Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Crush had his follow up today, and I'm happy to report that the vet was pleased with his progress. He's gone from weight bearing only 17% on his right hind leg to 40%, which is where it should be for him. He's much more comfortable, and while he still has some soreness it's being managed better. She says some soreness may not go away completely, and he may have early signs of cruciate disease on his right leg. But for now he's doing well. We are adjusting his gabapentin dose to try and find the right amount for him since he's still having some symptoms of nerve pain.
Overall though, he's doing great! His walks are up to 15 minutes and they are his favourite part of the day, for sure.
Some more recent pictures
WOW! One month later and what pawgress! 
I looked back on your April 9th post, to see just how far he's come:
Basically Crush is having some issues with his leg, but needs to increase his low-impact activity. He has a sore lower back and groin muscles, and a sore cruciate on his right leg. She said it's definitely not torn but to stop any high impact activity. I need to think a bit about how to do this- sometimes it's really hard to keep him from jumping around, especially at dinner time. As soon as he sees his food bowl he starts jumping in the air.
She did note that his right hind leg was only bearing about 15% of his body weight (compared to 30% on the left hind) and the muscles have atrophied on that leg. It's several centimeters smaller in diameter than his other leg. She wants it stronger so we have some exercises and stretches to do at home, and he can start going for 5 minute walks, provided we keep them calm and flat. If he handles it well, we can up it by 2 minutes every week. She's putting him back on metacam and she's going to check in next week to see how that's going, we might add gabapentin if he's still having symptoms of nerve pain.
It's mind blowing that in just a few weeks, you and the therapist have helped Crush make such huge improvements. Kudos to YOU for going the extra mile to figure out what he needs, and sticking to the program recommended by the therapist. It's not easy to find the time, money, and energy to re-structure our routines to fit in exercises and such, but you are doing it!
And that happy look on Crush's face says it all. Thanks for the great update and photos!
Delighted to see how much his weight bearing has increased from 17% to 40%. You are doing such a splendid job of caring for him and doing what needs to be done to continue his progress. 👍
And the photos....OMD! Crush is such a stunning looking pup! So very hiandsome.
Glad to have this good news today and to also see his photogenic handsome self.
Hugs
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!
Thanks! I'm also super impressed with his progress. The program he's on has helped him a lot.
He'll go back for another check next month, I hope he will be even further improved then!
I just wanted to share a nice update on Crush, he had his last check-in with the specialist on the 15th and she thinks he's doing well and doesn't need to come in for a monthly check-up anymore. We will go back if I have any concerns or anything changes. For now his cruciate ligament is stable, his weight is getting closer to where it needs to be and his nerve pain is under control.
We're about 6 months post-op and I'm really pleased with how he's doing. He is going for roughly 20 minute walks every day plus his physio, and has recovered much of his energy, although he does still get tired more quickly, which is to be expected. His balance is improved and we can go for more interesting walks, he can't hike like he used to but we can go to parks as long as we keep to relatively flat trails. I live on a big steep hill and he tires too quickly when we try to walk at home (he's also become very bored with home walks) so we drive somewhere for his daily walk and I try to change it up every day and we go to lots of different locations. He loves the car rides and exploring new places, so much that he won't walk at home anymore. If I try, he'll walk past maybe two houses then he plants his butt and refuses to move until we turn around and go to the car. He's a bit spoiled, but I'm happy he's enjoying himself.
I also wanted to share these toe treads I got from the vet, I switched to these from the Dr Buzbys and Crush has been doing way better. He never really gained much confidence to step off rugs despite wearing the Buzby's toegrips since his surgery, but as soon as I put these new ones on he started gaining confidence quickly and now walks wherever he wants without slipping. I'm sure every dog is different, but for Crush, as soon as he starts slipping he really tried to dig in with his claws and the Buzby's toegrips would still slip. Here's a link if anyone is interested! They are also nice in that they cover the whole nail, stay on and don't need to be adjusted.
https://dogtoetreads.com/
And some recent photos of Crush enjoying life.
Crush looks FANTASTIC! Thank you for letting us know, this made my day.
I was curious about those Dog Toe Treads. I'll be honest, I don't like how they cover the entire nail bed. But if they are working for Crush that is all that matters. Good info to know about, I may look into them.
Spoil that boy rotten, he deserves it. You too! You are a great Tripawd parent!
Thanks! When I look back at where he was a couple months after surgery, it's hard to believe he's come so far. He had a terrible infection, limp in his right hind, he wouldn't eat, anything I could get into him he vomited or passed right through as terrible runs. He was so depressed and listless, I really felt he was dying and I felt so guilty for putting him through so much. But fast forward a few months and I have my dog back!
I owe this site a lot for helping him get this far. I wouldn't have known otherwise when to escalate from his regular vet and see a specialist- I wouldn't have even known that they existed for this. If I hadn't he might have blown his cruciate and he'd still be suffering from phantom limb pain, he certainly wouldn't be so mobile. The rehabilitation grant was a huge help too in taking that leap. I had no idea how much the specialist would be able to help until we met with her.
Many many thanks for your continued support and advice, and making this community exist! I hope Crush has many more adventures I can continue to share in the future.
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