Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Well my Tripawd friends, Stewie has given us a big scare and although considerably better than yesterday, we are still not out of the woods yet... Most of you will understand that, even though it is important to stay pawsitive through this journey with our fur kids, some days make it harder than others! I am having one of those other days...
it started out like this... Yesterday, Stewie and I decided to go and visit with Aunty Anne. We went out back for Stewie’s normal romp around to do his business and I had brought my iPad to get some pictures and video of him in his new Tripawds Bandanna. All was going super well until he was running across the yard and even when you see the video below, he doesn’t show much of a slip, stumble or anything else that would indicate a major traumatic injury.... but yet it totally killed his back left leg!!! He couldn’t put any pressure on it at all and would cry out in pain when he tried! I was horrified!!! I got him home and immediately got one of his Gabapentin into him to give him some kind of pain relief! I had nothing else doglike to give him.
He was in sooo much discomfort you guys it was hard to watch, until the Gaba kicked in, he could not get comfortable. The atypical signs of pain such as shivering, dripping nose, cloudy eyes, panting, whimpering, totally antsy, tail between the legs. Yup, he showed them all! As the evening wore in to night, his neck started to stiffen up considerably. Now if any of you who have read his blogs, may remember that Stewie came to us with neck issues. We have seen his neck freeze up about 4 times in 2 1/2 years. When we discovered his cancer, we thought maybe the neck and front leg issues were related. Now I think (and hope!) not...
If it turns out to be a simple (ha!) torn ligament, muscle or anything else that can be worked on, then my guess has to be something going on in his spine in order for his neck to be injured again. I have a feeling that Jerry’s Pack will chime in with the recommendation of therapy and at this point and I don’t disagree.
We have Stewie drugged to the nines right now for a couple of reasons, obvious to most of us already, but he is on 5ml/day of Meloxicam (after the first initial dose of 8ml) for anti inflammatory and pain and 300mg of Gaba every 6hrs, also for pain control. Bed rest is key for the next three days! Luckily we haven’t changed the living room around since Stewie’s Surgery, so he has his safe place at nights. His drugs will ensure that he doesn’t want to get out!
He is considerably better today, Hopping around, moving his neck in most directions (not all...!) Eating with no issues. (Treats are his favourite thing on down days like this, and that’s a good thing right Thally!) I now know how good he is at hiding his pain, so to see him today 80% better, my guess is that he is only halfway there!
My fear..... do I even have to say it...... if he is not back to himself in a couple of days, off to Dr. Bill & Dr. Laurie we go...... hoping for nothing but healing in the right direction, so not writing what I don’t want, makes that 💩 C weak!
here is the video of Stewie injuring himself. It’s not 100% clear. Turn up the volume and you will hear him help. You will see a slight tuck in of his behind at the moment of impact and other than that, all I can say is that it was uneven ground! (Big lessons learned you guys!) I didn’t even realize at first that he had hurt himself!
Thanks to all for listening!
Stewie feeling a lot under the weather!
Stewie and his worried Pack, Petra & the motley crew! 
Remember...“live in the moment!“ 
Oh noooooo Petra, sweetheart 😔🌺
I did spot the moment when he hurt himself just at the end of the run ...
Although the ground is uneven it's not the Everest so there is no way you'd not want him to hop around there.
Good that you tackled his pain immediately, what did the vets say????
Rest is key whenever they hurt their precious legs so make sure he has his Snoopy comic books stocked up by his bed side and plenty of National Geographic videos at hand 😉
Sending you an avalanche of healing thoughts, kisses and cuddles and please update us when you can, sugar 😘😘😘😘🐮💫💕🌟🌹
Eurydice 77kg/170lb Great Dane limping end of April 2016, amputation (right front leg/osteosarcoma) 4 May 2016 6 courses of carboplatin followed by metronomic therapy, lung mets found 30 Nov 2016. 3 courses of doxorubicin, PET scan 26 Jan 2017 showed more mets so stopped chemo. Holistic route April 2017. Lung X-ray 5 May 2017 showed several tennis ball size mets, started cortisone and diuretics. Miss Cow earned her XXL silver wings 12 June 2017, 13 months and 1 week after amputation and 6 1/2 months after lung mets, she was the goofiest dawg ever and is now happily flying from cloud to cloud woof woofing away :-)
STEWIE!!! WE DO NOT WANT YOU TO HAVE ANY OWWEES AT ALL, OKAY?? Yep, I heard the yelp too. BUMMER!
Soooo glad you are already seeing improvement!!! 🙂 Such a good sign, a really good sign! 🙂 🙂 🙂
Of course you're worried! That's what we all do soooo well around here!! It really, really, really appears to be just a tweak of some sort though! REALLY!!! And we love tweaks around here! Just keep on with the bed rest, the massages, the meds,
and, of course
TREATH.....TREATH....AND MORE TREATH!!!! THEWIE, DID THUMBODY THA TREATH?
The things dogs have ro go through to get extra treats around here!!
Lots and lots of love and hugs
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!
Oh Petra! (((((HUG)))))) 🌺🌺🌺
You must be a mess, poor thing! And Stewie, oh my goodness big boy!! Rest rest and more rest! Thank goodness he is a front amputee, that doesn't even sound like consolation. How would he be with warm damp towels over the leg to help relax the muscles? They say alternating heat and cold is good. Man oh man, I am just BESIDE MYSELF for you! Please keep in touch and let me know how he is.
Sending healing hugs and lots of love to Stewie and his pack
Jackie and Huck
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry 
Get some rest, Stewie. Hope you feel better soon!
David and Rocky (and Baxter now too!)
Rocky had his right front leg amputated on Valentine's Day 2017 after being diagnosed with osteosarcoma.
He joined the September Saints on September 3, 2017.
He is the toughest, bravest, sweetest and best friend I'll ever know.
Stewie, dude!
No trippin', ya hear?! Listen to me dude, I've been having issues like that for a while now. I lose my footing, especially with the only front leg they left me with. And then I hurt meself. I yelp. I sprain a shoulder. I sprain my neck. Sucks, dude, big time!
Get some medsies in you, rest some, have the folks give you a few neck massages and if that doesn't help, go see the nasty dudes in white.
Take care, buddy, no more trippin'!!
your bro
Manni
Guardian of Manni the Wonderdog. -Or was it the other way around?
Osteo and amputation in Dec 2015. Second, inoperable, primary osteosarcoma found in June 2017.
The end of our adventures came Dec 10, 2017. 2 years to the day.
May that Tripawd bandanna surround him with healing power! Glad to hear that he's doing better. Do exactly what you're doing by limiting his activity and taking it easy for a few days. He's on the mend and that's awesome.
I watched the video at least 3 times to try to figure out when it happened but I couldn't see anything at all. He did shake his head pretty hard before he took off running. So maybe it happened before he even did that little sprint? Hard to say. A rehab therapist may be able to tell. My guess is that he had some neck aching going on before the sprint and it kicked in once he got active. I'm betting it has nothing at all to do with the cancer so please try not to make yourself crazy over that OK?
Remember, dogs are just like us. Sometimes we wake up and we have an ache and over the course of the day it hurts a little more as we move around. With R&R, massage, some gentle stretching, it goes away. Stewie will get there too!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
By the way I am SO impressed you got the video thing down! Congrats, you are now a geek!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Stewie! no owies allowed! I'm with Rene - I couldn't see the stumble either and probably didn't have the sound up enough (work issues).
You rest and sucker your mom out of all the treats you can!
It does sound like he zigged when he should have zagged so try not to worry. (like I don't remember that's not even a remote possibility).
I don't think I've seen any video of Super Stu - I didn't realize he was that big and fluffy. Gorgeous!!
Hugs and more hugs for you both!
Teri, the Roxinator and Angel Isa
Right rear leg amp 7/12/16 due to OSA. Metastatic lesion on her right front leg, January 2017. Joined the Winter Warriors January 19, 2017. Run free my sweet girl.
eurydice said
I did spot the moment when he hurt himself just at the end of the run ...
Although the ground is uneven it's not the Everest so there is no way you'd not want him to hop around there.
It’s very subtle isn’t it Teresa, or am I seeing it wrong? I am trying very hard not to beat myself up on this! Jerry touched on a very good point, which I will touch on in Jerry’s post.
Good that you tackled his pain immediately, what did the vets say????
They have given me the meds to basically settle him down for a few days, to ensure that there is some healing happening. We are seeing improvements today, so that is very encouraging! We will be touching base with the clinic today as to how he is doing and make a plan to touch base again on Friday I think.
Rest is key whenever they hurt their precious legs so make sure he has his Snoopy comic books stocked up by his bed side and plenty of National Geographic videos at hand 😉
He has his Snoopy comics and his squeakless Hedgies to snuggle up with!
Sending you an avalanche of healing thoughts, kisses and cuddles and please update us when you can, sugar 😘😘😘😘🐮💫💕🌟🌹
Thank you darling Teresa! I am feeling the love and it can do nothing but good!💗
To everyone else that has shown Stewie continued support, Please know now that I am going to come back and touch base on more of your comments. I just wanted to quickly let you know that yes, he appears to be doing a lot better. He is doing very good at trying to show me that there is nothing wrong! He was sitting up against me and he was shaking a little, which of course tells me that he is still in pain. It was about 1/2 an hour before his next dose of Gaba. I gave it to him at that point. I will be telling this to the vets this afternoon.
im sorry I have to run, but I will be back to give all of you massive hugs right back! Love to all!
Super Stu and his (trying not to be) concerned Pack
You take care of you while you're taking care of Stewie!! NOOOOO need to reply! We'd rather you spend time massaging Stewie and give him treats! Just keep us updated as he continues to improve! 🙂
BIG HUGS TO YOU AND SUPER STU
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!
benny55 said
STEWIE!!! WE DO NOT WANT YOU TO HAVE ANY OWWEES AT ALL, OKAY?? Yep, I heard the yelp too. BUMMER!
Soooo glad you are already seeing improvement!!! 🙂 Such a good sign, a really good sign! 🙂 🙂 🙂
Yes a truly good sign Sally. We are hoping for continued progress! We are avoiding the vets like the plague right now...
Of course you're worried! That's what we all do soooo well around here!! It really, really, really appears to be just a tweak of some sort though! REALLY!!! And we love tweaks around here! Just keep on with the bed rest, the massages, the meds,
will do Sally, he was tweaked to 300mg of Gaba every 5 hours today, (plus the 5ml of Meloxicam at night) after speaking with the vets.
I saw some trembling in him this afternoon and we both agree that having a bit too much right now would be much better than too little! I was assured again that Gabapentin is a pretty safe drug for dogs. (As good as any drug can be anyway!)
and, of course
TREATH.....TREATH....AND MORE TREATH!!!! THEWIE, DID THUMBODY THA TREATH?
Aunt Thally! I wath wondering when someone would thtart thinking about the fur children!!! Hello! I’m Thtarving over here!!! Chicken, beef, I’ll even take stinky pork... jutht bring me more Treatth! Thally more Treatth!!!
The things dogs have ro go through to get extra treats around here!!
I’m sorry Sally 
I shall try to behave better in the future... More Treats for Stewie!!! (Just smaller bits k?!!!)
Love right back atch girlie!
paws120 said
Thank goodness he is a front amputee,
Honestly Jackie, I’m not sure that I can say either way?! In my opinion, In Stewie’s case it is doubtful, due to his heavy chestedness. I think both rear and front amputees have their own issues for sure.
How would he be with warm damp towels over the leg to help relax the muscles? They say alternating heat and cold is good.
Right now Stewie is telling me he doesn’t want me near his rear leg, I’m not sure where exactly his pain is, I can’t feel anything, but the biggest thing that drops his big floppy head to the floor is a massive belly rub! I am more than willing to do that for him in his duped up state!
Thanks for your thought Jackie!
Xhin rubs to your handsome boys
Rocky's dad said
Get some rest, Stewie. Hope you feel better soon!
Thanks David! You know this feeling better than some of us do I’m afraid! We come to understand one another’s fears a little better along this journey don’t we?!!
Thanks for sending your best wishes Davis, I know this probably brings back some pretty hard feelings for you! It makes your thought and wishes that much more special! 
Take care and spirit cuddles to your beautiful boy Rocky! (who, by the way is with Stewie & a few of their friends, on my fridge yelling Tripawd power!!! Great calendar isn’t it!
)
tinsch said
Stewie, dude!No trippin', ya hear?! Listen to me dude, I've been having issues like that for a while now. I lose my footing, especially with the only front leg they left me with. And then I hurt meself. I yelp. I sprain a shoulder. I sprain my neck. Sucks, dude, big time!
Manni Dude!!! Let me tell you, I feel for you! Here I’ve been hopping around right merrily and then bloody boom! I thought my hurtin’ ‘daze’ were over!!! My Mum kept in telling all of us to watch out and be careful, but sheeeesh, we’re dawgs right?! 
Get some medsies in you, rest some, have the folks give you a few neck massages and if that doesn't help, go see the nasty dudes in white.
Mum has this new squirty medicine bro and let me tell you.... I am soooo not hoppy about that 💩! I absolutely refuse to take it with the same dignity as those nice slippery Gabas! I Ruv licking the oil up afterwards!
Take care, buddy, no more trippin'!!
Is it me dude or the drugs ‘cause I thought you just said lots of meds to make me feel good.... doesn’t that mean more food trippin’?!
your bro
Love you too Bro! ❤️
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