Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
Tripawds is your home to learn how to care for a three legged dog or cat, with answers about dog leg amputation, and cat amputation recovery from many years of member experiences.
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This is Suebee sideways. She just got home tonight and is doing awesome. She is so happy to be home!
doing awesome. She is so happy to be home!
YAAAAAAAY!!! Sweet Suebee is HOME and HAPPY!!! We can "hear" the relief on your voice.
Even a "sideway" picture of Suebee is adorable! She's just as cute as can be.
We would love to see more photos of thos sweet girl. Here's a link for adding images
In the meantime, if you would like, send me some pics of Suebee and I'll be more than Happy to post them here. I'll send you my email address thru Private Messaging (PM) and you can email me some.
STAY CONNECTED! She's still fairly early in recovery so let us know how she's doing and if you have any questions. Again, WELCOME HOME SUEBEE💖💖
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!
Suebee's first night was stressful. The poor dog was in pain, shaking and panting and wouldn't lay down. The vet said not to give her any Rimadyl in order to give her stomach a rest but at 2 am I went ahead and gave her a dose. Within 20 minutes she was calming down and went to sleep by my side and slept through the night. This morning she is calm and her ears are more normal. From what I've read elsewhere on this site, getting her to eat is also going to be a challenge. I can't see not giving her any pain meds so I'll contact the vet to see what he is thinking. Thanks to you all for being here. It really helps me to know others understand what I am going through.
We absolutely understand. Even though Sue Bee has been at the Vets for several days now, this is still very early in recovery. She is definitely still showing you some pain signals . With better pain management you should be able to see her have a more restful night.
So are you saying the vet has given you no other pain meds except rimadyl?? Rimadyl is an anti-inflammatory but does very little for surgery pain. Advocate for Gabapentin and advocate strongly.
So yeah, any food she will eat is what you want to work with for now. Some warm rotisserie chicken, maybe even some warm cheese grilled cheese and hot dogs to hide her pills in. We can deal with better nutrition later, but for now we just want to get those pills that are so her stomach is not empty.
Glad things did eventually settle down and I hope you are able to relax a little bit more yourself. Again, we know how stressful this first part of recovery is and, again, remember, it does not last forever!
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!
Suebee has food allergies so all those goodies are off limits for her! She does have gabapentin along with the rimadyl. I can tell she is doing better because her ears are up and she looks right at me. But the gabapentin causes sedation and some uncoordination which is better than the pain. She likes going for a short walk and being able to smell and look around. I'm learning her limits although she surprises me every now and then by what she can do.
I can tell she is doing better because her ears are up and she looks right at me.
Celebrate that!! Any "little improvement " is a HUGE improvement during recovery
she surprises me every now and then by what she can do
This will happen more and more. Suebee is developing her own pace in her on way. She's a very smart girl with a very loving and strong hooman!
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!
Really happy to know she's settling in now, and that her pain sounds like it's under control! How is she doing today? How are YOU doing today?
Isn't it amazing how a dog can just try to get on with life after something like this? They are great role models for us.
Keep her walks really short, to just pottying, until stitches come out. You don't want her overdoing it, and it sounds like your spunky girl will sure try!
Hey Jerry, How am I doing? I'm disoriented and confused. Suebee had her stitches out this week. It seems like she's turned a corner now that her pain is more under control. I'm relieved that she finally seems to be ok. When we walk, she will stop and just look around. She is enjoying her short walks outside. Today, she woke up with her tail wagging and she followed me around the apartment to see what I was doing. And that is where we are having to work things out. Suebee is my service dog. I have been keeping my symptoms to myself as much as possible so as not to add stress to her situation. Yesterday, though, the symptoms came through and she wanted to help but didn't know what to do and was scared that she couldn't do what she has been trained to do. I was miserable both for myself and for her. Luckily, my vet said I can drop her off for daycare anytime and the people there have grown attached to her. So I took her to the vet's. She was happy to see her friends and it freed me up to concentrate on helping myself. She can help me in the future but just not right now and I have to let her know that it is ok. My vet and my doctor are helping me to get through this. So, Be More Dog .
Thrilled to hear how Suebee is returning to her Happy self. She is in the "turn the corner" phase of recovery and it will continue to get better and better.
Also thrilled to hear what a great Vet team, as well as your Physician, you have. Wonderful that she can go see her "friends" while being able to reclaim her service dog duties as she gets stronger. I know. in a perfect world you need her now in that role, but it sou ds like your Doctor is watching out for you so yoi can focus on yourself right now.
As far as Suebee stopping on walks.....that's good for two reasons. She's smart and knows she needs a bit of a rest. Being on three takes a lot of energy this early on. Also Tripawds teach us that it's all about enjoying the scents floating on the breeze. They truly teach us to "stop and smell the roses".
You and Suebee are doing wonderfully well!👏
Hugs
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
PS
Changing topic for a second, I got your PM about the avatar picture. Out of my "skill level" so go to the forums and post on Technical Support thread. Explain your avatar picture is sideways and our Admin Guy will be able to fix it. Alao, the photo you tried to send me said "image cannot be found".
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!
Joyce, we are all so happy that she is doing so well! Stitches out too? Wow! 
Congrats!
As time goes on, she will regain her strength and abilities to help you navigate the world. You have both been through so much right now, and it's a wallop of an experience mentally and physically. I love that your vet team is helping you both in this way. That really will give both of you a break to focus on your respective recoveries.
Is there any way you could get a service dog trainer to give her an evaluation and see where she's at in with her ability to help you? I think having that set of eyes on her could give you more confidence to know that she can do what she was trained to do.
I'm glad you updated, please feel free any time.
We can help with the Avatar photo. If you re-upload it again to your profile, I'll grab it and rotate it for you.
Suebee is still having problems with pain. At times she seems herself but last night she was pacing and bothering me. I took her out twice and then remembered reading and watching your videos about pain signals from dogs. So, I gave her a third gabapentin and she settled down. I realize now, that before we knew about her leg tumor, she would get up in the middle of the night and pace and bother me and shake. I asked the vet is this was pain, but he didn't know. In hindsight, this was her leg causing her pain. So, for now gaba is our friend.
I tried uploading a better picture of Sue than the first one, but the profile won't let me do it. It keeps reverting to the old picture. So I just left it blank.
Does anyone else cry for the loss of the leg of their pet? Sometimes I feel like I will go crazy. I know this was the right thing to do but the thought of it and the loss of the things we used to do are so sad. The change was so fast and so final. It breaks my heart to see her not being able to ride in the car the way she used to love to do. She can't figure it out. She can't stand with her nose to the window and smell the air anymore. And I am helpless to do anything for her other than encourage her and try to "make happy". This is too painful.
Hey Joyce, sounds like you found the right mix of her pain medication. Usually we see dogs get more tired an painful at night, when the day's activity has caught up with them. How's she doing this morning?
Yes, it's not uncommon for new Tripawd parents to feel sad about what's just happened. It can come on so fast and turn everything upside down. I felt the same way for a long time. That is, until I saw that my feelings were not what Jerry was feeling. He was moving on and not looking back, but I was trapped in the past of what was. He really showed me that all we have is right now, and whatever happened yesterday is a memory. In the end, I learned that living in this moment is a much more fulfilling way to be. I do get where you are coming from, so I have a few questions for you:
When you say she can't figure it out in the car, it sounds like she is not able to balance? Remember, it's still very early and she's building up strenght. So for now, ask yourself, what can you do to help her so that she can look out the window again? Can you get a doggie booster seat, or a car seat hammock, to help her be safe and able to see out? I've seen them out there, you just have to search around to see what might work for your vehicle.
Good for you fpr recognizing pain signals and addressing that with Gaba👏
That is, until I saw that my feelings were not what Jerry was feeling. He was moving on and not looking back, but I was trapped in the past
Jerry said this so well and the same applies to Suebee..she's already moved on.
That is, until I saw that my feelings were not what Jerry was feeling. He was moving on and not looking back, but I was trapped in the past
For me with myHapoy Hannah, I was sooo grateful that removing that bum leg gave her a chance at a pain free quality life, I saw it as a positive to see her navigating on three. Seeing the amount of fur they shaved.....I found that more of a "shock" than seeing her on three. I bet the more fur that grows in and as she gains more and more balance and develops a fluid gait that works for her you will move on too..just like Suebee already has..
Probably took me about 4 to 5 weeks before I could fully recognize and embrace that I was doing this FOR my happy Hannah and not RO her.
Also, keep in mind that Suebee will figure out how to d0 things that are really important to jer. I know it's hard to be patient, but it's not even a full month from MAJOR surgery.
Keep in mind as far as the car ride, the most powerful ssensory in dogs is the ability of to smell, then eyes, then ears. I may have to order of the eyes and ears reversed. Anyway, if she can lay in the car and sniff the breeze from an open window I don't think she cares mind whether she could stand up or not. The nose is telling her what's going on more so than the eyes
Trying stuff out of your humanness and see and feel things through subi. This whole experience is clearly meant for her to be your teacher and you to be her student.
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!
Virginia, Yes, the amount of fur shaved off really affected me. But I put a t-shirt on Suebee and lately, people have been walking up to her and petting her and I can see they are not put off by the loss of a leg. This is making me feel like we are not going to be rejected. And I finally realized I can help her by getting a car seat for her and making her feel more secure. And getting a harness with a handle. We communicated largely through her collar before so this will be another adjustment. She seems happier and is starting to bark at people because she wants to meet them. I almost feel she would be better off at the vet's where they let her hang out in the pharmacy. She gets to greet people and there is much more activity than just being in the apartment. I go for walks at the park myself since she is still building strength and I feel so lonely without her and wonder if she will be with me again.
Joyce you are making such great progress! Look at all that you've figured out so far. WOW!
As for the going to the park together, have you seen our posts about dog strollers ? They are indispensable for getting a Tripawd out in the world!
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