Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Thought I would start another thread to document Sky's recovery.
We had our first night at home last night and it was a long one. I don't believe she was in any pain, but she really needed to pee. She managed to pee one time with a lot of help from us, but we didn't get her to go before bed last night and she drank quite a bit of water. We woke up to a small accident, which has never happened. We got her up, cleaned her, took her out again (nothing), and got her on another one of her beds.
Other than that, she has been eating and drinking like normal. I just took her out in an attempt to pee, but again, I'm having to support her so she doesn't fall, so I think that is causing her to not want to go. She did hear the neighbors dogs barking and tried to pull me to the fence. She was barking and very excited. I did notice that she is slowly shifting her gait as her back legs looked tired. She historically put all of her weight on her front, so this is another reason for the unsteadiness. I suppose it is just going to take time, but this is not for the faint of heart. I keep having to tell myself to look for the small victories and perhaps in a week she can hop around without assistance.
For now, she is resting and we will give the potty break another try in a couple of hours. I will keep everyone posted!
I suppose it is just going to take time, but this is not for the faint of heart. I keep having to tell myself to look for the small victories
Exactly!
Every little improvement is indeed a huge victory! Celebrate that Sky is peeing, eating and drinking. You also saw a little bit of Sku’s spark come back when she wanted to bark at the neighbors dog. I know you love seeing that and it had to make you smile.
yeah, pee”accidents” are not unusual at first. That will subside.
Its good that Sky is allowing you to assist her. Rejab will help a lot once recovery moves further along. It generally takes about two weeks to get through the surgery recovery process it’s about a month for dogs to get a fluid and more stable gate. Muscles have to adjust and a new normal for walking is developed during this time. It’s hard to be patient, but sky will get there.
Thanksfor the update..it’s a good one😎
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!
Thank you for those words of encouragement, Sally! It really does mean a lot to read these comments when you're feeling down. And you hit the nail on the head. I saw her spark come back when she wanted to go run the fence with her little brother to show those neighbor dogs who's boss! 🙂 I also forgot to mention that she wagged her tail this morning when we told her good morning. That made me happy as well.
Again, these words of encouragement from you all mean a lot. 
Hi all - so I am starting to get concerned about Sky not going to the bathroom. She wet her bed last night and a little today as she was relaxing. She doesn't seem to be in pain and is otherwise ok, but I think we may have overdone our tries today as she is very tired. Now I don't know what to do as I know the poor girl needs to go. We have put pee pads under her blanket and a protector around the foam. I just don't want to keep taking her out and wearing her out if nothing happens. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Try not to take her out until she’s showing really strong signs she needs to go….she gets anxious, restless. Sky IS peeing, even if it’s in her bed. Puppy pee pads may be needed for a bit longer.
Refresh my memory, what pain meds is she on, dose and frequency ? How much does Sky weigh?
Others Wii’s chime in, but I don’t think you have anything to worry about at this point. She’s gone today and will probably go again tonight. Of course, if you have any concerns contact your vet. Most likely the meds are just keeping her a little too relaxed. Yes, adjusting to three at first can be very tiring, so it’s not a surprise that she’s worn out from her attempt to have successful pee excursions.
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 Cory, sorry I was away all day and am just catching up. I'm glad you started a new topic, and please try not to panic. Accidents in the house happen pretty commonly about now, so don't panic about that. Exactly how long has it been since she urinated? If it's been more than 12 hours then I would let your vet know if she hasn't gone by morning.
Here's a post about helping a dog urinate after surgery. Maybe something there can help you help her go.
It can be frustrating when a dog won't go. Remember though that she's pretty wonky from the pain meds (yes please tell us how much, and how often, and what kind, she's on). My guess is that she already went as I type this. Keep us posted!
Thank you both for your words of encouragement. Sky is 74 pounds and currently on 300mg of Gabapentin (every 8 hours), 100 mg of Carprofen (every 12 hours), and 150mg of Trazodone (she hasn't had this since last night, but says every 8 hours as needed). She peed quite a bit yesterday late afternoon outside with our help, but she drank a lot of water last night during dinner and ended up wetting the bed around 4 in the morning. Today she has also had a couple of small accidents in her bed. We have tried so hard to make it easy for her to go outside, but she just won't squat. I think we may have overdid it today and she is just very tired. Since she peed last night and was laying in it for about an hour until we got up to her licking, she has been licking her back end quite a bit and her vaginal area looks a little red. Other than this she seems perfectly fine. She ate her dinner and drank some more water. She also took the remaining medicine. So all I feel as though I can do tonight is lay down some potty pads on her bed, place some towels close by, and see how she does in the morning. If she is still struggling we may have to take her back, which is the last thing I want to put her through.
I feel bad for posting so much here, but I must admit it is a bit like therapy.
UPDATE: Sky had a great night. We took her out one last time as she was panting and had been slowly wetting herself, which is why she was licking so much. We were all just so tired so we let her go and try it on her own. She "sprinted" to her favorite pee spot, tripped a couple of times, but made it. She squatted, tripped slightly, and then finally peed. Once she finished I got really excited..clapping and praising her and she came over to me wagging her tail. It was amazing. We cleaned her up and she hopped over to her bed where she fell asleep for the rest of the night. No more licking, no more panting. Woke up this morning to her laying on her stitches side, but I've been told that is ok as long as they are comfortable. I helped her turn over so she could stretch out, which she did.
So a definite win in this journey. 🙂
Please never feel bad about posting here. It IS therapy and that's why we are here. I'm just so glad she is doing better. When I saw she had the Trazadone I immediately thought it could be the problem. It makes some dogs soooo relaxed they will have toileting issues.
REALLY glad she peed on her own! And yeah the licking issue is likely from wetting the bed. If it continues being red, let your vet know.
It's totally OK to lay on the incision! Call all of these events BIG WINS, because they are! Keep us posted. 
Call all of these events BIG WINS, because they are
Abso 100% BIG HIGE WINS!!! Seeing tails wag is sich a good sign. Peeing on her own and "sprinting " to do so...YAAAAAY! Shes's already shown you a stumble here and there, a face plant....not a big deal to Sky st sll!! Onward and upward!
Also glad you got rid of the Trazedone. She didn't need to be sedated, she just needs that good pain management plan you are on.
As Jerry said, laying on her incision side means it's not too painful to do so. If I recall, it took my Happy Hannah a couple of weeks to do so.
We are so glad you are keeping is in the loop. It also helps newbies reading about different recovery experiences.
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!
Thank you Sally and Jerry - I appreciate the support as always!
Day 4 Post Surgery Update:
We had a good night and I woke up this morning to Sky laying on her surgery side. When I told her good morning she wagged her tail. 🙂 I'm not sure how she is switching sides at night as she seems to struggle switching sides when we are all awake. However, she still struggles to get up when she has been laying on this side as she doesn't have her shoulder/arm to help her sit up. Sky has also been showing more confidence in her walking and she is able to pee quite well. She also walked up three steps to the house again and goes straight to her bed in the living room.
However...she still hasn't pooped. I know she needs to as a small little nugget came out when she was peeing. She drank water this morning after her first potty, but she has no interest in food, which is the first time this has happened since surgery. I'm thinking she is starting to feel the back up and really needs to poop soon. I've seen from others that this eventually will happen...but I hate that she is uncomfortable. On the plus side I managed to get her 300mg Gabapentin down her, so we are still able to manage the pain.
I may try to reach out to our vet at CSU today and see if they have any suggestions for us.
Hi Cory,
YAY for more progress! She's such a strong, smart girl who is figuring things out. All these milestones are adding up!
Her slowing down of activity along with the pain meds is usually what causes the constipation. Soon the pooping will happen but you can speed things along. First, keep her hydrated, that really helps. Try adding no salt chicken or beef broth to her water, or even gatorade, anything to get her to stay hydrated. You can also feed her very watery food to see if she'll eat. Remember, warmed food without her medication, or it will turn her off of meals entirely. Pumpkin pulp, steamed squash, and even some bran flakes on some tasty food will help too.
My guess is that by the end of today she'll 
. Hang in there!
More tail wags......YAY!
Sky really is doing so well. Not just saying that either, she really is. Not unusual to take her time" while getting up
Yeah, poop will happen. My front legger (adopted that way) had a TPLO surgery in one of his remaining legs. It was day six vefore he popped. Try some of Jerry's suggestions, especially the steamed squash and natural pumpkin.
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!
Thank you all for the suggestions!
Day 5 Post Surgery Update:
Sky finally managed to poop today! We gave her green beans with plain chicken and her kibble last night. She was panting this morning about an hour after her first potty so we took her out. She took some time figuring it out but she FINALLY did it! Granted, she lost her balance so I imagine there is more to come, but she did have a good bowel movement, which is all we can ask for! We haven't given her any trazodone today and she is out like a light. I suspect she is much more comfortable and relaxed.
I know this road to recovery is long and I am expecting ups and downs, but wanted to share this victory.
We also have scheduled her stitches removal for the 20th and as long as all is well they will start her first round of chemo at that time.
YAAAAAY FOR We loooove celebrating 👏👍😎rnYes,, Sky is one determined gal!, Ueah, a stumble here and there all normal She get more and more of her balance figured out in time. Right now it’s all about surgery recovery. Im sure she is more comfy now that her “load” has been lightened
Hug
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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