Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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paws120 said
I have never heard of burkholderia, I will have to do some research on it. MRSA is a bugger in people, it really probably is a good thing that you went with the veterinary formula of medication.
Thanks Jackie! Yes, I'm not sure on the spelling but pretty sure that's what our GP Vet said on the phone. We are excited to be on the right antibiotics and happy Otis feels so good and will only be feeling better each day!
This is such great news and I loved the video! He‘s hopping so well! I‘d love to fast forward a couple of weeks!
Sarah
Oh he is walking like a CHAMP!!!
Great job guys!
Big hugs
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry 
flemingo said
This is such great news and I loved the video! He‘s hopping so well! I‘d love to fast forward a couple of weeks!Sarah
That is exactly how I felt watching everyone else's videos. You will be there soon enough -- the recovery is worth it for the pain free hop!
Look at Otis go! What a champ; he looks like he's definitely got the hang of the hop in the video. I'm so glad that he's doing well after the abscess, and what an interesting culture result!
-- Kayla and Chy
Excellent news to hear that you are able get Otis’i Factions under control. Fantastic that you caught it! Way to go for being on top of his care! This is why everyone says that if you are ever in any doubt, call your vet! That’s what they are there for!!!
Good lad Otis, you’re doing a champion job in recovery! Keep well!
Sarah, two weeks will be over before you know it! 😉
All the very best from Petra, Stewie 🐾 and his Pride >^..^<
Remember...“live in the moment!“
I know we have a new thread set up for us by Jackie in Hopping Along...but I had a couple of Otis questions and updates.
Today is first day since amputation that Otis lay down on his incision side! I almost didn't notice but I kept thinking he looked odd this morning before I went to work and then I realized it was because his incision was underneath him! I'm celebrating all the small things! He's been off tramadol for a week! He's down to one gabapentin a day and the anti inflammatory...but is slowly going off those too. He has a week left of his antibiotics but 🤞 that they worked.
Now...two questions:
1) we still haven't gotten the pathology back on his leg. His amp was Jan 8... because we're not pursuing chemo, I suppose it doesn't really matter, but even our GP vet said that this was taking a lot longer than he would expect. Did anyone else have to wait this long? The results probably won't change anything, but I am curious!
2) has anyone else had their dog develop an ear infection during recovery? Otis is almost 7 and in these seven years has NEVER had ear problems ... Could it be related to his wound infection? Or just having a weakened immune system after his surgery? We are going back to our GP vet to make sure his incision infection is cleared up after his antibiotics and I would hate to have to put him on another drug. Our GP vet told me to clean it and put some drops in his ear and wait to see if that combined with his oral antibiotics would help. But if anyone who has experience with dog ear infections has advice...I would be all ears 😂! Right now he has some dark brown discharge and more wax than usual. His outer ear is not red or inflamed and he doesn't have problem with me touching it.
Thanks and happy hopping!
Camille & Otis
Camille & Otis,,
glad Otis is doing better. Po didn't have any ear infections yet so i have no experience with that.
Any reason why you are not doing Chemo?
sunshine4209 said
Any reason why you are not doing Chemo?
Two reasons...1) Once I learned what was going on with Otis, I felt extremely guilty for having him limp for so long. I wanted to take away his pain and that was my number one priority. I figured we could pursue chemo and still not get more time than if we didn't and even though I know it's easier on dogs, I would just rather spend time with Otis doing what we like to do rather than always be at the vet. Even though we've only had to go one extra time because of the infection, it did clarify for me that I would rather have spent that time on a walk with Otis.
And 2) Finances. The amputation was a stretch for us already, and I knew with the pain meds, a new piece of equipment for Otis here and there, it would all add up.
My friend asked me recently if I were a mega millionaire, would I have done things differently. I am not sure the answer to the question because really the only thing I want is for Otis to be happy and for us to be together as long as possible and I'm not sure if money could buy us more time.
Actually, Bubba had a little ear irritation. We discovered that it was due to his cone. The cone was so large and when he went out in the snow or damp air moisture was trapped in his ears. I know this sounds really bazaar, but because the goofy cone was so large he wasn't getting enough air to dry his ears out. At least, that's what the vet determined. As soon as we started taking the cone off the issue resolved.
babs2018 said
Actually, Bubba had a little ear irritation. We discovered that it was due to his cone. The cone was so large and when he went out in the snow or damp air moisture was trapped in his ears. I know this sounds really bazaar, but because the goofy cone was so large he wasn't getting enough air to dry his ears out. At least, that's what the vet determined. As soon as we started taking the cone off the issue resolved.
Interesting...since Otis has been wearing his donut/cone longer than normal, I wonder if that contributed. He's in a T-shirt now, so I guess that is better for the ear.
I can't help with the path report but I have lots of ear infection experience.
Did your vet swab his ear- is that how they diagnosed an infection? is there a nasty odor in his ear? Is he shaking his head more than usual or scratching at the ear? Is the inside of his ear red and inflamed? Those are the signs I usually see in the pugs when they get infections.
It wouldn't surprise me that he is more susceptible right now- he has been through a lot with the surgery and infection. I know that bacteria that causes some ear infections is the same that is found on the skin, but I don't know specifically about MRSA . Hopefully they took a swab of the ear to check for sure.
My experience has been bacterial and yeast infections as well as allergies. There could also be a foreign object but I assume they would have looked for that. I've always been able to clear up the infections in two or three weeks with extra ear cleaning and some drops. I've learned over the years to clean pug ears frequently!
Karen
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
This is the perfect place to update on Otis and ask Otis-related questions! AND to celebrate Otis
You've gotten good feedback on the ear situation.
The fact that Otis is laying in the amp side is a sign that he really is pain free as far as the surgery site goes! 🙂 🙂 If I recall, it took my Happy Hannah four, maybe five weeks, sleep comfortably on the amp side!
HAPPY SLEEPING-ON-AMP-SIDE-VERSARY OTIS!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂
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!
Hi Camille and Otis!
Yay on laying on his side!! Definitely a great sign of comfort. The ear infection, irritation, ok so here goes.. it is most likely a yeast infection. Yeast grows in dark damp places. Maybe he never had one before, that doesn't mean he can never get one and like Karen knows, there are some individuals dogs as well as breeds that are more prone to them. Usually they are the ones with heavy flapping ears but not always. Officially to check for yeast, we had to look under a microscope. Unofficially take a little sniff inside his ear. It will probably smell a little off. You can smell a raging yeast infection from across the room lol. Ear hygiene right now is of the utmost importance. I would get a gentle drying cleaner. I tend to stay away from the products by Sargent and Hartz. Epi Otic and Oticlens are great ear cleaners. They have a drying agent in them that inhibits yeast growth yet they are gentle enough to use without being harsh on the ears. I get qtips and cotton balls out and have them handy. At the animal hospital we had the long handled qtips, they were awesome but you may not find those unless you ask your vet for them. Squirt enough to make a little puddle in the ear and massage at the base. Don't let him shake his head yet. Let that solution get down into the ear. Then you can let him shake. Take cotton balls and wipe as far down without the cotton being able to get stuck and wipe up and out. then take your qtip and clean the remainder. Dogs ears are not shaped like ours so you will not hurt him. They are shaped more like an L, you will not hit the eardrum. If he has a lot of debris, clean every day. When the debris starts to subside clean every other day. When the qtip and cotton come out looking clean, clean 1-2 times a week and then you can see how he does after that. Maybe the cone inhibited proper air flow, it doesn't take a lot to get it going. He may never have another after this but every couple of weeks you might wanna go in and check with a qtip and make sure. Unless he has a decent infection, doing this may make it all go away easy peasy. Sometimes they will prescribe Otomax if you cannot get it under control on your own. It is a great medicine and usually does the trick pretty quickly. I am NOT a vet. I have cleaned more dog and cat ears, and treated more ear infections than I could ever possibly count. I worked at a teaching hospital, so part of my job was to teach owners how to take care of their animals to try and prevent problems from cropping up.
I would be calling about the biopsy results. It seems like a real long time to not have any answers. It is usually in the 7-10 working day range, this has been a lot longer.
I hope I didn't ramble on too awfully long, I am so very glad that Otis is starting to feel better!!
Big hugs,
Jackie
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry
Thank you Karen and Jackie, this is such useful information! Really appreciate it, especially brand recommendations. Karen, we haven't gotten the ear swab yet, but vet said he would swab if it persisted into next week when we are back there again for making sure his antibiotics did the trick.
Right now, his ear smells a tad off, but I'm glad I know that a raging yeast infection will clear the room! Lol
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