What To Expect After Toe Amputation?

[Guest brindlebutt]

The limp my darling Forrest has was discovered to be caused by some deformity of the last tarsal. The vet will remove the deformed bone, and the one next to it. The malformed toe will be biopsied to make sure that there is nothing else going on.

 

I know in the long run it is the thing to do, and that I will have my happy dog who loves to run around me in circles back again. But I feel so bad about the pain he will experience post-op. He is already in such pain from the toe -- might it even be that post-op will not be as painful as the condition pre-op? It took 4 people to hold my docile Forrest down in order to take the xray.... Still, he is a sport about going for walks, but I think he puts up with the pain just to be with Mom -- nothing worse than being left behind!

 

What I am asking about now is what I can expect regarding recovery time. I know I will have to keep it dry -- the vet suggested I bring him in for the first bandage change so I see exactly how it's done.

 

Is he going to be in a lot of pain? I am expecting that he will require complete rest immediately post-op-- just out the yard to do his business, and then back to the couch, right? How long will this period of total rest occur?

 

Can anyone give me a ballpark as to when he may begin to go on walks again? Any ballpark as to when I can expect him to be fully recovered?

 

Forrest is going to be babied and coddled and comforted with all his fave treats, that's for sure.

 

Any tips will be greytly appreciated.

 

 

[Guest meandmygreys]

My Justy had a toe missing when he came here...You'd never know it to watch him. Toe amputations are pretty common in the greyhound world..The recovery time should'nt be too long...he'll be up and running before yoy know it !!

 

I'd just watch the area for infection and try to keep it as clean as possible till fully healed..It probably is'nt too painful..mine are such cowards that if they have any little thing at all hurting them..they scream and cry like babies !!..If he's not limping or giving to it..it probably does'nt bother him.

[Guest Shermanator]

We amputated Patton's toe 10 days ago for a nasty corn we had been battling for 2 years.

 

Surgery was a Wed afternoon, and I picked him up Thursday morning. That day, he camped out on the futon (his) in my knitting room (his) where it was completely quiet, and slept, hard. He did not eat or drink at all that day, which stressed me out, but he just had major surgery, and my vet said that was to be expected. The vet wrapped it up, and I put a baby sock on it to protect the bandage. (I bought a bunch of fun, silly baby socks for him.)

 

He was quiet the first several days, not a lot of moving around. He slept a lot, and hopped on that leg. I kept an eye on it, and looked for excessive bleeding. (That would mean he popped a stitch, and race back to the vet.) None of that happened, so he was okay. He was sent home with antibiotics and etogesic (sp) painkillers.

 

By Tueday - 6 days post surgery - somebody's attitude began to return. He stopped taking the cheese I was offering him, since he realized his meds were hidden in there. Silly boy. Now, he gets them popped directly down his throat. Argh.

 

As of today, my pre-corn boy has returned. He's back to his exuberant self. We're actually having trouble keeping him quiet - he still has stitches in - they have to come out Thursday. He's got the zoomies (which he has not had for a long time, due to the corn,) he's jumping, barking (attitude) and back to the spinning in circles. The vet said he can go for walks by week 3 post surgery, and 6 weeks post surgery, it will be like nothing ever happened.

 

We have had several paw surgeries - corn removal for Patton (cut the corn out of the pad,) and a tumor removal surgery, and webbing repair surgery for Sherman. The toe amputation, by far has been the easiest one as recovery goes. The vet took the toe off at the top knuckle, so he's not directly walking on the incision, so he is not as in as much pain. Also, there are not as many stitches in his foot, as there were in the corn removal surgery.

 

10 days post surgery he is putting most of his weight on his foot, which I never had with any other of the paw surgeries.

 

This was the most expensive (I am now calling him Dyson, since that's where the money for my Dyson went) but this was worth it!

My pre-corn happy boy is back!

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest Snowy8]

My first greyhound had an infection in her toenail bed, and the toe swelled, my vet amp'd it, she wore a bandage for about a week & ran with it on. When it was removed, she took off. He said let her do what's natural for her. It never bothered her.

Brogan my blue greyhound had an infection in the front paw of a toe, we amp'd it, he did just fine when the bandages came off. He limped about 2 or 3 days because the paw felt funny on the grass, but after the "funniest" wore off, he ran like the wind.

[turbotaina]

One of our foster dogs just had a toe amputated about 1.5 weeks ago. She's already weight-bearing on the foot (was actually weight bearing almost immediately) and the incision is healing well. She goes in today to get the stitches out. She has an additional problem with ulceration not related to the surgery, but the amputation itself is healing just fine.