Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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I just took 12 pounds off Trouble with a home cooked diet. Ground meat, (I substitued turkey most of the time, but also use Mackrel and canned chicken on occasion) cottage cheese, carrots, and green beans. Here is the Blog about it. Don't know how it will fit into the bulldog requirements, but it did a great job for a pittie!
Shanna & Spirit Trouble ~ Trouble gained her wings 3/16/2011, a 27 1/2 month cancer survivor, tail wagging. RIP sweetheart, you are my heart and soul. Run free at Rainbow Bridge.
The November Five - Spirits Max, Cherry, Tika, Trouble & Nova. 11/2008 - 3/2013 An era ends as Queen Nova crossed the Bridge.
Ryan said:
Talked to the vet yesterday and they think he is doing fine. He said to stop the Tramadol on Monday to see how he reacts. He gets very anxious on when we give it to him - he had another night of being restless and walking around the bedroom.
Question on the harness - Caesar's measurement is 35" which puts him on the high end of the medium and the low end of the large - any suggestions as to which way to go?
Any guidance on when to let him try to navigate stairs? We have a lot of them (15) to get upstairs where he likes to be - right now I am carrying him up and down - and he is about 65 lbs - getting heavy.
Hi Ryan,
Sounds like Caesar is doing pretty well. Maggie did not tolerate tramadol at all. She wouldn't sleep and was very anxious. If you think he still needs meds for pain ask your vet if you could try something else.
On the harness- I had trouble fitting my pug. Although much smaller than yours her large chest proved to be a problem. The XXS fit her lengthwise, but the straps around her chest were too short. The XS fit her chest, but was way to long on her. I ended up modifying the XXS by lengthening the straps, but she only weighed 17 lbs, so I wasn't worried about my modification failing when I picked her up. If the med will fit his chest I would try that first. The large might be too long for him.
Maggie's only problem with stairs was her height- she was only about 12" at the shoulder. She would go up a few stairs on her own, but I felt at her size a full flight of stairs might be a problem. She would and could go down anything. Once he is comfortable getting around you could try a few stairs with him, but I wouldn't tackle the whole thing at once. That being said several people have posted here that their pups just started doing stairs on their own. Personally I would wait until the stitches or staples are out- but you have to see how he is feeling. Use a sling or the harness to help him.
Also- you might consider starting a new topic under the Treatment and Recovery forum (or where ever makes sense to you) with information in the title relating to your questions. That way more members can reply to your specific questions and the questions don't get lost in this topic.
I hope Caesar continues to heal uneventfully.
Karen and the pugapalooza
Ryan said:
Question on the harness - Caesar's measurement is 35" which puts him on the high end of the medium and the low end of the large - any suggestions as to which way to go?
Any guidance on when to let him try to navigate stairs? We have a lot of them (15) to get upstairs where he likes to be - right now I am carrying him up and down - and he is about 65 lbs - getting heavy.
Also looking for some advice on "light" dog food - he has been on Royal Canine Bulldog formula for 3-4 years now and it really helps with the other fun parts of bulldogs (flatulence, skin issues, kibble size) but they dont have a "light" bulldog formula - can we accomplish the same thing by reducing the amount we give him a day? Or is the another food out there people would recommend?
Great questions Ryan but I agree with Karen, do start new forum topics when moving on to another topic. It makes it easier for people to find answers to those same questions later on.
Re: The Harness:
Ruff Wear's suggestion is to go with the smaller size if you're inbetween. There is a LOT of room in the straps. At 65 pounds he should be fine with a medium.
Re: The Stairs
We had 18 very steep steps in our old place with Jerry. Yes, it did get tiring carrying his 75 pounds up and down. We attempted to navigate stairs about a week or so after his surgery, by hanging onto the harness handle and walking him up and down without letting go, like this. It took several weeks before we were confident that he could navigagate them on his own but even then we always walked down with him and kept our hand close to the handle.
Re: Light Dog Food
Yes, reducing the food you give him now will accomplish the same thing. Lite dog foods simply have empty calorie fillers in them. If he gets crabby, see if he'll snack on carrots or green beans.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
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