How did you cope with your pet having a limb amputated?

Question

My three year old Mastiff X has just has his hind leg amputated after a nasty accident.

Answer 1

I know its sad but your pet will adjust. He/she knows you love him/her.

Answer 2

One of my cats, Gordy, was attacked by a couple dogs that got away from one of our neighbors. He lost his left front leg. At first, after the amputation, he was a bit depressed. After a bit, though, with lots of attention, he got back into good spirits. I think it was the pain he was in after surgery and having to learn to move around differently, but once he healed up a bit, he was right as rain. Animals that lose one, or more, limbs generally adapt really well and remain the same happy little guys they were before.

Answer 3

My dog didn't have a limb amputated, but had to have an entire eye removed ... I can't tell you how much anxiety this caused me. I was devastated that they were going to have to take the eye, and was depressed for a week leading up to the removal. Looking back now, I was being so silly... it's the same dog, wagging his tail, just as happy to see me with his one eye as he was with two. My advice to you, is to not worry about it.. because your pet won't be! He/she will be the same bundle of joy, showing you whatever new tricks they can do ("Check out this new funky way I can still jump on the couch!")... and you will still laugh and love your pet, and he/she will still love you. It'll be fine... don't worry!

Answer 4

Had to have my cats back leg amputated. It was so hard for me. I realized soon that it was harder on me than my cat.

You think you are being terrible having a leg amputated, but in my case, the vet assured me it was better than being in pain and she was right.

My cat was no different whatsoever after having her leg removed. She was much livelier and happy afterwards. She was normal as could be.

You really don't have to cope. The animals that I've seen including my own, don't think a thing about it.

Answer 5

Realize that pets don't grieve and get upset by the amputation. They live in the moment, so they don't notice they are missing a limb.
If it doesn't bug them, it shouldn't bug you.
Remember that you are lucky your pet is still with you. The accident or illness that took the leg could have killed it.

Answer 6

My grandpup who is a boxer lost her front rt. leg in a terrible dog attack(neighbors' dogs(3) climbed under the fence and mauled her badly...she almost died. After the surgeon amputated her leg, she was laid up for approx. six weeks without being able to do anything...as soon as the vet released her we had her do water therapy twice a week which really helped her to heal and now, almost a yr. later, she is doing great...she jumps, runs and can climb stairs very well...our vet also showed us how to do physical therapy on her(we do that every day)very easy and it helps her to regain her muscle strength and keeps arthiritis at a minimun. Please check with your vet so see about putting your dog on a vitamin supplement...the vet can tell you which one is the best and the correct dose, goes on the weight of the dog and our vet also recommended that we keep her on a diet so she does not gain a lot of weight to reduce the strain it puts on her other legs. She is doing quite well...the dogs that dug under our fence were put to sleep, they were vicious and none were vacinated which led to a severe infection that almost killed her. Good Luck and God's Wink to you!

Answer 7

This may sound strange, but its much more difficult for you to handle than your pet. Animals are incredibly resilient. They tend to handle whatever is thrown at them with the greatest of ease. However, because you didn't remark what type of pet and which limb, discuss your concerns with your Veterinarian. He/she will tell you the average surgical recovery time, signs of infection, and basically how long it will take for your pet to return to his/her normal energy level.

Answer 8

I know its hard for both you and your pet. Give him/her sometime to adjust to the change. Make sure they know how much you love them. With a little time and patience your pet will barley be able to tell he/she is handicapped.