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.
Join The Tripawds Community
Learn how to help three legged dogs and cats in the forums below. Browse and search as a guest or register for free and get full member benefits:
Instant post approval.
Private messages to members.
Subscribe to favorite topics.
Live Chat and much more!
Register
Log In
Members
Add Topic
Offline
Do NOT let Horace lick....not even a little! If you have to use use the cone of shame so he can't reach it do so. If he's been licking that may well be why it's red and irritated. Even a little licking can cause a big problem. It also shouldn't be bleeding heavily. It almost sounds like he's developed a seroma which is fluid the body has to absorb. Sometimes especially if the incision is raw the fluid leaks out...which is a good thing as you want it to heal and dry up from bottom to the top. Take a Kleenex and dab the leakage. It may be reddish but you'll be able to see if it's blood or if it's mixed in with fluid. But for now your biggest challenge is to stop the licking so yes get a real cone of shame . It's a necessary evil at this point! Yay for peeing, and eating! Poop will come ..you may want to try mixing a tablespoon of pure pumpkin with his food. That usually helps move things along! Hugs to you and Horace. We know how tough these first few days are!
OHHH YESSSS!! DANCE!!!!!!! DANCING THE HAPPY 
DANCE. WITH ALL YOUR TRIPAWD FAMILY!!×
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!
YES 💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩
We all do the mad poop dance whenever our pups go to the 🚽 first time !!!
Well done Horace !!!!
😘🐮💫✨🌟🌹
Eurydice 77kg/170lb Great Dane limping end of April 2016, amputation (right front leg/osteosarcoma) 4 May 2016 6 courses of carboplatin followed by metronomic therapy, lung mets found 30 Nov 2016. 3 courses of doxorubicin, PET scan 26 Jan 2017 showed more mets so stopped chemo. Holistic route April 2017. Lung X-ray 5 May 2017 showed several tennis ball size mets, started cortisone and diuretics. Miss Cow earned her XXL silver wings 12 June 2017, 13 months and 1 week after amputation and 6 1/2 months after lung mets, she was the goofiest dawg ever and is now happily flying from cloud to cloud woof woofing away :-)
Liquid build-up: Horace is still doing amazing. He has graduated from his confinement into the rest of the house and is getting around great. We have had a couple of spills but apart from that he gotten around perfectly well. The wound is healing, the bruising has almost gone entirely. One small set-back is the fluid build up - I"m taking him in tomorrow to get it drained. Does anyone has experience with this? I also noticed a small ring like mark - pale in the middle and darker around the edge in the groin area near his stitches - should I be worried about this? I'll show the vet tomorrow.
Jo & Horace said
Liquid build-up...Does anyone has experience with this?
A seroma is common. Click any seroma link for more information about what to look for when a seroma goes bad. Draining the seroma is a simple procedure. Some vets install a wound drain that will capture the fluid so it does not build up under the skin.
The ring you describe sounds like a hot-spot, another common side effect of persistent licking...or ringworm.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
I just want to thank you all SO MUCH!!!! I feel like we are past all the worry and surgery recovery now - a time I thought would never get here. The last 3 weeks have been such a rollercoaster and I couldn't have gotten through it without all of you. Horace is adapting well to life on 3 legs - I do still sometimes get sad when I see him hoping along but I know it was the right thing to do. He isn't fully my rambunctious boy again just yet but every day he gets closer and seeing his tail wag just makes we want to do a happy dance.
Hi Jo and Horace 🌸🐾
SO happy to hear your wonderful news ☺️
It’s simply marvellous when recovery is over and we can enjoy life to the full again with our babies 💕
Yes, it is a bit sad to see them hopping on three but as you say we had no choice and totally did the right thing.
Your gorgeous boy has so much to show you (talking about hopping) I bet he will run as fast as the wind on three before long!
Sending you a big kiss and tons of cuddles 😘🐮💫✨🌟🌹
Eurydice 77kg/170lb Great Dane limping end of April 2016, amputation (right front leg/osteosarcoma) 4 May 2016 6 courses of carboplatin followed by metronomic therapy, lung mets found 30 Nov 2016. 3 courses of doxorubicin, PET scan 26 Jan 2017 showed more mets so stopped chemo. Holistic route April 2017. Lung X-ray 5 May 2017 showed several tennis ball size mets, started cortisone and diuretics. Miss Cow earned her XXL silver wings 12 June 2017, 13 months and 1 week after amputation and 6 1/2 months after lung mets, she was the goofiest dawg ever and is now happily flying from cloud to cloud woof woofing away :-)
Casey lost his left arm, and it was crushing to see him hopping and struggling to get around at first, and after 8 1/2 months, I still cringe when I watch how carefully he moves and plans his actions, but then he stands in front of me on all three legs, ferociously wagging his tail, smiling up at me with nothing but love in his eyes and I know we did the right thing. He'll never do all the physical things he could do on four legs, and that's heartbreaking, but the personality, the spirit, the dog that is Casey is still with us and that brings us joy every single day.
So glad to hear, not only how well Horace is doing, but how well you are doing!!!😁 Made my day!!😁
It truly is amazing how well our dogs and cats can adapt to three. They just get on with life and soaking up more spoiling than they ever knew existed! Spoiling a tripawd is so much fun!
As with Casey, seeing Horace's personality come back, the spirit, the sparkle of what it's all about.
The dogs never think twice about not being able to do something they used to. They just thoroughly enjoy being in the now and enjoying doing whatever it is they can do!😎
Why to rock on three Horace! And it still gets better!!
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!
1 Guest(s)
