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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Yay for poop! So glad to hear Barleys getting his groove back. This is definitely a journey not for the faint of heart. Sounds like you guys are doing great! Each day will keep getting better and before you know it sweet Barley will be ready to get the stitches out. Hugs,
Linda, Ollie, Riley & Spirit Mighty Max
YAAAAAAAAAY FOR POOP!!! Big and stinky, best kind EVER!!!
So glad he's feeling better, and will continue to do so!
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!
Yep, Poop is good. (Stinky not so much, but you can't have everything!)
Active 10+ Pyr mix suddenly came up lame with ACL tear in left rear leg. Scheduled for a TPLO but final pre-op x-rays indicated a small suspicious area, possibly OSA, which could have caused the ACL tear. Surgeon opened the knee for TPLO but found soft bone. Biopsy came back positive for OSA. Became a Tripawd 9/18/14. Carbo6 with Cerenia and Fluids. Pain free and living in the moment. Crossed the Bridge on 7/12/15 after probable spread of cancer to her cervical spine. A whole lifetime of memories squeezed into 10 months. Here's her story: Eloise
Glad its better...kudos to you for dealing with him the very same night after surgery! When we picked up our dobe the next night after surgery, we actually DID use the ruffwear harness right from the start. We put it over a t-shirt, and it didn't bother the staples at all; I actually don;t think we could've managed without it. Something for you to think about. Stay positive, it gets better day by day.
Paula and 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
Awe! So glad he is doing better. My Charlie one week ampuversary is tomorrow. Every day we see him getting stronger and more confident. The one thing that really helped Charlie was elevating his food bowl and water bowl. Hugs!
One week post op tomorrow and Barley is getting a little better. I have noticed today that he has been crying out at times. His last dose of the Gabapentin is today and is still on 2 pills of Tramadol twice a day and one pill of Carprofen twice a day. His stump is also shaky/twitching which is weird. I can't get this dog to stop licking! It's horrible, he wont wear a cone and we tried boxer shorts. The vet said it was ok as long as he wasn't biting but good lord. Anyone else have any these issues?
kopeck126 said
One week post op tomorrow and Barley is getting a little better. I have noticed today that he has been crying out at times. His last dose of the Gabapentin is today and is still on 2 pills of Tramadol twice a day and one pill of Carprofen twice a day. His stump is also shaky/twitching which is weird. I can't get this dog to stop licking! It's horrible, he wont wear a cone and we tried boxer shorts. The vet said it was ok as long as he wasn't biting but good lord. Anyone else have any these issues?
Have you tried icing? The vet had us ice Cole several times a day with gentle pressure but he is a front amp so I don't know if this is recommended for rear amps too. If so, it might help numb his incision and it not feel so itchy and irritating for a while. Those blue gel ice packs work well for this.
HAPPY ONE WEEK AMPUVERSARY BARLEY!!
Yep, still very early in recovery. If you feel like Barley is experiencing pain, ask the vet about another week worth of Gabapentin. Or maybet it's just a matter of giving the Tramadol in doses closer together. Your vet can guide you.
The twitching is also normal. Nerves and muscles are still sending messages to the leg that isn't there.
You might try GENTLE massage around the stump area.
I was lucky in that my Happy Hannah never bothered her incision site at all (rear legger). She did, however, lick her front paws a lot during the first weeks of recovery!
I know the recovery phase feels like it lasts forever, but it doesn't, promise! His sparkle will start coming back faster and faster soon!
Oh, one more tidbit. Be sure and "scratch" and rub the places Barley can't reach anymore. Sometimes when the "stump" starts twitching it's because he has an itch he can no longer scratch.
Keep us updated when you can.
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!
Hang in there Barley - it gets better!! We promise!!
xoxo
Julie and Buddy
Hoppy Ampuversary Barley!
The twitching is normal, but the licking could be a sign of pain. You may want to talk to your vet about continuing the gabapentin. Drug dosages and prescriptions are based on averages, all dogs are different, so he could need to be on it longer.
Some tips about massage that may help too.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
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