Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Our dog Toby, a 100 lb. Golden Retriever, just had his right hind amputated yesterday due to a peripheral nerve sheath tumor. Right before his planned surgery he injured the ACL in his left hind leg. We went to an ortho. who said to not to put off the amputation and we will deal with the ACL later if need be (he thinks it is just a slight tear). His surgery was put off a week and for the most part he did not limp on it too much unless he over exerted himself. He came home today and when we are walking him with his sling his left hind seems to really bend. Have others with hind leg amputations seen this? Our vet want him to be supported as much as possible so that we would and too much strain to the left hind.
We did get a support harness and know that it is not recommend until the surgery site heals. Does the harness stay out of the way of an hind amputation? It arrives yesterday when he was at the vets so we didn't get a chance to try it on before surgery.
Last question. He also had an accident right after we got home. He did pee some outside before we brought him in but I guess he didn't go enough. Is this normal? It is not normal for him - for our toy poodle - that is another story.
Hi Toby
Welcome to the website. I have read about other tripawds undergoing ACL surgery and am sure they will chime in soon.
I am not certain what you mean by the other hind leg bending. But I know that after my dog had one fore leg amputated, both hind legs appear to bend more under the weight. The feet are more towards the center of the body so the legs angle back rather than go straight down to the ground. Is that what you mean? The front leg is also positioned differently and bends more. The bend is less obvious now than during the first 2-3 weeks, but his pee often gets darn near his hind feet (it kept hitting the hind feet in the beginning).
I have read about other dogs peeing indoors, but will let someone else chime in on that one.
Susan & Tazzie 2
Both Codie Rae and Wyatt Ray had right rear amputations. Post amputation their back ends were carried low. When they were weak they would tend to extend the left rear leg behind them rather than getting it up underneath them. That left rear leg is now having to do the work of two, and it will take months for the strength to fully develop in that leg. They also have to relearn how to coordinate the movement in the three legs compared to the four. It is a whole new program that the brain has to work out. I think the caveat for the harness is for front leg amputees. I think the sling for the back is probably more important than the harness. I would help him outside with the sling, take it off, let him take care of business, and then use the sling to help him back into the house.
This soon after surgery accidents are totally acceptable. I would give him plenty of opportunities outside. You are so early in the recovery process that you should not worry about anything other than trying to keep him comfortable. Within a few days you will probably have to restrict his activity. He needs lots of rest and good nutrition. In my experience, as a tripawd, it is important to keep his weight down so as to reduce stress to the remaining legs. Just to give you an idea here is a video of Codie Rae at 3 years and Wyatt Ray at 3 weeks post amputation: http://tripawds.....raydawg/22
Be patient take your time and you should be fine. You have found the right place to help you through this process.
You might want to consider having a pet masseuse after the surgery site has healed. We did not use a support harness but with a ACL injury it is another story. I am glad your vet did not have you put off the surgery. Try to keep him as calm as possible- easier said than done. The pain medications can really zone out your dog so Toby might not have realized he had to go more. I wouldn't worry about it. You did a good thing for Toby. Good luck and remember to come back to this site. I didn't have any information on slings for you but someone will.
Debra
Debra & Emily, a five year old doberman mix, who was diagnosed with an osteosaecoma. She had a right rear leg amputation on May 19, 2009. On November 10, 2009 she earned her wings and regained her fourth leg.
Codie RD and Wyatt RD
Love the videos!! Love the dogs!!
Wyatt's hind leg looks part marsupial. It will be interesting to see how he moves as time passes.
Thank you so much for your help. I think we had no idea what to expect and him having his bottom close to the ground was not one of them. My husband and I are definitely going to get our workouts supporting him with the sling. He really does not want to do much standing. We just try to get him out several times to pee. Of course it takes two - one to hold and one to see if he is peeing.
He has been having some painful periods tonight with a lot of whimpering but our vet is getting ready to call us back about upping his Tramadol. Toby was a little sore after they debulked his tumor (when we found out it was a bad tumor and not a fatty one) but was better the next day, so I am hoping he will do better tomorrow.
The Ruff Wear harness should not interfere with most rear leg surgery sites. If it is well clear of any stitches, you may find it very helpful right away.
Wyatt is a rear left leg amputee just over one month post-op and he is still rebuilding strength with his remaining right often dipping in stride. As far as the accident goes, consider yourself lucky. 
Many report in worried because their pups don't go potty for days!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Our 85 lb malamute is a rear leg amputee. She really never did the 'bowed' leg thing. I got the honor of meeting Wyatt Ray and we were actually curious about his gait. But part of that might be because of the natural German Shepherd movement.
Anyhoo---Tika takes what we call 'a knee' in reference to the quarterback maneuver every once in awhile. It's usually when she gets squirreling around to fast or her sis tries to tackle her and use her as a chew toy. Once we were walking her and she tried to do her usual climb up on stuff and we really thought we screwed up her leg, she really did the hop, down, hop, down maneuver, however, we just let her rest and she was fine.
There were a few accidents. Not to mention a big ole mess when she was on pain meds. However, she's pretty much back to normal at this point. I think it was her not being secure enough to hike upstairs to wake me (like she used to) and getting desperate. We took it in stride and it worked itself out. Nature's Miracle, I think we should own stock by now.
I did massage on her after her surgery, for the first month or so, I would sit so she could balance her belly on my shoulder, I would reach under her and massage the working leg and then let her lay down get comfortable and do the rest of her body. As just a plain old human, I have tons of problems that are solved my massage, so I am a firm believer in it. It's also a great way to realize how you are helping baby, not fretting or worrying and just be still and connect. (Tika's become a big DeBussy fan, I should make an album, Massage Music for doggies)
We never used a harness, but we do have a cheap fleece scarf that I use once in a while to help her. Usually she doesn't want/or need it. Just wrap the scarf under their belly right before the amputation site and provide just the lightest assistance. It was great to build her confidence and she does stairs, hops on the couch and bed with ease now. We still have to help her in the truck and she knows to give us 'the look' if she needs help.
So I am rambling. But I want to assure that doggies do fine with rear legs once they get used to it (even with secondary ACL surgery from what I've heard)
Tika is almost at her nine months mark and when we were giving her a brushing and a bath (somebody had a party in a mud pond) my hubby noticed that her back leg has gotten super beefy, almost as much muscle as her front shoulder.
Wow, cool. Way to go girlie!
Good luck, I wish you the best. Be sure to step back and let that pup amaze you. I'm sure he will@
All the best--
Kim and Tika
Kim and Spirit Tika http://www.tika.....ogspot.com
Hi to you and your new tripod. It sucks that Toby has had to go through two problems at once, but I'm sure he'll be ok. Dogs put most of their weight on their front legs so it's better for him to have his hind leg removed (a small consolation). I haven't encountered the bending exactly but my dog definitely walks differently now, they all will. He'll hop and hunch over. I would definitely just try to let his entire backside and leg heal and try to keep him as still as possible.
My dog had several accidents in the house after the surgery because he was too bad to get up or even warn us. He hadn't had an accident since he was a puppy and so it was alarming that he would just lay down and pee on the carpet underneath him, so I just made sure to let him out every hour or so. The fluids they give at the hospital will stay in their system for a couple days and make them want to pee more too.
Tramadol can make dogs whine and whimper and is a side effect that should disappear once they're off of it. A lot of people on here have experienced that.
I hope Toby has a speedy recovery. Good luck and stay patient--I've gotten some white hair over the past couple months lol. So has my dog come to think of it....bah we're all getting old 
Thanks you so much for your comments and support. Toby is doing much better and is figuring out how to get around. He is moves pretty quick at times. We are just using a sling to help support his other leg some. He is pooping and peeing pretty regularly and has not had any more accidents.
I was wondering too if the Tramadol could be causing some of his whining. We had a black lab who was on it for a long time, and we finally had to take him off because it added to his neurosis too much.
He is so wanting to go up the stairs (and started by himself last night) because that is where our bedroom is and that is where he sleeps. We have been taking turns sleeping downstairs with him, but he seems to have it in his head that he is suppose to sleep up there. We will have to see. . .
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