Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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TRULS IS A TRIPAWD ROCKSTAR!!! Such a wonderdul update!! Eating, drink, pottying already? YAAAAY!
I actually found the amount of fur shaved caught ny eye far more than the incision l. Surgeons can sometimes seem to be clipper happy 😉
Reme, right now Truls is still high on so e good hos meds working their way out of his system. If he has a bit of a crash in another day or so, no worries, Truls will recover at his own pace in his own way.
And yes, time for you to fet some rest too. Okay, we k ow that probably wont happen yet, but soon enough you will be so tired yoj will sleep!!
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!
Yeah for Truls!!!!!! (And Veronica too)
I am sure a great weight has been lifted to have him home and doing so good. As to checking in on Tuxedo, initially I was doing it all the time. But I soon realized everytime I did he would wake up and want to cuddle and climb on me. The one thing I did know was he needed to be resting to heal faster, so I quickly migrated to just leaving the room door open so I could hear him and only went into the room at medication time, which for me was every four hours at first. I pretty much kept that up until he hid under the bed.
So, now if possible, you do like Truls and rest. Also make sure you have pain meds on hand for several days. I have seen so many reports on here of people only being given 3-4 days worth. If not be very demanding and get it! Tuxedo was on pain meds for 7 days.
You guys have got this!
Hugs
-Dawna, Tuxedo, Lilly, and Angel Dazzle
Truls is doing great this morning. 😀 When I saw him he had totally emptied his food bowls. He just said "meow" like "hello, feed me!" very cute. 🙂 He eats special vet food to prevent urinary crystals and special vet wet food that's very rich in nutrients, great for after surgery and recovery. And he has done all his toilet business, seems to have no issues.
As for meds, not to worry, I got plenty of meds. He is gonna continue on metacan and one other kind of medication. I was given all the medication he will need for the next week already prepared and ready to be administered, and I still have a good amount of metacan at home. So he's all set. 🙂
I do agree that they seemed a bit clipper happy hehe. xD But ah well, it will grow back. I'd rather they shaved off to much fur, than be like crap, it's in the way.
I think it's similar to you and Tuxedo Dawna. Since Truls is doing so well already, I already feel like I don't need to check on him constantly. Most important thing is to check so the cone stays on. I think I'll try to just do stealthy little check ins, to avoid bothering him to much.
As for his leg, seems fine. No smell, no ooze, no weird colors, nothing weird or bad as far as I can tell.
A great weight has indeed been lifted. Feels like....he will be alright. 😀 
A question.
Truls is unsurprisingly a bit messy in his toilet. He got some nr2 on the band-aid covering his stitches, I've carefully cleaned off some of it but I can't really get it completely clean. Is it bad or does it matter since it's just on the outside? This band-aid is also supposed to be removed in 1-2 days.
Otherwise he is still doing great! 😀 When I check on him he just starts to purr and wants to cuddle hehe. I try not check on him to often, so he gets to just rest and sleep undisturbed.
WHEEEEE! That is fantastic news about Truls, I'm so happy for you both!
I wouldn't worry too much about the band-aid but you can of course call your vet to ask. I'm sure it's fine. Most pets don't even come home with one since many vets want the wound to air dry.
He's such a good boy! Yes, rest and sleep is really good for him right now. And for you!
Alrighty, Truls post op day five. It's officially been over 100 hours since Truls surgery. How is he doing? Great. 😀
He eats well, drinks and uses the toilet well. First few days with the toilet were quite messy, but he is getting better at it. Also officially removed the band-aid. Soooo now I'm paranoid that he's gonna get litter or dirt in the stitches since they're unprotected.
There is no smell, no oozing, no redness or swelling. Nothing bad as far as I can tell. Watching him like a hawk.
YAAAAAY FOR TRULS!!! Amd YAAAAY FOR YOU!!! You both are doing so very well. 👏👏
The incision sounds like it's healing beautifully and closed up nicely.so no need to worry about debris getting in there.
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!
Truls is TERRIFIC! He is making the kind of progress we all hope for when someone is about to go through this. YAY!
If the incision looks good, then celebrate that too. The body is so resilient and air on that wound will do lots of good to dry the area and help it scar over. Just try to keep him from doing any crazy acrobatics or rolling in the mud, and that area will do fine.
Congratulations on your SUPER KITTY!
Hehe thank you. 🙂 ^^ Very tough cat indeed!
Hmm one question, Truls did one thing I was worried about. When using his toilet he put an area of the stitches in a clump of pee. So when he left the toilet a small area of the stitches (about 1cm ish) had wet litter on them. Not soaked wet, but wet enough that it got stuck on him. I've cleaned it as best I can suuuppper carefully. It looks fine.
Soo question is, are stitches healed enough after 5 days that liquid and such can't enter? I mean they look fine. It's not like he soaked the stitches in a puddle.
Actually gonna see about having the stitches removed in a week, since next Wednesday marks 12 days. 🙂
I really hope that this tiny litterbox incident won't cause him any problems, he's had enough issues the past couple of months.
I'm going to bet that since you acted quickly that there won't be any issues. Good job staying on top of his movements and all that! Try not to worry.
Ditto Jerry👍
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!
Update on Truls. Seven days, he's been a tripawd for a week. :0
Soo what's new with him. Well he did a slight trick, he managed to get his arm through the cone. o.O No clue how he managed that. I mean one of his front paws got through the same hole in the cone that his head goes through. He was quite pleased with himself, I could tell because he finally got to clean some of his fur hehe. Since he can't reach anything he was happy that he could clean his arm hehe. ^^
He continues to eat well, drink well and the fact that he wants to groom himself is also a good sign. 😀
Since animals that don't feel well or are sick get quite bad fur, they stop taking care of it.
He uses a new method for his litterbox. His head is the first and last thing that leaves it. He goes inside head first, does his business and backs out in reverse. He is a lot less messy now, but his toilet business is all normal.
Truls shows no trouble at all. I have to say, he seems cuddlier than before the surgery. He starts to purr within a minute and also wants to climb around on top of me. I get a bit nervous like "ahh careful." Also unless I'm mistaken, I do believe he looks larger. It's hard to say, but when I look at him from above looks like he may have put on some weight. I know I shouldn't expect him to poof, go back to his normal weight in a week. But he seems to be gaining weight. 🙂
Hmmm speaking of weight, how much should he weigh? Think I'll also ask my vet that when I see them next week. When Truls was healthy he weighed about five kilograms. But considering he has one paw less, maybe he should only weigh I don't know.....4.5 kilograms. I know keeping him at a good weight is super important now.
Can't wait until the stitches are gone and he is free of the "evil" cone. Overall I'd say Truls is doing great! 😀 Wish I could just pick him up and give him a good snuggle. But yah being super careful with his leg and the stitches.
Truls is such a delightful character. He has so much spunk and a little bit of Houdini in him Getting out of a cone......no problem for Truls👍
Love the way he handles getting in and out of his litter box. Such a smart boy♥️
I know you love hearing him purr and be more of a cuddle cat. Just shows how Happy he is.
Hugs
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
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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!
Oh silly boy! I can just see you with your arm reaching through the cone. You are so flexible! Well, it was for a good cause right, I mean a boy's gotta get groomed eventually right?
And yes that is a VERY good sign that he's getting his normal behaviors back.
I'm glad you brought up the weight thing. Tripawds can easily gain weight because they do get less physical activity overall. So it's critical to keep an eye on his body condition. You want to keep him leaner than most cats of his breed type. Good idea to talk to the vet so they can guide you there. Let us know what they say.
I think it's probably OK to gently cuddle your adorable Truls! Just sit on the floor and curl up together, that's safe enough.
Truls is doing great. 😀 He climbs up on top of me with no issues hehe, he's such a cuddly little boy. 🙂
I was worried about him trying to jump with the stitches, but he hasn't jumped at all. I'd say the cone probably hinders him a lot, he probably feels like he can't jump when he's wearing it. Which is good considering the stitches.
Question, since I removed the bandage last week the stitches have been in the open air and Truls environment. Nothing has happened. However there is some fur and such like on top of the stitches and near them. He lays down on places, they get his fur on them and his fur inevitably ends up on or near the stitches. Should I carefully try to clean the area? Feels like I should just leave it be, we are going back to the vet in just three days anyways to remove the stitches.
But should I clean it? It looks fine, no smell, no redness, no oozing, nothing bad. I'm a bit torn, do or don't. I don't wanna poke the stitches unnecessarily.
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