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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Day 7! Still surviving! Feeling ALMOST confident enough to change my name from 1scaredmom to 1hopefulmom:) We got to see a little personality come back yesterday...my daughter took off her stinky basketball sock and did not head straight to the laundry with it. Zoey snuck up (as much as a 3 legged dog can sneak at day 6...hehehe!) and stole it! So fun!!
Today's question....she has on a full bandage that we are just supposed to watch for blood or drainage but not remove. I do not think she has a port. She has no drainage or blood or smell and the bandage is pristine. She is supposed to see her vet after one week to have a bandage change. Is that one week from surgery or one week from pick up date? And is there any danger in waiting another 4-5 days? Her nerves are just now calming down and I cringe at taking her in.
Can't really answer your wurstiin as Happy Hannah...rear legger...had no bandage. But don't hesitate to call your and ask.......you laid a lot of money so feel free to call.
Yeah, changing your avatar name is a great idea!!! Sooooooo glad yourew seeing a little sparkle come back!! YAY for stink i ng socks!!! Best treat ever!
You're doing great!!! This is not any easy journey but you are handling it like a champ!!
Hugs to all!!!!!!!
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle 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!
Hmm, generally I'd say one week from when you picked her up. If you want to wait a couple of days I cant hurt to let your vet know, or if you want to skip that visit and wait until the stitches are supposed to come out (most folks just wait about 10 days between surgery and stitch removal before seeing the vet again), why not ask if you can take off the bandage and look at the incision yourself? It would save some stress for Zoey and you, and your vet can tell you what to look for to make sure things are OK (i.e., no smelly discharge, stitches coming undone, etc). Just an idea.
Oh and you'd know if she had a drain, it would be visible.
And I'm SUPER happy to hear that things are looking up!!!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
It's still too early to take the stitches/staples out, so probably the visit to the vet would be to have a look at the incision, perhaps clean and change the bandage. Perhaps you can do this at home. What worked for me: I took a picture of the incision without the bandage and sent it to the vet.
Glad to know the "dark clouds" are clearing away and Zoey is starting to adapt to what will be the "new normal".
Daniela
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.
For Lily, we were to leave the bandage on until we went in for staple removal. She ended up having quite a bit of drainage and it's difficult to keep your bandage from getting wet when you potty in the rain so we had a few visits to the vet to replace the bandage before staple removal! I finally ended up buying a roll of the bandage they used so I could make repairs myself 
If in doubt call the vet!
I'm glad Zoey is doing so well! Ornery behavior means she's feeling better
Lily the Great Dane (she was actually a lot more than just "Great") joined our family as an ornery puppy on December 20, 2005 and changed our lives forever. She was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in early May of 2014 and her right rear leg was amputated on May 8, 2014. She sailed through 5 rounds of Carboplatin and 15 weeks of Pallladia. She hopped on 3 legs like she was born to it and continued to fight cancer with grace, valor and an abundant sense of humor...and always a *giant* smile on her face. Lily had two small nodules on her lungs but was brought short by a brain tumor in late December, 2014. Lily earned her wings on December 28, 2014 and we miss her terribly every day. http://lilyt.tripawds.com
We didn't have a bandage either - and no staples or removable stitches. Glad to hear Zoey is wanting to play! That is great news. And so is your name change - Yea!
Shanna & Spirit Trouble ~ Trouble gained her wings 3/16/2011, a 27 1/2 month cancer survivor, tail wagging. RIP sweetheart, you are my heart and soul. Run free at Rainbow Bridge.
The November Five - Spirits Max, Cherry, Tika, Trouble & Nova. 11/2008 - 3/2013 An era ends as Queen Nova crossed the Bridge.
That sounds very promising that the bandage appears clean.
Defo ring that vet...ring away to your hearts content as YOU need to feel reassured that you have the answers you need for the best interests of your fur kid.
I rung so many times to gain the answers I wasn't clear on...it's hard trying to absorb all the info they throw at us when we are thinking about our pooches & how they are right now!!
I had emails back & forth to the surgeon & the vet nurses to seek support as we needed it...It made us not panic as believe me I worried over it all...& meant that we didn't need trips to the vets again. I did even sneak her down to the vets & asked them to come to the car as I didn't want to unsettle her taking her in so soon after again & they did. Be confident to state what you need...vets are in their profession as they care so they would do what is best for your fur kid as far possible so that may be an option too...if they don't need any tools etc.
Hope all continues to go well...keep us updated.
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