Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hey guys I'm Wissam from Beirut, Lebanon.
Here in Lebanon, we have a long way to go in terms of animal rights, due mostly to the fact that we have a lot more to deal with from the economical struggle, to regional conflicts, and more. This means that our government doesn't care the least about stray kitties and doggos, so rescues are limited to the few animal care NGOs (with very limited funds), and personal initiatives. The few of us who pick up strays already have tens in their homes; I have 13 cats and a dog now.
In late April 2020, I was walking back home from a protest and I found an injured kitten, I brought him home and right away I knew that one of his hind legs was beyond saving. The operation was very difficult because he had barely enough skin to hold together the sutures. 3 months later, Mango is healed and the wound has sealed. I'm still struggling to get him to use the other leg instead of just dragging it around, but I guess this needs more time.
Here's Mango's story: https://www.ins.....olWdbAQ2F/
WOW! What a victory! What a joy to meet Mango the Magnificent! I'm so glad you stopped by to share his story. You and everyone involved are amazing, compassionate and loving humans. Mango is so fortunate to have such a great team looking out for him, and making sure he has a great life. I am totally in love with this Trikitty!
Thank you thank you for the work you do under such difficult circumstances. You have a heart of gold!
P.S. Yes, two months is not a long time really. In time he will get stronger. When an animal loses a leg at such a young age, they tend to have more challenges at first because they haven't had a chance to develop motor skills. He will get there with your help, just keep doing what you're doing and in time his strength will show.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi Wissam! You are truly a kind-hearted, compassionate human! Thank you for caring so much for these creatures under such difficult circumstances.
As you say cats are so resilient. I've learned so much from my tripawd. Mango's love for life is clear. Climbing up the curtain? "Gives 0 shits"
I love your black beauty loving on Mango. Lots of love in your home.
Mango reminded me of another tripawd here named Feta who had some problems with her remaining rear leg with stiff muscles. Here is part of her blog with some physio exercises you might find helpful as Mango gets older: https://cheesec.....m/2017/03/
Please keep in touch with us!
May peace be with you,
Kerren and Tripawd Kitty Mona
Hi, Wissam
What a pleasure getting to meet such a lovely human! You restore our faith in humanity! I wanted to cry, and now I can't stop smiling😁 what a joy to see Mango hop on.👏🏻🥳🎉🎊
Thank you for taking in so many in need, giving these guys/gals furever homes under such challenging circumstances. You will be paid tenfold for all your doing! ✨💖
Mango looks like our Purrkins when he was a wee one. Another warrior🛡 and teacher in fur!😻 We can see Mango will be the love of your life what a spitfire!
Exactly "O shits given"😁 if they are minus a limb. They say what missing leg or 2! See what i can do;) LOL They teach us some valuable life lessons!
Mango has everything he needs right now! He is showing you he will thrive either way you as his guide.
The best is yet to come;)
🙌🏻👏🏻😺
God Bless!
Holly & Purrkins💝💝💝
Just catching up and am so touched by this beautiful story of compassion and determination. Clearly Mango is start to thrive because of your devotion to healing Mango's life on all levels.
Kerren (Mona) and Holly (Purrkins) are two,of,pur most knowledgeable resources for anything to do with kitties. Don hesitate to reach out to them, to all of us, with any questions. Every kitty, dog, etc, recover at their own pace and in own way. Mango clearly has come a long way considering all the hurdles he had to overcome. You're doing a great job under some restrictive circumstances. The Vets will probably learn a lot from you😉
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!
I'm sure that if you recall Mango and Wissam's story, you know that they live in Beirut where the terrible explosion happened. I reached out to Wissam, hoping that they were OK, and here's what he said to me in an email:
Hello Jerry,
Thanks for the thoughtful message ♥️
Mango and the family are all safe, thankfully the damages were only material.
I have been on the ground in severely affected areas with a team from the NGO Animals Lebanon looking for pets who were lost after the explosion. So far, we were able to save 100+ pets and reunite most of them with their owners. We are still actively looking under the rubble for more, and trying to find new families for pets whose guardians passed away.
In parallel, the NGO BETA who are already overwhelmed with 1000+ cats/dogs have been tending daily for 80+ dogs at the Beirut port.Check out these beautiful people on Instagram (@animalslebanon @betalebanon)
Thanks again for the message, all the love your way from Beirut ♥️
Wissam
Later, he sent one more update:
We are on our 9th day of search today and more pets are being reunited with their guardians. I'll be joining you guys in the discussions once our dust has settled.
We're still compiling reunion footage and we'll be posting soon. Meanwhile, here's a little something to warm your hearts:
It was a HUGE relief to know they are OK, and the work they and many others are doing to help animals affected by the disaster is incredible. Be sure to watch the video. It's in French but you don't need to speak the language to be moved to happy tears and see how these volunteers are incredible human beings selflessly giving during a tough time like this.
Our hearts are with the people and animals of Beirut, we are so happy Wissam got back to us and he and Mango and family are safe!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thank you for sending the email to check up on Wissam, Mango, family and Beirut rescue organization. I've been thinking of them. We all know how much we love our pets and can only imagine the horror and despair of not only the explosion but the on-going political crisis.
It's so exciting and heart-warming to see the rescues and reunions!
Kerren
Oh wow! Thank you for checking in with Wissam and Mango and sharing this heartwarming update. To see the reunions was ao beautiful. Our hearts go out to all human beings and animal beings who have suffered on so many levels during this tragedy.
To Wissam and his crew , we stand in awe of your commitment and determination to save as many as you can. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you ❤
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!
Paw shucks, you are welcome!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hello Tripawds family!
Sorry for the looong absence, a lot has happened since the explosion and I couldn't get back in touch.
First and foremost I want to thank you all for your lovely messages, it was exactly what we needed in those tough times.
It's heartwarming to see a community for tripawd guardians support each other <3
I know my message is long, but please read it if you have time, I'm going to need every piece of advice that you'll have for me.
Here are some updates on Mango:
He has gone through another surgery a couple of months ago to re-wire his urinary ducts, I'll explain in a bit.
Unfortunately, his case was a bit more than an amputation.
Back when I made the post, I did not have the information I needed from the vet to give you (or myself) an accurate description of his case. Apparently, the vet had thought that I was an animal welfare NGO volunteer who is just bringing in Mango from the shelter to the clinic. This was never the case, and Mango was never in a shelter, it was decided that I would adopt him the moment I found him. It's just that this organization referred me to him and paid a part of the bills.
Some miscommunication (or lack thereof actually) kept me in the dark on many important details. Meanwhile the vet was communicating Mango's case with the actual NGO, and the NGO was not relaying this information to me. There were no bad intentions, just a vet with hundreds of patients passing on a message to a team of a few volunteers who also had hundreds of rescues on their minds. However, this information would have been crucial to me and Mango.
I found Mango in late April 2020, picked up and took him to the vet. He advised that we wait for a few days before the amputation and meanwhile treat him with creams that would help with skin regeneration. According to the vet, he did not have enough skin to hold together the sutures from the surgery. We did exactly that, and a few days later, Mango had his bad leg amputated.
The few-days wait was obviously not enough for much skin to grow, and the stitches were coming off. This period was a nightmare because it coincided with a complete nationwide lockdown. Sorry for the graphic description, but at some point, I could literally see Mango's insides. I wrapped him up with a cloth and took him to get re-sutured as soon as I could. We re-stitched twice within 6 weeks, and after that the wound finally sealed.
Sadly, this had been just the beginning.
I started to feel that his 'good leg' wasn't all that good. Apparently, there had been some nerve damage there too.
At first it seemed normal to me that he wasn't using it and that he preferred to drag himself rather than stand up, since this requires some time and exercise. But as time went by, it wasn't getting any better.
To add to all of that, Mango's lower parts (including: penis and testicles, excluding: anus) were also completely unrecognizable and beyond repair. However, at that point, I didn't know. I could clearly see that his whole lower part didn't look right but based on the little information that I got from the vet, this was normal because the lack of skin during the first operation meant that he needed to use 'overlap skin' (not sure I understood well what he meant). Anyway, this had big implications. It meant that whenever he urinates, he would wet his abdomen and leg, and since he's just dragging himself around the house, you can imagine the amount of filth sticking to him at any given time and the infections it engenders. For months after the initial surgery and till this day, I would shower him once or twice a day at least. And even when he was relatively clean, all the dragging around would occasionally wound his anus. Whenever I felt like he could use a break, I would put him in a large crate to restrict his movement for a few days, then free him again after treating his wounds, and so on.
Aside from the main concern (Mango's health), my mattress, my sheets, and basically everything in the house were constantly pee/poo-stained. He was dirtying himself and everything around him so much faster than we could clean. I would wake up in the middle of every night realizing that my PJs are soaked in pee, and at some point, I stopped bothering to get up, I would leave it till the morning. I'm so embarrassed to even tell you that, and this is not the main issue of course, but things were going ridiculously downhill. Even when Mango wanted to use the litter box, he wouldn't bother standing up, he would pee and poop on himself while sitting, then he would hop on my bed with everything (including litter pebbles) stuck to him.
Another lockdown was over and I wasn't having it anymore with the vet, so I went to give him a piece of my mind.
This is where I was informed that the vet wasn't actually done, and that he had told the ngo volunteers that he still needs to operate on Mango again. The second operation was to re-wire his urinary ducts to somewhere around his mid-lower belly, where he can pee without the urine wetting his whole lower body. Another thing the vet was planning to do was to wait for Mango to grow bigger so he can use the new skin to re-do the suturing from the first operation in a better way. Now that I'd been informed of all of this, I asked the vet to proceed with his plan, which he did.
After the second operation, Mango became considerably cleaner, but he is still dragging himself around, so the constant risk of infection is still there.
Around Christmas, I got him a model wheelchair , which he will be using for a while, until I 3D-print something cute and Mango-customized. However, he is still fighting some light skin burn (also on his belly, around the operation area) from his days in the crate post-2nd-operation, so he has a skin-care routine that we have to maintain until he's fully healed, again. The reason for these 'burns' is the time he spends sitting in his own pee, and not just when he's in the big crate, even when he's sleeping on my bed. The vet assures me that he still has full control over his bowel, even with the new tract-configuration, but I sometimes feel like he doesn't, or maybe he doesn't do the effort. So I have to push him aside a few inches every half an hour to make sure he didn't pee while sleeping.
At this point we're looping over the same problem, and diapers wouldn't help because they would also cause ammonia burns if not changed many times a day. It's important to mention to you guys that between my work, household chores, and taking care of 12 other rescued cats who also have different cases and require vet visits, sometimes it is impossible for me to change his diaper or clean him up within the 15-minute threshold that it takes ammonia from urine to cause these burns (like when I'm sleeping, or even if I take a two-hour nap, let alone if I ever need to go out).
I'm at my wit's end and I don't know what else to do. We are going to test the wheelchair next week, and we'll let him start using it as soon as his skin treatment is over. I know he won't enjoy it, he really doesn't mind dragging himself around and basically mopping the whole house with his belly, but the chair is the only way to keep his body from touching the floor.
I've had dozens of rescue kitties before but so far Mango has been my absolute trickiest case.
We've been through 8 months of hell but I will do whatever is humanly possible to give this cat the life he deserves. He's still so young and has many years ahead for him, I won't accept that they be painful or even slightly unenjoyable for him, but I'm stuck in a loop that looks like this:
- If I take him out of the crate, he'll drag himself around and hurt himself + get infected real quick.
- If I keep him in the crate, he will gradually lose any chance he might still have at regaining 'good leg' mobility + he's in his most playful years now, crate-life is really not what he deserves nor what I'm planning for him. It kills me to see him there.
Please feel free to ask me anything that I might have forgotten to elaborate, and to give me any words of advice, really, anything is helpful.
If you're all the way down here, thank you so much for putting up with me. And thanks again for all of you who reached out earlier with warm messages.
Virtuals hugs to everyone, thanks for your time!
Wissam and Mango
--------
Feel free to reach out via email.
Wissam! Mango! I'm so glad you returned to update us on your very tough situation. My heart goes out to you both and everyone in Lebanon too, what a tough year for everyone in the country. Yikes! Meanwhile, I read every word in your post and of course you can share all the details, graphic or not, and ask whatever questions you need to ask. You are doing such an incredible job caring for all his needs! Most people would have given up but you are obviously not most people. Mango is so fortunate to have you looking out for him.
Now this is the thing: I have zero experience with cat mobility problems. I wish I did so I could give you some good advice on how to help Mango heal and get strong. But, I do have a question:
The vet assures me that he still has full control over his bowel, even with the new tract-configuration, but I sometimes feel like he doesn’t, or maybe he doesn’t do the effort.
So two surgeries later, he still isn't even close to 100% of being able to urinate normally? Have you been able to mention that to the vet? And is there any way at all you can have another vet look at Mango to see what else can be done, clinically? I'm guessing that might be tough to do?
Also,
I don’t know what else to do. We are going to test the wheelchair next week, and we’ll let him start using it as soon as his skin treatment is over.
I think that sounds like a reasonable plan! And this could be part of his overall rehabilitation therapy. It's not recommended to leave a cat or dog in a chair for long periods of time so you shouldn't leave Mango in it all day long. But, when used incrementally and building up his time in the chair, it could help him get familiar with what it feels like not to drag himself around, which may improve his strength, endurance and mobility. Hopefully!
I'm really hoping our wonderful feline friends see your message and give you their expertise. I'll message them soon if they don't see this. Stay strong and know that you are doing everything possible for sweet Mango!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hey Jerry,
Thanks for getting back right away, and thanks for your support, you really always know what to say!
The government here is leaning towards a complete lockdown next week so I'm going to visit the vet for a check-up as soon as possible and come back to you guys with more updates.
So two surgeries later, he still isn’t even close to 100% of being able to urinate normally? Have you been able to mention that to the vet? And is there any way at all you can have another vet look at Mango to see what else can be done, clinically? I’m guessing that might be tough to do?
The work on the urinary ducts was just one surgery, by two I meant this and the original amputation, sorry for the misunderstanding.
The vet operating on Mango is known to be the best pet surgeon in Lebanon, and I was referred to him by an NGO that I fully trust. These NGOs have connections to certain vets who will take care of all their rescues for a fair price, and they offered to pay the fees of the amputation operation, that's why I had to go to this vet. Even though I was furious at him back when I was still in the dark, meaning when I'd thought that there wasn't going to be another surgery, he explained to me what he was planning to do and it made sense.
But some time was lost here because this was around the time of the explosion and subsequent events***, and the fact that I was mad at him and that for a while I thought he had done a horrible job, made me reluctant to visit him again, so more time was lost trying to get answers elsewhere (other vets, the internet, NGOs who might've had similar cases). Overall I still trust him, he seems to really know what he's doing, but this whole period of frustration was mostly due to the miscommunication that I mentioned earlier. If I'd known better, we would have been far ahead by now.
***Note on what was happening at this point: so many people were hurt that day and the capital's main hospitals were completely destroyed, so even though it is a vet clinic, and even though is a few kilometers outside of Beirut, people were pouring into his clinic non-stop till the next morning to get their wounds treated (https://www.ins.....jnk7mpbRh/). The next few days, we also found many injured stray and home pets on the streets which the clinic team also had to tend to for weeks to come. We had to also personally tend for many found pets until their owners were found, and survivor kittens that needed bottle-feeding. I had two extra adult cats and one kitten and home. It was just a very bad time to follow-up on Mango.
When things calmed down, and before the second operation, when Mango was still wetting himself all the time, and I was getting frustrated and desperate, I took him to my main vet to take a look and help me assess the situation. I asked him lots of questions, including things like 'Are his testicles still there somewhere under the skin?', everything that I could think of. But I didn't get any helpful answers. There was this template in all his answers that sounded like "I don't know man, go ask whoever made this mess".
Now I don't know if this happens where you guys are from, but here, people in the same field of work like to flex to sound like they're the best. It happens all the time, and I got so familiar with it when it comes to vets. One vet would look at a cat who was spayed by another vet for instance, and try to look shocked at the size of the cut (even when the cut is barely visible). You get what I mean. I believe my main vet might have known what to do but did not want to get involved in someone else's "mess" in case things go wrong.
I think that sounds like a reasonable plan! And this could be part of his overall rehabilitation therapy. It’s not recommended to leave a cat or dog in a chair for long periods of time so you shouldn’t leave Mango in it all day long. But, when used incrementally and building up his time in the chair, it could help him get familiar with what it feels like not to drag himself around, which may improve his strength, endurance and mobility. Hopefully!
Exactly! That's the plan. The wheelchair will be a temporary measure, to help keep his belly off the ground and to get him used to standing up.
I'm hoping that within a few months we can ditch the chair completely.
Thing is, I believe that all is not lost when it comes to his remaining leg. I've had rescues before who recovered from nerve trauma with exercise and massages, and of course, patience. I'm optimistic in Mango's case because even though he can't stand up for more than a few seconds, he actually relies more on his leg when dragging himself to push than on his arms, and he goes suuuuper fast!
I'll come back soon with updates.
Thanks again everyone for all you do, and for all your support and help!
-------
Wissam and Mango
Overall I still trust him, he seems to really know what he’s doing, but this whole period of frustration was mostly due to the miscommunication that I mentioned earlier. If I’d known better, we would have been far ahead by now.
Ah, now I can see why things were so frustrating, and why you want to stick with the current vet. Coping with Mango's care and alllll the other kitties and people who needed help during the aftermath of the explosion must have been so stressful for everyone involved! You did your best, and continue doing that so don't ever feel like you made any mistakes, not at all. Follow your gut instinct and keep Mango's team in place as it is so that he can get strong and heal.
Now I don’t know if this happens where you guys are from, but here, people in the same field of work like to flex to sound like they’re the best.
Yeah I do know what you mean! I think it happens in a lot of professions.
I’m hoping that within a few months we can ditch the chair completely.
Excellent!
Now here's an idea. I don't know if this is even a possibility, but there is an excellent veterinary rehabilitation service here that does long-distance consults. I imagine they could give you some great input on Mango's situation. If you do it, the Tripawds Foundation can pay for your first rehab visit ! Here is a link: https://www.can.....eleconsult
What do you think?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
WOW!!!! I am exhausted emotionally from reading this....but wait....let me explain!! I mean I felt soooo many different emotions for you and with you as I went through your experiences these past many months! The fact that you can even write coherently about everything that has happened to you, around you, to Mango..all I can say is WOW!!!.
I salute you, your friends, the rescue groups....absolutely amazing dedication and determination to overcome so many hurdles.
I'm glad you and Jerry had some good dialogue above. I would not even begin to know how to offer suggestions and insight like she has given.
All I can say thank goodness a human beings like yourself is on the Planet and living exactl where you are guided to be, born to be, right now. And clearly Mango, even with all her struggles, is exactly with the person she was born to care for her.
Thank you for staying the course and for never giving up o. Helping Mang and ALL the animal lives that have crossed your path.
With appreciation
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!
I feel the same way about what's happened to Mango and Wissam, just...WOW. And oh my gosh what a beautiful bond they share! I agree, it makes my heart happy to know people like Wissam are out there in the world.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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