Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Thought I'd start up a new thread so others can follow my footsteps. My 1 year old German Shepherd is on his way home tonight. He had his surgery to remove his front right leg yesterday morning because of a bony tumor in his shoulder joint. The beginning of this story is here:
http://tripawds.....questions/
So far, he's very much crate trained. My house is all hardwood floors and I have cheap runner rugs everywhere. I'm prepared to make a grocery bag sling if necessary. I have arranged to work from home to the weekend. I received instructions from the vet via email. I already ordered a Web Master harness for when he recovers.
According to the discharge instructions, Scooby will have an e-collar. He will be taking carprofen/Rimadyl (anti-inflammatory), cephalexin (antibiotic) and Tramadol (pain.) The only thing I haven't given to my old dog I lost in December is the antibiotic. I still have Pill Pockets so I think I'll be good. 14 days for the stitches.
Things I'm hoping for:
- Sleeping through the night
- Safe navigation of outdoor stairs (every door, front, back, side, garage - stairs)
- I hope I can leave him for 4 or 5 hours - I do have a few things I need to do
- Of course, speedy recovery and remarkable improvement in his endurance when he's not in pain
- Able to control him when he feels better but isn't better (he's still a big puppy!
Things I'm wondering about:
- How will I pick him up without hurting his wound site? I usually put my hand around a dog's chest or between his front legs! <confused>
- Do I need a car ramp?
- How will I correct him on leash without knocking him off balance? (I use prong collars on my dogs)
- Being drugged up, will he be at risk having bathroom accidents in the house?
Maybe the better place for this is a blog... 🙂
He's home. The first hour I spent trying to keep him calm. He tried to chase the cats. He gobbled his food down. He pee'ed for 3 minutes. His wound is beautiful. He can't walk worth a crap. Being a front leg the sling they sent him with is not helping much, in some ways it's throwing him off. He's sleeping now. I'm so happy the surgery is over and he looks so good. The ladies at the vet were in love with him! They were so encouraging to me too. Life is ok!
Online
YAAAAAAAAAY FOR SCOOBY BEING HOME!!!!
YAAAAAAAAAY FOR EATING!!
YAAAAAAAAAY FOR PEEING!!!
Sometimes poop can take a few days sue ro meds, etc., so let us know when that happens and we'll celebrate that too!!!
Okay! Quick!! Go to sleep right now while Scooby is sleeping! You might not get much sleep the next few days!!
I can answer some of your wuestions, but for the most part, Scooby will answer them for himself in his own way! When we say every dog is different and every recovery is different, it's true!!
Hes still high from hospital drugs right now and will be u steady for a bit. I used a towel sling with my Happy Hannah (or tried to!). She lretty much just froze and didn't like it at all.
He may, or may not sleep the first couple of days. Some dogs basically just stay in bed and sleep. My Hap o y Hannah was restless and whiny for the first several days and slept very little.
Right now, Scooby just needs potty breaks and complete rest.
Not sure how many stairs he will be dealing with. If at all possible, try and avoid stairs. Sounds like that's not possible though. I built a ramp for Happy Hannah, but I got her used to it before the amputation, so I don't know how Scooby will react. Make sure it has some railings on it as that makes them less afraid of it.
He may have accidents in the house while hes on his pain meds...may not though! I would put a waterproof pad under him on his bed for a day or two just in case.
Yes, a jerk on the leash could definitely pull a front legger off balance. Perhaps Jerry can give you insight as they use a prong collar on Wyatt.
You may have ro check into a Webmaster Harness for helping him navigate and helping him get in the car. Check out the gear links as there are a lot of options to help loft him should he need that type of help.
For about the first two weeks he basically just needs potty breaks with not much walking around at all. Some dogs have overdone it and gotten sore muscles or even pulled stitch or two.
Grab a bag of CHOCOLATE....stay connected....and let us know how things are going as soon as you have time to catch your breath!!
Cheering for you Scooby!!
Hugs!
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
Oops...jist saw you have a harness! That should help!
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!
YAY for Scooby coming home!!!! I can't answer a ton of your questions since i had a little dog that I could pick up and carry and didn't need a sling or a ramp!
But we didn't have any accidents in the house... or if we did, they were not a result of the amp but rather her cancer.
I would do your best to keep him as calm as possible. They are still super high on pain meds so feeling nothing but rest, rest, rest!!!
Hugs!!!
Shelby Lynne; Jack Russell/Shiba Inu mix. Proud member of the April Angels of 2014.
October 15, 2000 to April 8, 2014
Our story: Broke rear leg in June 2013 - non-conclusive results for cancer so leg was plated and pinned. Enlarged spleen in September 2013 and had it removed and was diagnosed with Hemangiosarcoma and started chemotherapy. Became a Tripawd January 8th, 2014 and definitive Hemangiosarcoma diagnosis. Three major surgeries in 7 months and Shelby took them all like a champ only to lose her battle to cancer in her brain. We had 8 amazing extra months together and no regrets. #shelbystrong #loveofmylife
Yay Scooby's home. Some of the bigger dogs take a little longer to get their "sea legs". I think our Max thought we took both his back legs for the first two days. But on day 3 up he got and hopped into the kitchen. Each day he got better and better with his mobility. Unfortunately Max was one of those dogs that had a hard time with the Tramadol. He always seemed wired and nervous while on it so we didn't get much sleep that first week. But eventually we settled into a rythmn of sorts and things got better fast. You're doing great and each day will show improvement. Stay calm and pawsitive around Scooby and he will follow your lead. Hugs to you and that beautiful Scooby!
Linda, Ollie, Riley & Spirit Mighty Max
Murphy is a front leg amputee. We never used the e-collar on him. After his dressing came off, we just put an old t-shirt of my son's on him to keep the incision clean, it worked really well. Murphy walked, well sort of ran, out to the car at the hospital, that was never an issue. He hopped on 3 legs right from the get-go! He even jumped into the car by himself, we didn't have to lift him. He's pretty stubborn. The webmaster harness works well, it has a handle on the top so it works well to help lift him. Murphy weighs about 50 lbs. It also has a hook for the leash. We've never used prong collars on any of our dogs.
He may be unsteady due to the medications, sometimes it makes them a little loopy. We used peanut butter to give them with. Murphy came home on Tramadol, Gabapentin & Rimadyl. You can put an ice pack on the incision a couple times a day to help prevent swelling, make sure to put a towel between the ice pack & the incision. Also, massage around the incision to help re-absorb extra fluids that might build up.
Donna
Donna, Glenn & Murphy
Murphy had his right front leg amputated due to histiocytic sarcoma at 7 years old. He survived 4 years, 2 months & 1 week, only to be taken by hemangiosarcoma at 11 1/2 years 6/12/17
Read about Murphy's Life on Three Legs
SCOOOOOOBBBBBYYYYY DDDOOOOOOOOO! Welcome home buddy! Wyatt Ray is ready to play as soon as you're all healed up.
You know we are total suckers for GSDs in this pack right? We want PICTURES!!!!!
Glad he sailed through. GSDs handle this pretty darn well, I can say that with confidence. To answer your questions though (who can blame you for being worried?):
How will I pick him up without hurting his wound site? I usually put my hand around a dog's chest or between his front legs!
Why will you need to? If it's because of stairs, then yes, going downhill will be tricky for a while. You just pick him up as best you can without putting pressure on the incision. You'll get a feel for it.
Do I need a car ramp?
Probably not. Usually a Ruffwear Webmaster harness will do just fine.
How will I correct him on leash without knocking him off balance? (I use prong collars on my dogs)
We use them as well. It's never been a problem as long as you don't correct too hard. You sound like you know what you're doing so I'm betting you get it.
Being drugged up, will he be at risk having bathroom accidents in the house?
Probably not but it can't hurt to keep his bed covered with towels. You'll probably find that a seroma is more of an issue than a potty accident.
Try not to worry too much. Hopefully he's got some great pain medication and is seeing pink elephants about now, and resting. Let us know how your night goes OK? We're thinking of you.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thanks for celebrating with me y'all! Day 2... He's off sniffing around the house as I type this. Last night he whined just a little about every hour from his crate (in my bedroom of course), just enough to wake me up. I just did a "shhh" and he went back to sleep. This morning he woke up, we went out and he had a very stinky poop, so he might just be having indigestion from the antibiotics.
I did figure out the sling is just about useless. It slides back on his abdomen. It's his front end he falls on, etc. I wish I had a very wide collar I could hold him up with. I already have a Web Master but it will land right on his wound.
He's been wearing the ecollar. I took it off this morning and he tried licking the bottom end of his wound. I'll have to try the tshirt thing when I can get time today.
He's also getting the hang of this walking thing. It's better than yesterday. He can turn himself around. He's keeping his back legs farther apart. I took my four leg dog out the back door this morning and he bounced over and jumped up on the back door wanting to come with us (which he never did with four legs!) He's even tried to chase the cats.
PS - here are some pictures on Flickr: https://flic.kr.....aHsktbtvVR
Loved looking at "family album". Awww....a very handsome boy! And his sibling his a sweetie too!
YAY FOR POOP!! First poops are always a little "special" around here, stinky or not!
It sounds like Scobby is doing really well! Glad he's already up and walking. Love that he wanted to go our with his pack! The resilience of a tripawd astounds me!
Scooby may, or may not, have a bit of a crash in the next day or two as the hospital meds get out of his system.
Keep these great updates coming! Recovery will be over soon!!
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!
benny55 said
Loved looking at "family album". Awww....a very handsome boy! And his sibling his a sweetie too!YAY FOR POOP!! First poops are always a little "special" around here, stinky or not!
It sounds like Scobby is doing really well! Glad he's already up and walking. Love that he wanted to go our with his pack! The resilience of a tripawd astounds me!
Scooby may, or may not, have a bit of a crash in the next day or two as the hospital meds get out of his system.
Keep these great updates coming! Recovery will be over soon!!
HUGS!
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
Thanks! Yeah, I think his hospital meds are flushing. He's kinda restless and panting a little more. He's trying so hard, and I'm having to catch him before he chases the cats. I made him a 'tshirt' by sewing an arm hole closed, but it's a little too big. Might have to go by Wally World and get a cheap kids tshirt. With four legs, he had a tendency to follow me everywhere. Unfortunately he wants to do that while he's healing. I may have to crate him so he'll rest.
His sibling is the black dog Izzie. I lost my 17 year old yellow dog Holly in December. She was my first. I came home one day and found she had passed. Scooby has her spot!
Holly transitioned at 15? What a full.life of love! And to cross over on her own terms and at home...that has to bring you some comfort.
I know your heart still hurts.
It's wonderful that you honor Holly by bringing another dog into your heart to share your love.
Yeah, must rry and keep the pain meds in him on a consistent basis so the pain doesn't get ahead start.
And Mr. Scooby! You leave those cats alone for now! There will be plenty of time for chasing later! Get ready to run cats. Scooby will be after you soon!
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!
OHhhhhhh SCOOOOOBBBBBY!!!!!! We are totally, absolutely in LOVE with you handsome boy! Man you won the lotto with your good people, YAY! You remind us a lot of our Wyatt Ray when he was a young lad.
Yeah, I think the stinky poop is due to the surgical anesthesia meds and such working through his body. Happens to our Wyatt whenever he's had any type of surgery (too many, crazy dog).
As a front-leg amp, Scooby is going to need some extra TLC so that carpal joint is well-protected and keeps him going for life. Keeping him lean, fit and moderating his activity will go a long, long way. I know "moderation" for a young GSD is tough though, but you can do it with things like interactive mind games, nosework, etc. We can talk about that later, for now, give him extra smooches from us!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Holy BATMAN Scooby..!..Murphy came home on Tuesday and STILL no poop! Congratulations you guys, we are like a STATE, COUNTRY, or VILLAGE all on our own...all on the same page....it has made ALL the difference in the world to know all of you are praying for POOP too..
Love from No poop Murphy
susan43 said
Holy BATMAN Scooby..!..Murphy came home on Tuesday and STILL no poop! Congratulations you guys, we are like a STATE, COUNTRY, or VILLAGE all on our own...all on the same page....it has made ALL the difference in the world to know all of you are praying for POOP too..Love from No poop Murphy
LOL I don't know what it was. I think I probably paid for the most expensive amp you can imagine, but they're supposed to be the best vet ortho surgeon in middle Tennessee. He pee'ed a LOT when he came home, maybe the IV fluids kept him more regular? He's had NO problem pooping.
I'll add something I'm proving out - he gets better and better every day. This morning he bounced up my porch stairs. He dashed out of his box and waited for me in the kitchen. He also phantom barks a little while after he takes his Tramadol.
We're gonna be OK.
So glad Scooby is getting his sparkle back! And it gets better and better!!
Yes indeedy, you and Scooby are going to be okay!!
YAY!
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!
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