Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi All
New here,still trying to figure out how to navigate the site.
I am protected by a great big gentle giant, Lily the livestock, human and dog guardian of our farm.
She roams the farm protecting us and visiting all her family. But she also liked to visit the cars that go down our street. She didn't chase them but trotted along beside them saying "HI".
On Dec. 22 evening, Lily was out doing patrol and we heard a loud bump bump and then a horrible scream. Ran out and found Lil sitting on the porch lookin a mess. She drug herself over to me, it was plain to see she was the bump that we had heard. First I thought her back foot had been run over and her ankle was broken. But more inspections and I figured out it was her hip. I'm pretty sure the car or truck ran over her whole pelvis.
Took her to the vet in the am and they confirmed she had a broken hip. Said our best bet was an FHO. I agreed and they did the surgery on Christmas eve. She came home by noon. Slept the day away finally waking up about 4. We helped her out with towels and bear hugs, so she peed, then went right back to bed. All the vet had sent home for pain was Metacam.
It became obvious quickly that her pain was horrid and getting worse by the minute. She was screaming when we'd try to lift her and wouldn't cooperate to try and go potty at all. I finally did some research and came up with some tramadol while waiting for the vet to get back to us. When he did, he agreed to come out last night (Christmas night) for free. That made me nervous, why a house call for free, we are new paitents, don't really even know the vet. Had only been 1 other time before the accident.
Long story short, he came, apologized for not sending home pain meds other that metacam. Then told me he screwed up. So had the vet that saw Lily before the surgery. Told me they should never have done the surgery because she has no deep pain sensation in her rear leg up to the hip. I had been telling them that for 2 days but they weren't listening to me. It's normal for a FHO to be done after a traumatic accident involving the hip, from what I researched even for big dogs. But the procedure took double the time of a normal FHO, he said it was because Lily's hip was not dislocated and he had to "dig" it out. I wonder why he did but can't go back.
So We're left waiting for tomorrow, to see if she is a canadate for amputation. I'm thinking the rest of her body is coming back to life but want to be sure there is no further nerve damage to the other leg before moving forward.
She has bladder control, bowel control, wags her tail and is quite chipper since the pain is now under control but I still worry that the swelling might be masking something.
We're just devastated. I'm into this for some big bucks at this point, the vet is telling me since he screwed up he will not charge me for the next surgery. But I also want to be sure we're doing the right thing.
BTW...Lily is only 2years old.
That's our story.
Kristen and the flock:
Mick the lead male border collie, kind of a jerk but he does love his family
Raven the senior lead female border collie, rescue who rules with an iron fist and a fast tongue
Jazz the other senior female border collie nicknamed Eore for her sad sack ways
Dew the junior girl border collie who is my best chore dog and lover girl.
and last but never least
Lily the Akbash, guardian and lil" big sister to all she meets!
Hey Lily,
Hang in there. Just read your story and I too am a tripawd by truck. Mom and Dad have to go to an office party right now (4pm EST) but she said she will post when she gets back. Daisy Dalmatian
Daisy earned her wings on Oct 22, 2011 at 14 years old
She is now the official greeter at the rainbow bridge
Everyone is guaranteed a welcome sniff and Dalmatian smile
Welcome and thanks for sharing your story. We're sorry to hear about Lily's accident, and subsequent veterinary trouble, but glad you found us. If she is otherwise healthy, Lily should recover quickly and do well on three legs. Please keep us posted.
FYI: You'll find lots of recovery and care tips in Jerry's Required Reading List, and for immediate answers to the most common dog amputation questions download the new Tripawds e-book Three Legs and A Spare.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Oh Lily, we are sooooo sorry. Those darn speedin' cars!
And darn those darn vets who screw up. Well, at least he had the courage to admit it. To send you home without real pain meds after a major surgery is inexcuseable though, that breaks my heart. Just curious, but where are you located?
I understand your pawrents are in it this far with that vet, and if they are comfortable having this guy do the next surgery, that's fine. Just make sure they check out this post in my Required Reading List, "How to Pick a Vet for Amputation Surgery." It has lots of great info to make sure the vet knows you're up on the latest info before surgery.
Like admin said, being in good health and with your age and all, that's a great advantage for you, things will be OK. We are all keeping our paws crossed for a speedy recovery, do keep us posted OK?
P.S. we can't wait to see some pictures of you. What's an Akbash?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi Kristen,
I have only been a member since August but you will not find a better site for information or a better group of people that are willing to share their experiences and knowledge with you. Jerrys Required Reading List is a good place to start. We also underwent an initial surgery to repair the damage caused by the accident and then had to make the decision to amputate a week later. You know Lily best and I am sure you can tell by her temperment and attitude along with your vet if she will be a good candidate for amputation. Sounds like she has a large support "pack"- those border colliles should keep her spirits up! Please keep us posted. Julie
Daisy earned her wings on Oct 22, 2011 at 14 years old
She is now the official greeter at the rainbow bridge
Everyone is guaranteed a welcome sniff and Dalmatian smile
Hi Kristen, Lily and rest of the crew,
I am SO sorry to hear about Lilly. What an ordeal. I am hoping that you can get Lilly back to working order or at least a good quality of life. My Lucy, my female Pyrenees also loves to 'chase' the cars and that is why she is either in the sheep lot or tied out front. (I don't like to tie any dog but she does well for short periods of time.) I just don't trust her with the cars or trucks. They all have a bad habit of chasing especially loud trucks or ATV's or the neighbors kabota, but Lucy is by far the worst one.
Jerry, an Akbash is another guardian dog. I think they are from a region in Turkey. They are excellent guardian animals and from what I hear they are a bit more assertive/aggressive than Pyrenees. They are not mean by any means, but they just get down to business. They are built a bit slimmer and smaller than an Pyr if I am correct. They look ALOT like a Pyr, and I would imagine people mistake them for Pyrs but then again alot of people have never seen a Pyr and always ask me if my male is a white Newfoundland (no such thing) or my smaller female is some kind of husky mix. (nope they are both purebreds)
Just hope that Lilly can get back to a new normal and live a happy and long life.
BTW... Patou is scheduled for his first chemo appt. this Tuesday.
Janet, Patou, Lucy and the gang
Oh btw... I am NO ortho nurse (don't like it and never will) but remind me what an FHO is???
The Femoral Head Ostectomy (FHO) is a common in veterinary surgery that removes the femoral head and neck from the femur to alleviate pain. It is a salvage procedure, reserved for conditions where pain can not otherwise be alleviated.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Welcome to the family, once again, just when you think you've heard it all!!!! Well the one thing you have going for you is your not dealing with cancer, big plus. If you are worried about how a 3 legged dog gets along, don't be, we also live on a farm and once Gus healed he did everything as before, climb hay mows, jump into trucks, roam the fields. He was a left front and extremely strong so he didn't have much trouble adjusting. He had phantom pain about 5 days post, lasted about 4 weeks but was pretty mild by the 4th week, Gabapentin helped with that. Paws up, Spirit Gus and Dan
My buddy Gus had a left front amputation on April 7, 2010 and lived a great life until July 26,2010
Thanks for all the support. I love a great dog forum but am so sad for the reason we had to find this one.
Lily update
There is no stopping my girl. After getting the correct pain meds Lily is doing great. She is stuck downstairs (we can walk by and chat) on a pad but at least 4-5 times a day I help her stand, find her balance and off she goes. Lily has to go to the far fence line to do her business, as Akbash and other LGD's (livestock guardian dogs) mark the territorities by elimating on their boundries. That's like a football field away. She is dragging her bad leg the whole way. It's nice that we have snow deep enough that it's sorta sledding behind her. I will soon have to come up with a boot of some sort.
Her spirits are wonderful and if she wasn't still in pain I'd never get her back in the door. The second trip out she had to go nose to nose with her horses, It was a loving site. She stands for 5 minutes or so watching her sheep then reculently retreats back to her pad.
One of the vets wants us to wait up to 6 months to see if her leg comes back. I'm just not sure that's a good idea. I'm more than willing to wait a while, maybe 6 weeks? If I see NO improvements then I think it would be easier to just remove the leg. She sure doesn't seem to need it to navigate her domain! What are others experiences with how long nerve damage can take to reginerate? Won't I see some tiny signs? Right now I can tickle her hip and get skin responces right down to the middle of her thigh then nothing. I am messaging her whole leg including her toes. She's also getting laser treatmeats. Does anyone have any thoughts on the laser treatmeats? Do they really help, they are quite expensive.
I've been so busy with her that I have not gotten to read the suggestions that were given.
Thanks again for being a sounding board and I'm sure I'll have some questions. I will try and attach a picture but I don't have many, my computer crashed so all I have are a few old pictures and the ones after the wreck.
Kristen
Is there a sticky explaining how to post a picture from my computer?
bcnewe2 said:
She is dragging her bad leg the whole way. It's nice that we have snow deep enough that it's sorta sledding behind her. I will soon have to come up with a boot of some sort.
One of the vets wants us to wait up to 6 months to see if her leg comes back. I'm just not sure that's a good idea.
She's also getting laser treatmeats. Does anyone have any thoughts on the laser treatmeats? Do they really help, they are quite expensive.
Is there a sticky explaining how to post a picture from my computer?
Kristen, I'll try to answer your questions.
As for her leg, yes, a boot will be needed. You can try a Ruff Wear boot (they are sold in single pairs), or also a custom one made by Tammy and Teddy's.
Regarding waiting for six months....I have been told by certified canine rehab practitioners that in certain situations, waiting that long before deciding on amputation is recommended, but only if the dog is going through regular dedicated rehab therapy at a certified clinic and at home. The rehab practitioners must be certified and know what they are doing or you could be wasting your money. This can be time intensive and costly, but from what we learned, it's often possible to get the bum leg functioning again. Only you can decide if you have the resources to dedicate to this.
We have heard mixed reactions about laser reatments. Some swear by it, others don't. When used in combination with other rehab therapies, it can help. When used alone, it could be futile. All therapies are best when others are used in combination to help a patient rehab quicker.
Yes, we have a Tech Support Topic about posting pics.
Hope this helps. Give Lily a smooch from us. I just looked up a pic of an Akbash, they are beautiful!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thanks for the quick reply!
You wrote all I have been thinking.
I really can't afford much more in the line of rehab. I am jobless at the moment. 🙁
I have been doing some massaging and keeping her leg bending and moving but I am far from knowing what I'm doing.
I understand that there can be miracles and nerves can come back but I'm afraid this is not gonig to work for us.
Lily is my livestock guardian dog. She's not feral because she likes people but she's feral in how she runs her own life. She is penned an a very big paddock for the day and let out to roam during the night when predators are out. There is no way to keep her penned in, she stays in the day becasue she wants to. She can climb or dig under the tallest fences. The place is to big to make things undiggable. She is fighting me as we speak about coming back in. She wants to be back out with her sheep/horse family. it's her job, it's what she lives to do.
I think I'll be looking at the speical boots you talk about but probably making our own out of a modified horse boot. I have a freind with a dog that has no function in his rear at all, he uses a wheelchair and when not in that they wrap his back leggs in horseboots with vet wrap then ducktape. Works great.
Thanks again for listening and the suggestions.
Kristen
bcnewe2 said:
I have been doing some massaging and keeping her leg bending and moving but I am far from knowing what I'm doing.
Be sure to review our Cal Animal Rehab video interviews with Dr. Waldman, especially the one about stretching and exercises. For at home rehab work, we also have free plans for building your own Buja board in the Tripawds Downloads blog .
PS: Digging is actually good exercise for tripawds! 
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Kristen, you may also want to check out the Oscar Foundation to see if they can help you with rehab costs.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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