Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
Tripawds is your home to learn how to care for a three legged dog or cat, with answers about dog leg amputation, and cat amputation recovery from many years of member experiences.
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I wanted to share the pics of Buddy in the yard with the cats. Admin kindly sent me the link to the instructions. Then I had to go through the learning curve to start a Tripawds blog and insert the photos. I ended up posting 6 episodes in Buddy's new adventures with pictures of each one. Here is the one with the cats.
Awww. Thank you so much for starting a blog! Buddy's story will always be there to inspire others. I know his recovery isn't easy but a blog is a great way to see your progress over time. He looks very relaxed and happy in those photos!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
For the traction thing, I found yoga mats work great, just an idea. My Guinness had his right front amputation on Thursday and this group has been tremendous in its support. For a sling we have been using a canvas grocery bag and it is great because it has built in handles, we just cut the sides down. We have 5 steps from our deck to the yard and thankfully he seems to have figured it out pretty well, although down is a lot easier than up. Guinness is right at 100 pounds as well and starting today when his Fentanyl patch came off, he is getting 3 tabs of Tramadol 3 times a day as well as Gabopentin and Carprofen. He seems kind of dopey, but he is a Rottie:) I hope things keep progressing for you, these big boys are hard to help.
Great recommendation, yep, yoga mats are excellent. Guinness has some good pain medication!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Sending good thoughts to Guinness for his recovery. I know that first week was the worst for me. Everyone kept advising me to breathe. But everything seemed so possibly terrible and every time he fell on his chest I felt so bad. Yes the big boys are hard to help.
I guess Buddy is actually less than 100 pounds now. They said his leg weighed 5 lbs. But 95 pounds of very determined dog are still hard to manage! He has started feeling better, wanting to get up and walk around on his own. Now I worry about leaving him by himself even for a short while in case he starts wandering around. It's like I need to "baby proof" the house to remove any tables or chairs or anything with corners he might fall into.
Just holding my breath again until we get his stitches out on Thursday. I expect the full healing will probably take several more weeks though. How long does it take before the surgery is completely healed and he isn't feeling pain?
thanks everyone for all your support through this.
Hi! Sorry I'm late to your story. Buddy is pretty awesome! And handsome, too! Some random thoughts: is he off meds yet? Those can back up the system and make a dog unsteady or "drunk" like. As for increasing fluids: add water to his kibble! We do that here and it works very nicely. Add as much or as little as he'll tolerate. If you think you can get more into him that way, why not feed him more than 2x a day? Divide up his regular amount into more snack-sizes with water added to keep him hydrated. Also for poo-problems, canned pumpkin is magic. It works for both loose poo and constipation. You could always mix the canned pumpkin with an equal amount of water, freeze it, and give as a pup-scicle! Flavoring water with some chix stock can work (use no/low sodium first). Or, use chic stock and pumpkin in a frozen treat.
As for how long until there's no pain? Well, that's different for everyone! I remember Jackson would bump his stump within the first 3 months, he's eeek out a shriek. But it seemed to go away after that. Some don't express any signs of pain afterward and some do for much longer. I think that's a helpless answer - sorry. When Jackson did hurt himself, I'd run over and cup his stump. It calmed him right down. I think it wasn't painful so much as his nerves were firing without anything to connect to! Giving a little pressure gave his nerves something to focus on. Or so I guess!
Have a GOOD GOOD day!
~ Katy & Jackson
ACL tear in right hind leg 12/5/12 and scheduled ACL repair surgery 12/21/12. Pre-op xrays revealed osteosarcoma. Amputation 12/28/12. Chemo (carboplatin) started Jan 10, 2013 and ended on April 5, for a total of 5 doses. He handled carbo like a champ! No side effects. We started metronomic therapy at his third chemo and have been also doing some holistic treatments. He's a lively, playful 10 year old huskie-boarder collie and a very proud member of the Winter Warriors! Our love. Our funny little guy!
Dear friends,
If you come to this thread and see that there are no further posts, it is because I started a blog and I'm posting there .... with pictures! Buddy just had his stitches out yesterday and is now moving into the second phase of recovery - figuring out how to get back to his old habits - with new adjustments.
Thank you all so much for your loving support during these really difficult two weeks after Buddy's surgery. You have all been life savers for me. I know you all know that because you have all been through this yourselves. As you have so often advised me... I am now actually breathing again!!
sending all my love and check out the blog: ""the new adventures of Buddy the Old Golden" There are a number of posts there already so you can check them all out.
Mardi,
We will check out your blog, thanks for the heads up!! Looking forward to reading about handsome Buddy!
Love,
Bonnie & Angel Polly
FABULOUS! YAAAY!
I've been unable to read blogs all week, now I have the kick in the pants to go over, sit down and dive in. What a fabulous story, thank you so much for taking time to share it with us. Give that pup a big smooch from us!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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