Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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The small victory steps are oh so sweet.
We gave him some pumpkin today and that helped him do number 2 for the first time in 4 days, which was a huge relief (sorry if that was too much information
).
This is often a topic of conversation after their surgery. Everyone seems to get anxious about when the first poop will be. And often times it is 3-4 days, some even longer.
I did not get a harness initially, with all the other expense we had, I couldn't justify it. Trouble was well past chemo before I found a harness on the angel exchange. And I will tell you, it made my life so much easier. It was tedious for me to get a 55 pound dog into the vehicle, but with the harness it made all the difference in the world. I no longer had to struggle. It was as simple as lifting with one hand and supporting under the belly with the other. I highly recommend the RuffWear. It also was a good walking harness when I had her in a place where she needed to be leashed. It allowed me to give her added support on a slippery surface, and kept from having a leash pulling at her neck.
Shanna & Spirit Trouble ~ Trouble gained her wings 3/16/2011, a 27 1/2 month cancer survivor, tail wagging. RIP sweetheart, you are my heart and soul. Run free at Rainbow Bridge.
The November Five - Spirits Max, Cherry, Tika, Trouble & Nova. 11/2008 - 3/2013 An era ends as Queen Nova crossed the Bridge.
I had a harness for Finn at the house when he arrived home but because he was so woozy and in pain I didnt even try to put it on for a while. I also was leery because I didn't want to put any pressure on the area around the incision. I have a "Help em Up" Harness. It comes with a front and a back and I will say I don't really use the back as Finns difficulties are in the front. I am still working on the fit... It works great for what I need it for but it tends to twist around on him and I don't like that. It probably wouldn't do that if I used the back but I don't want poor Finn to have to wear a bunch of cumbersome stuff. I was going to buy the Rough Wear Harness but didn't like the fact that I had to lift Finn to get him into it. In hindsight though...only needing the front, it looks like it might fit better. Not really sure. As Finn recovers and I see what his ultimate activity level is... I will get him the Rough Wear if he needs it but for stairs and getting in and out of the car, Help em Up is working well. If your baby also struggles behind I think it would be great and it is very easy to put on once you can get the fit figured out. So so glad to hear that that your baby is having some better moments and I so hope you see more of them today as I know how relieving they are. The first poop was SUCH a relief for me as well so... CONGRATS!!! Keep paying attention to the little things...little moments of progress and joy...they get bigger as time goes on. I am realizing and mourning the fact that Finn's life will never be the same. Yet... at the same time..it is and can continue to be FULL and HAPPY and LOVING which to me are the most important aspects. I am grateful! Grateful that I still have him...Grateful, that after the initial difficulty after the surgery that he is fully himself and happy. Grateful for this community that helped me though the rough moments of sadness and regret. Grateful for the wonderful care that he received at VCC and Cornell and my good friends who supported us and gave us shelter ... to give Finn this care I had to travel 10 hours and we needed people willing to let us camp out even when Finn was two days post surgery and these friends had to get up in the middle of the night to help him out to pee. I am so grateful! Today we are taking Finn for his first official walk. He walks around the yard and has been out and about the town but not really on a "WALK". I expect that he will need rests and that it will be short but it is a place that he loves and I don't want him to be deprived of anything that he loves. I am excited and a little nervous. I will have video camera in hand and let you all know how it goes. Have a great day!!
Things are really getting better now. He's really getting around on his walks, he's eating and his stitches come out Thursday. What an improvement. He's even letting me pet him. We're all feeling a lot better.
Gotta look into that harness.
Dan and dexter
Dan,
Send me a private message (PM) about the harness, I might be able to help you out. Include Dexter's girth measurement and about how long from base of neck to tail. I log on as krun15.
Karen and the pugapalooza
Thanks everyone. Your feedback on harnesses is very helpful. Peggy, you're story is amazing and uplifting. Thank you for sharing it. It's interesting that you mention little moments becoming bigger moments and the return of happiness and love and joy. We're not quite there yet. Dexter is kind of in the in between zone. He's getting much more mobile on his walks, he's eating and growling much less, but he's so scared. When I go to get him for a walk, he shakes and resists, he still doesn't want to be touched much and he whimpers. Once outside, he'll frolick and do his business, but his tail stays tucked and sometimes he just stops and lies down, tired or defeated or both. Back inside, he just lays in his bed and sleeps. I sit with him and read, hoping he'll come curl up with me, but he doesn't. He gets the stitches out today, which I hope also means the e collar can come off and maybe that will help. I hope his fear fades and his bright, goofy personality comes back soon. I miss it. It's hard to see him so listless and timid.
I think for now I'm going to use a martingale collar and begin exploring harnesses soon. I also don't think he'll be very receptive of putting one on at this point as he still has the pelvis situation. I just want him to be secure. This all happened because he broke free of a harness and ran into traffic. I'm pretty traumatized by that.
Anyway, thanks again to this great community!,
Dexter is really still very early in his recovery and has the pelvic issues going on as well. He may take a little longer to start to feel like himself again. It sounds like he is making progress. Just be patient, he will get there.
Good thoughts for a speedy recovery.
Shanna & Spirit Trouble ~ Trouble gained her wings 3/16/2011, a 27 1/2 month cancer survivor, tail wagging. RIP sweetheart, you are my heart and soul. Run free at Rainbow Bridge.
The November Five - Spirits Max, Cherry, Tika, Trouble & Nova. 11/2008 - 3/2013 An era ends as Queen Nova crossed the Bridge.
I so so know how you feel Turtledan! Again...I am no expert...I can only talk about my experience and I do, even still, have my down moments. I kind of feel like I am mourning in a way. My Finn is a BELOVED BEST friend to me. I have my hubby and another dog Eoghan (Owen) and two cats, all of whom I love deeply but Finn just occupies a special spot in my heart...to watch his life change in this way is HARD. I cant change it though and I know that he responds to my attitudes and emotions. This is a part of his life process and I will go through it with him like a best friend...like a mom. I will mourn the loss when I can and I will participate fully in this with him. I had to make a choice and I have to remake it frequently...to focus on the positive and make an effort to go through this with him in a way that makes this portion of his life full and happy. I still don't know exactly what that means... He is still recovering and building strength. Its seems to be working though and when I see joy in his eyes I feel joyful 
I am finding that many of the same things that always made him happy still do and he loves getting out of the house and visiting or going somewhere new...He doesn't move around as much at home so I think he gets bored. I am hoping and praying that you will see some signs of your boy soon and I imagine you will. I was able not to use the E collar thank goodness! I used a t-shirt and that worked great. Finn really showed the biggest leaps toward becoming himself once he was off all the meds and got his stitches removed. Keep the faith. I'm rooting for you both!!! I think I may eventually order the Rough Wear Harness...because I don't use the back part...the Help Em Up Harness slides around a lot and I don't think Finn likes that. Keep me/ us posted... vent if you need to... sometimes it helps or at least it helps me so I'm here to listen.
Hi Dan,
Maggie didn't have to wear an e-collar (rear amp with a big Buddha belly, she couldn't reach her incision!) and she didn't have any complications or the pelvic issues to deal with. She was an absolute SLUG for 4 weeks after surgery, and I didn't really see her personality return for about 6 weeks. She was an obstinate pug who didn't like change and she really took her time before she would play with me again. And Mag was one of those dogs who remembered the bad things. She slipped and fell on a short set of stairs early in her recovery and NEVER tried those stairs again, although she would do other stairs. That was 4 years worth of obstinate! I can understand how Dexter doesn't want anything to do with walks, harnesses, or traffic.
Peggy,
Mag made me wait for so long before she showed herself, I was so happy when she finally started playing with me again. But at first I let the sadness about her amp and the cancer cloud the time we spent together. I was missing the stuff she couldn't do, and sort of waiting for her to expire when we hit the prognosis date. I finally realized that Mag didn't care about what she couldn't do, and she didn't know she was sick (that is after she was done with her 6 week grumpy period). I learned so much from her about living in the moment. And part of that education was going through the hard part at the beginning. I wish we never had to deal with cancer, but beyond that I wouldn't change anything. I can't imagine how I would have coped with the last two years of my life without the journey I took with Maggie!
Karen and the pugapalooza
So helpful, Karen. Thank you. Like you, I miss dexters personality and trust very much. He was such a mushball, letting me pick him up and hold him endlessly, very playful, silly and warm. Now there's this fear in his eyes and a lack of trust it seems. It's hard to know, we can't really know. I have to admit, that I have some thoughts about whether going through all this, the money, the trauma, the rehab, will be worth it if he will now be a terrified little guy who just wants to be left alone. I hate that I think that, but I have to be honest. I hope so much that as the weeks pass, I begin to see that personality come back. He's such a great little dog. I still wake up in the night with the image of the accident. I'm so sad and angry that it happened. There is so much to learn here and I am trying to remember that and absorb it.
Enjoy your day with pugapalooza!
Dan
Dexter got his stickes out today and the e collar is gone! I hope that helps bring his personality back a bit. The vet reminded me that in a normal amp situation I'd be seeing big strides now, but he's most likely still in discomfort and pain with the pelvis and that's easy to forget. So I'm tempering my hope to see big changes and expecting more gradual ones. Peggy, you are right, I think when he's home, he's a bit bored and that's when he's most listless and not thrilled about being touched. When we go for walks or to the vet, he comes alive more and shows more affection. The catch 22 of course is that he's not supposed to go out too much yet. She also told me to hold him more and pick him up. I have to admit that I've been and still am gunshy to do this. When he shows his teeth and whines when he sees me going to do this, I back off. Maybe I should push through because she said its important to have touch and affection with him. It's tough when you get that kind of response though.
Still trying to figure out the best harness. I'm considering the easy walk harness. Seems to get good reviews mostly. It's a lot lett expensive than the ruff wear and is good for dogs that pull which dexter is. All thee decisions are overwhelming, you know?
How's it going with everyone else's pups?
Dan
Hi Dan,
I'm glad to hear Dexter had his stitches out. That should make some kind of difference. I am often thinking of him and hoping to hear good news. Sounds like things are getting better and that is great news.
Dylan had his stitches and the bandage off on Thursday. He seems so much happier now. Now we have been dealing with some phantom pain (we think) that started Thursday night. Thanks to this forum I feel a little better about it now. For two days he had some episodes where he would wake up yelping and crying in pain and it just made me cry as I could not take the pain away. We have been giving him a smaller dosage of tramodol. It has helped. He had been off the meds for a week. As of today, there have been no episodes. Yay! Sometimes he still looks at me as if to say "why can't I do what I used to do" but I've noticed little by little he is trying. Every day he seems to be doing a little more.
Progress is slow but good.
Sending pawsitive thoughts to you and Dexter 
Helen,
Dylansmom
turtledan said
Still trying to figure out the best harness...
Have you read this post for recommendations?
Which harness is right for my dog?
Cost is always a concern, but please keep in mind that the Easy Walk "harness" does not provide support. It is intended for maintaining control of a dog during walks. It has no handle for providing assistance when needed.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
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