Hello Bee,

I am very glad to hear that Cleo is recovering well.

Shania also wanted to bite on the incision site, so we kept the cone on when we are not around to supervise. In Shania’s case, our vet told us not to let her lick or bite around the area to prevent bleeding and infection.

As you say though, the cone can sometimes chafe the skin on the neck. With Shania, we were able to take the cone off temporarily when are around and can stop her from worrying at her scabs and stitches. Some dogs are more sensitive to wearing the cone though, for example, my Shiba Inu would make a big fuss when we try to put the cone on. In his case, we left it on for the duration after his neutering surgery.

I’m worried because she is bitting her leg and the scab area is now bleeding

I called our vet a bunch of times during Shania’s recovery, just to make sure that everything was ok. They were very helpful and have a lot of experience with recovery from surgery. It may help to call up Cleo’s vet and see what they suggest.

Thank you , she is doing really well but I’m worried because she is bitting her leg and the scab area is now bleeding and I don’t know what to do about that , also she is kind of agressive when I touch her neck were the cone was so now she is in a corner bitting and licking her leg.

In terms of slipping-
1. I put rugs all over the smooth hard floors in the house.
2. I make sure to dry Shania’s paws very well if it has been raining outside.
3. Sarah suggested using shoes for slippery outside surfaces.
http://shibashake.com/dog/three-legged-dog-care-tripod-dog-care/comment-page-3#comment-57139

I haven’t used shoes before on Shania, so I am not sure how well it works for a dog of her size.

When Shania is not feeling well, her instinct is to go be by herself. I think many dogs and animals are that way. In the wild, this instinct helps to keep them safe.

Hugs to Cleo. She is young, so I think she will bounce back quickly.

Thanks for sharing , it helped a lot.
Cleo came home yesterday and she had a tough time sleeping and so did I.She wasn’t comfortable most of the time because the only good side was the injured leg so she kept crying about it and I felt really bad about not being able to help her , she was also upset about the fact that we wouldn’t let her jump on the bed and I was so sad but I had to stay strong for her and myself.I only got a chance to sleep three hours and now I can’t go back to bed because I am the only one who can take care of her.She is now in her little dog bedroom ish place , she seems to like it so I’m kind of glad I take her outside from four to four hours or when I see that she want’s to go outside but when I did so once she slipped and fell right on her side with the injured leg and she started to cry so bad and I was trying to lift her but she wouldn’t let me.
Why do you think she wouldn’t let me help her get up and what can I do about her slipping ???

Hello Bee,

1. Jumping on furniture
I kept Shania in a secure enclosure while she was recovering from her amputation. I put nice bedding, a water bowl, and puppy pads in the enclosure. She also had very safe chew toys to work on while in there. I gave her a lot of frozen Kongs during her recovery.

I have another dog, so the enclosure was necessary to prevent them from playing before the stitches came out. At the same time the enclosure keeps her safe, prevents her from jumping onto furniture, and getting into other types of trouble. I spent a lot of time with her in there.

During her recovery, we always had someone home with her. I didn’t want to take the chance of her getting hurt or trying to escape.

After the stitches came-off, I started training her not to get on furniture. As soon as she tries to get on the couch, I no-mark and body block her away. Then I tell her what to do instead, e.g. Down. When she lies down, I reward her very well with high priority food, attention, and a nice scratch session. If she manages to get up the couch, I carry her down right away.

In this way, she learns that lying down on the floor = a lot of attention and rewards, but jumping on the couch = get carried down and no rewards. I am very consistent about it so she never gets to come up on the couch, never gets any affection on the couch, and just gets carried down right away.

2. Keeping legs strong
I give Shania Glucosamine to help keep her joints healthy (I discussed this with my vet first). I also take special care of her paws and carefully manage her activity so that she doesn’t hurt any of her other legs.

Here is a bit more on what I do with Shania-
http://shibashake.com/dog/three-legged-dog-care-tripod-dog-care

Each dog is different though, so make sure to check with your vet before giving any supplements to Cleo.

3. Getting another dog
As for getting another dog, I waited until things calmed down a lot with Sephy before getting him a furry companion. Here is a bit more on what I did before getting a second dog.

Shania does not have as good balance as my other dogs, and she can easily get overwhelmed by them during play. I make sure to supervise them closely when they are playing. I establish play-rules and teach all of my dogs those rules so that everyone can have fun and there is no bullying. I also supervise well during meal times.

After Shania’s amputation, I waited several years before getting another dog.

Hugs to Cleo. Is she back home? How is she doing?

Hello Zach,

I have never lived with a wolf-dog hybrid, so I do not have experience in this area. Here is an interesting article from someone who has a wolf-Sibe mix-
http://blairtracy.hubpages.com/_orec/hub/Owning-a-Husky-Wolf

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

My friend has a half wolf half husky female dog who is 2 months pregnant. He is planning to give away the puppies and I would like to take them in. I have absolutely zero dog knowledge whatsoever, but I am quite excited at the idea of raising a dog. Are there any long term issues that I will have to seriously consider? Will the dog the same traits you mentioned as the Siberian Husky? (as this isnt a pure siberian husky)