Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
Tripawds is your home to learn how to care for a three legged dog or cat, with answers about dog leg amputation, and cat amputation recovery from many years of member experiences.
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I just adopted my first tripod! He's a beautiful doberman that we named zeus and he's just as lovely as he could possibly be. I'm having some struggles helping him to adjust. He just lost his leg 3 days ago so it's early days but there has to be something I can do to help. The biggest concern is the fact that his incision is still oozing and when the vet checked it yesterday he wasn't completely thrilled with how the other vet closed the wound. So he bandaged the wound but today the "blood" (watery) is seeping through the bandage and doesn't smell the best. I have an appointment to take him back tomorrow afternoon but I'm thinking I'll call in the morning and try and get him there earlier.
The other struggle is he's very nervous on the wood floor and falls a lot when he first gets up. It's heartbreaking watching him unable to get up. I'm so worried that he'll never adjust to losing his leg. He's so nervous and has been through so much, being injured, left in the woods, passed around, lost his leg and got a new family; it's no wonder he doesn't trust us. What can I do to build his confidence?
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Hi Anna, welcome and thanks for adopting this sweetie. I moved your post here so more folks can help ok? And I can better help when I'm at my desk later this morning so I'll be back.....
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
I'm sooo glad Zeus has a forever home with you. Clearly you are already devoted and have turned I to a wo derful advocate for hiAcouple of quick things.
As soon as possible, get some nonslip scatter rugs to cover the wood floors. Traction is very important for trilawds, especially right after recovery!
Good for you for paying such good attention to his incision. Yes, do get the vet to check for infection AND to do a culture to .ake sure he has no MRSA , etc.
Mlst vets send dogs home with Tramadol, Gabapentin, Rimadq and a good antibiotic. The lain meds need to be given consistently so the pain doesn't get ahead start.
Sometimes dogs just don't get the best surgeries from a shelter. Vets often donate their time and resources selflessly, but sometimes quality suffers due to cutting corners, etc.
And yes, three days is very early in recovery from .AJOR surgery, plus trying to adjust to three legs. For now, rest, rest, rest. Just going out for short potty breaks and getting up to eat and drink.
Stay connected! You are not alone! Welcome to the familh! Here's a quick link for you to get further jnfo on caring for a trilawd. http://download.....-library1/.....well, maybe.....I may not have done it right. Other computer geeks will come along and give you good links!
Hang in there! It takes a good two weeks or more to get through this recovery ohase.
Hugs to you!
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 Anna and Zeus....as you may have guessed, I have a doberman too! My Nitro had his right front leg removed almost 18 months ago due to osteosarcoma and is doing great. It is definetely challenging the first few weeks after surgery, but it gets better. How old is Zeus? Front or rear leg? Like Sally said, get non-slip runners on your floor, fast. We got raised bowls for his food and water, and the biggest life saver was his harness that we got from this site....the Ruffwear Harness by Webmaster. He wore it from the time we picked him up after surgery, till many months afterward. (took it off at night while he slept). The harness has a handle on it that helps you help him get around till he gets the hang of it, and helps with balance. I highly recommend it. And pain meds are so important, although they can make them loopy. Nitro wouldn't eat for a week after his surgery, so that was challenging (and scary); we resorted to spooning yougurt down his throat to get his pills in him.
What an awesome person you are to give Zeus a chance of a better life! I've had 3 Dobes, and I love this breed! Have you checked out the live chat room ? Have you thought about calling the helpline? There are so many resources here to help you through the rought spots, and so many great people with a weatlth of knowledge that are just waiting to help.
Welcome to the family!
Paula and Nitro
Nitro 11 1/2 yr old Doberman; right front amp June 2014. Had 6 doses carboplatin, followed by metronomic therapy. Rocked it on 3 legs for over 3 years! My Warrior beat cancer, but couldn't beat old age. He crossed the Bridge peacefully on July 25, 2017, with dignity and on his terms. Follow his blog entitled "Doberman's journey"
"Be good, mama loves you".....run free my beautiful Warrior
P.S. i just saw in the ange exchange here there is a ruffwear harness size L/XL if you want to check into it
Paula and Nitro
Nitro 11 1/2 yr old Doberman; right front amp June 2014. Had 6 doses carboplatin, followed by metronomic therapy. Rocked it on 3 legs for over 3 years! My Warrior beat cancer, but couldn't beat old age. He crossed the Bridge peacefully on July 25, 2017, with dignity and on his terms. Follow his blog entitled "Doberman's journey"
"Be good, mama loves you".....run free my beautiful Warrior
Hi Zeus and Family,
Kudos for you for adopting a special needs dog! It sounds like he has a sad story to tell, but hopefully w/ you as his new family all those bad memories will fade away over time.
I also highly recommend non-slip rugs ASAP. It will help his self-confidence if he has stable footing and tripawds really need non-slip surfaces for stable footing.
A last thought---our Ellie was not well socialized and had a lot of fear/anxiety issues. Being a tripawd did not make them any worse---in fact, it probably made them a bit better since she gave up worrying about other dogs etc on our walks. She seemed to know that she needed to conserve her energy for things that mattered.
Denise, Bill and Angel Ellie.
Active 10+ Pyr mix suddenly came up lame with ACL tear in left rear leg. Scheduled for a TPLO but final pre-op x-rays indicated a small suspicious area, possibly OSA, which could have caused the ACL tear. Surgeon opened the knee for TPLO but found soft bone. Biopsy came back positive for OSA. Became a Tripawd 9/18/14. Carbo6 with Cerenia and Fluids. Pain free and living in the moment. Crossed the Bridge on 7/12/15 after probable spread of cancer to her cervical spine. A whole lifetime of memories squeezed into 10 months. Here's her story: Eloise
Thank you everyone for the great advice. I have layed non slip rugs in the places I can and bought some rubber booties to help gain his confidence which has helped a ton!
Unfortunately his incision is in bad shape. My vet has told me looking at x rays of the remaining stump, she thinks the vet that did the amputation did a poor job and that's why we're having issues. He is going into a specialist surgeon tomorrow to have more bone taken away that should have been taken away the first time and hopefully we can fix this horrible mistake. He has told me worse case scenario, if there is not enough soft tissue to cover the new incision line it would be best to put him to sleep on the table. I'm trying not to think that far ahead because I've only had him a couple of days and love him so much already that it would be devastating if this happened. If all goes well I will be out $3,000 but have my dog! And I intend to recover some of this money from the vet who screwed it up in the first place!
Online
Oh no!
I'm going to think positive and send strong, positive thoughts for a successful surgery for Zeus! Please update us when you can.
Also, please consider registering as a member. That way your posts will not have to wait for approval every time.
Hoping for the very best tomorrow.
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
Oh Anna! Prepare for the worst, but hope for the best - that's what they say, but easier said than done. We are sending TONS of Dobie love to you, and crossing our paws for the best!
Paula and Nitro
Nitro 11 1/2 yr old Doberman; right front amp June 2014. Had 6 doses carboplatin, followed by metronomic therapy. Rocked it on 3 legs for over 3 years! My Warrior beat cancer, but couldn't beat old age. He crossed the Bridge peacefully on July 25, 2017, with dignity and on his terms. Follow his blog entitled "Doberman's journey"
"Be good, mama loves you".....run free my beautiful Warrior
Thank you so much. I will update you all when I know something tomorrow. I'd hate to lose him when I haven't even had him a week and I've spent so much money on him. He's so worth it though.
Anna, please consider joining as a member so your posts won't need approval. Keep us posted OK? We are thinking of you both.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Just checking in for any updates?????
Harmony became a Tripawd on 10/21/14 (MCT). She left us way too soon on 11/1/14.
"We miss you so much; our love, our heart, our Harmony."
- Pam, Ron and Melody, Meesha, Doublestuff and Mariah Carey
Hope all is ok, we're just checking in too; worried cuz we haven't heard an update.
Paula and Nitro
Nitro 11 1/2 yr old Doberman; right front amp June 2014. Had 6 doses carboplatin, followed by metronomic therapy. Rocked it on 3 legs for over 3 years! My Warrior beat cancer, but couldn't beat old age. He crossed the Bridge peacefully on July 25, 2017, with dignity and on his terms. Follow his blog entitled "Doberman's journey"
"Be good, mama loves you".....run free my beautiful Warrior
The surgery was successful! He's already feeling so much better. He's learning to trust us and that this is his home forever now. He's eating well and getting used to the other dogs. I can't believe what a great dog he is even with everything that has happened to him. Thank you for all the well wishes.
Anna said
The surgery was successful!
Great news! Thanks for the update.
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Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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