Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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I tried to search for an answer to this but I don't have time right now to sort through all the results so I hope I am not asking a redundant question.
Tate's surgeon is off today so there is a new (to us) vet. He wants to keep Tate another day only because his incision is still draining, however he will consider letting us take him home tonight if we're willing to deal with the drain. We're not worried about the "eeewww, gross" factor, we're worried we might do something wrong and cause an infection or worse.
Does anyone have experience with this, and how difficult is it to do right?
http://tate.tripawds.com/
August 16, 2006 to November 28, 2011
TATE ~ Forever in our hearts.
Are you talking about a regular surgical drainage tube? Dakota didn't have one, but our Good Dog Belle had 3 after a run-in with coyotes. Hers were in her shoulder area and then down at her armpit. There wasn't anything really to "deal with" other than keeping them out of harm's way. We put a t-shirt on her that we changed as it got wet. Yes, it was kind of nasty and she went through several shirts a day (the coyotes almost killed our Belle, right outside our door), but it was no effort. If that's what the doctor is talking about, it seems like something you could manage at home with little difficulty. Unless there are circumstances that would make it unwise (toddlers that yank things, etc)...
Shari
From abandoned puppy to Tripawd Warrior Dude, Dakota became one of the 2011 February Furballs due to STS. Our incredibly sweet friend lived with grace and dignity till he impulsively raced over the Bridge on 12-15-12.
Dakota's thoughtful and erudite blog is at http://shari.tr.....pawds.com/
Hi,
First, you can't cause any permanent damage to a drain. They can even be replaced if necessary...not desirable, but not impossible.
Tate is far more likely to develop an infection in the hospital, than at home.
The drain is probably a JP (brand name, universally used to refer to similar products) type drain. A soft tube connected to a flexible bulb. The only maintenance is disconnecting to empty. You simply need to squeeze the bulb when reconnecting to maintain suction.
Accidental disconnection just requires cleanup, but does no damage.
There are a few other possible types of drains, equally as easy.
If you bring him home and run into problems/questions PM me. People go home with multiple drains all the time & you would be shocked to see what they manage to do to them & still cause no harm.
Cynthia
Thank you for the quick feedback! It seems it is a "JP" or similar so we should be able to manage that okay but will PM Cynthia if we run into trouble (thanks for your kind offer.)
Shari, you've certainly had your share of canine issues! I hope you don't mind I lifted your poem to put on Tate's blog...got tired of looking for it because I like to read it on a regular basis.
http://tate.tripawds.com/
August 16, 2006 to November 28, 2011
TATE ~ Forever in our hearts.
Ha! Glad you enjoyed the poem, so certainly you may stick it somewhere else if you like.
Yes, we've had a few unusual issues up here in the mountains, but it makes life entertaining. (Have you ever broken up a dog fight by beating the dogs with various parts of a shop vac?) Sometime I'll tell you about the time I flew my rocket ship to the moon...now that was a story!
Shari
From abandoned puppy to Tripawd Warrior Dude, Dakota became one of the 2011 February Furballs due to STS. Our incredibly sweet friend lived with grace and dignity till he impulsively raced over the Bridge on 12-15-12.
Dakota's thoughtful and erudite blog is at http://shari.tr.....pawds.com/
Jerry didn't have a drain tube, so he had fluid buildup which he had to have drained once. But there is no difficulties in "maintaining the drain" from what we've heard, other than coping with the gross out factor. Keeping a t-shirt and some gauze on the area to soak up any seepage will help keep the area clean...
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
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