Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hey y'all,
Spirit is my 2nd tripod (right hind limb) . She was diagnosed withe osteosarcoma on Monday, surgery Thursday and home yesterday. She is doing awesome except for blasted cone.
Spirit had a hard time getting comfortable to sleep last night with the cone on. I had a variety of surfaces - flat mat, mat with bolsters and floor - for her to use. I don't remember having a hard time keeping my first dog away from her incision, but she was 15.5 yrs old at the time.
Anyone use kids pajamas or mens boxers? Any other ideas?
My first tripod was diagnosed with osteosarcoma after tripping on a step. She was very interactive and a "young " 15.5. We elected for amputation and IV pamidronate. She had a great quality of life until her death at 17 yrs.
Spirit is 8.5 yrs old. She began limping the first week of February. After testing and procedures, she was diagnosed with multifocal osteonecrosis. Because some of her new cells forming looked precancerous, we were monitoring her closely. Plan is for chemo and IV alendronate. I'm also trying to obtain information about the studies being done -- there is a clinical site that is drivable distance for us.
I welcome any suggestions to avoid the cone. ...
Carrie Neyland
Hello and welcome, your future posts will not have to wait for approval.
I'm sorry you are hopping down this road again! At least you have been through this before, although every dog is different.
Here are some cone of shame alternatives, and for those determined to get to their incision the Wyatt Ray Dawd special otherwise known as the soft e-collar from Jorgensen Labs.
When Maggie lost a back leg to mast cell cancer she couldn't really get to her incision with her Pug Buddha belly and short nose! When my quad pug Obie had his knee surgeries I had good luck with the inflatable donut type collar. I know there are those here who have used boxer shorts- tail goes through the fly.
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Hi Carrie and Spirit 🌺🐾
So sorry to hear you’re on the same journey again...
You’ve got great advise from Karen already and please know we are all here for you and your gorgeous girl anytime.
Sending you a big hug and tummy rubs to your cutie pie 😘😘🐮💫✨🌟🌹
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 :-)
Carrie and Spirit, welcome. Wow I'm so sorry you're dealing with osteosarcoma again. Ugh! But at least now you know more and Spirit will really benefit from what you learned with your first osteo pup. That's amazing she lived to 17!
As Karen pointed out (thanks Karen!), the soft flat collar works really well on Wyatt, he doesn't mind wearing it too much. In fact at night I think he kind of likes it because it's a big soft pillow for his head, and he loves pillows. I use that cone quite often whenever he breaks out in hot spots. He's a long-snouted dawg and he can't get around it unless he has a wound or something on the far back end of his body. In that case, we double cone him with the soft one and the traditional icky one.
If Spirit just can't settle down with it (and I"m sure that deprives you of sleep!), you may want to ask your vet for a mild sedative to keep her from bothering the incision while she heals.
As much as the cone sucks, for most dogs it really is the best way to prevent them from getting to the sutures. There are surgical recovery suits available that may work on rear-leggers if you sewed up one rear leg hole, but we haven't personally tried any. See:
Vet Med Wear Recovery Suit
The Surgi-Snuggly
Hurtta Body Warmer Recovery Suit
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thanks y'all. A friend lent me her soft collar and will try that tonight. I also took a pair of boys pj shorts , sewed one leg closed, made a hole for her tail, and a few tucks at the waist. Hopefully with the soft collar we will be good
I also ordered a large dog pajama suit. I saw the surgi snuggly but was afraid it would fit too tight to her incision.
She's done really well so far. Think part of it because she was essentially 3 legged and had been on gabapentin and carprofen since February. Appreciate the help and support.
I wonder if a thundershirt would work to cover the area?
We have one of those already and Charlie is used to wearing it.
Basically the area needs to be covered so they can't lick at it right?
Do a log of dogs try to scratch at a front limb wound with their rear legs?
Basically the area needs to be covered so they can't lick at it right?
Do a log of dogs try to scratch at a front limb wound with their rear legs?
Yes and yes! Our Jerry kept trying to scratch his front incision, especially as it dried out. It's critical that it remain covered. Most dogs will try to get at it (although a few out there hardly notice it at all).
I also took a pair of boys pj shorts , sewed one leg closed, made a hole for her tail, and a few tucks at the waist. Hopefully with the soft collar we will be good
Carrie we would LOVE to see this!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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