Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi guys!
Its day 2 of having Sammy home, and he is a PRO. He has pooped, he has learned (after a few faceplants) to pee like a girl, and he even went up our patio steps today! No hesitation whatsoever! His wound looks great, he has been sleeping through the night without a peep, and is just the happiest, most go-lucky guy. He sat outside yesterday and enjoyed the sunshine for about a half an hour, which he hasn't felt good enough to do in weeks. Its obvious he is glad to be out of pain. We are so proud of him.
I do have a few questions! While you can see he's wearing his t-shirt, I still catch him itching sometimes, and rush to stop him. But he is still getting a few good scritches in there, which makes me nervous for his sutures. Any tips on keeping him from itching? I don't want to put a sock on his back foot, because of traction .
Since he is feeling so great, I will probably start him on super short leash walks within the next few days. Can I use the webmaster harness over his t-shirt or should I forgo the harness and just use his collar until the sutures are out?
Its looking increasingly like we are not going to be going the chemo route. I'm looking into alternatives, like supplements, etc. I see the K9 Immunity Plus supplements advertised on here... does anyone have any experience with that? Is it worth the crazy price or should I just stick with his glucosamine and raw goat's milk regimen?
Thanks a bunch!
Liz&Sam
It's great that Sammy is doing so well- poop already!!!
A word of caution on the 'short walks' though. Our surgeon told us that Maggie was only allowed short, leashed potty breaks for the first two weeks after her surgery. It's important for Sammy to rest and let his body recover. Too much activity too soon can lead to soreness and a higher potential for a seroma .
It's also not uncommon for dogs to sort of crash between days 3 and 5 post op as they come off the hospital meds and the first few days of hopping catch up to them.
It sounds like Sammy might be one of the lucky few who sail through recovery and the biggest problem you have is keeping him quiet. It's a good problem to have- I hope that is where you are heading 
You might try a little vet wrap on the back foot- it tends to have good traction - that is if he will tolerate it. It's hard to leave anything on the foot for too long.
As far as K9 Immunity Plus- I used it with my quad pug Tani who had mast cell cancer. I don't know if it helped with the cancer but it definitely helped with her energy level. We have talked about K9 Immunity Plus here often:
Forum Search for K9 Immunity Plus
You can also click on any of the live links for more info.
Sammy is a Star!!!
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
Online
SAMMY!!! YOU ARE A ROCK STAR SAMMY!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 A very adorable Rock Star 🙂
Sometimes we do have pups whp actually feel better after that bum leg is gone, eventhough tney just went through MAJOR surgery!! As Karen said though,sometimes after all the strong hospital meds are out of their system, tey don't feel quite so perky.
You may have to put a cone on him, or a "soft donut" to keep him away from his stitches. One or two scratches with his leg and he could rip open his incision. BEHAVE SAMMY! 🙂
And YAAAAAAAAAY FOR 
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!
Wanted to add this link
http://gabby.tr...../24/hello/
Sadly, Gabby,an amazing 14 yr young senior recently headed to the Bridge after handling three egs like a Champion! Her hooman was ind enough to share some of her nutrition and supplements. You may find it helpful.
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!
Hi Liz,
We are doing the chemo and the immunity plus. Hard to say what effect it has but It couldn't hurt so we are trying it.
We have had 2 chemos and it is really quite tolerable to the dogs although I am not a fan of chemo. I want to put Cookie on the vaccine and you HAVE to do the chemo to qualify, plus you can have no lung spread so I'm hoping the chemo helps and we can go to the vaccine.
I am really surprised at how little effect the chemo has although we have only had 2 starter doses and not the full strength yet
You have a GORGEOUS Dog and I am so happy for the way the recovery is going for you!!!
Hi there. Just wanted to weigh in on the K9 immunity plus. I've been using it with Clyde since his amputation (which was nearly two years ago and no chemo). I have no idea whether its been what has kept him going all this time or not, but I do think its helped with his energy level and his overall condition. Personally, I think its more than worth the cost.
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