I keep looking at her, and I think she is even more beautiful with three legs than she was with four. I would venture to guess it’s because she has shown so much inner and outer strength, and such an amazing attitude through it all. I always knew she was amazing, but I have never really had a chance to see this side of her, and I love it.
How I’m Helping Luna Heal
I touched quickly last post on some things I’m doing, but I wanted to discuss in more detail the things I think are helping my girl heal, be calm and feel great!
Arnica is a homeopathic remedy that has been shown to speed healing and reduce swelling and bruising. There are many different thoughts on doses, so consult your holistic vet for your dog’s needs. I gave Luna 5 pellets of 30c once a day for the first four days after surgery. She had quite a bit of bruising (Doh! I forgot to grab it the evening of her surgery when we visited because I was in such a hurry to get to her!), and I think this has helped it clear nicely. She has very little swelling or fluid buildup, and the incision seems to be healing nicely.
Acupuncture/Acupressure can help ease pain, speed healing, clear anesthesia, calm your dog and much much more. I was unable to get in with my holistic vet for acupuncture right away after surgery, so I have been performing acupressure until we can see her. My vet told me some good points, and I have also been referencing the book ‘Acu-Dog: A Guide to Canine Acupressure.’ In addition, I am using calming Massage and TTouch when she is laying and being calm, and invigorating touches to help get her blood flowing when we are out in the yard bouncing around.
Calming Remedies have always been used in our household, but I have been especially sure to use these while Luna is healing. We are using dog appeasing pheromone, or D.A.P. spray, and an aromatherapy spray called Chill Out by Aromadog. We play calming pet music, and try to keep the lighting and noise level down for her. She has her own special spaces set up- two in fact- where she can be safe, quiet & confined when I’m not around to make sure she’s not jumping up on the couch yet (she keeps trying hard, though!).
Pain Meds are super duper important, of course. Luna is currently on Tramadol. She has been tolerating it well, and seeing very few, very mild side effects. She has had a great appetite for all meals but one, which she ate most of anyway. She has had a few very short & mild episodes of panting. She didn’t sleep extremely well last night, but I think she may have just had to pee really bad! She is just a tiny bit dopey when it is in full swing, but not too bad at all. We iced for 10-15 minutes 2-3 times each day for the first three, and are now using a warm compress 2-3 times each day for about three days.
That Tail!
To tell you the truth, one thing I’ve been most worried about is her tail! It wags so hard sometimes, it swings around her hip and hits her incision site. I’ve been in the line of fire a zillion times before, and that thing is strong! Though it’s not happening often enough to really be concerning, it still worries me a bit!
First I’d want to thank you for the holistic vet’s website. I found it very informative. I took my cat Mona to an alternative vet after her amputation for a chiropractic treatment. She is now on Power Mushrooms to build up her immunity. The need to amputate came so suddenly that I was unprepared. I needed to know more about how to keep her calm because she was a completely psycho-cat from the meds when she got home.
Luna is stunning and I know what you mean about being more beautiful. When I hear Mona walking now the rhythmic sound just warms my heart.
Thanks for sharing your experience and approaches to supporting Luna in her healing.
All the best to you both. Kerren and Mona
Luna is doing fantastic! She is quite the stunning girl too.
Thanks for the tips. Acu-Dog: A Guide to Canine Acupressure is now heading to our kindle and we may have to get the one for the horse too.
TTouch is great and I just like massages too. And stretching. I love to stretch and start every morning off with downward facing dog and upward facing dog. My humans think it is adorable when I roll my toes over to really get a deep stretch.
Merry Christmas Luna and keep on rocking!
Wow I’m digging your suggestions and overview on Luna’s Tripawd journey, thanks so much for your excellent details. I’ll be sharing this in the news blog so stay tuned.
And yep, she’s even more beautiful than before!