Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi all-
Starting a new topic now that Annie has gone through her surgery. They finished with her surgery on late afternoon/early evening Friday. Because it was so late in the day they want to keep her an extra night at the hospital, so we get to bring her home tomorrow.
We visited her yesterday and today, and while this was reassuring for us, it was awful when we had to leave and hear Annie start crying as she watched us walk out of the room. I really hope the distress of seeing us leave doesn't hurt her. She was very drugged during the first visit (morning after), but we were able to feed her some chicken and treats, which she gobbled up. Her ears perked up when she heard the treat bag rustle, which warmed our hearts.
Today she was moving around a lot more in the kennel, which is a little hard to see since she's often losing her balance and goes down nose-first. But she was standing up eating and drinking water when we arrived! She whines softly almost constantly, but I read in the TriPawds book that could actually be from the pain meds in the patch, versus a sign of her being in pain... We were ecstatic that she gave us kisses, so much more like herself. They have a drain in her and said by the time she goes home she shouldn't be draining any more fluid. There are no bandages on her incision, so we could see the change from yesterday to today - lots more bruising. She also has an IV in her wrist.
I was pretty frustrated with the "bed" they had in her cage, though - it was just an old comforter that had slid around so Annie was lying on the bare metal floor when we arrived yesterday. Having read so many things here about the importance of a soft-firm bed so they're comfortable but also easy to get up, I was surprised that they had not figured out a better system! We asked for another blanket, and today when we came there were three blankets, so at least the floor of the cage is all covered now. Can't wait to get her home to her favorite beds, though.
Here she is! Day one and day two post-op.
One last thing... When they tested her blood pre-op it indicated that some levels were slightly higher than they had been last Monday, and the vet told me it could indicate metastasis has begun after all. I'm still glad that leg is gone, and cannot wait to bring her home and spoil her. I know she'll make it through the recovery period and hopefully she has several more months of fun and love ahead.
I am so happy for you that Annie made it through surgery like a champion! Well done Annie! She is in excellent hands, that is obvious!
Keep Annie super well rested for the next couple of weeks and you will see a hoppy new girlie emerge! You have done so well in taking away her immediate pain! She doesn’t look at the blood work, she looks to you and asks for more lovin’. That’s not a lot to ask for heh?! Write all your questions down for your vet tomorrow as far as meds and check up, emergency numbers etc... You may forget, so keeping pen to paper is a really good idea.
Mum, it may be a little rough over the next few days, but let Annie tell you what she needs and you tell her if that is okay right now... 😉
Great pictures by the way and thanks for the link over here...
All the best from Petra, Stewie and his Pride
Remember...“live in the moment!“ 
Hey there Annie and family 🌺
How is she doing?
And you ?
Sending you big hug and cuddles 😘😘🐮💫✨🌟🌹
Eurydice 77kg/170lb Great Dane limping end of April 2016, amputation (right front leg/osteosarcoma) 4 May 2016 6 courses of carboplatin followed by metronomic therapy, lung mets found 30 Nov 2016. 3 courses of doxorubicin, PET scan 26 Jan 2017 showed more mets so stopped chemo. Holistic route April 2017. Lung X-ray 5 May 2017 showed several tennis ball size mets, started cortisone and diuretics. Miss Cow earned her XXL silver wings 12 June 2017, 13 months and 1 week after amputation and 6 1/2 months after lung mets, she was the goofiest dawg ever and is now happily flying from cloud to cloud woof woofing away :-)
Hi there - I forgot to click subscribe, so I didn't realize there were any replies to the post! Sorry!
Thank you both for your responses about Annie 
She has been doing amazingly well for the most part. She's still on Rimadyl and Gabapentin but I've been slowly tapering her dose - she was on 1800/day when she left the vet and now 1200/day. But, she seems to have a superficial infection at one end of the incision site. I took her in last Friday (1 week post-op) to have them check since about 1" of the incision had a raw red area along the side of it. They said the incision itself still looked good, not dehissing, so just keep it clean by dabbing with water on cotton and come back if the drainage didn't clear up over the weekend.
At first it first did appear to dry up and crusted over with black scab/dried blood, but on Monday I noticed it was draining a little bit from that area again. A close look showed a tiny hole along one of the staple tines, where I could see yellow pus underneath. It didn't smell bad and wasn't red or tender around the area, so I sent a picture to the vet yesterday and they prescribed a blue antiseptic solution to dab on a couple times a day. After two doses of that I could see that there are actually several other tiny holes along this area, next to the incision itself. She has already been on antibiotics for a UTI (that we didn't know about) they discovered before she went in for surgery. Her last antibiotic was today, and she's supposed to get the staples out on Friday, so if the antiseptic doesn't stop the infection, they'll probably start her on another course. I'm encouraged by the fact that so far it doesn't look red or hot and isn't stinky, so really hoping we can knock it out.
Otherwise, she is mostly annoyed about the new gear she has been subjected to (doughnut collar, handle harness, rubber booties) and doesn't understand why her sister gets to go for walks while she stays at home! She has had a voracious appetite since day 1 and is ready to RUN but the furthest we have walked is around our block, and only up and down the stairs once a day. So we're very much hoping for this little infection to resolve quickly, get her staples out and be able to get a little bit more exercise/fun each day! I took a great video of her making her bed (sped up to 2x speed) last Thursday:
And here's a pic of her getting some love in the morning with her sister Haylee last Saturday, and cozy in bed today.
Annie
you made the most perfect bed for yourself! Oh you’re a professional bed maker for sure!! And such a big doughnut you have! Hehehe, too bad you can’t eat that one heh!
Great job of keeping your vet informed on how Annies scar is healing. Way to be on top of things. Pictures are always great for vets to see!
Hoping you are going to be feeling a whole lot hoppier when your stitches come out!
All the very best for now
Petra, Stewie and his Pride of Kittens
p.s. you shouldn’t have to push the subscribe button on any forum, if you make a comment. Then it will automatically subscribe you.
ANNIE, YOU HAVE ME GRINNING EAR TO EAR!! 🙂 You know how to make your bed all comfy and cozy for a good nap!! 🙂
And YAY for your hooman for keeping such a good eye on yiur incision! Well done!! Those pesky ilttleholes/infections do show up sometimes, but getting it caught early is great news! And cheesburgers always are very therapeutic for these things!
Let Haley have some too, okay?
Can't wait to celebrate "stitch removal day" with you! Come back and update 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!
Oh Annie you are such a sugar bun 💓
Totally loved the video of you making the bed 💕💕💕 and yay for your Mom keeping such a close eye on you !
Once staples are out it will be a new life for you girl, you're going to hop as fast as lightening 🌪
Huge hugs and cuddles 😘😘🐮💫✨🌟🌹
Eurydice 77kg/170lb Great Dane limping end of April 2016, amputation (right front leg/osteosarcoma) 4 May 2016 6 courses of carboplatin followed by metronomic therapy, lung mets found 30 Nov 2016. 3 courses of doxorubicin, PET scan 26 Jan 2017 showed more mets so stopped chemo. Holistic route April 2017. Lung X-ray 5 May 2017 showed several tennis ball size mets, started cortisone and diuretics. Miss Cow earned her XXL silver wings 12 June 2017, 13 months and 1 week after amputation and 6 1/2 months after lung mets, she was the goofiest dawg ever and is now happily flying from cloud to cloud woof woofing away :-)
Annie, you are such a sweetheart! Otis is as deep chested as they come and he is 2+ months post amputation and we are so happy we could give him a pain free life. I know you will feel the same for Annie. We are here for you during recovery. Big hugs!
-Camille & Otis
Hi all- Annie appreciates the compliments on her bed-making skillz!
We tapered Annie to 900mg gabapentin (300 3x/day) a couple of days ago and it seemed to really help her come out of her post-surgery daze. Excited, playful, doing lots of stretching and acting like her old self. She had her staples out yesterday with no complications! We were prescribed a Silver Sulfadazine cream to apply to her scar twice a day until it is fully healed. The area I talked about above is what the vet termed a "glorified scab" - she said when the scab comes off it will look really raw but that should be healthy new tissue forming.
How long after the staples come out did you keep them in e-collars to prevent licking? I'm hoping it all heals up within another week. Since I work from home the amount of time we've left her alone has only been about 1-2 hrs at a time, but tonight we'll probably be leaving her for longer than that and I'm worried she'll try to scratch it.
As for cheeseburgers, ironically a couple days after we got home her sister Haylee decided Annie was getting too much attention and started having diarrhea. After five days of that it was Haylee's turn to go to the vet. Yesterday the same thing seemed to be starting with Annie even though we've been feeding them strictly boiled chicken and rice, and there were no bad bacteria or parasites in Haylee's poo, so she couldn't have passed on anything...??? So now they're both taking a medication to stop diarrhea. Never a dull moment, right? I'm actually wondering if the rice is what's bugging them since they'd been on a grain-free diet the whole time we've had them (5 years) but the vet thinks it's unlikely. I'll be switching back to their usual kibble with the added boiled chicken now that they're on meds. Hopefully cheeseburgers and other special treats are in their near future!!!
here's a photo of Annie showing off her scar the other day! Her expression cracks me up.
[Image Can Not Be Found]
Annie’s scar is looking soooo much better! And you’re right her expression is priceless!
Stewie told us that he was done with all weird things ‘not dog’ after his stitches came out! But he didn’t have the extra little scar issues that Annie is having. Is she still wanting to pay attention to it? Try taking the donut off for a few hours and if she is good, then you may not have to worry. What does your vet thing about the odd scratch at an itch?
I hope their tummy issues get resolved. It’s probably a really good idea to get her back onto her regular diet. Great job Mum, you’ve done a brilliant job during Annie’s recovery!
All the best for continued healing...
Petra, Stewie and his Played-Out Kittens
Hey Annie 🐾💕
Love your picture, you do look very regal indeed 👑
So glad to hear she is progressing well and sound, a little diarrhoea is annoying but nothing to worry about so all is good 👍🏽
Keep up the good work and give Annie tummy rubs and cuddles 😘😘🐮💫✨🌟🌹
Eurydice 77kg/170lb Great Dane limping end of April 2016, amputation (right front leg/osteosarcoma) 4 May 2016 6 courses of carboplatin followed by metronomic therapy, lung mets found 30 Nov 2016. 3 courses of doxorubicin, PET scan 26 Jan 2017 showed more mets so stopped chemo. Holistic route April 2017. Lung X-ray 5 May 2017 showed several tennis ball size mets, started cortisone and diuretics. Miss Cow earned her XXL silver wings 12 June 2017, 13 months and 1 week after amputation and 6 1/2 months after lung mets, she was the goofiest dawg ever and is now happily flying from cloud to cloud woof woofing away :-)
Hi all- I wasn't sure whether to start a new topic or just reply here. Wanted to get some advice on whether this looks "normal" for a stump. In the past couple weeks, Annie's incision area has grown into a softball-sized, hard lump of muscle. I've sent photos to our vets, and they tell me it looks normal and only worry if it starts to look red, infected. But I've noticed that since it has gotten so big, and hard/tight, she doesn't like me to touch it, so I think it's uncomfortable for her at minimum, if not painful. The vet said it's quite possible it aches, and recommended re-starting her on Rimadyl. They said it's because the "orphaned" muscles were tied together during surgery, and since she is so active, they are flexing a lot and getting big/tight.
Anyone else have a dog with a big hard lump under the incision? I just don't want her to be uncomfortable. Wondering if wearing a tight t-shirt again might help her feel more supported there so it's not bouncing around or pulling on her side when she runs.
Otherwise, Annie is still doing well and we are just loving every day with her! Here you see her enjoying the warm weather we've had recently rolling in the grass... And also a view of her lump from behind to give some perspective.
Thanks <3
Aww there's Annie! Nice to hear from you again, and you ask a great question.
If she is showing signs that she's uncomfortable and doesn't like being touched there, she could certainly be in some kind of pain. You can certainly try something like a Thundershirt to see if that helps but whether it's the theory your vets have or something else, the best way to find out what's bothering her is to have her evaluated by a pain management specialist and a certified canine rehab therapist. Has she seen one yet? If not, ask your vet for a referral and if they don't have one, let us know where you live and we can help try to find one for you OK?
And don't forget the Tripawds Foundation may even pay for your first rehab visit !
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
FWIW, that lump is not something I've seen before. All I feel under Casey's incision is rib cage.
Adaenn said:
In the past couple weeks, Annie's incision area has grown into a softball-sized, hard lump of muscle. I've sent photos to our vets, and they tell me it looks normal and only worry if it starts to look red, infected. But I've noticed that since it has gotten so big, and hard/tight, she doesn't like me to touch it, so I think it's uncomfortable for her at minimum, if not painful. The vet said it's quite possible it aches, and recommended re-starting her on Rimadyl. They said it's because the "orphaned" muscles were tied together during surgery, and since she is so active, they are flexing a lot and getting big/tight.
It’s good that you are in touch with Annie’s vet, but if your concern continues, don’t feel bad about booking an appointment to see your vet at any point.
jerry said
If she is showing signs that she's uncomfortable and doesn't like being touched there, she could certainly be in some kind of pain. You can certainly try something like a Thundershirt to see if that helps but whether it's the theory your vets have or something else, the best way to find out what's bothering her is to have her evaluated by a pain management specialist and a certified canine rehab therapist.
I do agree with Jerry. If the lump has grown bigger in two weeks, I would think it would take longer to developed that kind of muscle mass. I’m not a vet and it is not clear how big that lump was before, especially looking at Annie’s previous picture with her cone on. But if you feel it has grown considerably and you’re concerned, don’t hesitate to take her in to get checked out. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.
Stay well Annie, Mum doesn’t want to worry about you lovey!
All the very best
Petra, Stewie and his Kittens
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