Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Oh my, lol... I can visualize the toaster oven pan and you that and the getting it into a cup without spilling, oh I am laughing! At the animal hospital we had a "contraption" that we used with an "arm" that allowed us to lean over unsuspiciously and grab that sample. David and I took a Swiffer duster arm and put a zip tie at the end of it to put a cup in... it is really funny but it works pretty well. I like the grabber thing though... at 5'2" I could use that for a lot of things and put my husband out of business ( he's 6'2")
Right now it is dark in the morning so not only do we have to coordinate all three of us going out with Mitch, but I will need a flashlight to get it in the cup. Mitch is stubborn about getting up in the morning and when he does get up it always seems to be when I am trying to get ready for work... like just in or out of the shower, lol. I just have to be quicker than him for a moment so I can go help David do the deed. I am not always the most coordinated first thing in the morning, lol.
I can't believe how much of a difference this harness is making. Where the handle lies on his back makes it so easy to assist him. He has only needed help getting up from a laying position a couple of times, and if I didn't have it he would have gotten it with a bit of difficulty, but he sees me coming to help and I get a big wag like "thanks ma". Same thing with the stairs. It seems the very top and the very bottom is when his back end starts to get tired and his back legs have been kinda weak. This stops that little bit of a trip that he has been having and it's helping all of our confidence with the stairs.
I love that picture, so sweet. Off to get ready for work, thank goodness it' s Wednesday. No accidents yesterday!
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry
Update:
We finally synced everything to get Mitchie's sample. It came back clear. I kinda thought it would too, but she opted to put him on 2 weeks of cephalexin just in case. She told my husband why (he brought the sample) and of course I did not get the "why" part
Gonna recheck him next week, it is time for his annual anyways. We will see if the accidents totally stop. He did not have one yesterday, so it seems really hit or miss at this point. Will be nice to have his new belly wraps come in.
In the meantime, Huck has decided puppy pads are fun to nap on... maybe that's why no accidents?
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry
We dealt with incontinence for1 1/2 - 2 years...cyclical at times, until the end when it was a constant thing; well, not constant, but Nitro had to wear a diaper at night and when we were at work until the sitter came half way thru our shift. It just became a way of life for us... not good, not bad, it just "was". Hopefully Mitchell's will cease, or at least lessen, but if it doesn't, I have no doubt it will just be a way of life for you too.
Paula and Warrior Angel Nitro
Nitro 11 1/2 yr old Doberman; right front amp June 2014. Had 6 doses carboplatin, followed by metronomic therapy. Rocked it on 3 legs for over 3 years! My Warrior beat cancer, but couldn't beat old age. He crossed the Bridge peacefully on July 25, 2017, with dignity and on his terms. Follow his blog entitled "Doberman's journey"
"Be good, mama loves you".....run free my beautiful Warrior
Yep, you know it Paula. There has been such a change in his personality since his surgery a year ago. That is the key factor for us. When we started maintain him on a better joint supplement than Cosequin and added the cbd the difference has been night and day.
He's not as strong as he used to be but he's really seeming happy. Every day in the yard is a new adventure for him and the medicine and supplements are like treat time and honestly he just seems so content.
He's even been spending more time downstairs and the puppy doesn't seem like quite as much of a bother to him.
Kinda funny, he got up on the couch with me yesterday and he hasn't done that in a long time. He passed the most gruesome gas I teased him with a big peee you and he looked at me like oh crap
This is the happiest i have seen him in quite a long time so if it's belly wraps and carpet cleaning, my carpet cleaner is tuned up.
I really do appreciate all of the input i have gotten. It has chilled me down about 6 notches and helped me get into acceptance mode. I'm gonna enjoy all the good and just deal with the rest. This time that we have left is precious.
Big hugs
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry
So I finally went back and read this thread from the start - better late than never, right? How old is Mitchell? (I couldn't do the math in my head . Also the pups, now down to one were adorable. I think Mitchell has a lot in common with Kodi - bringing the tots into our house with the old man. As much as they annoy him, they also keep him young. When they start dancing around on their hind feet to greet me after work, he does the same. You may just have the title of K9 incontinence queen, instead of me...sounds like we both have dealt with this problem for quite some time.
Paula and Warrior Angel Nitro (and the terrorist trio)
Nitro 11 1/2 yr old Doberman; right front amp June 2014. Had 6 doses carboplatin, followed by metronomic therapy. Rocked it on 3 legs for over 3 years! My Warrior beat cancer, but couldn't beat old age. He crossed the Bridge peacefully on July 25, 2017, with dignity and on his terms. Follow his blog entitled "Doberman's journey"
"Be good, mama loves you".....run free my beautiful Warrior
LOL, no .. I did not handle this well in the beginning. Both the circumstances and everything around it made me really angry. By shelter standards Mitch should be around 8 1/2 right now. I never agreed with that age though. They thought he was an older "pup" when they took him in, and he lived there for 2 years before we found each other. I think he was older. He had basically become their mascot, because his head was so big, everybody was afraid of him. We adopted him about 6 1/2 years ago, not long after Rosie passed away. He has never acted like a "young" dog at all.
He tore his leg up chasing a ball and had to have cruciate ligament surgery about 2 1/2 years ago. His vet recommended a surgeon and we had his leg "repaired" but he came back a different dog. That was when he started with incontinence. I had a bad feeling about the whole thing, still do. I have never seen a dog recover so terrible from that surgery. Had an emergency under anesthesia? Lost oxygen? I don't know but that is what my instincts tell me.
So... when he had to have emergency surgery last year (changed to different animal hospital) I was a mess. Until the doc asked me if I wanted to stay to observe. She knew my background, so it was really cool, and I am very grateful. He did great under their care. He also recovered a lot better, but was still incontinent and acting a lot like dementia was setting in. That was when I started the CBD. And that was when he stopped having accidents. We have had a pretty good run here, but I have wondered when we would have to deal with it again. His head is still clear, he is not confused anymore, he is just slowing down more and not as strong as he was. Personally, I think he is closer to about 10 years old. For a big dog, he's doing pretty good considering the circumstances. His background makes me want to fight even harder to make sure that these last years are happy years.
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry
paws120 said
LOL, no .. I did not handle this well in the beginning. Both the circumstances and everything around it made me really angry.
This comment made me smile! I remember the very first time I woke up in the middle of the night to find a huge wet spot under Nitro - what was the beginning of the first bout of incontinence. I was WILD! Made everyone get up, stripped the bed, stomped downstairs to start a load of laundry, re-made the bed, fuming all the way. Little did I know the long road we'd have ahead of us. Fortunately I got myself (mindset and attitude) under control, and by the end - like I mentioned above - it just became a way of life for us. I also got smarter with tools to make this less stressful, i.e. a waterproof mattress pad for the bed and plastic table cloths to line the futon mattress with; and most importantly the knowledge of male wraps and how to use them best. When life gives you lemons, add vodka and have a party!
Paula and Warrior Angel Nitro
Nitro 11 1/2 yr old Doberman; right front amp June 2014. Had 6 doses carboplatin, followed by metronomic therapy. Rocked it on 3 legs for over 3 years! My Warrior beat cancer, but couldn't beat old age. He crossed the Bridge peacefully on July 25, 2017, with dignity and on his terms. Follow his blog entitled "Doberman's journey"
"Be good, mama loves you".....run free my beautiful Warrior
OK ladies- time for true confessions...
When Maggie first became incontinent she peed... on my lap! Talk about fuming!
After waking up with a soaking dog and bedding a couple times I too got a waterproof mattress cover and lined all the furniture she was allowed on and the dog beds with pee pads. All my furniture crinkled when you sat on it! I did so much laundry my dryer broke and because I had spent so much money on Mag's treatments my parents had to help me get a new one. I tried doggie diapers but the wouldn't stay on her as a rear amp- I don't know if those suspenders were around then but I didn't know about them. I was considering trying to attach them to her harness somehow but she hated wearing it so probably not a great solution.
I was lucky that the meds pretty much took care of the accidents- there were occasional ones but not everyday like before.
It's kind of funny now in hindsight- but it sure was stressful while I was living it.
Karen
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Oh my, lol... On your lap 🤯🤯 Well, i can add another hitch on to our parodies too...*breathe..* In the middle of all of this, i made a nice big comfy bed for Mitchell up in our room because he's spending so much time up there due to..err.. puppy. I even went as far as to add an additional cat box in our room because Bo had them all hibernating in our room for a while. One of the cats decided to show their displeasure by christening all three layers of Mitchell's bed with nothing less than cat urine. 🤯🤯🤯
I had to wash each bed three times, and i swear on one of them i still smell a hint of it. That's how/why i found that enzyme cleaner. The one i still smell it on inadvertantly got tossed into the dryer before my husband smelled it...ughh..
The cat box that was in the bedroom i removed. They weren't really using it anyways. Oscar has been hell on wheels with Huck.. Even worse since we adopted Bo. Oscar and Bo are actually making friends now... to an extent. Oscar knows i will discipline Bo if he gets too excited with him. So now he taunts him and looks at us to lay down the law 😶
Huck has finally come out of the bedroom and gives Bo a run for his money too, lol. Remember, if Huck is 8 pounds he's doing something, lol. He's finally perched himself in the cat tree box and watches everything around him. If Bo OR Oscar come too close he pulls out the talons 😮
Sometimes i think of our life as the Fur Brady Bunch 😂🤣 Other times i wonder if i was totally crazy to take on this adventure.
As Bo is maturing life is getting calmer. Andy was the first one to come and greet the pups, and he is totally horrified still of Le Puppy. He will come down and poke his head around the stairs if it's meal time, and when Bo crashes for the night sometimes he comes to visit. Otherwise, he waits for me to come to bed to muckle me, lol.
I love them all, and I'm actually thankful now that David is retired. You know that saying..."no rest for the wicked"... Yeah... That's my life, lmao 🤣🤣
I don't mean to sound overly repetitive, but i really appreciate sharing stories. It has brought me down a ton of notches and helped me find humor in all this chaos.
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry
OMD!!! OMC!!!!! TOO FUNNY!!!!! Informative and funny!! You have your hands full with that crew! No dull moments in your household, that's for sure!!😎
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 probably wouldn't know what to do with myself without the chaos, lol.
❤️❤️
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry
I got everything I ordered and it all looks good! Mitchell has not had an accident in a few days now, since he started the antibiotics... coincidence?
We did have a wet place on one of the puppy pads a couple of days ago, but I don't think it was Mitchell's doing. It just didn't smell like his. It didn't smell strong of cat either so I am a little in the dark with that one.
Was a busy weekend, we just celebrated my husband's 65th birthday I will get pictures of Mitch in his formal attire soon! I have not used them yet as he has been dry (thank goodness!)
I am really interested to see how long this dry spell lasts... especially since his urinalysis came back negative. Nothing is ever cut, dry, and easy, is it?
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry
Cut and dry..😁🤣 😂
Only true animal lovers can determine which critter peed based in the smell!😂🤣
And a HAPPY BIRTHDAY to David!!
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!
Humm, first you take this:
We did have a wet place on one of the puppy pads a couple of days ago, but I don’t think it was Mitchell’s doing. It just didn’t smell like his. It didn’t smell strong of cat either so I am a little in the dark with that one.
And then this:
Was a busy weekend, we just celebrated my husband’s 65th birthday
Coincidence?
Karen
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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