Hello, my pup Keno is a Rottweiler and German Shepard mix. He is 5 yrs old and he is one the pups my other dog Luna had. Keno also has a little sis Lady a mini English bulldog. Keno had a brother, Wolverine, who we miss very much and passed away 2 years ago. Unfortunatly, a month ago we found out we will be losing Keno too. He has bone cancer and had a tumor in one of his front legs. About a week ago he had that leg amp and he is doing very well, walking and eating just fine. He can’t lift his leg up anymore to pee so he just ducks down now, but he still hasn’t gotten the hang of pooping. He doesn’t even try to look for a spot he just lays down I think because he gets tired quicker. I am concern I know he has to go but he is not even trying.
Hi – welcome Keno and family. Sorry you had to find us, but happy you did. One week is not very long post amp. (I know it feels like forever) He is likely to nap a lot for the few 2-3 weeks. We call them medicinal naps and they’ll help the healing. It doesn’t mean he’s not going to heal well.
Did the vet give you stool softener? It’s really important at first because the pain meds can make him constipated and it is tough to squat for long periods at first. My Baby is a rear amp as well and she had to figure out the squatting thing. At first she mostly stood up and went like horses do, but now she’s squatting just fine. Keep us posted. Just like potty training kids, we all celebrate the first poop! Sick, eh?
Are you keeping him confined? It’s really easy for our tripawds to overdo and strain their leg muscles.
Be sure to stay in touch with your vet with any concerns.
I hope today’s a good day! Get as much rest as you can – worry is exhausting!
Hugs and Wags,
Judy and Baby
well, a week isn’t really that long, when you consider this is major surgery. don’t get discouraged, it just takes a while to get used to the tripawd stance and to figure out a ‘new normal’ for all of those daily tasks. the pain meds definitely can make our pups wacky, and they do tire out quicker than when they were whole.
keep being supportive and positive and help keno when you can – a sling or halter is a great option. keno probably still has sutures, which also make moving about rough… take a breath, and give it somemore time. we’d love to see some pictures!!
charon & spirit gayle
Welcome, and thanks for sharing your story. Please try to reframe things… Keno is living with cancer, not dying from it.
Many members wait days for that first poop. Before you know it, Keno will be doing his doody and riding the roller coaster to full recovery. Drop by the forums for more advice and support from members!
Welcome. Thanks for sharing your story. It’s good to know Keno is walking and eating. He will go potty soon. Judy is right about the stool softener. I also read of someone who fed her post-op dog canned pumpkin as a laxative. It worked.
Did you say he is a front leg amp? My Sparky is missing his left front leg. He lifts his right rear leg to pee. He balances by putting his little nose on the ground. It works for him. I don’t know how that would go with a large dog.
Remember these are very early days. Keno will recover bit by bit, day by day.
Be sure you get some rest whenever you can.
Becky, Sparky’s mom
He is a very big guy. He is the biggest of the pups Luna had and he was the runt. Yes, it was his front leg that was amp. Right now, what I do sometimes is when I see that he is about to lift his leg to pee I stand close to him so he can use me as support. Most of the time he just goes on his own. We try to encourage him as much as we can. When he goes #1 or climbs stairs he gets a “good boy!”. I think the problem is Keno is so shy about doing his business in front of people. We have a big yard so he was use to just running out and looking for a hidden corner where he can’t be seen so he can do #2. Right now we take him out on a leash and we tried letting him go so he can look for a spot, but instead he just lays down. Today he had a vet visit and he pooped there but its because he hates going to the vet. They scare the poopy out of him, literaly. I’ll keep waiting perhaps taking him out with his mamma Luna and sis Lady, that might help. We have been keeping Lady away because she is full of energy and she loves to wrestle with her big bro. Just a little bit ago sneaky Lady got into the living room where Keno is resting. She ran in but slowed down when she saw Keno there. She put her head down and walked very slowly passed him. I think my baby is maturing and I should trust her more now. I think she will be gentle with her bro.