Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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HOPPY BED DAY OTIS!! 🙂 🙂
Yeah, check with the Vet in the pain meds. Also, can you take his temperature? Wouldn't worry at all about the "congestion" being anything "horrible".
What comes to mind though, is a possible respiratory issue going on due to the weather. I know my Vet said he saw a lot of that, and pneumonia too, with dogs going in and out of the cold and back into a warm house with dry heat. And all treatable!! 🙂
My stupid connection isn't letting me see the pictures, so will be back later for my "Otis fix".
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!
Glad to hear Otis is doing well 🙂 I would check with the vet about the yelping and the congestion. Maybe he/she would want Otis on antibiotics. Po sleeps a lot as well but I guess that is what he does when I am at work anyhow. A week after the surgery i felt like sometimes he would pant just for no reason but it subsided in the following days. Now it just happens maybe once in a while. I think acupuncture is great. I have been looking for one for Po, but each session would be a 4 hour drive and a day missed at work :/
Wish you the best with Otis.
benny55 said
What comes to mind though, is a possible respiratory issue going on due to the weather. I know my Vet said he saw a lot of that, and pneumonia too, with dogs going in and out of the cold and back into a warm house with dry heat. And all treatable!! 🙂
Our surgeon said the same thing this afternoon when he called me back and assured me that since Otis is on cephalexin that will make sure we're ahead of any infections.
He wants us to refill our anti inflammatory meds. Originally he told us to let the prescription run out (and it did on Tuesday) so he thinks adding those back in with the tramadol+ gabapentin will get Otis comfortable again. Our dosing of tramadol was also on the light side (100 mg twice a day for a 110 pound dog) so he mentioned that we could add in a 3rd dose of that for Otis, but I do think it makes him pant so I gave him an extra 50mg this afternoon after another yelping episode. Feeling lucky that I had a snow day today to be home and observe his behavior and try to help him stay comfortable.
It has been a rough day, but hopefully tonight will be better! Thanks for all of the suggestions and advice. Always calms me down to read everyone's responses.
Otis is now on tramadol + meloxicam + gabapentin. The meloxicam is replacing the rimadyl that our surgeon told us we could stop giving once the prescription ran out on Tuesday. He has not yelped in pain since earlier in the day, although he has had a few more panting episodes. I am hopeful that even though the meloxicam is only a once daily anti inflammatory that it helps him remain pain free. Our only experience was with Rimadyl and Otis tolerated it fine.
We had another concerning issue tonight where Otis was absolutely frantic trying to lick the carpet, and we realized one of his drain holes had started leaking again--- and it leaked a lot, covering the back of his pillow around his head and weeping onto the carpet. The vet was already closed when this happened, but I'm thinking a seroma has developed where one of his drain tubes was. It's warmer than the surrounding area and keeps weeping reddish fluid. It does not smell bad, and he has been on cephalexin since he came home, but I do wonder if its infected and that's why it is warmer than the rest of his incision area. I will call the vet first thing tomorrow-- we were so looking forward to getting his staples out Monday and I do hope that this is just a minor setback. If he does have an infection, it would also explain why the past two days have been filled with mostly sleeping.
Send Otis some positive vibes. We hope he sleeps well and without pain.
Hey there,
It is good that it's seeping and not collecting under the skin trapped. You can try some warm compresses on it to soothe it and let it keep draining. Until you speak with your very in the morning. Definitely better out than in. You're right, it's good he's on the antibiotics. Will he let you take his temp? 101 to 103 is normal so don't panic if these are the numbers you see, those are good numbers.
Jackie
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry 
cvb5 said
We had another concerning issue tonight where Otis was absolutely frantic trying to lick the carpet, and we realized one of his drain holes had started leaking again--- and it leaked a lot, covering the back of his pillow around his head and weeping onto the carpet.
This same thing happened with Stewie within the first week after his surgery. We had Stewie in a t-shirt and suddenly one day it was soaked through. Stewie was having the same panting and restlessness as Otis.
We had to take Stewie into the vets three times (if I recall correctly) to get his site drained. Which meant for Stewie, taking out a couple of stitches in order to let it do its thing! Your vet will definite able to help you get a handle on that.
.
The vet was already closed when this happened, but I'm thinking a seroma has developed where one of his drain tubes was. It's warmer than the surrounding area and keeps weeping reddish fluid. It does not smell bad, and he has been on cephalexin since he came home, but I do wonder if its infected and that's why it is warmer than the rest of his incision area. I will call the vet first thing tomorrow-- we were so looking forward to getting his staples out Monday and I do hope that this is just a minor setback. If he does have an infection, it would also explain why the past two days have been filled with mostly sleeping.
I think you are on the right track in your thinking, as far as a seroma . If Otis’ temperature goes over 102.5. please call your emergency vet right away. He should still be able to get his staples removed if the skin is healing well, I would think? Otherwise it’s a great idea to call your vet first thing!
Send Otis some positive vibes. We hope he sleeps well and without pain.
Sending all good wishes as of this moment! Keep us posted.
All the very best from Petra, Stewie and his Pride!
Remember...“live in the moment!“ 
Bubba had a penrose drain and when it drained he would lick his blanket and the surrounding area. In our experience, it is good that it is draining, although it can appear to be somewhat of a lot of blood/fluid, that is the purpose of the drains. We did not experience a seroma . We were instructed to clean the end of the drain tube with a warm cloth. It did feel warm but it never got infected. he too was on an antibiotic. As always, consult with your vet. I do know that the concern would be if the drain tube didn't drain and blood and fluid collected around it. His would drain quiet a bit after he went out and moved around.
I spoke with my vet and they told me that the tube would continue to drain until it was removed and you want it to drain. I hope this helps.
Good morning Camille, Otis, and family!
I sure hope last night was uneventful for all of you and that Otis rested comfortably. Regarding Petra's statement, I realize I was probably not as clear as I should have been. I am not a doctor, or a vet. I have however, taken thousands of temps in the years of animal service that I provided. The official "normal" temperature range for a canine is 99.5 to 102.5. With that in mind, it is not uncommon at all for dogs to be on the "high side" of normal during periods of excitement, stress, or pain. I have seen a lot of dogs that had 102.5-102.8 as their "normal" temp, especially the anxious ones. 103 can be considered a low grade fever, like you or I having a low grade fever. With Otis being on antibiotics, having a seroma that is actively draining fluid that is not smelly or pus filled, and after normal veterinary hours, I would not at all be surprised given the warmth of the area that he may have a low grade temp. Unless it were higher than 103, I personally would not panic and bring him out in the middle of the night to see a vet that does not know him. If it were a raging fever I would. In my humble opinion even a low grade fever could wait to see a doctor that knows him, especially with you having it under such wonderful control. I in no way meant to mislead you or give you incorrect advise. As I said, I am not a doctor. You have all been through so much lately, I did not want you to panic unless it was warranted. I hope you all did well throughout the evening and that he did not have any emergencies. Hopefully today will be a better day for you all.
Hugs,
Jackie 
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry
Thanks for all of the advice. It made me feel better to know that others had experienced similar situations and I felt more prepared. Otis temp was normal this morning and he slept until 5:30am. He's still very lethargic, not like he was a few days ago, but our surgeon said as long as it was draining from the spot where the drain tube was, he was not worried and that he thought it would be fine to wait and come in next week when he's supposed to get his staples out. He said the fact that it was warmer than surrounding areas was not surprising.
I then talked to our regular vet-- he has been wanting an Otis update and so was happy to hear from us. He asked that I bring Otis in tomorrow morning just to double check that everything is ok. He also is going to look at staples and see if they are ready to come out as we will be at day 12 post amp tomorrow. He mentioned on the phone that if he suspected a small infection he would do a wound culture just to make sure the antibiotics Otis is on will help him fight it.
Otis ate his breakfast in bed and now is sleeping again, but with the reintroduction of the anti inflammatory he hasn't been panting, his incision hasn't been twitching, and he has not yelped in pain, so I think that was the right idea!
Yes, I would echo what Jackie said. Even after the penrose was removed Bubba had drainage from where the tube had been. We were told not to be alarmed if it happened. I can only speak to our experience and do hope Otis is doing well. I wonderful how on top of Otis's care you are and he his in very capable hands. You've got this!
That is wise to have him looked at by your vet. As we all know, this is one of the most stressful and emotionally draining experiences. It's so hard to watch our fur babies go through this. You are getting such wonderful and caring advise from so many here. Best of luck at his visit and I'll be thinking of him.
That is really good news, I am relieved 🙂 Your vet is right on top of it! The antibiotic that Otis is on is a pretty hefty one, it usually will take care of most things. If they end up doing a culture, it will look at the specifics of the fluid coming out and make sure it is one that is not resistant to the meds that Otis is on.
You are also right on top of it! Great job, you may have just saved yourself a major setback, Otis has the best pawrents!
I hope you all have a restful day that is much less stressful
Jackie
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry
Thanks for the update! I'm glad your regular Vet is gping to check him over. Nice!
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!
Otis temp was at 102.5 this morning and he started draining puss yesterday. Vet thinks he had an absess that ruptured and now that it ruptured, Otis is feeling better. Depending on the results of wound culture, Otis will be put on a stronger antibiotic (in the meantime, we are adding an additional 500 mg of cephalexin to his current dose). Otis was 118 pounds pre amp and is now 107, so our GP Vet things 1500 mg of cephalexin twice a day makes more sense than 1000 mg twice a day.
Our GP vet was glad we brought him in this morning and said other than the infection, Otis seems good. Otis is in better spirits and more active and staples will come out on Monday! A small child told her mom at the vet today that "Otis was the biggest dog she had ever seen but he didn't have enough legs." It gave me a good laugh and I told her he had just enough legs.
Thanks again for all the support over the past two weeks-- it has been invaluable! I'm continuing to post updates so that they can be helpful to others in the future when they're up late at night scrolling through the forums looking for answers (not that I've done that myself or anything 😉).
Hoppy Saturday,
Camille & Otis
cvb5 said
Otis temp was at 102.5 this morning and he started draining puss yesterday. Vet thinks he had an absess that ruptured and now that it ruptured, Otis is feeling better. Depending on the results of wound culture, Otis will be put on a stronger antibiotic (in the meantime, we are adding an additional 500 mg of cephalexin to his current dose). Otis was 118 pounds pre amp and is now 107, so our GP Vet things 1500 mg of cephalexin twice a day makes more sense than 1000 mg twice a day.Our GP vet was glad we brought him in this morning and said other than the infection, Otis seems good. Otis is in better spirits and more active and staples will come out on Monday!
So glad to hear that you have things under control for Otis and that he is feeling better already! Well done Otis!
A small child told her mom at the vet today that "Otis was the biggest dog she had ever seen but he didn't have enough legs." It gave me a good laugh and I told her he had just enough legs.
Hahahaha! What a little cutie! And great comeback!
Thanks again for all the support over the past two weeks-- it has been invaluable! I'm continuing to post updates so that they can be helpful to others in the future when they're up late at night scrolling through the forums looking for answers (not that I've done that myself or anything 😉).
Hoppy Saturday,
Camille & Otis
What.....?! Midnight scrolling through Tripawds.....🤔 Nope, never heard of it before!!! Hahahaha! Well done Camille!
All the very best from Petra, Stewie 🐾 and his Pride >^…^< ❤️
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