Tripawds Three Legged Dog & Cat Forum Archives
Tripawds is your home to learn how to care for a three legged dog or cat. Explore 17+ years of forum archives for stories and answers to questions about dog leg amputation, and cat amputation recovery. Enjoy fresh discussion and connect with members in the new Tripawds Support Circle.
Join The Tripawds Community
Register your free account to join the Tripawds Support Circle. Connecting with members and getting the support you need is now easier than ever with the Circle app!
✅ Easy Photo Upload
✅ Direct Messaging
✅ Subscribe to Topics.
✅ Live Chat and much more!
Forums Locked: Search archives for answers & join Tripawds Support Circle to keep discussion going!
Log In
Members
6:07 am
2 June 2009
Offline
YES! Jack would not leave his incision site alone! When we picked him up, they were going to send him home without a compression wrap or a lampshade, but I did not feel comfortable with that and wanted to be able to snuggle in bed, so they put a wrap on and gave us a collar. For some reason Jack has a skin flap at the edge of the surgery site where the area above the leg was joined with the area beneath the leg, and that became his new obsession (I call it his udder...it's gross). He would lick it so much that the area looked like it was bruised. We could keep our eye on him during the day so he didn't have to wear the collar, but put the thing back on before bed so he didn't hurt himself during the night. This worked until we realized he had learned how to "quiet lick" without sparking our attention, so we just had to suck it up and keep the lampshade on him until the stitches came out (he got to take it off while eating and going outside). It actually helped my stop worring about the recovery a little because I had that security that he wasn't going to rip a stitch out.
<3 Laura
As for licking, a t-shirt is enough to keep Tazzie from pestering his stitches. He freaked (just stopped stand still, with sheer terror in his eyes) when I put the e-collar on after this June's torsion surgery. A t-shirt somehow seems to change the sensation and curb the itch (Tazzie tends to pester the stitches or start to go crazy with itching about 3 days post-surgery). It might refer the itch elsewhere, because he ends up licking his groin, which seems fine (no major surgery there yet anyway - hopefully August will not see us undergoing any more major surgeries, what a thought). Anyway, it is worth a try.
Even with the sutures out, he still seems more comfortable wearing a shirt (we are still waiting for the tripawd shirt to arrive, so I don't give my entire wardrobe to him). He was really panting hard the other night for a few hours until I put the t-shirt on. And he tried to pester the incision area last night, when I tried to keep the shirt off. I suspect it could give some comfort to have something pressing on the area. Hopefully he will abandon the clothes when he fur grows back.
A dog certainly could scratch and lick the stitches with the shirt on - he just does not have the same urge.
Susan
9:32 am
Team Tripawds
Administrators
25 September 2009
Offline
So glad to hear that Millie is on the mend and you're getting shut eye! The way you're spreading the pain meds out now is exactly how my pawrents weaned me off them as well. You're doing fine, hang in there.
I also had an ugly udder! We thought it was because the vet school students were practicing on me and didn't know what they were doing! Thank dog my fur grew over it. Also, I did mess with my stitches a bit, until Mom got me a <a href="