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Amputated back leg


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Hi everyone! 
 

been a stressful couple of days. Alfie and I were running around and he took a turn, shrieked nonstop, emergency vet immediately. 
he broke his tibia right at the knee by dislocating his femur. 
took him to a referral hospital that took him in for the long weekend. Turns out he has cancer and they amputated the leg. The cancer has not spread and we caught it “early” but I have NO idea what to expect or how to care for him after surgery. 
Any suggestions, advice, information, what to buy, etc. would be incredible if you could share it! 

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I suggest that you search for the osteo threads - they will provide much information.

 

In general

- make sure that they have your greyhound on Amicar, that is used to prevent bleeding

- you may need to have a sling (towel) to help your greyhound over the next week going in and out of the house

- put down non-slip rugs anyplace there is tile/wood floors as you don't want your greyhound to slip as he is "hopping"

- the first 10 days can be a nightmare but, the improvement after that is amazing

- you may want to sleep next to your greyhound to make sure he is not getting up and looking for you

- you want a flattish type of bed because you don't want him tripping to get in bed. A bed with a bolster on one side can work well

- you can use a t-shirt to cover up the incision site

- I had to reposition my greys after they laid down to make sure that they weren't crimping the good side - I would slightly lift shoulder or hip and reposition on bed

- I made sure I got my greys up about every 2 hours during the day to go outside - I would help them get out and them remove sling so they could do the few hops to find a place to pee/poop

 

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The Osteo Thread Part 9  The first post has links to other sites for info.  The rest is the experiences of people here on GT as they deal with this horrible disease.

The Greyhound Health Initiative is the portal to get consults from noted greyhound cancer expert Dr Guillermo Couto.  It's completely worth the $99 cost if you or your vet have a question regarding treatment or diagnoses.  If you are in the States they *may* still offer free chemo doses.

The Dog Cancer Blog is another resource for owners.  This is not a greyhound specific site.  Their book The Dog Cancer Survival Guide is from Amazon (US) here.

The Ruffwear Webmaster Harness is what most (US) dog parents of rear leg amps use to help our dogs get around.  It's well made in the USA, offers an excellent fit for greyhound body shapes, and comfortable enough for them to wear 24/7.

The first two weeks following the surgery are the hardest you will experience.  After that, you will wonder why you were so worried and stressed out.

Good luck and all our best thoughts!

Chris - Mom to: Felicity (DeLand), and Andi (Braska Pandora)

52592535884_69debcd9b4.jpgsiggy by Chris Harper, on Flickr

Angels: Libby (Everlast), Dorie (Dog Gone Holly), Dude (TNJ VooDoo), Copper (Kid's Copper), Cash (GSI Payncash), Toni (LPH Cry Baby), Whiskey (KT's Phys Ed), Atom, Lilly

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