Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hello all fellow supporters;
Charlie, my Maltese/Yorkie had his right hind leg amputated yesterday. We chose not to have it biopsied being all is "pre surgery" testing came back good with no sign of cancer in his body. (yes we know that it is not 100% guaranteed)
He did well! We picked him up from the vet late afternoon around 5pm. It was a long night, at he was quite uncomfortable, however, we were amazed he hobbled 30 minutes after being home!
This morning, Charlie ate some rice and boiled hamburger as he is not eating his dog food, and he is drinking nicely. My dilemma, is we got snow last night, and I am not sure how to take him out potty appropriately. His wound is not covered and we were told to make sure not to get it wet. Any suggestions on what we should do for this? How we could potentially cover it so it will not get wet? Thank you everyone! I will keep you posted on how his day goes.
Right now I think I am going to call the vet, as he is panting more than I like, and he has had his pain meds 2 hours ago.
Joan
Charliebug
YAAAAAAAAAY FOR CHARLIE!!! Surgery is over and he is home!!! 🙂
As you've already seen, recovery is no picnic. Lanting, restlessness, ears pinned back, whining, are all generally signs of pain. It also can be side effects of pain meds too. Most vets send you home with Gabapentin, Tramadol, Rimadyl, and an antibiotic. It is so important to keep the meds consistent so the pain doesn't get ahead start.
My Happy Hannah spe t the first night at the vets a d even then, she was restless and panting and whining with almost n sleep for the first three nights.
Snow? Ugh! Where do you live? Others will chime in on tbe best way to make a wrap with a tee shirt or some sort of other material. I never jad to deal with a wrap for Happy Hannah.
Hang in there! Stay connected! We are all right here to support you! Don't forget the chocolate!
Love!
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!
Murphy had his front leg removed, so we used a t-shirt to keep his incision covered. But I've read on here some with rear leg surgeries have used boxer shorts to cover, using the fly hole for the tail.
What medications did they send Charlie home on? Panting is often a sign of pain. Murphy was sent home on Tramadol, Gabapentin & Rimadyl, which seems to be the a common combination. The Gabapentin is good for nerve pain, which many pets experience after this surgery.
Donna
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
Joan I like the way you are on top of Charley's signals, that's awesome, I'm sure it's just a matter of pain medication needing some fine tuning. So glad to hear he's home and things went great! He sounds like a strong doggie. As far as taking him potty, you can try a shopping bag sling, it will keep him elevated enough to wee without getting the incision wet or muddy.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Yay Charlie! Boy I sure can't think of anything you can cover him up with that won't impede his going potty. I'm guessing he'd be ok if you just patted him dry when he gets back in. A lot of incisions leak some so they get wet then maybe your vet just didn't want you to like give him a bath or wash it. If in doubt just give your vets office a call and ask? Glad to hear Charlie's on the road to recovery. Keep us posted on his journey. You're doing great!
Hugs
Linda & Max
Hi All
Thank you for the idea's of taking Charlie potty. I will give them a try. As far as his panting, yesterday the vet never gave us gabapentin, so now I just picked some up and gave him his first dose, and his panting is much better. He is back to normal breathing and is actually just laying on the floor snoozing.
His site is so swollen today. I took a picture of it and sent it to the vet with my concern, and he promptly called me back to say, it looks like it should and to expect swelling and bruising. I think being he is finally sleeping comfortably, I myself am going to take a nap. Goodness, I am a mother of 4 children, and I must admit, this little guy is needing Momma more than my other babe's lol. That is just fine though, as I at least know he is alive and with me.
Joan and Charlie
Through surgery and he did well- yay! And he's home- yay!
You might try icing the incision site for a few min a couple times of day, it might help with the swelling. You can use a bag of frozen veggies wrapped in a towel. I have a bunch of gel ice packs in my freezer that I use.
Keep us posted on Charlie's progress, and be sure to rest when you can!
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
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