Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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I was a little over whelmed with all the emotions of yesterday so with almost a clear head i will post today!
Alpha was amazing yesterday! he was so happy to see us he had a great pep in his step! Dr Hansche did an amazing job with the incisions from the top it looks like he still has a leg!! they didnt have to shave him which kind of makes us giggle in all of this maddness! Last night he would not sleep He laid in our room for an hour then time to get up n search the house (hes a very protective so when ever he doesnt sleep in his house he is up searchin the house every hour on the hour) So around 130 i gave him a sedative so he laid down for another hour or so i guess i dozed off because i woke up on the couch at 340 with Ridgeback front pawds on my legs 
poor guys tried to jump on the couch to lay with mommy when he was half asleep so as gracefully as possible he went back on the floor n slept for a for more mins but then somehow he untied or ripped the ribbon that was holding his cone on tight so there goes the cone!!! (alpha does not like the cone of shame
! you simply do not do things to alpha that he does not like it took us a very long time to get the cone on him because hes a cranky lil monster!) so he slept next to the couch till his daddy woke up for work n carried him to the bed so we snuggled and he was knocked out cold from 630-11 ....he's resting today not so out going as yesterday but i think thats for the best he needs to rest! i'll start with the heart breaking thing when we first got home! he sat next to daddy by his big window and tried to scratch his left ear with this leg thats no longer there :'-( i can tell you i have never felt so horrible in my life so we rubbed his head and then he went back on the porch to search for squirrels 
silly boy ...then last night probably around 2 am or so i took him out to potty (he poops n pees like a champ! still a lil constipated from the meds but doin good..his lil peepee is so swollen and is kind of being pulled by the stitches that he hangs to the left now! lol but it helps for him to pee and the skin will stretch back to normal!) But the amazing thing last night was we were walkin in the grass at a quick speed when he started to run! now i caught up with him and stopped him after only a few feet but i could see it he was about to go off into his sprint and he was just fine!!!! the stride was there! the muscle was there!! So even though hes not allowed to run yet hes gonna give those 4 pawd pups a run for their money!!!!!
Hes eating great takin his meds great! yesterday he was drinkin a ton! i think he had cotton mouth from the meds. he has no fur to hide anything so he is very bruised and pretty swollen i think over night the swelling as went down a great deal! He has been very mouthy when kaylee comes near him hes feeling very defensive! i feel so bad because hes really not like anyother dog i have ever owned ...hes very primitive so very cat like in some ways very wolf like in others!! hes extremely dominant it doesnt matter how big another dog is his tail is held higher! Hes in alot of pain right now and everything is new so i'm sure once he heals he will be better but i'm so afraid hes going to become a lil aggressive from this.. Hes so sweet so great with kids and small dogs i would hate for that to chance 
Hi Suzy and Alpha
So glad alpha is home and doing so well. Running certainly seems easier than walking... weird isn't it?
We have also noticed a more aggressive side to Yasmin when other dogs walk past our wall, but when we were down the vets yesterday she wanted to play with a little westie. The westie didn't want to play and barked defensively but Yas wouldn't give up, tail wagging, high pitched barking and smacking her front leg down to play. Hopefully when Alpha is out and about he won't be grumpy with other dogs either.. I don't know if its normal for Tripawds to be more aggressive whilst protecting their home straight after surgery, but yas has been.
When we saw the physio she said it is really important to rub the other leg, stroking and massaging it. Apparently it helps with phantom limb and getting used to the idea that there is only one there now. I don't know if it helps but Yasmin seems to be enjoying it
Kate and Yasmin
Oh Suzy, that's a really good update! He's still pretty messed up on hospital meds so you may see a few ore ups and downs over the next week or two.
It's so amazing how quicky most dogs adapt to three legs and Alpha seems to be adapting very well! Trying to run already? Rock on Alpha!!
What pain meds is Alpha taking? The doseage? How much does Alpha weigh? It's aleays "interesting trying to get the pain meds balanced initially:-)
Alpha is still Alpha!! No worries about him becoming a "different" boh! Right now, you may well see some different behaviors, but they're all drug/surgery related. Many dogs are a little "snapoy" or "growly" the first several weeks as they realize something' going on that may amke them vulnerable "in the wild"
As much as we all try to constantly put forth a calm, positive energy, this is still an instense tme and, as you akready know, dogs will pick up on that tension too.
Just focus on being prsent in the moment and getting through this recovery. You both are GREAT pawparents!! Your puos are luck to have you as their advocates!
Really glad everything is going well!! Get rest when you can!!
Still grinning at thise great wedding photos! Such a fun day!!
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!
Hang in there Suzy. I've never heard of a dog becoming aggressive after losing a leg. If anything maybe a little cautious around other dogs but you don't need to worry about that now, just get through the recovery.
As tough as it's been it does sound like has great signs that everything's normal and he'll be fine. Keep an eye on the poofiness on his underside, that could be a seroma , which isn't dangerous but may need to be drained. If it leaks watery/bloody fluid that's probably what it is but it's good to let your vet know.
Be strong, make him wear the cone (it's for his own good as tough as it is to know how much he hates it!) and this will be over before you know it. Keep us posted and remember we're here to help!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Kate & Sally! Thank you i'm glad to hear it not just Alpha being a cranky butt!! When we left the vet there was a lil puppy Puff Ball thing lol and alpha did care if he sniffed him so i guess thats a good sign! I never heard of rubbing the other leg THANK YOU! That was my first and worst fear in all this that he would have phantom Itch or Pain or anything so thank u thank u i will definitely tell my husband and we will start doing that! ive been trying to get him ok with me touching near this incisions thats going well as long as kaylee isnt around ....But it sure sucks seeing him like this
Love you Guys!
XOXO Suzy Joey Kaylee and ALPHA
Great update! Seeing them learning how to do thing a new way are so hard at first as they struggle and there just isn't a whole lot you can do to help them. They just have to work through it.
Give it a few days and you will start to see the normal Alpha shining through the pain and drugs. Celebrate the little victories and give him lots of love. I kind of wonder if the drugs don't increase the aggression/protectiveness in some way for some dogs. Just a thought.
Take care.
Luanne & Shooter
Spirit Shooter was a Miniature Australian Shepherd who was diagnosed with a MCT and had a LF amp 1/28/13 at 13-1/2 years old.
Shooter crossed the Bridge on 8/28/13, his 7 month ampuversary and two weeks from his 14th birthday.
So glad Alpha is doing well Sounds like he will be back to his routine in no time!! Don't worry about him bring cranky.... We would be too!!! So glad to hear his successes... Keep the updates coming!!!
Lisa and Tank
I was a lil concerned yesterday that he had hurt his back leg when he jumped on the couch the night before ..BOY WAS I WRONG! he was just relaxin cause once it was dinner time he jumped right up!! then we went for a short walk n he did awesome ..He slept thru the night 
happy mommy! he did wake up at 7am it was time for more meds anyway so they had a early breakfast and alpha took his meds then he laid in the bed with mama till a more reasonable hour! We dont do mornings in this house! so 10 is up in the porch dartin back n forth watchin the squirrels then THIS MANIAC i just about had a heart attack JUMPED not a second thought he jumped on to a pelican case (big plastic box) thats about a foot high! LIKE A CHAMP hes a complete lunatic! so we got him down n put something on top of it so he has to wait to jump till the stitches are at least out! Then we went for BRISK walk around the big grassy area behind our house Behind us they have a box n a lil chocolate lab The Girls barked at him and ran very close to the fence n he was fine didnt scare him he didnt get cranky normally he would at least sniff them but nope he was a man on a mission just kept truckin along! he pooped n peed like a champ! ill tell ya hes always been such a awkward looking thing hes so skinny but hes got this giant chest! so when he would poop hes look so funny cause hed tuck him self all awkward like! NOW he takes a dump like normal dogs lmao! Hes being my lil monster today my alpha what a relieve!
Ive been emailing the oncologist back and forth shes wonderful! she understands my concern because hes so young! so most dogs dont get soft tissue cancer till they r in there teens so amputation is a cure but they dont no if it could come back in 4-6 years so most older dogs dont live past 16 anyway but alpha will only be 9 so ..we will probably do chest radiographs every 6months n if there is a limp or anything starting to show signs like this we can catch it early n do a bone scan were they will inject dye and we can see any lesions or bad stuff! ..BUT HOPEFULLY THAT WILL NOT BE THE CASE!
I've also been speakin to a women you also has a thai ridgeback who was just diagnosed with skin cancer and needed to have it removed she is doing the bugwit diet with flax seed and curcumin shes noticed a freshness in his breath ..Which is bad breath could be sign of cancer so shes taking it as a great sign!
Also last thing when ever we go to put a leash on alpha ever since he was a puppy he would do this run around thing where he just does circles around the living room or the whole house! n he walks past u but u gotta catch him when he does! Well he did that his morning it was a smaller circle but he did it :'-D
Love u all! Thank u for all the support! i hope ur pups are doing well!
XOXO Suzy Joey Kaylee and ALPHA
Wow, Alpha is making me dizzy! You definitely have your hands full but he's making such great progress, so YAY!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Yeah, I'm jst ehausted reading your post!! I've gotta sit down a minute and catch my breath!!
WONDERFUL update YAAAAAAAAAY ALPHA
I know you're trying to make him slow down a bit...that's so important.... and sou ds like pretty close to ipossible with tat delightful boy"
You painted some great visuals!
Keep 'em coming!
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!
rene some how i missed ur earlier post!!! Thank u! the incision is staying very clean hes pretty good! today the swelling is almost completely gone other then the leg it self and a few smaller spots! I'm amazed how quickly the bruising disappeared! His inner thigh on this good leg was very bruised but thats gone! his belly/chest is still bruised but gettin better!....i was gonna say he was learning his limits today because after his walk this morning we all had a lazy day watchin movies in the bed Mama n Daddy needed a lazy day! lol hes gettin good about telling us when its time for another tramadol! so hes hopped right up for dinner then ran circles around the house for 15 mins just circles n more circles! i think hes practicing his hop! i'm not sure what he wants he just stood next to me for a 5 mins maybe he doesnt want me talkin about him! WACK-A-DO!
Sally you asked about meds! Alpha is or was just shy of 60lbs He's probably a decent amount lighter now!
Clavamox 375mg 2x a day -antibiotic
Tramadol 50mg 3 2x a day.. today we did 3 at 7am then 1 at 3pm and 2 with dinner at 6 ..this seemed to work well as of now!...Pain Killer
Rimadyl 100mg 1/2 2x a day- anti inflammatory/pain killer
Acepromazine 25mg 2 - one or two hours before bed! Sedative
Oh thank god hes laying down!
WOW! He is one busy boy. He should be the poster boy for tripawds! Go Alpha!
Luanne and Shooter
Spirit Shooter was a Miniature Australian Shepherd who was diagnosed with a MCT and had a LF amp 1/28/13 at 13-1/2 years old.
Shooter crossed the Bridge on 8/28/13, his 7 month ampuversary and two weeks from his 14th birthday.
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