Help me help my puppy.

April 26, 2007 11:24 AM

My dog had surgery and we are having a hard time getting him around.

My ten month old German Shepard puppy just had his stump amputated. He had a congenital defect and it kept getting infected. But now we can't get him around


As this slightly graphic picture showes, his one side is very raw and tender around the sutures. We can't pick him up comfortably (he just screams like we are sticking a scapel in him) and he is too scared to stand up. I guess because it hurts like hell.

So are there any improvised doggy wheel chair ideas for helping him stand while drinking water, using the bathroom, etc? How about getting into and out of the crate with out any painful sliding across a surface.

He has to be isolated from the other dogs and in an E collar for ten days. I just want him to be reasonably comfortable and not scared while we get him healed.

posted by stormygrey to pets & animals (14 comments total)

Could you wrap a towel beneath his hips (sort of like a sling) and assist him in walking?
posted by pieoverdone at 11:42 AM on April 26, 2007

Oh man, poor guy. I was hoping, before I clicked on the picture, that it was a back leg, which is a little easier.

I don't see an easy way to do it and I'm a little upset with your vet for not working that out with you ahead of time and/or keeping him at the clinic until it could be easily done at home.

I hate this, but I think you're going to have to wait him out to stand up. You can hover over him once he's up, in case he's wobbly, but he's going to have to hop and that's going to hurt. Dogs that are having trouble standing or balancing can be assisted with a towel under them as a sling, but there's nowhere to put it on him that isn't going to hurt him.

Many years ago a dog of mine was torn open shoulder to shoulder in a fight, and when I brought him home from the vet he wouldn't sit or lay down. I just had to sit there and watch and reassure him until he more or less fell down from exhaustion. Getting up was hard, too, but there was nothing I could do that wouldn't make it worse. Within about 12 hours he found his own way to get up and down (using his butt and a wall for support), and within about 48 he didn't need it anymore. They're pretty good adapters and they heal quickly, it's just absolutely awful to watch in the meantime.

You might be able to slide him more comfortably on one of those padded workout/kiddy nap mats, but that's still going to be awkward going in and out of the crate.
posted by Lyn Never at 11:52 AM on April 26, 2007

As a (human's) nurse, the only suggestion I could think of would be to make sure he is premedicated before any attempts are made. Painkillers are essential to human recovery, so I assume they have a lot to do with animal recovery, too. The liberal use of treats is also advocated.
He probably still has a pretty strong/big scruff, so utilizing that would make sure you don't choke him when you lift him up. Perhaps utilizing pieoverdone's suggestion of the towel and using the scruff could work.

your first picture link takes me to wikipedia. I want puppy pictures!
posted by nursegracer at 11:56 AM on April 26, 2007

Puppy pictures
Puppy!

Pictures!

He has two opiate patches on as well as oral opiates and an asprin type drug.
posted by stormygrey at 12:00 PM on April 26, 2007 [1 favorite]

The only thing I can think of would be a block of foam strapped to a short skateboard, perhaps carving a U channel out of the foam to help support his front. Or maybe a furniture dolly he can lay on and scoot forward. But, the adjustment/learning time to either of the above will probably last longer/be more traumatic than just letting him be: he looks pretty raw and it might be best to just let him lay and let him heal, handling his food/water/elimination needs by hand until he's ready to get up on his own (which won't take long).
posted by jamaro at 12:01 PM on April 26, 2007

Along the lines of jamaro's advice, I have cared for a dog who couldn't get up and it's not terribly hard, especially if your time frame is just a few days. The hardest part is water; I ended up using an attachment that screws on to a water bottle and makes a sort of giant gerbil bottle. Housebreaking pads and diapers will not keep him 100% clean and you have to watch/wash carefully to prevent urine scalds, but they will keep his bedding fairly clean and dry. Make sure he's padded under his hips and ribs to prevent pressure sores or just uncomfortable bruising.

And then when he does get up, give major treats.
posted by Lyn Never at 12:09 PM on April 26, 2007

Oh, a thought regarding the crate: could you temporarily switch him from his usual crate-with-door to a free-standing pen? You could clip together 4 panels to make his usual sized crate and cover the top with a sheet/blanket: it would be easier to dis/assemble around him rather than get him through a typically narrow crate door.
posted by jamaro at 12:09 PM on April 26, 2007

Use an ex-pen instead of the crate! Once you get him comfortable you can put the pen around him instead of putting him into the pen, and he won't have to step/hop over the threshold.
posted by acorncup at 12:12 PM on April 26, 2007

Sorry I don't have much to offer on the mobility issue - but my dog had surgery last year, and it was equally gruesome-looking. I was amazed at how quickly she recovered. Within days, she was acting like nothing happened. The vet suggested a very high protein diet to speed up recovery & give her strength, so we fed her steak. I hope your puppy is feeling better soon!

Maybe you could construct some sort of tri-pod with a sling & put something on the bottom of the tri-pod's legs that would enable it to glide around (if you don't have carpet). You could also give her ice cubes to chew - an easier way to get water??
posted by Alpenglow at 12:17 PM on April 26, 2007

I just adopted a pug/German shepherd mix a couple weeks ago. When I got him he had a nasty nasty big open wound on one of his back legs from being hit by a car. It's not completely healed but it is closed up and he's getting around and not feeling like he has to be careful with every step.

Dogs heal amazingly quickly if they have quiet time and antibiotics. As far as making him comfortable - just make sure he has his favorite toy/chewie/blanket and that he knows you're around. The dog will get up when he is ready. I imagine the dog will end up amazing you with his quickness and spirit once he figures out that he can get up.

They do make harnesses to assist in getting the back end up/holding the back end up. (You might call the vet to see if they have one you could use short term.) Once you've got his back end up he'll be inclined to use the front leg.
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 1:16 PM on April 26, 2007

You might find something that might be helpful here:

Handicapped Pets

Be sure to give him lots of love from me! Poor little guy!
posted by smart_ask at 1:23 PM on April 26, 2007

He is adorable. And enormous!

My dog had knee surgery and we used a sling, but I can see that might not work with the location of the stitches. Poor guy.
posted by miss tea at 1:40 PM on April 26, 2007

He has to be isolated from the other dogs and in an E collar for ten days.

Instead of the Elizabethan collar, could you use something like a child-size T-shirt on him? (Pullover or button-up, whatever would be easier.) It'd keep him from licking or biting at his wound, but would hinder him less when he's relearning how to walk. Check with your vet, of course.

When our cat had his right front leg amputated, he had the collar at first, but kept flopping on his face when he tried to move around. We used a stretchy tube bandage as a 'T-shirt', with a small hole for his left arm, and he healed up quite nicely.

Best of luck, and extra treats for your big guy. Please post us an update as he gets better.
posted by hangashore at 4:13 PM on April 26, 2007

Poor baby! I hope he's feeling better and able to get around comfortably soon.

Is the raw part all along the front of his chest? I would have thought putting some support (either with your arm or a towel) under his good front leg and on his chest might give him enough support to get up and around a bit.
posted by tastybrains at 4:21 PM on April 26, 2007