Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Me and my husband rescue a german shephard puppy from a very abusive home a few months ago and had to get his right leg amputated from the knee down. It was healing great until it got infected and ulcerated it's slowly healing and it's been two months still open. Anyone ever dealt with this or have advice
http://marmaduk.....pawds.com/
Ashley, thanks for joining us here, what a saint you are for rescuing the puppy. Sorry he's got the infection. What does the vet say about it? Have they tried different antibiotics? Two months is a long time. Perhaps a second opinion from another vet is in order?
P.S. Please consider joining as a member so that your posts can appear right away. We can't wait to hear more about your pup!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Welcome Ashley and Family!
We are so sorry to hear about your new rescue (and bless you for what you did)! I'm sorry I don't have any advice for you. What do the vets say?
On a happy note, do you have pics? We love our German Sheps! And we love puppy pics!
Comet - 1999 to 2011
She departed us unexpectedly January 23, 2011 at the age of 12 1/2.
She was born with a deformed front leg and a tripawd all of her life.
obviously the vet is the best resource for healing this. as a point of reference, gayle had a really raw/open elbow on her remaining front leg after the amputation. she was using it to get up and down and it just wouldn't heal. our vet used hydro-therapy and granulated sugar (mixed with antibiotic ointment) to get it to heal. this sounds bizarre, but the sugar really gave the raw skin 'traction ' to heal to itself.. the elbow was eventually stitched close and has healed wonderfully.
Life is good, so very, very good!!! Gayle enjoyed each and every moment of each and every wonderful day (naps included). She left this world December 12, 2011 – off on a new adventure.
Love Never Ends
Now it's not infected anymore it's just a fairly large wound thats open that the vet is letting heal on its own. It's a healthy wound it's just taking a long time to heal I just didnt know if anyone had any tips on things to maybe put on it to speed up healing, our vets fairly new to her job but said these happen to alot of dog amputees didn't know if anyone had this problem.
http://marmaduk.....pawds.com/
ashley said:
...our vets fairly new to her job but said these happen to alot of dog amputees...
If she's a new vet, how would she know? We're not vets but if she's telling you things like "these things happen all the time" we highly recommend getting another opinion. In more than four years, with over 1600 registered members, we have heard reports of difficulty with wounds healing maybe three times – and always within the first few weeks after surgery, never months later.
Any such issues have always been related to poor closure of the incision, something to which most new vets will refuse to admit fault.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thank you, that was kind of what I was wanting to know too. If it was fairly common or not. I always wondered if it could be part the vets fault or not, seeing as though there was so much infection in the leg before amputation, and when it got infected she just kept saying there was no way to tell where the infection stopped in the leg. Think we're going to be shopping for a new vet, Thank You
http://marmaduk.....pawds.com/
Good luck! Please keep us posted.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Well we had Duke examined by another vet today and here's what he said. THe wound is healthy and granulating but very slowly. He gave us two options let it keep healing on its own which he said hopefully it will or re amputate by taking out the shoulder. i don't know what to do. He's been through so much I dont want him to have to have another surgery let alone he loves his little nub, he uses it actually for many things. Getting up, shaking, digging, balance etc. He said there's really not enough skin to really suture closed. In my opinion it hasn't made much progress it's healed some but it's still open and obviously bothers him. It's been almost three months since surgery I found out today since his operation was on Aug 16. I am just so confused.
http://marmaduk.....pawds.com/
Am I imagining things, or is something out of the ordinary going on? Just today, I read posts by FancyPants and Cooper, who both seem to be back at the vet for revision surgery to remove the rest of the bone. At least in Coop's case, it sounds as though it is infected and I think there was also infection in FancyPants's situation. In those cases, the dogs had amputation recently (last week). Now you mention Duke with problems at the amputation site.
Actually, Duke's issues sounds more familiar, for when researching amputation originally, I read that dogs with stumps tend to try to use them, which can lead to sores or infection. It might not be a good things that he uses his nub. It is hard to put a dog through additional surgeries, but it might be in his best interest.
Thank you so much for your reply. The more I think about it the more I think you're right. He's like my child and his last surgery drove me insane, exspecially after he came home. This last vet said the same thing that a puppy his age should of never been left with a partial as they are too active and rough to let the site heal correctly and smoothly. Thank you and sadly I think we're going to look into another amputation.
http://marmaduk.....pawds.com/
Thanks for the update, best wishes with whatever you decide. Tough call... three months is a LONG time to heal, but if you proceed with another amputation hopefully you'll have reassurance that Duke will heal faster this time. Did this new vet give any suggestion as to WHY the current incision isn't healing?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
let alone he loves his little nub, he uses it actually for many things. Getting up, shaking, digging, balance etc
I'm so sorry you can't get it to heal and are facing another surgery!
But I just want to add:
Comet was born with a deformed front leg. I had it scheduled to get it removed but she got kennel cough that turned into pneumonia. It took months to get her well and by that time, I realized how much she uses the leg. Not that she can feel in it or it has any function because there is a fused joint, but she can move her shoulder and use it kick stuff. She'd kick her ball, she'd kick us on the leg if she wanted our attention or she'd kick her food bowl with it when she wanted a treat! We fell in love with the gimpy tiny leg!
However, here it is 12 years later and although I still love that little leg, had I got it removed it would have saved me a lot of worry! At first it dragged a bit because she hadn't grown taller. It got sores on the tip, so we had to wrap it when we went outside. And we had to wear a bootie for years to make sure it didn't touch the ground outside.
And then, I can't tell you how many times over the years that I have had to worry about it getting hooked or caught on something! Simply jumping and putting her front paws on the sofa was a worry because when she got down the little leg didn't move with her. I won't even put her in a wire crate because it could get caught in the wires. So, I have soft sided crates.
I can say safely, had I had it removed, I would have saved myself and still a lot of worry. It's cute and it's apart of her but it wasn't really worth the grief.
I hope that helps.
Best wishes!
Comet' mom
Oh, here's what her's looks like:
[Image Can Not Be Found]
Now:
[Image Can Not Be Found]
Comet - 1999 to 2011
She departed us unexpectedly January 23, 2011 at the age of 12 1/2.
She was born with a deformed front leg and a tripawd all of her life.
Ashley,
I'm sorry, for all my goofing around tonight I didn't even see your post. Fortis and I have been celebrating a bit to much tonight it seems. I have been reading your post but missed this.
I'm sorry Duke's incision is not healing properly. I'm no vet but it seems that since he is already accustomed to being a tripawd that removing the remaining nub may not be all that hard on him. At least I hope not. I have a soft spot for Duke. He is a special pup and deserves a good life after such a awful beginning!
Isn't Comet just adorable? I think her perspective on the situation is well worth noting.
Please keep us updated.
FortisDad
Thank ya'll so much for your replies. Joining this site seems to be one of the best things I have done. Everyone on here is understanding and just full of care and compassion Thank ya'll.
We're not quite sure what our decision is yet. Seeing as there's still a small chance the wound could heal on it's own I don't want to give up on him now with it. Then again I don't want to have him dealing with the wound if it's for no reasonand just go ahead with the amputation. So I think we're going to think on it and reasearch alittle more and hope we make the best decision. The reason the vet said it's not healing so quickly is that it was such a deep wide wound that the body had to rebuild tissue and fill in before it can close up. Basically has to heal from inside out then outside in, if that makes sense. So I will update as soon as we know for sure. Thank so much for the care and support.
http://marmaduk.....pawds.com/
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