any diagnostics done regarding that?
JERRY, remember the dog (or two) who had something like a dangling nerve, left from surgery and it took weeks to diagnose??Kit's symptoms sound familiar.
Also, on ocassion we have had situations where a staple was left in when stitches were removed and that caused a lot of pain u til figured out.
Jerry gave great links to check out, so hang on. And even though Kit is sleeping a lot, rest is very therapeutic at this point. That's a good time for you to try and catch a nap too! Theraputic for both of you! YOU need to get some rest too! This journey is exhausting mentally and physically during recovery and you have additional stress added.
((((((((((((((((((((((((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!
benny55 said
JERRY, remember the dog (or two) who had something like a dangling nerve, left from surgery and it took weeks to diagnose??Kit's symptoms sound familiar.
Do you mean Ollie?
https://tripawd.....mputation/
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Yes!! I remember how awful it was for Ollie before the Surgeon figured out the cause. So maybe, just maybe, there is something similar going on with Kit??? Worth asking about anyway.
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)
