Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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First of all, I would like to congratulate you all for the initiative.
It brings a very good comfort to know that other people are going through the same situation.
I have a small 9 y/o malteese dog which got attacked by another dog, the injury was so bad that her front right leg had to be removed.
As our dog was inside our house and the other dog bite her from the outside of the fence, she is still struggling to go outside and she is not in a good mood. She is usually 'hidden' under the bed, or under my working desk, or behind a curtain.
It's being 10 days already, and she barely do some walking.
Does someone have a clue on what I can do to make her do some exercise? How to make her comfortable again on her house?
thanks for the help!
Hi and welcome! What is your sweet little dog's name? I'm so sorry you both went through such terrible trauma, that must have been so scary.
Based on what you are describing, her behavior sounds like typical pain signals in dogs. I know it's been 10 days since surgery, but what kind of pain control did she have when she came home? What were the medications, dosages and frequency? Many times when dogs are not given good pain management after surgery, it can really delay recovery.
How is her appetite and thirst? And are your floors slippery? Or do they have traction so she doesn't slide around? If she is lacking confidence on slippery floors she may not want to walk around.
I'm just throwing these things out there. Share more information so we can help you better OK? Thanks for posting!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi Jerry,
Thanks for accepting my topic.
My dog's name is Malfada, we are Brazilians living in Belgium. We brought her from Brazil to live with us here.
Indeed it was scary...I remember running with her to the vet with one pawn on my hand and her on the other...sad but true...
She was taking morphine for 6 days and Meloxicam (Inflacam) for 5 days. Then we stopped every kind of pain killers. She already went to the vet after 7 days and the vet said she was fine and having a good recovery.
She is not eating very well (12 hours + without eating anything) and we bought several different wet food, we tried human food (cooked chicken) and even some snacks. Nothing worked well.
She drinks water as always.
The floor is a bit slippery, but she is doing her 'jumps' once in a while to move around...Maybe I will need to provide her more traction floor, like carpets or something similar.
You know when you have a newborn and you don't know what to do?...what is wrong?...what she wants to?...we have the same feeling as we had with our first child...
Thanks for replying, I hope she gets well soon.
So s you jad ,to deal woth this horrify situation. I'm sure you both were quite traumatized.
It does, indeed, sound like a better pain control on a consistent basis is needed. Just to give you a reference, most dogs here are on pain meds for approximately two weeks some a bit longer...some a little less.
While the morphine may have helped at first, as well as the anti-inflammatory, her pain probably started kicking in again.
Some dogs are given a morphine patch for a few days, but always followed with Gabapentin, sometimes Tramadol too, and the anti-inflammatory is continued a bit longer.
The first two weeks should just be short potty breaks and back in for rest. She definitely seems to be exhibiting pain signals to you. I think once uou can get her back on pain m3ds consistently for another week or two, you will see a big change.
Feel free to remind your Vet that amputation is MAJOR surgery and it hurts!!! Humans would DEFINITELY be on strong pain meds more than just five or six days!
And yes, non slip sca rugs will definitely help!! She needs that type of traction to feel secure and not stumble and hurt herself.
Drinking is good! Just continue to work on getting any yummy food she will eat into her tummy. Sometimes chesse, bacon and scrambled eggs together work. Maybe even baby food. Whatever it takes for now.
Was she put in an antibiotic? That usually misnpart of the take home meds, but they can cause an upset tummy.
Hange jn there!!! We are by your side the whole way!! K think once you get her pain pro managed and get her tract stable, you will start to see her spark come back.
STAY CONNECTED , okay? You are not alone @
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!
I'm going to "ditto" everything that Sally mentioned. The carpets / rugs will help. Slippery floors are not good for three-legged dogs.
Between her lack of appetite and unwillingness to engage in activity, something is going on. It could be untreated pain, or possibly an infection. So I would absolutely have your vet take a look at her. And if you don't get a good plan to help her get well, it's time to find another vet. A dog her age and size should be a little further along by now. All dogs are on their own timeline but the symptoms you mention are concerning.
Please let us know what the vet says OK? And yes, many people compare taking care of a new amputee dog to caring for a newborn, it's very similar. But you ask great questions, and your mother's instinct will pay off. Don't give up looking to find out what's wrong. You can do it!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi Benny and Jerry,
I went to the vet today, she is not with inflammation or bleeding...and not in fever as well.
The vet gave at site a morphine shot and also morphine pills to give her at home for tomorrow onwards.
When we arrived at home she was a different dog already, her eyes were wide open and she was more active. We gave her some Hill's recovery wet food which at first she didn't want, but later she ate it all.
Thanks for the support and the kind words...it really helps me to pass through this difficult situation.
I'll update you and this lovely community.
I'm so glad she got checked out, that's good there doesn't appear to be anything else happening.
Morphine is an opiate and many dogs don't respond well to them (they act a little crazy). If she is doing well on it, that's terrific. Keep an eye out for her symptoms returning. If so, see if your vet can prescribe Gabapentin to help her mobility improve. It works well for many dogs and gets them moving again, without pain.
We hope for better days ahead! Let us know how things are going.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
So glad you saw improvement so quickly! And she ate too, YAY!!!!
I now she can focus on healing and getting through recovery.
Had to chuckle a bit about "her eyes were wide open". Morph can certainly cause am"wide eyed" look sometimes. No matter what, it seems that morphine has given her a release from pain and that is wonderful!👏
As Jerry said, you can talk to your Vet about Gabapentin shoild she need pain meds for a bit longer than the few days worth of morphine pills he gave you (or if the morphine makes her whacky....which it may not).
Onward and upward!
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!
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