Three Legged Dog Club
Cassie's Club Members
 
Scrappy

Hi, My dog's name is Scrappy,
he is a three year old miniature pinscher.
His leg was broken by accident by my husband's dog July 27th.
We have a neighbor dog, and my dogs and that dog run the fence
and Scrappy got stepped on and his hind leg was broken.

We took him to an emergency clinic because it was a Sunday.
They sedated him and put what they said was a splint on his leg.
But actually they just wrapped his leg.

But my vet and I went on the info that his leg was splinted.

He was checked twice the first week
and then the second week we took him into change the bandage and re-wrap the splint. To our shock, that is when we learned that there was no splint; the bone had broken through the skin and was seriously infected. To the point where my vet said it would be a miracle if he made it through the weekend.

It was horrible.

My vet made him comfortable and started some strong antibiotics.
We found another vet to do the surgery if he made it through the weekend. The shocking part was he was doing so well, I never knew he had an infection. He was bright eyed, playing and adapting to the cast.

Monday morning came and we took him to another vet
to do the surgery and they amputated his leg.
It was a very long day, waiting.

I went in and saw him once more before his surgery.
Then I called right afterwards.
The vet was shocked he was doing so well, he was up and around within 20 min. but he had to spend the night.
I picked him up the next day.
I will admit that I am having some trouble adjusting to looking at him now, but the stitches and everything are still in,
so I know that once he is all healed, it will be fine.

So we have made it through the first week after the amputation and next week he will get his stitches out.

I was surprised to see that he can still move the muscle where the leg was. He has been having some difficulty fluffing his blanket, so I got him a new bed that he will hopefully take to, that is fluffy so he doesn't have to dig it.

I am sure that it gets easier.
I just hope that he will be ok.
And I am so glad that he is still with us,
because not having him would be so much worse.

He has adapted really fast,
probably because he had a cast on for two weeks before,
so he was used to not being able to use it.

Now if he lives through the kids "taking care" of him, it will be a miracle! They sorta love him to death, so keeping them at bay is a full time job. I have taught them to sit down on the floor and get a blanket and let Scrappy come to them to lean on them, and so far it is working.

Thanks,
Jamie Singler
Thursday August 21, 2008

 
Black Dog

Hello,
My dog's name is Black Dog.
I found him somewhat emaciated in November of 2005
on my way home from work.

He had been shot in the left leg,
the bone had been shattered,
and a months' worth of infection had set in.

There were abscesses all over his leg and chest
and the leg was just dragging.

Even though he was obviously uncomfortable, if not in pain,
he was still very sweet and friendly.

I easily coaxed him into my car with a potato chip,
and he slept most of the hour drive home.

He seemed almost full grown,
and the vet thought he was around a year old.

The vet was able to save his scapula,
but the rest of the leg had to go.

After the surgery and a couple of rounds of antibiotics,
he started getting a little more frisky,
but he still remains a relatively quiet dog.

He had phantom pains for about a year,
but those eased off gradually and are now completely gone.

Because he's missing a front leg, he has to hop to walk,
but with both legs in the back being very strong,
he's an exellent runner and loves to run while I roller-skate.

He's developed a bit of separation anxiety if left in the house,
but is comfortable in a dog house, and LOVES riding in the car.

When I work in the cooler months, I let him come with me
because he loves to sleep in the car while I tune pianos
(which is what I do for a living).

About a year ago he befriended a stray kitten,
and they developed a strong bond, so I naturally had to keep him.
"Boogie" stays with him when he has to stay home by himself,
so that's great company for both of them.

His local popularity became so great,
I started a "myspace" page for him: Click HERE
There's actually a video of him on that page, now! ;)

He's completely and utterly terrified of electronic "beeps"
(not to mention gun-shots), like the kind that come from a watch,
and he associates a camera with a beep (because many digital cameras beep), so I have very few pictures of him.

I've included the only two I have that actually show the missing leg.

I think this club thing is a neat idea! :D
The only thing I think I've had extra experience in
is dealing with various anxieties, so I'd happily share more about those experiences with anyone who wants to write me. :)

Thank You!
Maggie Jusiel
Athens, WV
Monday August 25, 2008

 
< < Previous Page   Next Page > >