Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Charlie seemed to being doing great today after a restless night. He went after a stick outside this afternoon. We noticed he stopped to lick his back left paw. When we looked closer, the pads on that foot are peeling, the hair between the pads has fallen out and all the pads are really red. WHAT IS THIS???? Of course, out vet is closed and won't be open until Monday. He had his right front leg amputated 10/31/11.
Just when we thought things were going well....
Could it be an infection? He doesn't lick at all and obviously hasn't been active. This is definitely new since the surgery. Any suggestions?
Poor Charlie, that sounds painful. I hope its nothing serious.
Spirit Samson was Spirit Tripawd Daisys four legged "brother" and ruled as the self proclaimed head of the Monkeybutt Federations East Coast Division. Lady Chunky Monkey stayed from Oct 2011 and left for the bridge in Apr 2012. Miss Perdy is left and has some big pawprints to fill.
Do you have what it takes to be a Monkeybutt? Find out more at the Monkeybutt Federation
Ouch!!! 
I have no clue other than when he went for the stick did he skid at all? Was it on hot top or cement or any type of sandpaper like surface at all? I know of agility dogs that this has happened to on certain surfaces going at speed...
Tracy, Maggie's Mom
Maggie was amputated for soft tissue sarcoma 10-20-09
Maggie lost her battle with kidney disease on 8-24-13
I guess when I say he went for a stick, I meant he bent down to pick one up....which was one of his favorite things to do pre-surgery. We just thought we were seeing more of him today. No asphalt...we live in a big field which we keep half of mowed down to green grass.
Maybe an infection? Doesn't look pussy...a couple pads have freshly removed parts of his pads...we are completely at a loss...no idea!!! Maybe he picked something up at the vet hospital and we are just noticing now...we sound like awful pawrents 
.
He really seems like he wants to keep weight off of it a little...which only leaves him with two good legs...left front and right rear. As if he wasn't facing enough of a challenge...
Ah, OK...so he just picked up the stick...well, no chance of skidding to get it then...this is weird... I have no other ideas for you
What about soaking it in epsom salts and warm water? Do you have a bootie you could put on it or maybe you are? I really have no experience with this just throwing some stuff out.
My own tripawd had a red/raw spot between her remaining rear leg, two outer toes earlier this summer...and I suspected it was because of all the rain we had. The only way I noticed it was because she was licking/chewing at that foot alot and only that foot. I was told to keep it dry and I did use some calendula cream on it and bootied her when it was wet out. But this wasn't a pad but between her toes.
Tracy, Maggie's Mom
Maggie was amputated for soft tissue sarcoma 10-20-09
Maggie lost her battle with kidney disease on 8-24-13
Usually front leg amputees irritate the pad on the remaining front foot but he could have scraped a rear leg pad trying to get himself up sometime during his recovery. Soaking in epsom salts is a good idea and if it seems moist you can use Gold Bond powder between the toes to dry things out. A bootie is also a good idea but make sure to take it off sometimes so the foot can air out.
Pam
Ohh poor guy. yes, try the epsom salts. It can be a challenge to soak with some dogs but maybe you can bribe him with some treats.
Did you put any lawn fertilizer or anything like that on the grass? Or maybe a new carpet cleaner? Just a guess. I hope the vet can figure it out.
And no you are not bad parents! You're excellent for noticing. Please keep us posted.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hope Charlie's foot gets better!
Comet - 1999 to 2011
She departed us unexpectedly January 23, 2011 at the age of 12 1/2.
She was born with a deformed front leg and a tripawd all of her life.
Thanks all for the ideas…I'm going to try to get him into the vet tomorrow…which will be so stressful for him but, I think we just need to have it looked at. It's looking more and more like the pads just got cracked and raw and peeled off but, the fur between his pads is gone and it's so red in there?!? The other thing is that he only lays on his left side so, all the weight of his body sits on that little foot all the time(since he is laying down all the time). We have never used fertilizer (because of Charlie and our 2 year old) or carpet cleaner (for the same reason). My aunts dog died from licking carpet cleaner 🙁
On another note, he was up for hours last night crying consistently. This is not new. We just figured he couldn't get comfortable. My husband & I have been taking turns sleeping with him. Last night he cried from 12:00am to after 2:00am and then here and there.
We resigned to giving him more Rimadyl after his dinner tonight. Makes sense that he could still be in pain. I will ask the vet for a refill on the Rimadyl tomorrow. Tomorrow will be 3 weeks exactly from his surgery.
What have others done as far as the pain medication goes? Charlie just really can't get comfortable and then he just gets so exhausted that he finally falls asleep. We just want him to improve but, obviously don't want him to be in pain. We just can't be sure the night time crying is pain. He seems to cry far less during the day if at all.
Oh yeah…we tried the stairs (hardwood) last night…thinking he would sleep better if he were back with us in our bedroom where he used to sleep…he was sooooooooooo nervous coming down.
I'm getting quotes tomorrow on carpeting our stairs……………..
charliecheese said:
My aunts dog died from licking carpet cleaner 🙁
Argh, so sorry... I hate to hear horror stories like this. Especially when they are avoidable considering the safer alternatives out there. But I digress, this is not the place to discuss eco-friendly household products, so I invite anyone interested to contact Rene and I directly.
best wishes for your vet visit tomorrow, please keep us posted.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
My dog's foot in between her toes got wicked red too - from her licking it all the time, I assumed...it went away when I got her red/raw spot under control between her toes and then she stopped licking it and hair returned to normal white color that she is...but you say he isn't licking it?
My dog doesn't do stairs at all...oh, she can do a few at a time but going up she requires my help, going down she can do on her own - she's a rear amp. dog. After her amputation, it was the first time I said I was glad I had rugs in most of my house! Where there isn't rug, there is now throw rugs everywhere...looks awful but...
Tracy, Maggie's Mom
Maggie was amputated for soft tissue sarcoma 10-20-09
Maggie lost her battle with kidney disease on 8-24-13
We visited the vet this morning and he said there were a couple things going on with Charlie's feet. The first was some dermititis (which just confirms an infection of some sort between the toes). He gave us wipes (MalAcetic Wet Wipes/Dry Bath contains: 2% acetic acid and 2% boric acid, ph buffered with surfactants). We are using these twice a day for a week to dry out the area and then will continue use once a day if necessary.
He said the sores on his feet are the result of a shift in his weight. It makes sense. His rear left leg is the one he always pushes up with first and seems to hold more weight on that side since he has two legs on the left and only one on the right. He advised me to purchase something called KoperTox. It is suppoed to harden and seal those fresh sores and regenerate the pad itself. Well, after visiting Agway, Paris Farmers Union, and Tractor Supply...all of which didn't carry it, I found it at a horse and farm feed store. Everyone (vet and store personnel) told me not to use it inside because it stains. The product is used on horses, sheep, to toughen up hooves, etc. I have read in other places on line that people use it on dog's pads that hike a lot to toughen up their pads. Not only does it stain but, the smell is very strong. I ignored the advice of the store person and decided to put it on him in my living room. What a balancing act that was. I now have the product on my rug, Charlie's new bed and the ottoman that is a part of our living room furniture. I have mixed feelings about it. It says to avoid getting it anywhere but their pads because it can make the hair on their feet fall out if you get it on the hair.
I have read that bag balm works and another product called tuff-paw (or something like that). I think we are going to try the bag balm at night and keep it wrapped just overnight. What a mess I made with the KoperTox and now Charlie smells like it too . It is really strong. I'm sure it works but, I'm not up for the challenge. My furniture is soaking in baking soda tonight.
On another note, our vet was sure that Charlie's crying at night was psychological. We really don't think he is in any pain...just not used to sleeping downstairs. That made sense to us too. As soon as we are all together again downstairs in the morning, he is fine and falls right asleep (also because he has been up all night wimpering ). My husband slept downstairs with him last night and said Charlie went over to the foot of the stairs in the middle of the night. Our vet recommended Gabapentin until we can get him upstairs. He really encouraged getting back to our bedroom where he is used to sleeping to make him happy and get back to his routine which I've found by reading and experience is sooooooooooooooo important!
Someone came today to take measurements to install carpet on our hardwood stairs...it's coming Dec. 2...not soon enough!!! We'll hope the Gabapentin helps keep him rested at night until then and we finally brought a bed into our living room to help keep us comfortable too! We hope the Gabapentin has no crazy side effects!
I also ordered him some custom booties today from Tammy & Teddy's...found by a link on Tripawds under gear. She was very helpful and they are custom made to their measurements.....it'll be a couple weeks until we get them. I also ordered a harness today for him with the handle on the back...we're thinking this will help with the stairs too once they are carpeted...maybe to ease our minds!
Wow, this was a long one and what a big day we had today! We're all exhausted! All uphill from here (I hope)!
I may have already mentioned this to you in another post but as I was reading this, the restlessness at night was exactly what my Levi was doing. The vet gave us a muscle relaxer. Methocarbomol. Worked wonders! I've also been using bag balm on his sore red hocks. Good stuff! We are only two weeks ahead of you with all this! We couldn't be happier. Things should be getting better really soon! Stairs are going fine here. The carpet will help a lot.
Levi was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma 7-7-11
Ampuversary 10-14-11
Lung Mets Discovered 1-4-12. Chemo seemed to not be working so we switched to Artemisinin and other supplements. In May, Levi developed a sinus infection and started having seizures. The cancer had moved to his brain. We let him go 6-26-12.
Here's another product that is also for dogs(and horses)... "Tuf-Foot". I used to use it on my Aussie the quadpawd as she has soft pads and used to get cuts easily. It dries really fast...I would put a bootie on her until I knew it was really dry in the house.
http://www.tuf-foot.com Might be a little better in the ingredients than KoperTox?
Tracy, Maggie's Mom
Maggie was amputated for soft tissue sarcoma 10-20-09
Maggie lost her battle with kidney disease on 8-24-13
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