Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Day 4 post op:
She ate half her breakfast this morning with her pills and then finished the rest up around lunchtime. Besides short potty break attempts today we just let her chill out in the front yard while I read for a little bit. She seemed to enjoy the vitamin D absorption, watching kids on their bike and the occasional doggie friend that walked by. Right before dinner time we took her out again, only supporting her front with a towel so she got her back legs working. We walked around the yard a bit and finally got her to pee.
We did have this first...I sat down to give her dinner and she sat up by herself to drink the gravy and eat for a bit. She laid back down to finish most of it, took her pills and is resting now.
If she vomits again during the night then I'll definitely give the vet a call in the AM. I think last night maybe she was a bit distressed from constipation perhaps and it just upset her stomach. Before we went to bed she had been panting a lot and we gave her some water and took her out but she just wasn't ready to relieve herself until hubby and I were tucked in bed.
POOP AND PEE ANYWHERE, ANYTIME.....yeah, we'll take it as a big win!👏
Terrific that she sat up by herself to snack a bit on her dinner😎. It may be thst the soft blankets she has maybe are slippery a little and ha4d for her to hold her sit position with her front paw.....maybe?
You are doing such a good job of overseeing her recovery! All these victories get you that much closer to a full recovery.
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!
Awww that's wonderful! How did last night go? I hope she's continuing on with her recovery progress!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Day 5 post op:
No accidents at all last night. Hubby and I got up at 4am took her out, she peed then we left for the gym. When we got home, she ate half her breakfast which I added some beef broth too and got her pills (she finished her breakfast around noon). Took her back outside, walked her around the yard and she took the biggest poop that I've ever seen her take. I'm sure she felt a ton better and when we came back in she took a good nap. She has gotten up a few times by herself either to move or get in her bed. Though she hasn't figured out the turning around aspect yet so usually her butt is propped up on the bed's side arm. This afternoon went spent an hour sunning in the front yard and she said "hi" to her friends as they passed. She peed again before we brought her in.
Since she didn't seem for the beef broth I went back to her usual warm water gravy. She wasn't interested in her dinner really at all but I managed to her to eat about half so she could get her meds. I left a message for the surgical care coordinator regarding Mojo's lack of appetite but did not hear back from her today. I'll see how breakfast goes tomorrow but may go out to get some wet food for her dinner.
One thing we struggle with is trying not to walk her too much but also getting her to potty. We just walk her around the front yard and she lays down to take a few breaks but it's like we've got to get her moving and down closer to the sidewalk (which is a small hill) so she smells other dogs and wants to mark. Is there a scent spray or anything we could use to try ang get her to potty closer to the front door?
Well that sounds like a pretty good night, other than the 4am wake up call! 😉 Yeah I'll bet that poop was a relief for all of you. Everything you mentioned about her behavior sounds like she's on the way up, that's terrific.
Whatever you can do to tempt her appetite, do it. Here are some pointers:
https://nutriti.....g/appetite
I see the issue with her finding the right spot to potty. Yep, that's a challenge. Do you have a Ruffwear Webmaster or Flagline harness that will allow you to help her get to the spot? If you can put it on over a tshirt to make sure the stitches aren't getting rubbed, that would be great. If not, I'm wondering if you can get a neighbor to walk their dog up to your porch and mark the area? (I can only imagine the conversation, but I'm sure any dog parent would understand!).
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Day 6 post op:
This AM she peed outside this and laid in the dewy grass for about an hour....she'd take two hops closer to the house then lay down again. Luckily the sling we're using kept her compression shirt dry around the sutures. Breakfast was a CHORE, she had no interest eating the regular which is kibble mixed with warm water. I had to spoon feed her which she licked the kibble off the spoon and then ate it off the floor. We got about 3/4 thru it. This evening the neighbor came over with their dog Buddy so he could mark some spots closer to the front door. We were already outside with Mojo at the time and I was walking her back up the yard after peeing and when she saw Buddy she tried running w/me holding the sling. She was very glad to have a 4 legged companion for a little bit as we conversed with the neighbors. Her and Buddy just laid on the grass side by side looking like sphinxs, lol. For dinner Mojo got a cup of her kibble in warm water and I added two spoonfuls of Purina's Beyond Chicken and Sweet Potato...she was like a hoover vacuum and licked the bowl clean. She's never been a picky eater so these past few days of showing no interest in her food was killing me. She continues to stand up on her own when she wants to and even managed to lay in bed "the right way."
Thanks for sending the appetite link. We do have a new harness, the Convert for her but have held off on using it for now so it wouldn't apply extra pressure right at her sutures. Her compression shirt would protect the harness from rubbing the staples but just playing it on the safe side.
This is fantastic! Buddy is the best nurse EVER! And of course so are you and the other humans, that's terrific everyone helped motivate her to get back to her new normal.
Cheers for our Tripawd Hoover Vacuum!
Good idea to wait on the Convert, you want to be gentle with the stitches/incision area until the staples come out.
I hope tomorrow is even better. Thanks for letting us know.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Okay, you now know some yard time with Buddy everyday is s good appetite stimulant for Mojo😎 Love the idea of getting Buddy to come over and mark some pee spots for Mojo to pee on.
Any yummy food...cheese burgers, warm rotisserie chicken. bacon and eggs,macaroni and chesse.....whatever it takes at this point.
Would love pics of Buddy and Mojo chillin'
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!
A week ago today Mojo had just lost her leg and was spending the night at SouthPaws with a Fentanyl drip. Seven days later she's got her appetite back even if it is with some new wet food. This morning since it was raining, we made her a poncho out of a trash bag to keep her compression shirt dry especially when she lays down to take a break outside. I figured it would still be raining this afternoon but it wasn't so I missed the photo-op. The in-laws came over for dinner tonight with their small dog Izzy and Mojo got up and wanted to go great her. We were all eating dinner in the dining room and we heard thump thump thump....Mojo braved the hardwood to join us in the dining room. That was the first time we let her (we didn't mean to let her try it yet) brave the hardwood without assistance. Once everyone's belly was full we went outside, Mojo was laying down just chillin when Buddy's owner came over to chat (she didn't have Buddy with her) and Mojo got up and hopped uphill to go say hi to her. At another point while we were outside I was walking her around to try and do her business. Once again, the potty urge kicked in and she was hopping so fast that her sling slide down to her belly and I was trying to hold her back from going so fast. Needless to say, she is passed out next to the couch now and we are just going to let the sleeping bear rest.
I'm sure Mojo is a "sleeping bear" after a day like today! And what a great day it was!!
I know it did Mojo a world of good to see Izzy and her Grandma and Grandpa, plus Biddy's hooman too!
Aounds like she may not need the sling help anymore for potty breaks...... maybe just a long leash to keep that speedy tripawd from running off. And you may need non slip scatter rugs for traction over those hardwoods as Mojo continues to get more and more movile on her own
Thanks for sharing o many wonderful victories today! Made my day, that's for sure 😁.
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!
Well Mojo is getting that sparkle back, what a win! A lot of them!
The trashbag jacket must have been something else! That’s too cute.
These dogs just amaze us don’t they?! Here’s to more great recovery milestones!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Houdini (Mojo's alter ego) paid us a visit yesterday evening. We went out for dinner and propped the baby gate up in the living room between the couch and recliner and two table chairs keeping pressure against it as we usually do. We didn't turn the camera on until we got to the restaurant and when we did, we couldn't see her anywhere in the living room. There was one spot that we couldn't see which would have been if she was laying directly in front of the recliner. We decided to sneak back in when we got home. Since she can hear and knows when the garage door opens, we left it closed and came in the front door. Quietly took off our shoes and tip-toed down the hallway. We heard a noise and knew it had to be her. We tip-toed into the kitchen, got around to the island, looked to the left and low and behold....Mojo was laying in the mudroom. Once again she braved the hardwood and then the mudroom's tile flooring. We have NO IDEA how she managed to escape as the baby gate and tables chair were still exactly in place.
Oh and look who decided to stand up for breakfast today (her compression shirt was in the wash).
Hahaha!! Mojo is one smart cookie!! Whwre there's a will there's a way!!!! Not gonna be able to outsmart this amazing Houdini Mojo! I'm sure she was quite proud of herself 😎
Her incision looks really good. I know it had to feel good to jave that compression shirt off.
And YAY for standing to eat breakfast!! It is so exciting when we see these "little" routines return! They are HUGE victories!
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!
WHEEEEE!!!! Looks like a pretty great end to your week. Go Mojo! You'll have to show us that Houdini trick sometime. Keep practicing, you're on the way to a beautifully complete recovery.
Thanks for the pawesome pupdate!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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