Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Her refusal to go into the clinic scared me, because I was terrified of her bolting again, since that's how she got hurt. I'm still waiting on her harness, and I suspect I won't feel comfortable taking her out of the house until it arrives.
It's odd. Now that the staples are out, I'm almost more freaked out about everything, because there's no specific goal we're working towards. Before, it was "I just need to get through to the staples coming out" but now that we're past that marker, I'm kinda freaked out and scared of letting her do anything. I want to wrap her in cotton wool and do nothing but snuggle with her for the next, oh, the next ten years should be good.
terrie said
It's odd. Now that the staples are out, I'm almost more freaked out about everything, because there's no specific goal we're working towards.
I know of one . . . getting her core muscles strong and keeping her injury free. Have you checked out the Tripawds Gear blog , our e-books and all of our exercise tips? Even if she was fit before surgery, she'll need different types of workouts as a Tripawd.
But I know what you mean, I would be freaked out too after an accident like that.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Bit of an update on Sadie. four weeks post-amp, and she's doing well. The other day she came in limping a bit and I almost freaked out that she'd hurt herself. Not so much. She had a wet leaf on her foot. *face palm*
We got her Web Master Plus harness, which I love, though the brush guard keeps sliding up on her right (amputation) side, not underneath her. It's still stiff, so hopefully as it loses that stiffness, it will stay where it's supposed to a bit better. We've started short walks, just around the block, though today's got cut short because she stepped on a stick and refused to keep going. My front yard has a slope down to the side walk and we've been going up and down it to help build her core muscles. It's only a three or four steps, but I figure every little bit helps.
After the difficulty of getting her into the specialty clinic for her staple removal (she had to be carried in), we went on a practice trip to my regular vet. She did fine, had no problem with their tiled floors and even let the receptionist give her a treat.
Next up, stairs. Which I fully admit scare the bejeezus out of me, so it may be a while until I'm ready for that, even if she is.
Murphy's routine since he started all of this is to poop as soon as we get there - the 1st time it was in the lobby! ugh So now every time we go anyplace, Murphy has to poop. He's 10 years old and never did this before this all started lol.
We live in a ranch house, so stairs have not really been an issue for us. But the 1st time I took him over to our groomer's house after his surgery was probably about 2 months after his surgery. She works out of her basement. So her husband walked Murphy & Cassie downstairs, with his harness on, then Murphy turned around & ran upstairs! So I said, well, I guess he can handle the stairs ok! 
When going places like the vet's, we bought some of the Pawz boots. They are more like balloons than boots, so they aren't insulated, but they offer great traction for the tiled floor. They are a little snug at the top, so you don't want to leave them on for a long time.
PAWz Dog Boots
You do need to work on being a little "more dog" and try not to worry quite so much. 
Donna
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Donna, Glenn & Murphy
Murphy had his right front leg amputated due to histiocytic sarcoma at 7 years old. He survived 4 years, 2 months & 1 week, only to be taken by hemangiosarcoma at 11 1/2 years 6/12/17
Read about Murphy's Life on Three Legs
Let her take the lead on the stairs. I removed the baby gate when I was home about 3 months post amp. He just looked for a couple of days, and then up he came. It only took a couple of days for him to handle them like a pro. Remember that you are still early in the recovery process and you have plenty of time for her to master stairs. There is no timeline here - just letting her master new skills when she is ready.
And yes, the harness will spin a bit, especially with a smoother coat. But it still works fine. I must admit that I had expected it to fit like some of the photos I saw in the gear blog (Wyatt perhaps, looking stylish). Now, I hardly even notice that it is a bit lopsided.
Otis - 106 pound lab/Dane mix, lost his right front leg to osteosarcoma on Febuary 9, 2016. Four rounds of carboplatin completed in April, 2016. Lung mets August 25, 2016. Said goodbye too soon on September 4, 2016. Lost his adopted sister, Tess, suddenly on October 9, 2016. likely due to hemangiosarcoma.
Wherever they are, they are together.
MURPHY!! LMAO! 🙂 You jave a great way of getting your point across about what you think of vet visits 🙂
SADIE! So glad to hear how well you are doing.....even if stepping on the stick stopped her in her tracks!
You mentioned in an earlier post you felt like you no longer had a "goal".....well, ditto Donna....work on the goal.of BEING MORE DOG!! Itsw jard, but itsw so freeing when you master it!! It really is freeing when you master living in the now, in the moment, in the present, just like Sadie is! That way NOTHING interferes in your time together! That way you make every second count! That waynyou make everyday Sadie Day! Sadie will completely heal from her accident and will have a long healthy life with you! 🙂
Hugs to all!
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!
Part of the reason stairs scare me so much is that a few weeks before Sadie's accident, I went with my mom to support her as she had to put her 14 year old Lhasa Apso to sleep. He fell down the stairs and broke his back. My family had a really bad May in terms of our dogs.
Ohhh Terrie I'm so sorry, that is just tragic. My heart goes out to your family. I can't blame ya one bit, stairs are scary as it is. You can't ever be too cautious.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
I can understand your fear after going through two such traumatic events. But once again, there is no time frame for Sadie. She has her whole like to go up or not go up stairs. Especially if you are feeling such discomfort, don't push her or feel like it is something that she "should" accomplish. Sadie is much younger than Otis, but I wouldn't have even considered stairs at 5 weeks. We were just getting started with walking our 7 houses. If you focus more on core strength, you will be building her up for when she, and you, are ready for stairs. (And my guess is that she will be ready before you - you will accidentally leave your baby gate down and turn around to find her looking at you from the landing!).
Otis - 106 pound lab/Dane mix, lost his right front leg to osteosarcoma on Febuary 9, 2016. Four rounds of carboplatin completed in April, 2016. Lung mets August 25, 2016. Said goodbye too soon on September 4, 2016. Lost his adopted sister, Tess, suddenly on October 9, 2016. likely due to hemangiosarcoma.
Wherever they are, they are together.
Sorry - supposed to be "whole life." I hate autocorrect sometimes.
Otis - 106 pound lab/Dane mix, lost his right front leg to osteosarcoma on Febuary 9, 2016. Four rounds of carboplatin completed in April, 2016. Lung mets August 25, 2016. Said goodbye too soon on September 4, 2016. Lost his adopted sister, Tess, suddenly on October 9, 2016. likely due to hemangiosarcoma.
Wherever they are, they are together.
Our Murphy took months before he was ready for the stairs. He tried it once, said OK, I did that, and then didn't try again for a very long time. He would do the staircase at the vet, which was a short and wide six steps, but not the enclosed one here at home.
Kathi and the Turbotail April Angel...and the Labradork
Murphy is a five year old Lab/Chessie cross. He was hit by a car on 10/29/12 and became a Tripawd on 11/24/12. On 2/5/13, he had a total hip replacement on his remaining back leg. He has absolutely no idea that he has only three legs!
UPDATE: Murphy lived his life to the fullest, right up until an aggressive bone lesion took him across the Rainbow Bridge on April 9, 2015 and he gained his membership in the April Angels. Run free, my love. You deserve it!
Plus, the longer I wait, the longer I have to decide about my bed upstairs. If I remove the frame and put the bed on teh floor, I need an alternative hiding spot for the little dog, Boomer. If Boomer lacks a place to retreat when Sadie gets hyper, she tends to start fights, which is not good with a 6 lb and a 60lb dog.
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