NEED HELP! Boomer is new to the club!!

[DavidGN]

My name is David and our boy is named Boomer. Boomer is a 10 year old choc lab that is a little over weight- about 93 pounds. Boomer story is this:
Started limping on 12/24/07 (back left leg that he had a TPLO surgery 3 years 7 years ago)
Boomer stopped walking on it altogether 12/26/07
Leg swelled and became very inflamed! No pus but very swollen and red.
They thought it might be an infection but Boomer didn’t respond to any of the antibiotics. They also tested for a cancer but were unable to find any cancer cells. They couldn’t take a piece of the bone because of the massive swelling. They still feel its cancer at this point.
We took him to two different specialty vets with very well known docs. They worked together and came to the conclusion that we had to amputate the leg. Boomers leg was removed last Thursday, 1/17/08. They are now fully biopsying his leg.
To make matters worse the next night, 1/18/08, Boomers stomach got twisted and he was rushed into emergency surgery. He made it through a 2 hour surgery but he now has 15 staples on his stomach from a very intense surgery.
HE HAS HAD A ROUGH GO OF IT FOR SURE.
Here are my questions:
1) He is VERY antsy at night. He pants and hops all over the house never being able to settle down. He stands in the corner or hides in closest. Is this normal. It’s mostly only at night.
2) When he sits he tucks his good leg under his body. Is this bad for the good leg? It looks so very uncomfortable!
3) Should I help him get up and sit down or should I allow him to learn it on his own?
4) How quickly will he recover to be being able to get up and sit down with no problem?
5) How quickly does his hair grow back in? It’s winter so not great time to have a bear hip and back.
6) Should I feed him a particular kind of food for muscle growth?
7) Should I have is nails clipped? Does this help walking?
8) He wants to get on the couch… is this okay? Can he hurt the good back leg?
Any other advice would be sooooo very apreciated!
We are working hard and appreciate you all taking your time to read this!!!
David and Theresa

[miloshko]

It's been rough for Boomer, for sure. I assume that his recovery will be different from my experience, since he has the added stress of the stomach surgery.
Here's my opinion on some of your questions:
1) If you read the thread from trishny, her dog hid in her closet for a couple of weeks. The vet said it made him fell safe around her clothes (her smell).
2) I would let him sit however he manages to sit. He'll figure out eventually what's more comfortable and practical for him. My dog, also a chocolate lab, lies differently too (he lost his front leg) but it allows him to get up in second and does not struggle any more.
3) I'm thinking on personal experience... if my stomach is sore, it's very difficult to get up, lay down, etc. We use the stomach muscles to do this. Is it the same case for dogs? I don't know! But if he needs assistance, I certainly would give it to him. He will learn to do everything on his own, but he is still learning and he is probably weak too.
4) For my dog to be back to "normal" it took about 3 weeks. However, it took months for him to stay in the seat position because on bare floors his back legs would slip back. Even to sit on the carpet was difficult because he was holding himself on one leg, but how that his leg is strong (it's been 1.5 years) he has no problems. It was also necessary to put mats on the slippery floors.
5) When my dog had a shaved spot on his back it took 6 MONTHS! to fully grow back. However, for some reason, the hair in the front took only about 3 months.
6) I know there are threads that address this question. I'm not doing anything in particular for my dog. I did reduce the amount of food he eats and he gets baby carrots as treats.
7) Yes, clip his nails. He walks differently now so he may break a nail or not file them down as well as he did before.
8) Our vet told us to keep him off furniture for the first 15 days, I believe. When he removed the staples, he said that now he was free to do whatever he wanted and was able. You will always be concerned about his good leg, and it's normal, you don't want anything to happen to it. I guess as long as he can manage it and he does not stress it too much, getting on the couch should be ok.

I'm sure more will come along to give you more helpful information.
Hope this helps,
Karla

[critters]

I wonder if he's in pain? Does he have pain meds? I agree about letting him sit however he wants; comfort is in the hide of the beholder.

Of course he could hurt any of his remaining legs, but all you can do is what you can; if you restrict him too much, it's really not living.

Have you seen the amputee walking aid? I don't know how it'd work out re: the bloat surgery, but it might make you feel better. http://www.handicappedpets.com/Mob-Har-FBCA.html

[GabrielDeafBlindPupFamily]

I would add that you want to get Boomer's weight down to 'fighting trim'. I have two lab mixes, one with a bad shoulder and one with 2 bad hips and a bad front leg. Labs are prone to pack on the pounds, especially with age. I am scrupulous about their weight. I think Boomer is anxious, as both critters & Karla relate. You can help ease his concern with a bouncy, silly happy attitude. They take their lead from us. We show them everything is fine, we are in charge, they are safe, and nothing to worry about.

I would get him on a low fat kibble. You can also find water therapy VERY beneficial in a case like his. Getting my NanaDog in the shower is like bathing a 60# cat, however, she will swim in the ocean all day long. Do you have a body of water close by?

[DavidGN]

Thanks for all of your advice. Boomer went on a 5 minute walk today and would have gone longer if I gave him the chance. We cant swim in Atlanta for another two to three months because of the cold. As far as pain med he takes some during the day and has had half a tranquilzer at night to help him sleep.

One more very big question. If it does turn out to be bone cancer could it have spread to his upper hip. He has such a very very hard time sitting down. He tries about ten times before he can- by far the hardest part of his day. It just seems that something might be painful under the wound. Is this normal to not be able to sit down?? I'm praying that it's just the stitches and the bone pain where the leg was removed but I'm scared the cancer spread up the leg into the hip. If your dog had a back leg removed and couldn't sit down from the pain for over a week could you write back. It just doesnt seem to improve! Almost has become worse.
Again thanks for all your help in these very hard times...
David and Theresa

[tessa]

if bone cancer is the primary cancer...it's very unlikely that it's spread to his hip. more normal would be a spread to the lungs, in fact, you are almost guaranteed it has spread there already by the time you discover the bone cancer.
has the vet spoken to you about chemo? i presume you'll be waiting for the biopsy on the leg first.
my dog went thru the chemo...it was not a horrific process...and she has survived her cancer by 18 months so far.
lately tho....
i don't want to suggest it yet...so i'll say no more.

xena is a front amputee...but i can well imagine how hard it must be to relearn lying down without the aid of the other rear leg. there are a few rear leg amputee folks here...so hopefully they'll have useful insight into that.

[trishny]

Please, please read my posts of Jan 9th. There are two.
A dog doesn't show signs of pain unless he is in real pain. And your Boomer not being able to get comfortable, shows signs of real pain.

I know, I know, that amputation seems horrendous to you now.
We went through the same thing. A big, beautiful, smooth coated saint Bernard with 25" legs, weighing 180lbs., who everyone in the neighborhood knew, had his hind leg amputated in August.
I cried for two weeks. He stayed in the closet, too, because he felt safe in there, was in alot of pain, and smelled our odors from the clothes, according to the vet.
2 months later, he was running, playing going down stairs and out of pain. The cancer didin't spread (thank the good lord) and he is still here with us. He is three years old.

I know how you feel. My hubbby thought he wouldn't be the same dog. My hubby and McDuff are best buddies. But HE IS.

At this moment, he is out in the yard, with his little sis, barking at people walking by. He's the same McDuff.

So please, consider the amputation. Booner is in alot of pain, as was McDuff. And he's the same loveable, great dog that he ever was.

Love,
Trish

[trishny]

Dear David, please, if you can ( I haven't figured out how this forum works yet) read all my posts. Just wanted to say that McDuff (the 180lb. saint bernard) is flying around the yard, chasing balls, his special toys.

I had a party here on Oct 26th, and nobody even noticed that he had three legs! I think we caught it in time. He had charsonosarcoma, which is a slow growing, but very invasive
cancer. Didn't need chemo or radiation. I thank the good lord everyday for this.
Alot of the people who post here, have dogs with osteosarcoma, which is a fast growing cancer.
So please bring your Booomer as soon as possible.

[DavidGN]

sorry if I wasnt clear- he had the surgery 9 days ago and isnt recovering at all- sleeps ALL day cant really get up on his own and he doesnt even pick his head up. just feel like something else is going on. How long did your dogs take to start moving aroound??

[tessa]

nope...that's not right, david. you've got to take boomer back in right away. xena was up and around the day after the amputation, as were most of the amputees here unless they had complications. something's not right there with boomer if he's not back to himself after 9 days.
don't delay.
call the vet now.

[luvmytripod]

Yeah, nine days is far too long. My girl Jaida had a farily complicated recovery, but she was never as bad as you're describing... something's not right. A vet visit is in order asap.

[trishny]

Hi David, can you tell us how Boomer is doing when you get a chance? Thanks