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Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat

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Just found out our cat needs amputation
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Michigan


Member Since:
11 July 2016
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5 January 2017 - 5:58 am
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Sami Cat's Mom said

Yes, that's the one. It's mostly referring to dogs but much of the information applies to cats too.  

Yes I know it was on dogs, it was the best I could find while you were still on. 

Luckily Mona had a Drain so Kerren was able to be of great help ! Im sure she will be able to answer more questions if they arise .

We had permission for the NO cone from our surgeon , we got the onesie , baby t-shirts approved in place of. Purrkins did not a tolerate a cone on 4 legs , I knew a cone on three was not a option for us. I had a soft cone at home non the less, just in case it was needed .

Purrkins also had a biopsy surgery before his amp surgery he never messed with those stitches or that incision , much like Rocky the Amp surgery was entirely different.  He had to have his incision covered at all times with his little shirt or he would go right for it. We were home with him like you will be with Sami.

So if you try no cone just be on constant watch, you do not want to walk away for second and take the chance of him going at the incision.

Please know were only looking out for Sami's and your best interest yesterday. On the 24 hour clinic convo. I apologize if we scared you even more . That was not the intention!! Just keep that in mind today when you and your husband decide on whether he will be staying another day or coming home. Things CAN happen when no one is there watching ,not that it will just that it can and we didn't want to see anything go awry for you guys! 

Make sure to ask what Sami's Meds will be when he comes home and how you will be administering those. Also get a number and emergency 24 hour number to call if there is any question or problem when he does come home. Just a good safe measure to have!

I did some further looking last night and came across a video you might be interested in watching on rear leg amp kitty. It will make you feel more comforted I believe .

Give us a update when you can on how Sami is doing .

Big hugs to you!

Holly & Purrkinsheart

Member Since:
27 December 2016
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5 January 2017 - 9:08 am
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Sami gets released at 3:00 p.m. today! We'll be waiting for him! Cannot wait to get that boy home.

Member Since:
27 December 2016
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5 January 2017 - 9:12 am
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purrkins said

Yes I know it was on dogs, it was the best I could find while you were still on. 

Luckily Mona had a Drain so Kerren was able to be of great help ! Im sure she will be able to answer more questions if they arise .

We had permission for the NO cone from our surgeon , we got the onesie , baby t-shirts approved in place of. Purrkins did not a tolerate a cone on 4 legs , I knew a cone on three was not a option for us. I had a soft cone at home non the less, just in case it was needed .

Purrkins also had a biopsy surgery before his amp surgery he never messed with those stitches or that incision , much like Rocky the Amp surgery was entirely different.  He had to have his incision covered at all times with his little shirt or he would go right for it. We were home with him like you will be with Sami.

So if you try no cone just be on constant watch, you do not want to walk away for second and take the chance of him going at the incision.

Please know were only looking out for Sami's and your best interest yesterday. On the 24 hour clinic convo. I apologize if we scared you even more . That was not the intention!! Just keep that in mind today when you and your husband decide on whether he will be staying another day or coming home. Things CAN happen when no one is there watching ,not that it will just that it can and we didn't want to see anything go awry for you guys! 

Make sure to ask what Sami's Meds will be when he comes home and how you will be administering those. Also get a number and emergency 24 hour number to call if there is any question or problem when he does come home. Just a good safe measure to have!

I did some further looking last night and came across a video you might be interested in watching on rear leg amp kitty. It will make you feel more comforted I believe .

Give us a update when you can on how Sami is doing .

Big hugs to you!

Holly & Purrkinsheart  

No, you did not scare me at all. Just boosted my confidence that we can handle his medical needs at home where he will be much happier. I was ready to go get him the minute I woke up but they want to keep him until 3. I ordered the surgical suit on saw on a trikitty blog. Thanks for the video!

Michigan


Member Since:
11 July 2016
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5 January 2017 - 9:24 am
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Yeah Sami gets to come homeclap

He will be better off at home and you can worry a tad less having him in your site. 

Neat on the surgical suit. You are set either way then soft cone or no cone with the suit👏🏻

You guys can handle this! It might not be easy , most important is his keeping him comforable and getting the meds in him on time.

If he gets the patch then one less thing to do. 

We are here if you have any quesitons when he gets home.

Your welcome on the video hopefully it eased some of your worries. 

Keep us posted please

Hugs!!

Holly and Purrkinsheart

Member Since:
14 February 2016
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5 January 2017 - 9:48 am
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Hooray for Sami's homecoming!  I am sure he and you will be much happier!  Has someone already warned you to block off under the bed and other places he might hide?  You will need to give him meds with some frequency, and do not want to be trying to pull him out of some small space.

Otis - 106 pound lab/Dane mix, lost his right front leg to osteosarcoma on Febuary 9, 2016.  Four rounds of carboplatin completed in April, 2016.  Lung mets August 25, 2016.  Said goodbye too soon on September 4, 2016.   Lost his adopted sister, Tess, suddenly on October 9, 2016. likely due to hemangiosarcoma.  

Wherever they are, they are together.

On The Road


Member Since:
24 September 2009
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5 January 2017 - 11:54 am
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Yay for Sami coming home! That's awesome. And I agree, you CAN do this. Your love of Sami will get you through the recovery and before you know it you'll be looking back and feel so good you did it!

When it comes to the drain tube...we would LOVE an article just about cats! We are slowly building our feline amputation content (we started out as dog-centric and only in the last few years have our cat friends join us, which we LOVE). When you have the recovery behind you, if you are willing to either write a guest post or answer some interview questions we would be so grateful and I know other Trikitty parents would too 🙂

Meanwhile, just a heads up: there's no need to requote the entire post you're referring to in your replies to folks. It takes longer to load the topic and is a little confusing to follow IMO. If you'd like a tutorial I'm really happy to help if you want to PM me OK?

Anyhow, best wishes to you and Sami. I'm following along and am thrilled to see you've made progress. 3-paws up!

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

Member Since:
27 December 2016
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52
5 January 2017 - 8:08 pm
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Hey! I'll update on our homecoming in my next reply but have a more immediate question. Sami is sleeping A LOT! Is this to be expected? He ate a small amount, peed a gallon, stayed awake for about an hour getting petted and then zonked out. We woke him enough to give meds (oral, no patch) and he went right back to sleep. It's been about 2 hours. I'm just sitting in the dark watching him breathe!

Sent from my iPad

Member Since:
27 December 2016
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53
5 January 2017 - 8:21 pm
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Got it on not requoting. Should I "reply" to each comment or use the "add reply" button beneath the text box? 

I cannot tell you all what a help tripawd has been! If not for you all, I would have totally freaked out at seeing him. But I was so prepared mentally that it was a great homecoming! Speaking of being prepared, yes otisandtess I was warned about blocking under the bed. I prepared that several nights ago and thought I'd built a fortress. Then there was rain and fireworks and We couldn't find Sami anywhere. After searching the house twice I dismantled the blockade and sure enough, he found a way to get under the bed! So I added reinforcements and wouldn't you know, that was the first place he headed for? But he had no luck (not that his cone could have fit)! 

Speaking of cones, the vet said he hated the inflatable one I brought. He just froze and wouldn't move so they tried the plastic kind and said he did much better. I saw a fabric version. Any thoughts on those? 

I would LOVE to do an article about our experience. I'd like to do a blog but just don't think I have the time to keep it up. 

Virginia







Member Since:
22 February 2013
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5 January 2017 - 9:26 pm
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Just a quick "touch base". Sami peed and that's important! YAY!! He's eatw and drine and resting!! YAY! Sami is a smart boy and knows he needs to rest..a lot!! That's a healing technique that animals seem to know they need.

Of course, he may be a bit druggy too!

Hugs! You're doing great!!

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:
30 October 2016
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5 January 2017 - 9:40 pm
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Yes, expect a lot of sleeping and sluggishness for about 10 days if your experience is like ours. We had a fabric collar but didn't use it since we used something else. He sounds like he is doing marvelously!! Wonderful!

Cami and Rocky

Michigan


Member Since:
11 July 2016
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6 January 2017 - 2:16 am
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Glad sweet Sami is Home! Yep sleeping is normal and alot of it , sleeping is healing as Sally mentioned. Less movement the better!

He peed already thats GREAT! We put our mattress on the floor, I know thats not always doable but if so ,thats assurance there is no way to get under the bed.  We also moved out the nightstands  ,we gutted the room. We just had the bed on the floor and lamps on the floor. There was no where to hide other then the closet which I could access.

We always kept the door closed.

We had a soft fabric cone that they sent home with us after Purrkins biopsy surgery and its better then those hard ones yes.

We did not use ours .

If Sami is tolerating the hard cone ,no doubt the soft one would be more comfortable ! 

Hugs ,

Holly & Purrkinsheart

On The Road


Member Since:
24 September 2009
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6 January 2017 - 11:10 am
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Sami Cat's Mom said
Got it on not requoting. Should I "reply" to each comment or use the "add reply" button...

Using the Quote option to reply can be very useful when addressing someone's specific question (like this). Jerry was just suggesting that it is not necessary to keep the entire quoted message in your reply. way-cool

Using the Add Reply button at the top and bottom of each topic/thread does the same thing as the Add A Reply button atop each forum post. Note how the icon is the same:

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

Member Since:
27 December 2016
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6 January 2017 - 6:24 pm
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Yes, I see. Thanks for the info! I actually do a lot of work in forums (I teach online), just with a different platform.

big-grin

On The Road


Member Since:
24 September 2009
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6 January 2017 - 6:34 pm
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Ooooh online teacher? Awesome! What do you teach? I'm nosy, you don't have to say if you don't want to.

We can learn from each other. Yay!

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

Member Since:
27 December 2016
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7 January 2017 - 7:39 pm
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I have no secrets. big-grinI teach at a university. Essentially, I teach teachers. LOVE what I do!

Update! I'm not sure if this is "good" or not but we are on day 4 (with surgery on day 1). Sami has been as content as expected hanging out in and around Jackson's big closet. He has a great appetite. We replaced the litter box with a rubbermaid container lid and had success there. We are either in the room with him or if he is asleep try to do "life" while checking on him constantly. Well this afternoon Jeff is on the phone in the other room and I'm on the computer (teaching) and I hear a bump, bump, bump coming from the kitchen! There is Sami navigating his cone under the three bar stools that he ALWAYS walks under. He hopped right into the living room which is where he normally hangs out. I freaked but told him how proud I was and so on. He ate and drank and then plopped down on his favorite blanket that I had spread out on the floor. He has been trying to bathe after eating and it is so pitiful watching that cone block his every attempt. He did work his back leg under him and licked it for about 15 minutes. He fell fast asleep and that is where he still is.

So, did I let him do too much? I had no idea he would be able to leave the room and get that far. I plan to let him sleep until bedtime and then we'll carry him back to the closet. I sleep in the room with him. I'm sure tomorrow he will plan to hang out in the living room again. Advice?

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