TRIPAWDS: Home to 22974 Members and 2152 Blogs.
HOME » NEWS » BLOGS » FORUMS » CHAT » YOUR PRIVACY » RANDOM BLOG

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.

JUMP TO FORUMS

Join The Tripawds Community

Learn how to help three legged dogs and cats in the forums below. Browse and search as a guest or register for free and get full member benefits:

Instant post approval.

Private messages to members.

Subscribe to favorite topics.

Live Chat and much more!

Please consider registering
Guest
Search
Forum Scope


Match



Forum Options



Minimum search word length is 3 characters - maximum search word length is 84 characters
Register Lost password?
sp_Feed sp_PrintTopic sp_TopicIcon-c
Poppy's Progress Thread - 4 month old Lab/GSD with front left amputation
sp_NewTopic Add Topic
New Jersey
Member Since:
4 January 2018
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
16
10 July 2018 - 7:24 pm
sp_Permalink sp_Print sp_QuotePost

Just wanted to chime in and say its hreat that Poppy is doing so well. My Abby was a front amputee in January and even as a nurse and former vet tech is was hard. I wanted to be there every time she struggled to help her but my mom reminded me that it is like letting your kids learn to walk. Sometimes you just have to let them fall. They will figure it out. My Abby does great now. I too bought carpet tiles and she walks off them when it pleases her. I dont let her do steps. My dad bulit ramps to go upstairs and to go outside off the deck. Abby is 11 and i just didnt think she would be able to master the steps. My stairs are wood and honestly sometimes i slip on them. Haha. I agree that pain management is still key at this point. How many days post op is she? After the intial healing period I still gave Abby the tramadol at night. She would be active during the day and then feel the pain at night from her active day. It also helps them het a comfortable nights sleep. Just remember that tramadol can be constipating so fiber is key. Canned pumpkin works great. I continued the gabapentin and still give it to her at night now. I dont know if she has phantom pains nut gabapentin does not have very serious side effects so i figure its not really hurting her. It is normal for the incision to be itchy. Once the staples come pit you can put some unscented lotion or aloe vera or coconut oil on it. It will also itch as the fur grows back in. Abby used to lay on the carpet and twist and turn to itch. Lol. Some dogs lay on their incisions and others dont. Did they remove her shoulder blade as well? Abby had to wait two days after her humerus break to have her surgery (damn nor eastern snow storm) and she would lay on the broken arm. I think the pressure made it feel better. Even now she lays on that side sometimes. Keep an eye on Poppy’s good elbow. She will balance more on her good leg now when she is laying down and since she is young and has not developed a callus there she may develop some swelling or even something called a seroma there. Older dogs have a callus that naturally develops on the elbows. Make sure she has nice cushioned placed to lay. Also invest in a raised food and water bowl. It will be harder for her to bend down to eat and drink. Since she is growing you will probably have to get a few different sizes. I used metal potted plant holders and dog bowls. The plant holders come in lots of different sizes and heights and you can get them on amazon for around $10. I cant think of any other tips i have learned along the way. It is all trial and error and seeing what works for your dog. I am adopting an 8 month old pit/lab front tripawd in a few weeks so i will have to go thru the learning curve all over again. And dont forget to do what jerry says “Be More Dog ” 

Forum Timezone: America/Denver
Most Users Ever Online: 946
Currently Online:
Guest(s) 271
Currently Browsing this Page:
1 Guest(s)
Member Stats:
Guest Posters: 1268
Members: 17735
Moderators: 6
Admins: 3
Forum Stats:
Groups: 4
Forums: 24
Topics: 18610
Posts: 256809
Administrators: admin, jerry, Tripawds
Tripawds is brought to you by Tripawds.
HOME » NEWS » BLOGS » FORUMS » CHAT » YOUR PRIVACY » RANDOM BLOG