The Thank God He Still Has 4 Legs Thread

[Guest trevdog]

Bread bags are good, you can put a rubberband on the bag top when he's got it on to help keep it up. one bag should be good for a few trips outside.....

[NevadasMom]

Definitely remember the pain management.

[NeylasMom]

Unfortunately I can't offer any helpful suggestions, but for 4 legs!

[5blackgreys]

When my Babette had her hock plated her cast was open at the toes. I got some childrens socks and would put one over the end of the cast when we went out so nothing would get up under it and irritate her foot. When the grass was the least little bit wet I would use the bags our newspaper comes in to protect it.

 

I also had gotten a couple of mens tube socks to put over the cast in case she wanted to chew or lick it. I figured I could spray some bitter apple on the sock and not the cast, but it turned out that she just left the cast alone and never once chewed on it.

 

She required least walking for 8 weeks post repair and I have to say we really bonded at that time. I'd just had my knee replaced so my little girl and I learned how to walk all over again together!!!

 

Good luck with Bones. You sound like you're already well prepared and I hope he has a very uneventful recovery time.

 

 

 

 

[Chicocat]

Bread Wrappers or Newspaper wrappers work great. Or, maybe your vet will give you a "specimen bag" or two.

 

I found velcro cable ties at a local hardware store -- it was either Ace Hardware or Lowes. They are PERFECT!

Extremely easy on and off.

 

Here's a sample.... (Mine came in a roll)

 

Velcro Cable Ties (wire wrap)

[nettles]

Midwest Greyhound Adoption takes 40 to 45 broken legs from Dairyland every year and has a tremendous amount of experience in caring for them.

 

Go to www.midwestgreyhound.org and click on How to care for a broken leg. I'm sure you will find all the info you need.

 

Rich

[3DogNite]

Lots of wonderful advise, i would expect nothing less!!

 

My boy had BOTH back legs in Casts for 6 weeks. Our thing was how to GET UP from the laying down position.

You may want to always make sure when you lay him down, that you have a long beach towel that is under his belly area, that way when He starts to push up to stand, you can assist with a gentle lift with the towel.

 

I tried this with his smaller walking belly lifter, but thru the day while he slept, inevitably it shifted and i didn't have enough fabric on one side or the other..... so, i ended up with a beach towel that just stayed on the bed, where I could always keep it in the proper place to help the getting up process.... oh, I hope this makes sense!???

 

oh, and the ICE CREAM is a definate MUST HAVE~!~!

Good luck! your amazing!

lorinda

[Guest PhillyPups]

See you guys have all have had experience with this. Bones is 10.5 years old but he has always been quiet. He quite often sits out our daily walks unless we go in the car. He very rarely runs flat out anymore or even really runs at all. He also is the first one to take very good care of himself.

 

I am thinking plastic bread wraps would be good to cover the cast. I will get some more vet wrap, thank you for that. I have some, I will need more.

 

We can do this.

 

Pat, yes he does have hardware. Infection and pain control is the most crucial thing to manage.

I know he will be so happy to get home. That in itself will be a huge help to him. Us too!

 

 

As a person who has experience with hardware, further down the healing road, you may notice that he will feel the weather changes (i.e. damp, cold, etc.) and you may want to give a coated aspirin on those days (I take ibuprofin otherwise would not be able to walk some days).

 

Can you tell I am rambling with excitement that he is coming home??

[GreyTzu]

Good news Nancy!

 

I closed your other thread.

 

This one is all about healing Dem Bones and his family.

[Guest CorbysMom]

Sis, you can ask your vet to save IV bags for DaBones' cast. Sturdy little things, they are. My broken legged doggy only used one a week, which I thought was miraculous in the snow and ice!

 

The cast on hardwood floors was a bit of a stuggle in the beginning. I used Show Foot on the cast and it worked amazingly well. A little spray makes a lot of traction.

 

Other than that, I found that my broken legged doggy only did what she knew she could do. She set her own limits (and she was only 2, so she really wanted to play!) and I respected her wisdom. I don't think Bones is going to have a lot of problems adjusting since he's a calm boy.

 

Breathe, Nance. He'll be home soon.

[Guest PhillyPups]

I also got old i.v. bags from the vet to put his foot in so his foot did not tear the plastic bag, (now remember I was doing this in the winter, with the yard snow covered, and I was in a cast and on crutches myself, so it was a sight to see). I don't know how tall Bones is, but Stepper has some gawd awful long legs, it would have to be a king size bread wrapper.

[snowjay]

See you guys have all have had experience with this. Bones is 10.5 years old but he has always been quiet. He quite often sits out our daily walks unless we go in the car. He very rarely runs flat out anymore or even really runs at all. He also is the first one to take very good care of himself.

 

I am thinking plastic bread wraps would be good to cover the cast. I will get some more vet wrap, thank you for that. I have some, I will need more.

 

We can do this.

 

Pat, yes he does have hardware. Infection and pain control is the most crucial thing to manage.

I know he will be so happy to get home. That in itself will be a huge help to him. Us too!

 

 

I'm hi tech... I actually have a special booty that was made to fit over a cast and velcro tight around it. It's black and has some texture on the bottom for a little grip.

 

Cody was out of his cast in two weeks and then I was doing every other day bandage changes on it. My other fosters were having the soft cast changed every 2 weeks for 6 weeks (different doctor). And then other people I know do daily changes on the bandages because of infection and wounds that wouldn't heal.

[Guest DoofBert]

NO real advice, just doing the happy banana dance for Da Bones.....and our Nancy!!

 

[patricia]

Such good news! Pavé Maria had a cast cover...it was heavy nylon material with velcro straps and the bottom of it was a nonskid material. Please keep us posted.

[iluvgreys]

Cody was out of his cast in two weeks and then I was doing every other day bandage changes on it. My other fosters were having the soft cast changed every 2 weeks for 6 weeks (different doctor). And then other people I know do daily changes on the bandages because of infection and wounds that wouldn't heal.

Protocols vary from surgeon to surgeon. Make sure you're clear about how Dr. L wants to deal with follow up care and specifically the frequency of soft cast changes and wound care. Sometimes the cast can slip down and then it starts rubbing somewhere that causes a sore. Or Bones might chew at the top of the cast, causing it to loosen. Might have to do an e-collar to prevent this, at least initially. Would suspect that Bones will probably be on an antibiotic like Clavamox for 3+ weeks to prevent bone infection. BTW, which leg was broken?

 

Edited to add: nevermind... I see that it's the right front leg. Yep, IV bag to cover that leg will protect against pee.

Edited August 8, 2008 by iluvgreys

[Trudy]

Ask the vet for a large IV bag and use that over the cast - very durable.

[Madeara]

Ask your vet for old sub Q bags, they are tough and thick they will last longer than bread bags.

[greytpups]

No advice...just warm wishes for a speedy recovery...and of course, a big hug for you Nancy. Thanks for keeping us updated...I'm so happy for you.

[Madeara]

Haa Haa Trudy you beat me, great idea I must say! I learned that on the Degenerative Myelopathy board.

 

Nancy, is it time for a drink yet? What a day for both of us!

 

 

[juliemac]

non-skid mats on every tile and hardwood floor that he might need to walk across ... I like the inexpensive 3 x 5 foot ones at Kmart & Target... small & manageable (both around the room house and to throw in the washer). Bathmats can work too ... much more cushy, but so much smaller (and not as 'livingroom'-like).

 

 

[Guest LadyChester]

Fantastic news for Mr. Bones ... a lot will depend on what type of hardware, cast, etc. You will have lots of support here as Bones heals!

[Guest MZH]

I have a big collection of non-skid runners for when we have a dog who is lame or whatever. I put 'em down wherever they frequently walk. They have prevented many a fall. Can't live without 'em!

 

Marcia

[Guest vahoundlover]

I've been thinking about Bones all day, I kept telling DH, "we HAVE to get home, I need to see how Bones is doing!" My heart dropped when I saw the locked thread....thank you doG, he came through the surgery ok and is still a 4x4

 

No advice, just lots of healing thoughts and prayers.

[Guest argolola]

Prayers for your sweet boy.

[Guest tricolorhounds]

Our Vet (our group uses him for all the dogs that come in with orthopedic issues, so TONS of Greyhound experience.) prescibed Savannah; the antibiotic Cephalexin, Tylenol w/Codeine for pain for the 1st week and then Previcox after the Tylenol was gone... and Acepromazine to keep her calm (we never gave her any of this.)

 

The first couple of days, we restricted Savannah to our extra bedroom... She was still unsteady on her feet and I didn't want any of the other dogs to bump into her and knock her down by accident. After the 1st week, she let us know that she wanted to be on her usual bed or in the same room that we were in. She is a typical Greyhound and sleeps for most of the day so I leave her free access to the house. We don't have any stairs, but if we did, I would probably restrict her access to those.

 

We did not use any sort of E-Collar... she knows she is not supposed to mess with her cast and generally doesn't. So far we've found that if she likes the decoration they've used, she'll leave it alone, if she doesn't like it, she'll rip only the decoration off... she's apparently not a soccer fan as that one came off right away.

 

Bags are important if she's going to be somewhere wet so that the water does not wick up the cast. It's very dry here so she rarely wears one but the IV bags work really well as they are quite thicker than either bread bags or newspaper bags. I made a cover for her cast right after she got home... unfortunately for me, every cast change seems to get bigger and now her bag doesn't fit.

 

Savannah has appointments every 2 weeks... the 1st was to remove the sutures... the 2nd was for X-rays... both with cast changes... she has another on the 14th.

 

You'll probably find that after the first week, he'll want to be back to his usual routine, especially since you say he is generally very calm and quiet. Hugs to you both

 

Lynnet

 

P.S. I've found this experience a little different than when she was recovering from her racing injury... Back then, she was still unfamiliar with being a pet... she hadn't established a family bond, learned about living in a house, nor learned what no meant... Things are differnent this time around.