Tripawds Three Legged Dog & Cat Forum Archives

…locate some options in your area if you'd like. Also, check out our articles about why AAHA-accredited clinics are a good way to go. 

As for the incision, any infection can present itself as smelly discharge, warm to the touch, lack of energy in the patient and lack of appetite. Don't wait, call your…

…the closure of the wound and removed the staples a day ahead of schedule. He drained some of the seroma
fluid and we sent it off to 100% rule out infection. We started a secondary round of antibiotics as a precautionary measure. 

As far as pain is concerned, we are not concerned 🙂 Chomp was on a

…locate some options in your area if you'd like. Also, check out our articles about why AAHA-accredited clinics are a good way to go. 

As for the incision, any infection can present itself as smelly discharge, warm to the touch, lack of energy in the patient and lack of appetite. Don't wait, call your

…could be too high, or, sometimes what you are describing (lack of energy, sleepiness) can be pain signals
that dogs give.  

Also, about his incision. Bruising is normal, but is should be clearing up by now. Does the incision area smell at all? Fluid release is normal, it's called a seroma
and…

…can happen at about this point in time. But the fluid should be more watery than bloody. If there is smelly discharge, then that could be sign of infection. And if that's the case it could explain his lack of energy. 

Don't panic but also don't wait for the two days. Call your vet in the morning and…

…since the day we picked him up. If anything, some parts of the exposed area are darker than before. Besides smelly discharge, any other symptoms of infection we should be on the look out for?

…could be too high, or, sometimes what you are describing (lack of energy, sleepiness) can be pain signals
that dogs give.  

Also, about his incision. Bruising is normal, but is should be clearing up by now. Does the incision area smell at all? Fluid release is normal, it's called a seroma
and…

…can happen at about this point in time. But the fluid should be more watery than bloody. If there is smelly discharge, then that could be sign of infection. And if that's the case it could explain his lack of energy. 

Don't panic but also don't wait for the two days. Call your vet in the morning and

…situation, she's had her e-cone on ever since her surgery but she finds a way to bend her body forward enough that she gets the e-cone stuck on her incision site and starts to lick at the infection. She's had to be on constant watch since we haven't been able to find a suitable option to cover that area

…it so I did let her be free of the cone to let her groom herself for her sanity but it quickly went back on if she's very insistent on licking her incision area. My primary vet said I could use A&D ointment but it didn't do much in terms of itchiness. It started to re-heal remarkably fast but…

…toward the end of the healing process she developed an infection so she's currently on antibiotics for a week and has been wearing the e-cone for more than a month now. Poor thing. I've been cleaning her cone

…back home, the vet feels that while it is a lot more inflamed around the incision that it still looks completely clean with no sign of infection, and that it could just be muscular as yesterday was the most active day he has had with trips to the vet and a few visits to the house from friends

….  (BTW I had to remove the carpet for my father's health).

Since you can't use a traditional e-collar you can use a tee-shirt to cover the incision.  Can you use alternatives or soft e-collars? When my quad-Pug boy Obie had his knee surgeries I was able to use a inflatable collar for him when…

…needed. The reason for cones is important to keep him away from licking or chewing the sutures and the incision while it heals, this often leads to infection.  Here are some alternatives to cones.

If the vet doen't have a sling you can use you can make a temporary one out of a cloth bag.  Here are

…wallet, I would leave it on 24/7 until the stitches come out. I know it's brutal, but it's the only way to ensure that you won't have to pay for an incision re-do and risk infection. Just my two cents.

…send. She hates laying on them but does it anyway 😉 

The gushing has stopped. The er vet told me it was ok, as long as it wasn't bright red. Her infection needed to come out. I noticed yesterday that it's not from the incision. She had what looked like fluid filled blisters along the incision, and…

…down. It's leaking, but not gushing. It almost looked like the blister popped and created a hole in her skin. I'm watching it very closely for infection. It's not smelly or green, so I'll just monitor it for now.

Her personality started to come back yesterday. I got my first kiss since surgery!

…their eyes in seconds. Be very careful, and play it safe. Use the cone. It's the only thing protecting her from going back to the vet for an incision re-do and possible infection.  

You ask a great question and the answer is yes: Stitches tend to get itchy when they start drying out in about a…

…week. That's for most recovering Tripawds but it really depends on how well the incision is healing. The faster the more it's likely to get itchy. 

…(sorry if that’s TMI). My sister and cousin will sit with him in the back seat on the way home to make sure he’s okay and doesn’t bother his incision and they’re going to keep him warm for me (he’s old and has a bad wheeze I don’t want to be treating for a lung/upper respiratory infection next

…for Otis having a good all-around recovery! That's wonderful news. I wouldn't be so concerned about the incision area if there's not obvious sign of infection, but you do want to let your vet know about it. To put it in perspective as best I can, I know that…

…with my own surgical incision sites it took several weeks for the areas not to hurt like heck when I touched them. 

As for the chemo question...I can't be of much help there

…Colleen and Otis!

First off, I am not a vet. I have to ask, is the area swollen? Is the incision totally healed? When you press is it like pressing skin or is it mushy at all? It should not be tender a month in. Did he have any sutures that…

…were dissolvable or were they all removed?

When you meet tomorrow, ask them to palpate the area to make sure he doesn't have a seroma
or infection. 

All dogs (like people) are different. If he had dissolvable sutures, they can take longer to dissolve than simple suture removal. If there's

…i spoke to in regard to orthopedic surgeons. This Doctor went ahead with taking X-Rays, these had shown that she had a torn acl, and a severe infection that was eating away at her bones causing dentures only visible by the X-Rays. He decided she needed an urgent surgery for further evaluation. We…

…were told that the implant used to repair her torn acl had shattered and there was a very high likelihood that the material was causing the infection. In addition, she also had a luxating patella. The Doctor decided to flush out her leg to completely clean it, repair the dislocated kneecap in…

…to be going great as she gained more mobility with her leg. Except, she stopped using her leg. During this time she also got open sores near her incision. After some testing, we were told her infection returned. The Doctor had previously taken a culture sample of the infection and it had reacted…

…helped her rest and regain mobility on her rear left leg and help her get around a bit more easily. 

None of the antibiotics worked to clear the infection. The good news was that the infection was only in her leg, and although leg amputation was never discussed, it became our only option. We were

…She is also resting so much better with puppy dreams and snores. I hope they are only good dreams! 

The thing that continues to concern me is her incision site. We have no signs of infection and over the past couple of days it really looks as though it is healing nicely. Dottie doesn't hesitate to lay…

…on the incision side either (I hope that is ok!). We are on day 9 post surgery (full rear leg amp) and Dottie is still seeping pink tinged fluid from her incision. She also has a small hole along her incision site. The swelling and bruising has decreased significantly.  We've consulted with her vet and she

…what you have. Did they send you home with a cone? I hate to say it but when you are not home that is the only way you know she won't get to the incision. You don't want her licking or chewing or scratching that incision and messing up stitches or staples & causing an infection. They can cause

…time for them to become accustomed to their new "gait" so to speak, but most of them get up and walk at least short distances to walk. Because her incision is so new, it may be tender for a harness. How much does he weigh?

You may want to try taking a towel and scooting it under his chest tummy area…

…and hold it up on either side to help him walk without putting the harness on yet. He is also very young and between the infection, anesthesia, pain medication, and his age may just not understand what is going on and some pups are very vocal when they are afraid, confused.
…

…
Did they determine what actually happened with his leg? Was it infection that caused all of this? Will be looking to read more of Zeus' story.

Jackie and Huck

…do well with the treatment.

She is now 5 days post-op and has been doing extremely well until today. The bruising has started to subside and the incision is clean and does not look red or inflamed. Pre-surgery, we had her on Tramadol 2-3x a day and Rovera 1x a day. Post surgery, we kept the same…

… and is going potty normally.

If anyone could share their experience as to why the pain would spike like this, or does it seem likely she has an infection? I'm probably going to call the surgeon if she doesn't seem better sooner than later. Just a worried mama. 

…Saturday she was not eating and peeing at all until Tuesday morning when I took her to the clinic.

Today it is 3 weeks post Amp and she has an infection on the incision site which they are taking care of right now  The problem is that after an x-ray yesterday there are lung mets which are not very…

…alarming yet but still. She cannot start chemo but the fever she had (due to the infection most probably as they told me) is starting to go down  Last night she ate a bit too  

I'm so sad because it seems like we will not make it in time

…we were scheduled to start carboplatin. Unfortunately, her white blood cell count was very low, too low in fact, to start chemo. She has a slight infection along her incision site (that we are treating with antibiotics for 1 week), but the doctor (a normal veterinarian, not an oncologist) said that…

…having an infection would elevate her WBC because she would be fighting an infection. She is outwardly acting very normal, great appetite, normal bathroom and activity level, even barking at the mail lady as I write this, ha! 

I'm

…Draco is staying the night at the vet tonight and first thing in the morning they are stiching him back up 😢😢😢 his incision opened up so badly Sunday night that you could see inside, it looked really bad! But no infection thank God! 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼 I just pray it stays that way 

…am in the Tripawds Chat
room right now if you want to talk.

Epsom salts? To prevent infection? That's a new one to me, I don't believe anyone's vet has ever directed them to use that on the incision. Ouch. I could be wrong so maybe some…

…a Microcyn type of wound care spray? 

Most people don't need to use anything on the wound, and most vets say leave it alone unless there is an infection or non-closure happening. And in that case, they usually direct clients to use medical-grade products to help.

…our dog's incision opened a bit the vet got us to clean it with diluted hibitaine and put polysporin ointment on it. We were lucky that there was no infection. We did it twice a day and it closed up in about one week. Hope that helps.

Val

…have another question. The vet told me that to help prevent infection, soak his incision in an epsom salt bath? Has anybody done this ? It seems that it would burn !

…and meloxicam. So my next concern is, should he be wearing a cone to prevent him from licking?  

Yes, you need to have a cone on or the incision covered to prevent licking and possibly infection not to mention the removal of stitches or staples. I have read some rear leg amps can use boxer…

…thru the fly. I dont have experince to share on that.

I'm sure certain others will advise you as well. You do not want Draco anywhere near that incision. Just wanted to answer your question before things go wrong, cone or cover the incision yes!

Hugs,

Holly & Purrkins❤️

…favorite place. I'm relieved that he won't need to wear a cone. 

Take a look at the photo gallery before surgery so you will be prepared for the incision. I was surprised with Purrkins incision it looked better then I expected it too. 

You will need to ensure Sky does not get to the incision.…

… Purrkins was able to wear a baby onesie instead of the cone to cover his incision front leg amp. I only know of one person who got away with no cone/no onesie without incident. They can make short work of those stitches or…

…staples and you don't want that to happen and end up back in for repair and or get an infection. Hopefully, Sky can be the second kitty to get away with it but I would not bank on it.

Purrkins recovered in a closet he chose in a spare room

…gal.  And rest is really good right now.   

Update  when you get back from the Vet.  Sounds like her "stink" is more from her pooh than any infection  in the incision .  Her poop will normalize shortly.  All the hospital  meds, etc can make for yucky poo.  

Give that sweet gal a smooch for us

…care [understandably] since he is still under her care.

On the bright side even with the lack of follow up communication he is doing well.  The incision looks well healed and no signs of infection.  He hasn't been showing any obvious signs of pain, though he is an energetic puppy so he may just not

…that is a seroma
and is common in larger dogs following an amputation.  The muscle ends leak fluid and it has to go somewhere so it seeps from the incision.  Pressure wrapping daily often works but if the fluid is in a large pocket your vet may need to place a drain.

If the fluid is fairly bloody…

…be an oozing blood vessel and sometimes a second surgery is required.  Also be on the lookout for a smelly yellow discharge which would indicate infection.

Pam