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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Mardi,
Just read post. You've got a big boy there! It can be a challenge when someone is larger in size. I just wanted you to see I posted that we have three harnesses available for anyone that can make us of them. Our Snoop was 74 lbs, but the Get A Grip harness
in large that was forwarded to us from Lori, was very good for helping our Snoop. It's a size large and it was too large for Snoop, we adjusted it to the smallest that did the trick until we received our medium. Unfortunately Snoop passed that same day, but it would be a good size for a 100 liber I think. We also have a help me up harness in large, and a Ruffwear. If any of these can be of use let me know we will send them to you.
Esther and her Angel Snoop
Arlene and Cooper - what are the odds! Thinking of you two tonight. Yes keeping a one-year-old Golden quiet is quite a challenge. Buddy is an old guy so he's happy to lie around the house. Sending good thoughts your way
Mardi and Buddy (and husband Dennis too but he doesn't know he's included!)
Sounds like Buddy is beginning to adjust!! When Calvert had his leg amputated, I was gives a roll of high protein dog food. It kinda looked like the rolls of hamburger or sausage you get at the they ery store.. but its available nat your nearest pet store.. pet smart or pet co... I gave him the around recommended to use when mixing with dry dog food.. Calvert loved it. And I think the high protein helped him gain strength in his other limbs. Maybe consult with your vet about ithirteen trying it out. I only fed it for about a week.
Calvert is 17 days post op. 
the first 4 days he did great.. the next 5 were really rough. I either called or visited my vet daily. Dont be afraid to call them about your concerns.Thats what they are there for!
I bet in a couple days Buddy might get itchy and maybe attempt to scratch the incision. Calvert did and ripped out 6-7 staples. You can prevent this before it happens! ! Put a sock around the back paw on the side of the amputation and secure it with Coban or Vet wrap. It'll keep it from falling off and slow buddy down from pulling or chewing the sock off. also, get a t shirt that will fit buddy and slip it on to further protect the incision. i pulled the bottom hem of the tshirt Calvert wears with a pony tail holder so he doesn't pee on the t shirt. It was REALLY messy when Calvert ripped out his staples, and taking him to the vet the next day just made me ball because of the stress and frustration.
Also!!! Chocolate, ice cream, comfort foods and wine. Indulge, you deserve it, and it'll for sure make you feel better!!!
Buddy will get coordinated soon, walk on his own, and the hell be running!!! Hang in there. you got this.
Arlene, my thoughts are with you. We seem (by some great coincidence) to be on a similar journey in different places. What are the odds!
I am sleeping downstairs in the livingroom with Buddy. This morning when my husband came downstairs, Buddy jumped up and ran right over to him he was so happy to see him! It was the first time Buddy had gotten up on his own without me coaxing and calling him to get up. I think I'm starting to breathe now - sometimes!
His abdomen was dark when we brought him home from the vet. I figured it was bruising from the surgery. But last night I noticed the area is getting red blotches. Is this normal? Is it internal bleeding? Anyone know?
thanks you all for going through this with me.
Aww yay Buddy! You really cheered up your momma, good job.
As for the bruising, when in doubt, call your vet. Bruising after surgery is normal and it does change colors over the course of a week, but if it's turning dark brown in color then that is something you should call your vet about asap. If it will make you feel better, snap a photo and post it here, and look through our photo gallery too, lots of bruising pics there.
I hope you have a great day!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi Mardi & Buddy ! some bruising is normal, and red patches also. This is my golden boy Johnnie on his 6th day, when I was changing the bandage:
As you will notice, he had a black bruise above the incision, where the shoulder used to be, but also some red patches on both sides of the incision. Dogs are shaved for the surgery, and may develop some sort of rash from the shaving. With Johnnie my impression was that it was some sort of allergic reaction, perhaps from the ether or whatever they use to clean and disinfect the surgical site. The skin, once the fur is out, is very sensitive.
What I did when I had an issue with seroma , which I thought could be internal bleeding: took photos and sent them to the vet. He gave me instructions on what to do with the bandage and what to watch for, and in my case I was able to manage it without taking the dog back to the clinic.
Good luck and keep posting!
Our awesome Golden Boy was diagnosed for OSA in April 2014 in the proximal humerus, front-leg amp on 05/20/2014. Finished chemo (Carbo6) on 07/10/2014. Ongoing treatment: acupuncture + K-9 Immunity Plus ( 3chews) and home-cooked no-grain diet. Stopped Apocaps because of liver issues. Liver issues: controlling altered enzymes with SAM-e and Milk Thistle. October 17: started having seizures. Taking fenobarbital for seizures. April 18: started prednisone.
Hi Mardi
Just wondering how buddy is doing on day 4? We are hoping he is getting use to getting around and working on healing.
We are having a bit of a hard day, cooper jumped up at my daughter last night, she had food in her hand and put it above her head of course, he cried and yelped so much. So then my daughter cried , for hurting the dog even though it was an accident. Today he is crying when he moves , thankfully he is sleeping a lot. We also have some swelling in his groin and his incision seems extra sore, he cried when we changed bandages. We may be going back to the vet tomorrow
Arlene and Cooper
Dear Friends, Buddy had his first re-check with the vet yesterday. She changed his bandage and said he was dehydrated so they gave him a hydration treatment. I have started sticking the water bowl under his nose now to encourage more drinking. But I'm not sure he's drinking enough still. The vet said a dog his size needs 2.5 liters a day. She also said to add canned food to his dry food, it will add moisture to his diet. And now he is gobbling up his food! He's still not drinking as much as he should. She wants to see him again on Saturday.
He is peeing a lot when I take him out. But other than the poop he did on Friday, I haven't seen him poop. So I'm concerned he may be getting constipated. Of course he hadn't been eating his food until yesterday - just dog biscuits and small amounts of people food. So maybe he needs more food to start pooping again
I want to post a pic of him in the yard today on a rug with his red stuffed toy. Sweetpea the cat kept rolling around on his rug turning her head over and reaching her paws out to touch him. But I don't know how to add pics to my post.
thank you eylara for the idea of the protein roll. I'll look for that. And for the suggestion of the sock on his back foot! Daniela, your Johnnie looks just like my Buddy. I haven't seen Buddy's incision yet. I'm not sure how I'll handle that when the vet starts sending him home without the bandages. Arlene I am so sorry to hear about Cooper being in pain again. Let us know how it goes with the vet. My thoughts are with you tonight
good night all
Mardi and Buddy
The Tripawds Nutrition blog has some recommendations for getting dogs drinking again. A little Low/No Sodium broth in the water can help too!
But I don't know how to add pics to my post.
Here are detailed instructions for adding photos to forum posts. Reply to that topic if you need help!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Glad Buddy is starting to show you some of his sparkle coming back!!! YAAAAY BUDDY!
Regarding water, try putting a scoop of ice cream in it and swirl it around. Make sure he k nows the ice cream is there. MyHap o y Hannah just didn't want to drink water for about two weeks! CRAAAAAZY J O URNEY!!!
Hugs to y o u and Buddy!
Sally and Happy Hannah
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!
Only you all will appreciate my happiness this morning when Buddy finally took a long poop. The things that make us happy.
Also Buddy has been huffing and sometimes it sounds like a cough. All through the night he huffs and coughs. So I called the vet and she said to go ahead and bring him in. She listened to his lungs and he coughed helpfully for her. She said in his case it was probably Buddy saying "oof, this hurts" "hmpff ouch". Kind of like when my hip hurts and I grimace and say "owww." But she said to keep track of when he does it and we'd talk on Saturday.
It's just going to be a long healing process because he is an old dog... like me. She also suggested that I add flavor enhancers to the water --- for dog tastes - not berry-berry or cappuccino. We have a large back yard (small house) with large mature trees. I've sunk two kiddy pools in the ground for the pups. Buddy has always loved to wade through them and he and all the dogs will drink from them even though we have a 5-gallon bucket of clean city water and two small pots of clean city water. The vet said that of course he would prefer the flavor of decaying leaves and frog poop!! I'm not going that far for his recuperation therapy, but maybe add some icecream or bullion for flavor
Thank you all for keeping me company on this journey. hugs to all and your pups
Buddy and Mardi
Oh what a relief, literally! I'm glad to hear the poop happened. Let us know if the coughing continues and what the vet says, hopefully it's nothing serious and him just being vocal. As for the water, low sodium chicken or beef broth, or even tuna water will make it appealing. Let us know what works!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
This is my first post! Our dog, Duchess (Great Dane 116lbs) had her surgery on Wednesday. And I agree - this is hard. It is really nice seeing the support here. Someone on a FB Great Dane thread directed me here - so thankful! Just thought I'd chime in.
We know Duchess to be very sensitive and stubborn and seeing her try to walk has been a struggle. I think she gets discouraged and just sits down/stops. We're told she's doing really really well, so that is positive. She's in good health beyond the tumor so she/we are lucky that way.
She won't drink - I've tried a few different tips here. So I made pedialyte ice cubes. She'll eat those all day. So I've been giving her lots of those. She'll eat the rice and beef concotion I've drummed up. But then bathroom is a struggle. She was with us overnight the first night, but back to the vet the following day for a few things. She ended up hanging out there all day and there was poop! But no movement of any sort since. As a rational person, I know she'll go when she needs to and won't explode, but the emotional side just wants her to go. Ahhh. Did anyone else struggle with this?
The magnificent Duchess, our Great Dane, brought us here. Diagnosed early July, 2014, Duchess had her front, left amp a week later. She handled her four rounds of carboplantin like a champ. She earned her wings late January 2015. A royal reincarnated into a wee-dane, she was bursting with personality and demands. We miss her a lot and are very thankful for the time we had with her. We welcomed a new rescue Dane into the family in March - Maverick! We're thankful he doesn't realize we'd meet all his demands if he put them out there.
Welcome to Tripawds lizjkc, your future posts will not have to wait for approval.
Please consider starting your own topic so you can tell us your story!
My little pug Maggie was a rear amp and as stubborn as they come. She was really easily discouraged. She could hop on her own the day of surgery, but when she fell into a sit (quite often at first) she would sit and glare at me. It really took some coaxing every time to get her to try again. Once she was healed up and got the hang of things she would actually fall into a sit on purpose to help her change directions on slippery floors!
And Mag didn't poop until day 6 or 7. A combo of lack of balance (she had to spin before she could poop!) and the constipation caused by pain meds. She did finally figure out how to spin and not fall!
Karen and Spirit Maggie
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Mardi,
Sounds like Buddy is getting the hang of it. Remember he was home soon after the amp. Not only did he have tramadol and Rimadyl on board but was probably sedated from the anesthesia and IV pain meds. Jake peed his bed on day two at the hospital. I agree with above...3 Tabs of tramadol seems to be a lot. Keep doing what your doing. His appetite will come back. In the mean time just try to make sure he is hydrated, give him ice cubes and offer water so that he doesn't need to get up, this will help flush the drugs out of his system. Carrots are a good snack if he likes them. Based on his size you probably have been told to keep the weight down due to extra stress on his joints. I can say that because all of my dogs have been on diets lol. (Except Jake- go figure) Continue to use this site for questions or just to vent. It is invaluable.
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