Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi again,
About sitting... as I recall that Maggie (the other Maggie) has some trouble with the continuous sit, stand, sit routines needed for some of the activities she does- but you can ask Tracy (the other Maggie's mom). You should get a response from her if you post a comment in her blog.
As far as just sitting- my pug Maggie had no trouble plopping down on her butt- in fact she eventually used it as a pivot point to change directions on slippery surfaces like tile. At first she would not sit (or lay) on her amp side, but that became the preferred side. She had trouble sitting straight if you know what I mean, she usually sat off to one side or the other. But that is also a pug thing.
Here is Mag sitting and laying on her left (amp) side:
Karen and the pugapalooza
Offline
UPDATE --- rear left leg removed due to mast cell tumor
Gracie had her operation late Wed & I just brought her home. She's moaning a bit but they're saying she's doing fine. Unfortunately the tumor was further into her muscle than expected so they're not sure about how 'cleanly' they got it. She's drinking water but hasn't been interested in food yet; has peed & apparently handled that ok but hasn't pooped yet. The incision is oozing, apparently since it went into the muscle, but they said it's looking fine. I think they might be watching it 'cause mast cells don't heal nicely so if there are such cells at the incision site it might prevent it from closing up...
The vet said to just let her get around & learn what she can do, w/ help on stairs. But I'm going to confine her in one of those hexagon sided pens when I'm away & moving around the house a lot to prevent her from thinking she needs to follow me everywhere. My schedule is such that I'll be able to be home for several days tho so that's good. I'm suppose to take her in for a check tomorrow morning. She's on pain meds, can be given 3-4 times a day. I plan to give them as often as I can, which will mean getting up during the night to do so.
anything else anyone can think of?
Confinement is a great idea for safe recovery, and letting her heal at her own pace is a good thing. Post-op Seromas are common and a little leakage is normal. If concerned watch this video describing seromas and other common complications so you know what to look for.
Thanks for the update and best wishes for Gracie's complete speedy recovery!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Glad to hear Gracie is over the surgery hurdle and is home.
Hopefully you have read about how the two or so weeks after surgery can be difficult- lots of ups and downs. Hopefully Gracie is one of the lucky pups that sails right through- but be prepared.
I think your stradegy is good- restricting her movement somewhat. I was lucky in that respect as Maggie was a recovery slug. She could get around fine from day one-but she spent most of her time resting. And as you recall from her blog she didn't poop until day six or so.
Congrats on the first pee already!
For the oozing- some here have used boxer shorts (tail through the fly) for rear amps to keep the incision clean and collect the discharge.
The moaning could be from the pain meds- what is she on? Its hard sometimes to tell if our pups are in pain or are a little loopy from the pain meds. She may still be clearing all the anesthetics and super surgery pain meds out of her system.
Karen and the pugapalooza
thanks for the notes of encouragement! And thanks for the reminder about seromas. I read a great deal at this site prior to surgery but had forgotten to be on the lookout for that. Her incision area doesn't look puffy but I'm glad to have a follow-up check this morning (in about 2 hours). Have to say, yesterday was a looooonnnnng day.
She did eat some canned food, hand fed. I took her out for potty & put her in one area she usually would go & before I knew it she was darting past me, towards the front of the house to pee in another spot she likes. I'm glad to see she's quite capable on 3 but I'm very anxious to try to keep her as inactive as possible until the incision is healed. She seemed to have slept fine thru the night. Wagged her tail a bit when I got up to give her meds at 3 am but fought me getting it down her throat. I had tried before wrapping it in a bit of cheese which use to be a guaranteed way to get her to take pills but she refused the before-bedtime pill that way so had to resort to prying open her mouth, which she hates.
I guess I should read up on putting together a blog. I've never considered blogging but in this case to consolidate all my notes into one area could be a benefit for other newbies coming onto the site looking for info & shared experiences
pics:
close up of incision:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mypics_id/5866476644/" title="incision fri june 24 by mypics_id, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3039/5866476644_9f2d97b5c3.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="incision fri june 24"></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mypics_id/5865920373/" title="close up incision june 24 by mypics_id, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3269/5865920373_9d49fff24b.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="close up incision june 24"></a>
bless her heart - she really does look good in the photos. we give pills in a spoonful of 'honest kitchen' rehydrated food. gayle and sam like the 'thrive' variety and it's really good for them too. other folks have used peanut butter, liverwurst. in a pinch, we've also used egg salad... hope the checkup goes well - paws crossed for continued recovery and healing.
charon & gayle
Life is good, so very, very good!!! Gayle enjoyed each and every moment of each and every wonderful day (naps included). She left this world December 12, 2011 – off on a new adventure.
Love Never Ends
thanks Gayle for your note. I'll look for the food you suggested. Where do you get it? This morning she eagerly ate more canned food & I put the pill in a chunk of that.
Unfortunately some stitches have come out (but I was told that's not too unusual) so she'll spend the day again at the vet for repairs & to keep an eye on her. The vet is a bit concerned she hasn't pooped yet but at least he's aware of it & keeping track.
I'll go out today to get some small boxer shorts & also it was suggested to get some baby tshirts for her to wear to try to prevent licking the incision area.
mom2gracie said:
thanks Gayle for your note. I'll look for the food you suggested. Where do you get it?
Well she sure has a gleam in her eye! I'll bet she's going to be zipping around in no time. But you're right, keeping her calm as best you can right now is ideal. Too much activity can lead to a seroma and some nasty fluid buildup. Glad she's doing pretty well considering she's been through so much!
As for where to get Honest Kitchen, I can tell you! See our Tripawds Nutrition Blog:
Get Your Dog Eating After Surgery
Free Honest Kitchen Samples for Readers
You can also buy it by shopping at any of these merchants and all purchases help maintain this community too. Yay!
Hope you do start a blog! Yes, it is VERY helpful for pawrents who are looking to see how other dogs did on their 3-legged journeys. If you need any help with it, just holler!
Oh one more thing, the t-shirt idea might not work so well on a rear-leg incision. You may have to stick with the cone of shame for her.
Good luck at the vet's. Let us know what they say.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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