Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hello,
My Wyatt is 6 days post op from a front leg amputation (including the shoulder). His wound site has looked pretty good today until I noticed a very small amount of seepage on his shirt today. It looks puffy around a few staples in the middle and bottom of his incision. Based on everything I have been reading on this site, my gut tells me it's ok and normal (no smell or color and currently dry) but as the evening winds down I am starting to second guess myself. Would you guys take a look at the photo and let me know what you think? The parts I am worried about wrinkle up because of excess skin, but they used to be as tight and unswollen as the stitches at top.
And a slightly less gruesome pic 
Thank you in advance!
Kelly
I can't seem to figure out how to post the photos so that they are visible in the post. Here are the links:
Incision site:
http://i209.pho.....a86914.jpg
My buddy:
http://i209.pho.....197a73.jpg
Best,
Kelly
Welcome! Your future forum posts will not require moderation. Be sure to review the Procedure Pics gallery for lots of post-op pictures with bruising, swelling, stitches, staples and more.
It looks like you pasted an invalid URL for the image above, it ends in .html and must end in .jpg. Here are detailed instructions for adding images to forum posts. (Right-click on the image itself at photobucket, and copy the file location.)
Hope that helps!
These Tripawds News blog search results for seroma also include some posts you may want to read.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
It looks great to me! It'll swell as days go by and leakage is common, especially with front leggers. He's a handsome guy and is getting some superb care and love! Speedy recovery!
~ Katy & Jackson
ACL tear in right hind leg 12/5/12 and scheduled ACL repair surgery 12/21/12. Pre-op xrays revealed osteosarcoma. Amputation 12/28/12. Chemo (carboplatin) started Jan 10, 2013 and ended on April 5, for a total of 5 doses. He handled carbo like a champ! No side effects. We started metronomic therapy at his third chemo and have been also doing some holistic treatments. He's a lively, playful 10 year old huskie-boarder collie and a very proud member of the Winter Warriors! Our love. Our funny little guy!
You're both doing great! To me that looks like a normal incision with a little post-op bruising. It's likely just a seroma (click on link for info) but it's always good to mention it to your vet.
He sure is a cutie pie! How come he lost his leg? How old/young is he? We look forward to hearing more.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi Wyatt, I'm a Wyatt too! My people like to say "OH WHYatt?!" whenever I act like the Sheriff that I am. Just doin' my job, I say.
What's your story friend? Thanks for joining us.
Wyatt Ray Dawg . . . The Tripawds Leg-A-Cy Continues!
Read all about my adventures at my Tripawds Blog
Oh one more thing, is it OK if we put the pics in our photo gallery?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
It looks great! Domino's incision did the exact same thing. It started at about 4-5 days post op, slight swelling around the staples, and some clear/slightly bloody serous fluid leaking from the bottom. I just kept it clean and wrapped when necessary and it healed fine. Wyatt's incision looks alot like Domino's did! We've got our fingers and paws crossed for a speedy recovery for your baby Wyatt!
Cassie and Domino
This was Domino's incision 10 days post op, right after removing the staples. His swelling was right at the bottom.
“A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.”
Domino had his left front leg amputate on May 13th 2014 after being hit by a car. He's now living a happy healthy life on three legs :)
Looks fine to me. Here with us day 6 was the worst - lots of seroma , for about 24h. From day 8 onwards everything was fine. With 20 days post-op, already in the pool enjoying a swim.
Our awesome Golden Boy was diagnosed for OSA in April 2014 in the proximal humerus, front-leg amp on 05/20/2014. Finished chemo (Carbo6) on 07/10/2014. Ongoing treatment: acupuncture + K-9 Immunity Plus ( 3chews) and home-cooked no-grain diet. Stopped Apocaps because of liver issues. Liver issues: controlling altered enzymes with SAM-e and Milk Thistle. October 17: started having seizures. Taking fenobarbital for seizures. April 18: started prednisone.
Hi Daniela & Johnnie, thanks for joining us and sharing your experience, your future posts won't require approval. Please feel free to start a new topic all about you so we can learn all about your Tripawd journey. We're looking forward to it.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Leland is a rear leg amp but he too had some drainage and swelling in the beginning. Our surgeon instructed us to keep the incision clean with hydrogen peroxide and to apply warm moist compresses 2-3 times a day. We'd wet a dish towel and put in in the microwave for 50 seconds or so and hold it to the site till it cooled. Unless you start noticing a smell or there appears to be a lot of blood in the drainage I think you'll be fine.
Leland had his staples removed yesterday (day 14) and the surgeon was impressed on how the site looked and attributes a lot of it to how well we kept it clean and the applying of the moist heat.
Good luck Wyatt and wishing you a speedy recovery!
Sahana and Leland
November 17, 2009 - June 30, 2014
May you finally be healthy and running free at the Rainbow Bridge. Until we meet again my sweet boy!
Thank you to all for your wonderful replies!
Wyatt is an 8 year old Irish Setter who was diagnosed with osteosarcoma. He began limping a bit towards the end of April and just very suddenly acting like an old dog so I brought him into his regular vet to be checked out. At the time I thought he had pulled a muscle or something. We could not find a specific area of pain so they prescribed him Rimadyl and sent him home where he seemed to do better but not perfect. A month later I brought him in again and insisted on an x-ray. The x-ray showed a fracture on his femur near the shoulder joint and some "suspicious activity that was cancer-like".
We made an appointment with an orthopedic specialist and were in the office for a biopsy within a week. We were hopeful that it wasn't going to be osteosarcoma because I guess the x-ray and what they found visually when the did the biopsy were not very stereotypical of that type of cancer, but sadly the biopsy results returned 4 days later and he did have "The Bad Cancer". I received that news Monday evening and he was in the hospital having his leg removed Tuesday. That was the worst night and day of my life.
I wasn't sure if amputation was the right thing to do and I felt sick to my stomach until I went to pick him up from the hospital and he came hopping and wagging into the room happy to see me. This is my goofball the day I brought him home from the animal hospital:
He is doing better than I ever dreamed possible, even managing to hike his leg to pee on bushes still. He has good days and slow, sleepy days. One thing I have noticed as a behavior change is... how do I say this delicately... he is very horny. He is intact because I used to show him but he has never acted super "doggish" unless there was a female in heat. Now it's any dog he sees... he's super interested in our female puppy and other dogs in the neighborhood when he is outside to do his business and has tried humping things. I'm hoping this is some effect of the medication lol. So far all of his chest x-rays have come back clear.
We have a consultation with the oncologist to discuss chemo when we go in to have his sutures removed. Right now I am riding the high of his surgery success but I know that the reality he more than likely still has cancer cells in his body. It makes me feel sick to think about.
His middle sutures became quite oozy in the today so the vet prescribed warm compresses. Hopefully it's just drainage and not something else.
Thanks again for all the great replies Of all the things I have worried about someday 'getting' my dog, this was not on my list.
Kelly & Wyatt
P.S. Yes, please feel free to use any photos!
Kelly and Wyatt, thank you for joining us and sharing more details about how he came to lose a leg (and more pix of your gorgeous boy!). I'm so sorry it was osteo, I know how scary that is and it's something that makes humans crazy to think about...but as you've seen, all Wyatt wants to do is have some fun again!
He really does look so hoppy. As for the horny business, well, who knows really. Maybe he's just so thrilled to be free of the awful pain that he only knows how to show it in one certain way. As long as he's not hurting anyone, what the heck right? Ah the freedom of being a dog!
I'm sure the incision is just drainage but it's good your vet checked it out. Don't worry, it's common and usually not serious.
It's wonderful he's doing so well. Live in the now as he does, don't fret about all the what ifs, and you can get through this just fine, just like Wyatt.
Thanks for letting us put his photos in the gallery!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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