Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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We're on day/night 3 of recovery at home. Ziva is doing really well so far (I think) and the incision site looks amazing! Today was the first day she was comfortable to get up and hop around on her own. She also FINALLY pooped, which we were excited about! The only issue she seems to be having is nausea. She has thrown up about 2-3 times per day since she's been home. She has been eating and drinking normally, though. Does the vomiting sound normal? She's on Tramadol, Gabapentin, Deramaxx and Simplicef. She takes Simplicef at 3pm each day, Deramax at 7pm, and her last dose of Tramadol was at 1, she takes Gabapentin at 4.
The most difficult part of this all has been carrying her down 3 flights of stairs when she needs to go potty. We use a combination of a Webmaster harness with the brush guard and a rear sling. I take the front and my boyfriend takes the back. It's hard and my arms are more sore than they've been in years, but I AM SO GLAD SHE'S HOME!
It's not as difficult as I thought it would be watching her hop around and not see a leg on her. I'm just SO happy she no longer has a huge tumor on her leg. I have no idea if it was hurting her at all - it didn't seem to. But only Ziva TRULY knows. I'd do whatever it takes to keep our girl happy and alive with us for as long as possible. We should hear back about the histopathology of the tumor in a few days. The good news is, her xrays looked fine and her blood work was normal. The vet said it doesn't appear to have affected any other parts of her body.
Sleep has been insane. I don't know how people with human babies do it (y'all are troopers).
Anyway, let's see if I can figure out how to add some images of Ziva
Oh my dog, Ziva is beautiful! Her incision looks great, yay for hopping around! 💪💪💪 good job mama, three flights of stairs..ack!! You guys are doing a fantastic job and Ziva looks really good!
Hugs,
Jackie and Huck 
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry 
Aww pretty girl! Is she all Husky or part Malamute? Those ears! She is sooo gorgeous and I swear her eyes are saying "Whew! Glad to be rid of that bad leg!"
You and your guy are quite a recovery team. Good job!
My guess about the nausea is that the antibiotic is doing it. Are you giving them with food? Ask your vet if that's OK but I know that many dogs have GI issues with them, and people too.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Oh would you mind if I shared her photo in our Gallery?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
paws120 said
Oh my dog, Ziva is beautiful! Her incision looks great, yay for hopping around! 💪💪💪 good job mama, three flights of stairs..ack!! You guys are doing a fantastic job and Ziva looks really good!Hugs,
Jackie and Huck
Thank you! This website is a godsend 
jerry said
Aww pretty girl! Is she all Husky or part Malamute? Those ears! She is sooo gorgeous and I swear her eyes are saying "Whew! Glad to be rid of that bad leg!"You and your guy are quite a recovery team. Good job!
My guess about the nausea is that the antibiotic is doing it. Are you giving them with food? Ask your vet if that's OK but I know that many dogs have GI issues with them, and people too.
jerry said
Oh would you mind if I shared her photo in our Gallery?
As far as we know, she's full Husky. I adopted her from the city shelter about 6 years ago. She had actually been returned 3 times and was about to be turned over to the local husky rescue. It was an interesting process to adopt her, but I'm so glad I did. She's the size of a typical female husky and a little smaller than our male. Feel free to share any photos of Ziva!
She wasn't wanting to eat much food, but I cooked some rice for her today and she's been able to keep that down. They had suggested taking the antibiotic with food, but of course I can't force her to eat. She seems to be getting her appetite back now
Deramaxx can also cause vomiting.
Rocky didn’t have any issues after his amp, but he did throw up a few times after his biopsy. He was on Deramaxx then. Our vet had me give him chicken and rice along with 10mg of over-the-the-counter Pepcid. You might want to check with your vet about that.
David and Rocky (and Baxter now too!)
Rocky had his right front leg amputated on Valentine's Day 2017 after being diagnosed with osteosarcoma.
He joined the September Saints on September 3, 2017.
He is the toughest, bravest, sweetest and best friend I'll ever know.
Returned three times.... that's awful! You are truly her Angel human in shining armor ❤️❤️❤️
I'm glad she's holding some food down. You can boil up some chicken or ground beef with that rice and see if she'll eat that. Don't add salt or spices, just keep it plain. Maybe cook the meat separate and add a little rice so you don't waste it if she turns her nose up to it.
They are a handsome couple, thank you for taking a chance on a three time return ❤️❤️❤️
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry
And Ziva pooped??? And it's only three days post op??? Good girl beautiful Ziva!!😀
Sloooow and easy Ziva. Keep these great updates coming!!! And great poctures yo! You have a very handsome brother.
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!
So we’re 6 days post op now and holy cow I’m exhausted.
First off, THANK YOU. You guys have been such a huge help!!! I’d lose my mind if this website wasn’t here to help!!! I actually called the support line today and Sally walked me through dealing with a draining seroma . I was in full panic mode and by the end of the call, I was confident that I’m going to be able to handle this.
so yeah, Ziva has been having a lot of drainage today. The sight of so much liquid coming out was SO terrifying. Now I realize I just have to clean it up and make sure her spot is clean. I do have a question though, should I let her lay on her left side where the incision is? It seems to drain significantly more if she walks around or lays on that side.
I was letting her walk around on her own the past couple of days, but now I have her sling back around her. When using it, I’ve been mostly placing it under her belly instead of her hips to avoid rubbing the stitches. Is that right?
https://photos......Y8GFzupxZ7
sorry for the rambling post everyone, I’m clearly sleep deprived (as you’re all familiar with) and I’m overthinking EVERYTHING
Ziva is gorgeous and looks great! 6 days post-op, wow!!
I can only attest that my Ciara SCARFED scrambled eggs even if she wasn't hungry for her normal food. The first couple of weeks are exhausting, you're absolutely right. But hang in there and you always have the wonderful folks here for an assist or advice whenever you need it!!
sara87 said
Ziva is gorgeous and looks great! 6 days post-op, wow!!I can only attest that my Ciara SCARFED scrambled eggs even if she wasn't hungry for her normal food. The first couple of weeks are exhausting, you're absolutely right. But hang in there and you always have the wonderful folks here for an assist or advice whenever you need it!!
She has her diet back now, I think her upset tummy from the drugs was holding her back from eating. Can y'all take a shift watching her while I sleep? JK 
I saw you video, it all looks really good!! Just remember, what is happening is nature's way of getting her healthy. That fluid is better out than in! When it gets stuck inside and has no where to go is when you can get into trouble.
Warm damp facecloths several times a day will encourage it to finish draining. If you have some puppy pads you can lay one on her bed and then lay a towel on top of that for easy peasy clean up.
I know it sounds gross but color and smell are key factors as you watch this heal. Anything that starts to smell foul, green or yellow pus, it if it looks too bloody please contact your vet.
Sounds like you have the placement of the harness correct too.
You are doing an awesome job taking care of your furbaby!!💖💖💖
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry
paws120 said
I saw you video, it all looks really good!! Just remember, what is happening is nature's way of getting her healthy. That fluid is better out than in! When it gets stuck inside and has no where to go is when you can get into trouble.Warm damp facecloths several times a day will encourage it to finish draining. If you have some puppy pads you can lay one on her bed and then lay a towel on top of that for easy peasy clean up.
I know it sounds gross but color and smell are key factors as you watch this heal. Anything that starts to smell foul, green or yellow pus, it if it looks too bloody please contact your vet.
Sounds like you have the placement of the harness correct too.
You are doing an awesome job taking care of your furbaby!!💖💖💖
The discharge came out much heavier after that video, but still the same consistency. The blood is light pink in color and not red, so I think that's good. I hadn't even thought of putting puppy pads on her bed, I'm gonna have to do that the next time she gets up. She's been laying down most of the day. She hasn't gone potty yet, and we want to avoid carrying her down the stairs (we live on the 3rd floor) and putting more stress on her. I honestly don't care if she goes in the house, it can be cleaned! Is there a way to encourage her to go inside?
Thanks for all the support!
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