Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Just a quick update. We’re just over 48 hours on antibiotics. I think I see a tiny bit less swelling, but that could just be hopeful optimism. She still won’t put weight on the leg or touch it to the ground. So we are anxiously awaiting any improvement.
Fingers crossed!
Melinda
Online
Remember our mantra here...any tiny improvememt is a HUGE IMPROVEMENT during this journey.
And, of course, the other mantra.....give me patience and hurry up, I need it now!
Because Sierra is right smack dab in the middle of recovering from major amputation surgery, even as the infection clears up, she may not be using that leg full force right off the bat. There will be weakness and maybe a little muscle atrophy at first. As the soreness eventually goes away, gently massage it and up and down her back, shoulders, etc.
Sierra is a Rock Star and she will get through this......slooooooly but surely!
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!
For sure! Seeing as how she basically hasn't walked since surgery 17 days ago, I'm definitely expecting her to be extremely wobbly for a while. The Ortho did say that if she responds to the antibiotic & starts to feel better, we can start physical therapy next week. I think that will be perfect for her seeing as how we probably have muscle atrophy everywhere now.
I'm having one of those days where I can't wait to get home from work & kiss her sweet face.
Melinda
Melinda and Sierra,
Was thinking about you and wondering how you guys are doing. Hope all is well with you 
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry 
Thanks for checking on us. She is FINALLY starting to use that back leg. Just a little bit, but we will take what we get! She still isn’t putting much weight on it so she still requires major assistance to walk, but I am definitely seeing improvements. Her whole leg was swollen & purple/reddish when we first started the antibiotics. Now it’s back to a normal color & still a bit swollen but only at her ankle & not the whole leg like it was.
It has become very apparent she is not going to be able to navigate the three levels of stairs in my apartment. They are extra steep so they are already a challenge for four legs. She has been staying at my ex’s house since the surgery (no stairs) & I have been in the guest room. I’m lucky we still have a good relationship & she is as much his baby as she is mine. We usually share “custody”. Haha. So I talked with my apartment office Thursday. They have a one level unit on the first floor open. So I’m moving next weekend. I have been furiously packing all weekend. Nothing like moving in a week.
Every day she gets a bit better so that makes me happy. Her Ortho left her bandage on (well he changed it twice) to give her extra padding since she needed extra walking support. We took it off Friday evening. She does have two big chunks of scabs still attached. Is that normal? We’re on day 20 now. Other than that, her incision looks pretty good. I’m going to call the Physical Therapist tomorrow & see when I can get her on the schedule.
Hugs to all!
Melinda
OVER THE MOON HAPPY TO READ THIS SPECTACULAR UPDATE😂😂 SOOOOOO GLAD FOR YOU AND SIERRA.....SO GLAD!!! YOUR DEVOTION KNOWS NO LIMITS!!! And the Ex gets a pat on the back too for putting Sierra first . You both are excellent at co-parenting
GEEZ, with everything you have going on and now moving too!! Sierra is such a loced dog💗💗
Thank you for sharing this truly miraculous update!
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!
OVER THE MOON HAPPY TO READ THIS SPECTACULAR UPDATE😂😂 SOOOOOO GLAD FOR YOU AND SIERRA.....SO GLAD!!! YOUR DEVOTION KNOWS NO LIMITS!!! And the Ex gets a pat on the back too for putting Sierra first . You both are excellent at co-parenting
GEEZ, with everything you have going on and now moving too!! Sierra is such a loced dog💗💗
Thank you for sharing this truly miraculous update!
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!
That is wonderful news 💖💖
I bet the scabs dry up quickly now that the air is getting to it. After such a bad infection it probably slowed her healing process a little but she sounds like she's headed in the right direction now! I'm so glad she's responding to the antibiotics 🙏🙏
Sounds like you are starting to see a bit of your girls personality coming back, thank goodness, you've had a long road.
Ginormous hugs,
Jackie and Huck ❤️❤️❤️
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry
Glad things are coming around. Now for the other good news . . . dogs who experience post-amp infections (not sure whether Sierra's counts or not) do better than those who don't. Something about building up antibodies that help attack the cancer.
Sierra is starting to venture off her bed when my ex isn’t home. Which is good and bad. He has hardwood floors. We covered as much as we could with workout mats & such. Of course he came home & she found the corner without them & was stuck. Hopefully she remembers that & doesn’t do it again. Once I’m moved, my place has a large area rug that covers most of the living room. And my bedroom is carpet so we will only hav to deal with the kitchen.
She has an appointment Thursday for her PT consultation. Can’t wait for her to start that. I think she will like it. She likes the water. And I’m ready for he rot be more mobile! Today is 3 weeks pots amputation!
Melinda
I'm glad to hear that Sierra is making progress. She has had extra challenges so when she gets back to herself it will be extra sweet!
When TriPug Maggie had her amp I had laminate flooring in the kitchen and dinning room which had to be traversed to get to the back door. Both of my Pugs had trouble slipping on the floor as 4 leggers so I knew Mag would have issues as a Tripawd. I put rugs around but didn't have enough to cover the entire floor. I made trails out of the non-skid mat you use under rugs and once Mag figured it out she never went anywhere off of the trails. Hopefully Sierra has learned that as well. You might put a chair or box to block the uncovered portion until she is more stable on her feet and/or you get into your new place.
Good luck with the PT appointment.
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
So much improvement for my sweet Sierra in the past few days.
She's finally putting what I would call almost normal weight on that infected back leg. It is still a bit swollen around the ankle & still a bit warm to the touch & definitely still a bit painful for her. She has another week & a half on the antibiotics so I'm hoping they knock it out completely.
We went for our Physical Therapy consult today. She gave us some stretching exercises to do for her back leg & a few pointers on how to get her using it more. She wants her to completely finish her antibiotics / get the infection gone before we start her on the water treadmill. She said the infection that she has tends to live / thrive in water & while she has no open sore, she didn't want to chance possibly flaring back up. So she has her first appointment on Monday the 4th to start on the treadmill which I think she is really going to enjoy.
She is starting to get a bit more mobile at home. We are probably at the point most tripawds are at on about day 3/4 after amputation with her mobility. She is just starting to get up on her own. She'll walk a few steps & then lay down. I'll take it! It's improvement! 
I get the keys to my new apartment tomorrow & will start the moving process. Once I'm in there & get everything situated, I'm sure I'll be buying some floor runners. Does anyone have a store or a brand they recommend? I'd really prefer ones I can grab & toss into the washing machine occasionally. You know how it is with 3 long haired 50 lb dogs! My washer is my best friend!
Hugs!
Melinda
Mom to tripawd Sierra, India & Echo
YAY FOR SIERRA!!! MADE MY DAY!!! SOOOOO HAPPY TO HEAR SIERRA IS RECOVERING NICELY! 😁😁 Good for, you for ,staying strong during this whole crazy`ordeal! Finally you are seeing the results and now Sierra can get back to having a "normal" recovery (if there is such a thing!).
Yeah, it sounds like she is around day four, or maybe five as far as her mobility goes. So jer progress may have been a bit delayed, but now it looks like it may be resume at a"slowly but surely" pace!
Keep kn keeping on Sierra
Hugs
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
PS. I got rubber backed bath rugs and they are washavle. Yoga matts are good too? Just hose them off.
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!
That is wonderful news!! So glad to hear that you are all doing well I hope you love your new place and get settled in quickly so that you can finally relax a bit. Sounds like Sierra has finally got things going her way, albeit slower than all of you had hoped.
I bought a bunch of throw rugs from various places, but I fell in love with this one. I got it on Amazon. They had run out of colors for a while, but finally just got some in and I ordered a couple more. They are "officially" supposed to be kitty litter mats because they hold stray litter so well, but I love them because they are cold water washable, hang to dry, throw back on the floor. They are also super soft, non skid, and for whatever reason the cats love them. I find them all the time on various ones napping.
Sorry the pic is so big, I could not shrink it. SHOP AMAZON <-- that is the Tripawds link to Amazon, Vivaglory 3D Design Cat Litter Mat that is the item name in case you are interested. I have washed mine several times now and they are still like the day I bought them, just don't throw them in the dryer.
So glad to hear she is turning the corner, we have been so worried about you guys!
Sending lots of love, hugs to you, and ear scratches and belly rubs to your crew
Jackie and Huck
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry
mom2sierra said
I get the keys to my new apartment tomorrow & will start the moving process. Once I'm in there & get everything situated, I'm sure I'll be buying some floor runners. Does anyone have a store or a brand they recommend? I'd really prefer ones I can grab & toss into the washing machine occasionally. You know how it is with 3 long haired 50 lb dogs! My washer is my best friend!
Hugs!
MelindaMom to tripawd Sierra, India & Echo
So glad she is starting to get better!
COSTCO has floor runners for $10 they are thin, rubber backed, washable. We have 4 of them already in a "kitchen path"
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