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.
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My Sophie Mae is 4. She had her left rear leg completely amputated at about 6 weeks due to an injury and subsequent infection. She gets along great, but in the last couple of years she has begun obsessively grooming her belly to the point it becomes infected. It started closer to her amputation site, but now, if left without a bonnet, consumes her entire belly. We've been to multiple specialists. She's had prednisone shots, antibiotics and takes amytriptline daily. She wears a soft King bonnet and chews holes in them to get to her belly. She has on 3 of the bonnets now and just managed to get through all 3 to get to her belly.
Any thoughts? We've considered phantom pain , but it's been so long since her surgery that vets say it's unlikely. She's young and I just can't see her living in a bonnet her entire life.
Any insight?
Hi Sophie Mae and Mom. thanks for registering as a member. Your future posts won't require moderation so post away.
Your poor girl! I'm not a vet so I take this for what it's worth but were any of those specialists pain management specialists? I've learned in talking with those folks that when an animal chews like that it could very well be a sign of pain. Phantom pain is just one type of issue that Tripawds experience, as mentioned in this article about pain and Tripawds that we published.
Where are you located? Maybe we can try to help you find a pain specialist if you haven't seen one yet?
It may not even be related to her amputation, which I'm sure the vets have explored with you.
In the meantime, are you keeping a journal about when she has these attacks? Is it ongoing or from out of nowhere? The more you can describe her condition the more your vets will have a way to pinpoint the cause.
Finally, here's a way that you may be able to keep her succesfully in a bonnet.
Kinda funny I know, but it was one way to keep our Wyatt from getting to his belly. That's a clear cone placed over his soft collar.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hello and welcome.
Have you had Sophie Mae since she was a pup? Do you know her history? Other than a pain response excessive grooming or licking can be a sign of stress. My quad pug Obie was neglected and abused, we adopted him when he was 4 years old and he was diagnosed with OCD. He had a habit of licking his front paws incessantly, he would do it for hours if not interrupted. Luckily for us he never progressed to a lick granuloma, although he did thin the fur sometimes. He also did what I call 'air licking', he looks like a lizard sampling the environment around him. It took constant effort on our part to inject a good thing, like a bone or toy, to break the cycle of him licking, and then lots of exercise (not too hard for a pug!) and games to stimulate his brain. He is 11 now and still has the lick behaviors but they have lessened some with time and our efforts.
Hopefully Dr. Pam will have some insight for you when she responds.
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
It is unlikely from the amputation this far out. If prednisone did not help you could consider a food trial with a novel or hydrolyzed diet. Is she red and inflamed even with the cone? If so look for allergies of some sort. If she just obsessively licks I would wean off the amitriptylene and consider fluoxetine (Prozac) or Trazadone for anxiety.
Pam
You're pawsome Pam, thank you!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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