TRIPAWDS: Home to 22974 Members and 2152 Blogs.
HOME » NEWS » BLOGS » FORUMS » CHAT » YOUR PRIVACY » RANDOM BLOG

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.

JUMP TO FORUMS

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!

Please consider registering
Guest
Search
Forum Scope


Match



Forum Options



Minimum search word length is 3 characters - maximum search word length is 84 characters
Register Lost password?
sp_Feed sp_PrintTopic sp_TopicIcon-c
Zeus is home and it's been a tough night....
sp_NewTopic Add Topic
Member Since:
7 November 2015
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
1
22 November 2015 - 5:28 pm
sp_Permalink sp_Print sp_QuotePost

It was so hard getting him in and out of car, he's so reluctant to move. Pain seems somewhat controlled; he has 150 mcg of fentanyl and as of now 100mg of Tramadol, he gets Meloxicam at 10pm. Changing the bandage was bad it took three of us, two who are nurses, to hold him. He cried and was very uncooperative. He had a good amount of sangenous drainage and the incision is at least a foot long. Dog walkers came, two men, and brought him out to pee which he still couldn't do outside even when palpating his bladder. He did eat well considering he didn't eat at all, a few bites, at vet, I need major encouragement here. I love him but it's so sad...

On The Road


Member Since:
24 September 2009
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
2
22 November 2015 - 6:05 pm
sp_Permalink sp_Print sp_QuotePost

zeusysmom said
I need major encouragement here.

You came to the right place! Just remember to be strong around Zeus.

It is still so early in his recovery. He is likely still coming down off the anesthesia and pain meds from the surgery. No need for him to be up and about, and when he needs to go, he'll go.

Seromas and drainage are normal, and many dogs come home with no bandages. If changing them is traumatic, just put an old t-shirt on Zeus and make sure he wears his cone of shame !

Best wishes for hos speedy recovery. Please keep us posted.

Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet

Virginia







Member Since:
22 February 2013
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
3
22 November 2015 - 6:59 pm
sp_Permalink sp_Print sp_QuotePost

Boy oh boy can I relate! Happy Hannah spent the first night at the vets. Trying to "manage" 125 lb. Bull Mastiff high as a kite on pain meds (and nota happy high) by myself was SCARY!!!!!!

The first three nights and days she whined constantly, coukd not get comfortable, was restless, etc. It was nineteen hours before she slept or lay down for nore than five minutes!

Happy Hanny did not have the morphine patch. I understand from others though that it can make them quite whacky! Roght now Zeus is so doped up he probably doesn't even remember how to potty! Pooping can take several days. Of course, making sure he pees withinthe first 24 hrs. is more important. You seem ro be on top of watching for that.

Every surgeon does thi gs differently, but many dogs don't have bandaging at all. My Happy Hannah didn't. Admin gave you great advice as an alternative that maybe less stressful for Zeus.

The incision site is quite a vit of shock. And all the shaved fur around it seems ro compound it.

My first post here was six days after the amputation and I feared Id made HORRIBLE decision! I could not believe I had done this TO my dog!!Tripawds Nation through me a lifeline of assurance and first hand knowledge and I held on for dear life! It took about three weeks before I coukd say I had done this FOR my dog!!

Hang onto us! Stay connected! You are exhausted and stressed. Try and get some rest and be sure and take care of yourself while you are taking care of Zeus!

Zeus WILL get his sparkle back! It will come in little snippets at first and then BAM! Zeus is living life to the fullest and soaking up all that loving and spoiling you are giving him!

Sending lots of love!

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!





Member Since:
16 October 2012
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
4
22 November 2015 - 7:09 pm
sp_Permalink sp_Print sp_QuotePost

Sassy didn't come home with a bandage on her incision.  I brought her home the same night that the surgery was done as my vet didn't do overnight care & I didn't want to take her another 20 min away from the vet clinic to an ER vet who would charge me an arm & leg.  Don't worry we had a plan in place.  

She had a fentanal patch, rimadyl plus what ever pain meds for the surgery.  We did give Tramadol a couple of times the first few days with that.  Bruising will be normal too.  

Going down steps will be easy for him (if you have steps) going up will be tough. 

Sally's advice is spot on 🙂

Feel Free to pm us

xoxoxxo

Michelle & Angel Sassy

sassymichelle-sm.jpg

Sassy is a proud member of the Winter Warriors. Live long, & strong Winter Warriors.
sassysugarbear.tripawds.com
07/26/2006 - Sassy earned her wings 08/20/2013

05/04/2006 -  Bosch, Sassy's pal, earned his wings 03/29/19  fought cancer for 4 months.

"You aren't doing it TO her, you are doing it FOR her. Give her a chance at life."

Member Since:
7 November 2015
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
5
22 November 2015 - 7:11 pm
sp_Permalink sp_Print sp_QuotePost

Thank you Sally and family! I don't know what I would do without all the experience love and compassion everyone has showed me and Zeus. 

We love you!

Deb

Member Since:
7 November 2015
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
6
22 November 2015 - 7:15 pm
sp_Permalink sp_Print sp_QuotePost

Thank you Michelle and Angel Sassy!

i want to cry for all the support and love you've given. I will def keep you posted!

deb Zeus and Belle

Livermore, CA




Member Since:
18 October 2009
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
7
22 November 2015 - 7:24 pm
sp_Permalink sp_Print sp_QuotePost

Zeus spent a couple nights at the vet didn't he?  What day was his surgery?

This is tough- something my vet forgot to tell me.  My first tripawd was a little pug named Maggie so I could carry her if needed, but she was not interested in moving much for a long time after her surgery.  I was sure I had made a horrible decision by doing the surgery- don't worry if that thought crosses your mind, many if not most here went through that phase.

Sally and Michelle both had big tripawds so can give you encouragement there. One thing to keep in mind- Zeus is looking to you as the pack leader to make sure he is OK.  It's hard but you have to be positive around him- he will feed off your emotion.

Again- this is tough!  You have help and that is great.  The best thing for Zeus right now is rest and as admin said, when he needs to go he will, there are only a very few instances when a pup needs their bladder expressed.

Hang in there, each day will see improvements.

 

Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls

Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.

1999 to 2010

 

              Maggie's Story                  Amputation and Chemo

Green Bay, WI


Member Since:
18 May 2014
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
8
22 November 2015 - 10:41 pm
sp_Permalink sp_Print sp_QuotePost

Hi Deb and Zeus...sorry you're having a rough go of it. We did too! Nitro spent one night at the vet's. The first night home we slept on the floor with him and I think he got about 15 minutes sleep all night - which means I got 15 minutes sleep all night. He couldn't get comfortable, he whined and panted...it was horrible. All I could think of was 'WHAT HAVE WE DONE!" He also didn't have a bandage, we put a t-shirt on him for about a good month. I think the first couple of weeks were hard, but day by day, little by little, it got better. I know it seems bleak right now, but try to stay positive and patient. Keep up with the meds, so the pain doesn't get out of hand. I had to set alarms on my phone as reminders to keep it all straight. Nitro also wouldn't eat for a week, so that meant spooning yogurt down his throat just to get his pills in him. (which also meant no pooping for a week either).

Call the helpline if you need someone to talk you off the ledge, or pop into the chat room ....we've been there, and will help you through this. 

Good luck, it WILL get easier.

Paula and Nitro

Nitro 11 1/2  yr old Doberman; right front amp June 2014. Had 6 doses carboplatin, followed by metronomic therapy. Rocked it on 3 legs for over 3 years! My Warrior beat cancer, but couldn't beat old age. He crossed the Bridge peacefully on July 25, 2017, with dignity and on his terms.  Follow his blog entitled "Doberman's journey"

http://nitro.tripawds.com

"Be good, mama loves you".....run free my beautiful Warrior

Michigan
Member Since:
2 April 2013
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
9
23 November 2015 - 3:30 am
sp_Permalink sp_Print sp_QuotePost

Hi Deb ~

The big dogs take a bit longer to just get it together.  I think getting their balance is harder for them.  If Zeus is still whining I would talk to your vet about adding Gabapentin.  It's good for nerve pain.  Murphy came home on Tramadol, Gabapentin & Rimadyl (it seems to be the most popular cocktail).  And being a bigger dog, the dosage of his medications could be off.  Make sure that you're giving them around the clock.  An ice pack to the incision for about 10-20 minutes a couple times a day helps, too.

He'll get there!

Donna

Donna, Glenn & Murphy 

Murphy had his right front leg amputated due to histiocytic sarcoma at 7 years old. He survived 4 years, 2 months & 1 week, only to be taken by hemangiosarcoma at 11 1/2 years 6/12/17  
Read about Murphy's Life on Three Legs

Donna.png

Maryland
Member Since:
28 March 2015
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
10
23 November 2015 - 3:54 am
sp_Permalink sp_Print sp_QuotePost

Poor Zeusy! I know it is hard right now, it almost seems insurmountable that he'll ever be able to get himself up and around. But he will, just you wait! The first couple of weeks are going to be rough. We've probably all been just where you are now, especially those of us w/ big boys and girls (Ellie was 90lbs post-amp).

We didn't have any drainage and no bandage either. But of course he's going to be tender near the incision area. I wonder if you can ask the vet whether the bandage is more for you (keeping house clean) than for Zeus. If he says OK, I would skip the bandage---no reason to stress him. And yes, Ellie's incision was huge, and the skin was all purple from being pulled and stretched. 

We had to get Ellie up into a CR-V, then down again, then up 6 steps into the house when we brought her home. It was horrible----her whining, stumbling, with us half carrying her up the stairs (luckily she took a long pee first). Then she came inside, laid down and probably didn't move for 12 hours. Those first few days, all she did was go in and out to potty. Helping w/ the sling sometimes made her yelp in pain. That was like a dagger in our hearts. She hated the sling, but we had to do it. It was hard.

Getting the pain meds right is so important. Keep note of how long each med holds, and be sure to stay just ahead of when you think it might be wearing off. Be sure he has non-slip flooring when he does start to get up and around (he will!). Feed him by hand or on the floor if you must. 

Believe it or not, this part will be over soon. The first days are roughest, no doubt. Some are lucky in their dogs jump up and act like nothing happened. Others (like our Ellie) take more time. But she got there in the end, and Zeus will too!

Denise, Bill and Angel Ellie

Active 10+ Pyr mix suddenly came up lame with ACL tear in left rear leg. Scheduled for a TPLO but final pre-op x-rays indicated a small suspicious area, possibly OSA, which could have caused the ACL tear. Surgeon opened the knee for TPLO but found soft bone. Biopsy came back positive for OSA. Became a Tripawd 9/18/14. Carbo6 with Cerenia and Fluids. Pain free and living in the moment. Crossed the Bridge on 7/12/15 after probable spread of cancer to her cervical spine. A whole lifetime of memories squeezed into 10 months. Here's her story: Eloise

Schofield, WI
Member Since:
13 August 2015
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
11
23 November 2015 - 11:31 am
sp_Permalink sp_Print sp_QuotePost

Yup sounds like our first few days home.  I swear Max thought we took both his back legs off.  It was such a struggle getting him up and out those first few days.  By about day 5 he figured out he could move himself and fought our help.  That's when we started using the ruff wear harness by webmaster.  It let us let him do it himself but the handle on top let us grab it quickly if needed.  Between the drugs making them not "themselves" and my freaking out Max was really confused.  So I had to stop and realize that little by little things were getting better day by day and be a strong pack leader because Max picked right up on me being scared. Once I relaxed and stayed calm then we all did way better.  You're very early on in this journey especially with a big guy like Zeus.  Max was a 110# long legged German Sheperd.  It will take the big guys longer to figure it out.  Max also had a leaky incision but it wasn't wrapped so we just laid a towel under him and covered it with a t shirt laying over it.  Things will get better shortly here for you I promise!  Keep us posted on his progress because there will be progress!  And we all celebrate pawgress here 😀

Hugs!

Linda & Max



Member Since:
4 November 2015
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
12
23 November 2015 - 11:43 am
sp_Permalink sp_Print sp_QuotePost

Hi Deb and Zeus,

I hope it's going better.  I'll echo what the rest have said.  The few days are HELL.  I cried thinking "what have I done" but just watch, at the 2 week mark it will get better.  Buddy is 3.5 weeks post amp and 1 week post round 1 of chemo and stronger/happier than ever.

Just breathe and tell yourself it will get better.

 

Hang in there!

Love

Julie and Buddy

Member Since:
24 September 2015
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
13
28 November 2015 - 6:40 pm
sp_Permalink sp_Print sp_QuotePost

Deb, I am hoping things are getting a bit easier for Zeus!   

Trini and Sketchie

Forum Timezone: America/Denver
Most Users Ever Online: 946
Currently Online:
Guest(s) 254
Currently Browsing this Page:
1 Guest(s)
Member Stats:
Guest Posters: 1268
Members: 17735
Moderators: 6
Admins: 3
Forum Stats:
Groups: 4
Forums: 24
Topics: 18610
Posts: 256809
Administrators: admin, jerry, Tripawds
Tripawds is brought to you by Tripawds.
HOME » NEWS » BLOGS » FORUMS » CHAT » YOUR PRIVACY » RANDOM BLOG