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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MONA...."Bald-babies"...LOVE IT!!!
PUG MAGGIE,I never tire of learning about all your nuances!!!! You are one special girl!!! Easy? "Maggie didn't ake anything easy"! That's our Maggie!
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!
Phoebe's oncology surgeon is on vacation this coming week and next, so we are seeing another specialist (orthopedic) who will be doing her amp. We have a consultation with him Tuesday at 11am and I'm hoping her amp can be done that afternoon. If he can, he will do it then. if not, then it will be Wednesday. She is having her surgery done at a specialty hospital that is 33 miles away from home (but in Southern California, that means like over an hour away with traffic LOL) instead of where I work. I could have had it done at my work for a fraction of the cost, but our hospital is not a 24-hour facility, and specialists are wanting to keep her at least 2 nights, and I prefer it that way. At least I can get my meds for her for next to nothing at my work.
Poor Phoebe today and tonight she has been having more pain. She literally laid down all day, wouldn't go out to pee, and I had to bring her food and water to her, as she wouldn't get up. tonight I was laying down on the floor with her and I accidentally touched her leg and she cried and then **I** burst into tears because I had made HER cry !! She had a Tramadol added on to her normal evening pain meds to get her thru the night.
I'm currently searching for carpet runners or area rugs to put in my downstairs. Our house is all wood laminate flooring downstairs and can be slippery. Our house is also a very open floor plan, so there aren't small rooms that I can keep her confined to. Walls are too far apart to put in baby gates, so I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet.
thanks again to everyone for the comments. They all make me feel better that I'm not alone.
Simmy & Phoebe
No siree...you are not alone! We ALL understand here like no others can!
Yeah, my Happy Hannah spent the night too...most dogs and cats here do...at least one or two nights.
I got a lot of runners and long rubber backed rugs at Target. Someone said it perfectly...it looked like a clown threw up all over their house!
Each recovery is sooo different. I had no worries about my Happy Hannah wanderingnaround after recovery because shenwas justntoo darn miserable to do much of tpanything the first twonweeks. Some dogs are much more energetic. You'll just have to see how Phoebe handles things.
I'm glad younhave a plan and can move forward. Don't hesitate...under your vet's supervision, to increase her pain meds! Sounds like she coukd use Tramadol on a consistent basis now.
You're doing great!!! This is not easy, but you are taking her pain away and giving her a chance at more loving and spoiling than you ever imagined possible!!!
Sending hugs! And lots of chocolate!!!
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle
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!
Hi
I hope everything will go well with you Pheobe.
My Valkyrja lost her right rear leg few days ago and i was so glad to see that she did feel better the day after the surgery then she did before surgery !
Few days before surgery she got morphine patch on her body ( it takes 12 hours for it to start to work and they do work for 3 days) then we did put a new one on her every 3 day. She was in terrible pain before and went in to shock before surgery).
she did start on Amitriptyline (antidepressant) week before surgery and she will be on them for 5 months. Then she got keflex (antibiotic) for 10 days and she get's Canidryl pain killers 2 times over the day.
She did do really well the first 5 days so they took her of morphine and then she started to feel bad and got low body temperature so now they decited to put her on Gabapentin Mylan 300mg (5ml every 8 hours). It is amazing to see how strong and brave she has been.
It has been a long and hard journey with my dog but it has only gotten better after the surgery and im glad to see the dog i knew in here eyes again ! to see her wag her tail again and know that i will have my dog happy and healthy for few more years 
Hi Simmy, you are most certainly not alone. It's good to hear from you and hear about what's going on. Sounds like you have a great medical team for her. Can I ask what clinic you're taking her to? We're really familiar with SoCal docs and also have a lot of members there so when she's all healed it would be fun to have a Tripawds meet-up!
As for carpet runners, Costco has some very nice, durable ones for about $10. We've had ours over a year and they still look good.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi Simmy,
I'm in LA ... if you need any referrals or a sounding board or a shoulder to cry on, let me know! My girl, Shelby, has passed on but she got amazing care here in LA.
Hang in there... you're doing great!
XO
Alison with the Spirit of Shelby fur-ever in her heart (and little Jasper too)
Shelby Lynne; Jack Russell/Shiba Inu mix. Proud member of the April Angels of 2014.
October 15, 2000 to April 8, 2014
Our story: Broke rear leg in June 2013 - non-conclusive results for cancer so leg was plated and pinned. Enlarged spleen in September 2013 and had it removed and was diagnosed with Hemangiosarcoma and started chemotherapy. Became a Tripawd January 8th, 2014 and definitive Hemangiosarcoma diagnosis. Three major surgeries in 7 months and Shelby took them all like a champ only to lose her battle to cancer in her brain. We had 8 amazing extra months together and no regrets. #shelbystrong #loveofmylife
Hi Simmy,
Do you have any x-pens? I used those to confine by quad-pug when he had knee surgery last year. I have a very open floor plan house too and the only rooms I can close off with a door are the bedrooms. Obie is pretty little so I only need the 2' high ones, but they do make them larger.
Karen
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
jerry said
Hi Simmy, you are most certainly not alone. It's good to hear from you and hear about what's going on. Sounds like you have a great medical team for her. Can I ask what clinic you're taking her to? We're really familiar with SoCal docs and also have a lot of members there so when she's all healed it would be fun to have a Tripawds meet-up!As for carpet runners, Costco has some very nice, durable ones for about $10. We've had ours over a year and they still look good.
Phoebe's surgery was at Southern California Veterinary Specialty Hospital in Irvine. I am sooooooo impressed. They have been wonderful and the hospital is amazing. I am a vet tech for a small animal hospital and OMG their treatment area at SCVSH is twice the size of our entire hospital. Very high tech.
Yes, a tripod meet up would be totally fun !!!!!!!!!!
simmy
krun15 said
Hi Simmy,Do you have any x-pens? I used those to confine by quad-pug when he had knee surgery last year. I have a very open floor plan house too and the only rooms I can close off with a door are the bedrooms. Obie is pretty little so I only need the 2' high ones, but they do make them larger.
Karen
Hi Karen .... No, don't have any kind of pens or kennels for her, but when she comes home tomorrow I think she will be ok. Being a cattle dog, she is known for being a velcro dog and she will just lay down next to us. We all work or go to school at different times so she will have someone at home with her at all times for at least the first week.
simmy
How do I attach photos ??? Phoebe had her surgery Thursday night and they finished just before 9pm. Apparently she was the last one of the day. 12 hours later she was already up and they took her outside. She even got a little feisty and didn't want to go back in ... and while outside she tried to catch a fly that buzzed by her face.
I visited her last night and she was doing GREAT !!!! These are the photos I want to post. We pick her up tomorrow at 12:00noon. Can't wait. I have missed her so much.
She will continue on her Gabapentin (100mg, 2 caps twice a day) and her Deramaxx (25 mg, 1 tablet once a day) ... and add on Tramadol (50mg, 1 to 1.5 tablets every 8-12 hours) and Clavamox (225 mg, 1 tablet twice a day).
On top of all this she started in with conjunctivitis in one eye about a week before surgery, and her eyes are now both really goopy and gross so she has eye ointment as well. I will be so glad when she is done with pills. With her toe amputation first in July and then starting back in on pain pills 5 weeks later when this effin cancer came back, it seems like she does nothing but take pills. At least she's a good sport cuz she gets a ball of american cheese to take them.
So if someone can help me attach photos, I will share a pic of my beautiful tripawd
simmy
Hi Simmy,
Here is how you add photos. The photos have to be hosted online somewhere. If you still can't get it to work then you can email them to Jerry or to me and we will post them for you.
I'm glad she is through the surgery and doing well so far. Looking forward to pictures!
Karen and Spirit Maggie
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
PHOEBE! Didn't want to come inside...wanted to catch flies instead! GOOD GIRL!!! Stubborn is a great trait to have on this journey!
Sorry about theneys stuff going on too! But remember...to you, it's taking pills...to Phoebe it's getting treats!!! Her pill "package" sounds similar to most on here...with variations for weight of course.
Can't wait to hear about then homecoming and seeing pictures!!!!
Try and get some sleep tonight....you may have a few sleepless nights ahead!
Hugs¡
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle 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!
krun15 said
Hi Simmy,Here is how you add photos. The photos have to be hosted online somewhere. If you still can't get it to work then you can email them to Jerry or to me and we will post them for you.
I'm glad she is through the surgery and doing well so far. Looking forward to pictures!
Karen and Spirit Maggie
Hi Karen ..... ok, I don't have a blog or pictures on any other online source. Where can I email them to you ???
In the meantime, I did make my Avatar a picture of Phoebe standing up last night. This was about 22 hours post op. Her eyes look really sad ... it's her conjunctivitis 
poor baby.
simmy
Simmy
Simmy,
Sounds like Phoebe is doing great. Just don't be upset if in a day or two she doesn't have so much piss and vinegar. She is hopped up an strong meds and still in an anesthesia haze. Hope you can get the pics posted ( I have never been able to). Keep us in the loop.
Laurie
Hi Simmy,
Feel free to send the photos to me here, I'm happy to post for you. Hope she's feeling better and more clear-eyed today!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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