Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi everyone,
A couple of quick questions, if I may...
The vet said that she had left most of the big muscle around the hip, when she amputated, so that later on, he would not develop that "sunken" look, as she put it. We are noticing today, that the muscle is twitching every now and again. It can be seen clearly, because he is clean shaven over the whole area.. Am I correct in thinking that this is a part of the normal post amputation healing process ?
He does not appear to be in any discomfort. He had a big poop first thing after he got up, and then cleaned his bowl of regular food and some shredded chicken. He is now on the way to being "zonked" again, as he has just taken his pain meds, and his ACE... He slept through the night, and was up and hopping around with us when we got up.
We think he may have banged the wound yesterday, when he was hopping around, playing with the cat, (this was before we got the ACE into his system). Right at the lowest part of the amputation site, there is a red mark on the skin. next to the wound. It looks as if he may have scraped it on the step from the hall into the kitchen, while he was playing with the cat . It doesn't seem to have that angry red infection appearance. It is still the same size as it was yesterday, and I recall (at least I think I do ) the vet saying that if he did bang into anything, it would probably leave a red mark for a while.The incision itself is really clean and dry.. We will keep a close eye on it, and if it does start to spread, we'll take him back to the vet..
I hope that we are not being too over cautious. What signs should we look for, that would indicate the start of an infection ?
The little fellow is now trying to lift his head, and keep his eyes open, with very little success, as the meds are winning the battle... It is the only way to keep him quiet, and give the wound a chance to heal, and it appears to be working.
Our Tripawds T-shirts arrived !!! "Running Three Legged German Shepherd Design. Inspired by Tripawd girl dog extraordinaire, Codie Rae"....My wife Charlotte wore hers into town yesterday, and she said she was asked a couple of times about the design... Mine is still (very neatly) folded, waiting for its' "première"
Have a good Victoria Day long weekend, those of us in Canada,
Regards
Richard
"No matter how eloquently the dog may bark, he cannot tell you that his master is poor, but honest".....Bertrand Russell
The muscle twitches from what I understand are normal. Domino is experiencing the same thing occasionally. I hate you're having to keep Serge on meds, but as long as it keeps him calm and quiet, whatever works! Good luck to you all!
Cassie and Domino
“A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.”
Domino had his left front leg amputate on May 13th 2014 after being hit by a car. He's now living a happy healthy life on three legs :)
Yeah, the muscle twitching is normal.....nerves are still firing off to a leg that is no longer there and it will take a little "internal reorganizaton" time.
I think you'll fnd here, everyone perfers to be overly cautious, so that's a good thing
Yeah, I hope he can be ofd that ACE really soon...or at least a lower dose
The red mark doesn't sound worrisome. Actually, ot could be more noticeable bruising, redness, etc. showing up from the surgery site. At least in Happy Hannah's case it started looking much worse a couple days out.
One thing I always tried to remember was to give Happy Hannah "scratches and rubs" where she could no longer reach because of her missing leg. If she had an itch, I had to watch for the signs and scratch for her!
Serge is doing great! Can't wait for more pictures!
And pictures of the tee-shirts on the models!!
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!
Of course you can ask as many questions as you'd like! The good news; yes, all very normal! Even now, five years after amputation, Wyatt's muscle that's left on his hip will occasionally twitch. It's just a little misfiring of the neurons and nothing to worry about unless it's accompanied by shrieks and anxious behavior (which is a sign of phantom limb pain).
The scrape on his amp site sounds normal. Just watch the area for infection. Here's a post that explains amputation wound care during recovery, hope it helps.
Thank you so much for buying shirts from the Tripawds Cafe Press store! We agree, Codie's design is a perfect fit for Serge's pack!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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