Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi everyone..its me..Max!! My pawrents came and got me this morning from the University of Wisconsin Vet Hospital. Boy am I glad to be home. The hour and a half ride was hard and I cried a little but my Mom sat with me the whole way and my Dad stopped once for me to paint the snow 
. Now Im home and just happy to lay on my bed and sleep. Dad took the snow blower out in the back yard and now I have a path all the way around the yard to use for potty. We have too much snow for me to try and navigate right now. I willl say though..this tripaw thing isnt so bad. Dr. Julia (my FAV doc) took me everywhere with her and made sure that I could walk fine. All I need is a sling so that if I slip it will catch me and thats just until my incision heals. I had lots of practice......my previous TPLO surgery taught me how to walk on 3 legs while I still had 4! In 2 weeks Ill start chemo and get my staples out. Im so grateful for Dr. Berg and Dr. Julia. They took such good care of me. My Mom says she wishes that people doctors were like them!! Time for a nap, so bye for now. Ill keep everyone posted on my progress! Have a Labby Christmas!!
Paula and Spirit Max
Oh, Max, it's so good to hear you are back home and doing well. I think it's really cool that your Dad took the snowblower around the backyard for you to be able to go potty. Once your incision heals, your pawrents might want to think about buying the Ruffwear Webmaster Harness which is sold right here on tripawds.com. It has a kind of "handle" on the top of the harness that enables you to be able to help Max in and out of vehicles and other areas where he could use the extra support. I want you to know that I am only a contributor on this site and am in no way trying to sell you a product for any other reason than I think the Webmaster Harness is such an excellent product.
Keep us posted on your progress; it certainly is good to hear that you have such excellent vets. My hat is off to Dr. Julia & Dr. Berg.
Love, Blazer, Kitty Kimber & Mom (Vicki)
Shhhh....dont tell Max but he is getting a webmaster harness in his stocking for xmas as well as a light to put on his collar so we can see him in the dark when he is able to go out by himself (the black labbies are IMPOSSIBLE to see in the dark! You have to follow the bark!) He is having a little trouble getting comfortable this afternoon and we are having the usual thoughts of "I hope we did the right thing" but I know in my heart that we did. So hard to watch them suffer even a little. We ALL just need to stay positive and brave for Max. Hopefully he will rest well tonight and feel even better tomorrow. Thank you Blazer, Kitty Kimber and Vicki for the suggestion! Santa heard you talking! 🙂
Paula
Paula and Spirit Max
Hey Max, our friend Genie had a great idea for helping dogs go potty right after surgery.
"I cut up a canvas bag on both sides, retained the handles, and wrapped
that under Genie’s chest. Tied up the handles at her back, and left
that on her all the time. Whenever she needed assistance, it was
there. I couldn’t afford a few seconds looking away from her to find
the towel, and ended up having her falling on her face."
Until the stitches come out and you put that harness on him, this is a great way to assist.
We're so glad you're home! Take it easy, and enjoy all that attention!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi Paula & Max,
Hahaha! That is so good to hear you are getting the Webmaster Harness for Max. From what I have heard and seen in the video of how the harness works, it's the greatest thing going. Merry Christmas, Max!
I'm sorry to hear he is having a bit of discomfort, but all things considered, I guess that is to be expected. Hopefully, he'll get past that part in his recovery soon.
Our fingers and paws are crossed for Max.
Love, Blazer, Kitty Kimber & Mom (Vicki)
Yayyyy Max!!! We're so glad to hear you are on your way to recovery!!!
Hang in there!!
Janie & Calamity
Janie & Calamity http://www.trix.....gspot.com/
Max did well last night.....he was up only a few times and I finally figured out that part of it was he wanted to be closer to me (I was on the couch). When I moved his bed next to the couch he slept the rest of the night. I think the drugs make him a little skittish and he gets scared. The wind is howling here and it sounds like a freight train. Max doesnt want to go out and go potty...he gets out and wants to come right back in. Its below zero and like I said, really windy, so the path that Dad snowblew in the back yard is all covered up now and only a small part without a foot of snow. Max is picky..so Im not sure if its the wind, the cold, the yard, the drugs...or ALL of them combined, but we're NOT going potty! Im sure he will go when he is ready. He seems to be a little more comfortable today and ate some canned food and drank water also. That always makes me feel better! The Fentanyl patch will come off tonight so we'll see how he does then. For now, he is sleeping and calm. Thanks for all of the well wishes. Ill update later.
Paula and Spirit Max
I'm glad to hear Max did well last night. Trouble, too, didn't want to go potty for the first 24 -36 hours. Just wasn't interested. She had a pretty long walk through the house to get to the door, so she was tired by the time she got out. It only took a couple days to gain some strength. I'm sure Max will do the same. Does he have oral pain meds for after the patch? They helped a lot in those first few days.
It's amazing what we do for these pets, I noticed you slept on the couch. We took the bed out of our bedroom so Trouble wouldn't be tempted to jump for the first 2 weeks. We all slept on a pallet on the floor
Best wishes to you and Max in the coming weeks.
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.
Hi Max...Max here! Nice name, I just had to say hello.
Hang in there buddy....I think you will do better after the Fentanyl patch comes off. That thing made me crazy! I was wimpering and would not eat much at all while I had the patch. I did better after it was removed. Hopefully you will be back to your old self in a couple of weeks.
Cheers,
Max C
Max's Mom,
That is unfortunate that all the hard work your Dad did with snowblowing areas of the backyard has all blown over except for a small patch. That may be affecting Max. I know my dogs have always had a problem with going potty outside when it's freezing cold and there are snow drifts everywhere. I think it confuses they're little noses because they are used to different scents that have now disappeared in weather like you're having. It could also be the drugs, as well, but I wouldn't worry too much about this because my dog's have had problems with these conditions when they hadn't just had surgery. Max is probably looking at you saying, "Hey! You don't go potty out here when it's like this! How can you expect me to?"
Love, Blazer, Kitty Kimber & Mom (Vicki)
Once Max is off those heavy duty meds and stops seeing purple monsters in his sleep, he'll be back to his normal self. And you are right, when he has to go, he'll go.
If he's calm now, that's a good thing. He just needs rest and time to recuperate. Thanks for the update!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Max is still doing well. Went #2 last night which was a victory! His Fentanyl patch is off now and he is getting back to his happy self. The cold we are experiencing here (-8 reg temp) is not easy on him, but he is dealing with it. Does anyone know of any dog booties that can be put on to keep feet warm and help with traction when they are out in the snow and cold? I would certainly invest in some for Max if I knew they were worthwile and worked well on larger dogs. Other than that...he is being spoiled rotten, enjoying sleeping on his warm towels and sleeping alot. Recovery takes time and for these first two weeks he is the #1 priority!
Paula and Spirit Max
Max's mom said ...
Does anyone know of any dog booties that can be put on to keep feet warm and help with traction ...
Check out this discussion about the Ruff Wear booties. We think the SkyLiner style is better, and safer. The sole may provide less traction but they are less likely to spin around than the GripTrex.
Tazzie wheres both, her mom may have more input on this. She's wearing the Skyliner dog booties in her video...
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Tazzie wears her booties whenever we walk on slippery surfaces (vet clinic) or rough terrain. We had snow this week so she wears booties on all 3 of her feet, but often I will just put 1 on her remaining front foot to prevent pressure sores. (She had a large sore after surgery that has since healed).
We bought the booties on this site through Jerry and I really like them! They are also washable.
Pam and Tazzie
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