Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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My 12 y o Rottweiler had her left front leg removed 2/2/17. She now has a severe bed sore on the right front leg elbow which is continuing to get worse. It appears that the bone is showing. I have tried padding and wrapping with vet wrap but it is not holding. At this time she is not willing to attempt to get up and go to the bathroom. I am at a loss on how to help her. Any thoughts are appreciated.
Hi again Betty, it was great talking to you!
I want to let everyone know that you are waiting for your vet to call you right now. And that your Rosie is a 12 year old Rottie who lost her leg to OSA.
Here are the links to some of the things we talked about:
How Manuka Honey Helps Heal Wounds
Try Silver Sulfadiazine for Elbow Wounds and Hygromas
Options for Treating a Dog’s Elbow Hygroma
Elbow Protectors Eases Pressure Sore Problems
Try Kuranda Beds for Support and Comfort
Cracked and Irritated Elbow Callous
Elbow Pressure Sore Hygromas, Your Ideas for Coping Please
Pressure Sores - again and again
We also talked about using a temporary sling to help her up and down and maybe looking into a WebMaster RuffWear harness for the furture.
Please let us know what the vet says.
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Hi there, Betty and Rosie,
Sorry to hear about this problem. Elbows are a bit of a 'speciality' with us, and I certainly know how frustrating it can be to get elbow sores to heal. I'm really pleased you are going to speak to your vet, as I suspect this may need to be professionally dressed in order to enable it to heal. My guess is they may use a 'doughnut' bandage, in order to relieve the pressure when Rosie leans on her elbow, to allow the skin to heal. Manuka honey slathered on, was also beneficial for us.
In the longer term, once Rosie's elbow has healed, the ONLY reliable solution we found when it came to keeping coverings, bandages on the elbow were DoggLeggs. These are certainly not cheap, but in our experience they are extremely effective (they stay on and stay put), and you can add additional padding on the inside. Right now though what you need is to get the pressure off, which is where, I suspect, the doughnut bandage may come in.
Do please update us when you've spoken to the vet, and let us know how Rosie is getting on. This is a frustrating problem, I know, but not an unusual one, and I am confident that Rosie will soon be feeling much more comfortable.
All best to you both,
Meg, Clare and Elsie Pie xxx
Ruby, Staffy, born June 2022, became a Tripawd, November 2023, adopted January 2024.
Also Angel Tripawd Meg (aka The Megastar), who died in April 2023, aged 14, after seven glorious years on three, and Angel Staffies Elsie Pie and Bille. In the pawprints of giants...
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
THe vet did call and thinks that there is not much I can do other that keep it padded and wrapped. The main thing is she does not want to try and walk. I will check out the recommended sites. Any other thoughts are appreciated.
Betty and Rosie
How recently has the vet seen it? If you're worried, could you perhaps email them a photo?
The other thing I forgot to mention, is laser treatment, if there is anywhere you can get to that does it (or possibly a mobile service?). I have certainly found this helpful in terms of speeding up healing, reducing inflammation and also pain relief.
Ruby, Staffy, born June 2022, became a Tripawd, November 2023, adopted January 2024.
Also Angel Tripawd Meg (aka The Megastar), who died in April 2023, aged 14, after seven glorious years on three, and Angel Staffies Elsie Pie and Bille. In the pawprints of giants...
Last year Cassie had surgery on her back leg to remove a small growth. At first it was looking really good, healing well, until she licked it. Ugh! Our vet had us start using Manuka honey on it & wrapping it in vet wrap. We did this daily until it healed, but it took a really long time - like 2 1/2 months! And that was just a small sore. Karen gave you some really good links, and Clare gave you some good advice too. If it's deep enough that you can see the bone, I definitely would want the vet to see it. The Manuka honey was prescription, so you would need to get it through your vet.
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
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