Tripawds Three Legged Dog & Cat Forum Archives

Hi guys, 

Just a little update on Doris. I called the surgeon's office to see if there is a cancellation list we could be put on. They offered us an apt for this Friday but it was with a different surgeon. After talking with my vet we decided that we're going to wait for the apt on the 17th with the surgeon that my vet is familiar with. Hopefully that is the right thing to do. On a more positive note, Doris slept much better last night. We upped her dose of gabapentin from 1mL to 1.5mL. It didn't seem to help the first couple of days. Last night I gave it to her at 8:30pm instead of with her dinner and it really seemed to help her stay comfortable while sleeping. So we'll see how it goes tonight. She is still happy and hungry and really enjoying her walks in her stroller! 🙂

Hey everyone,

Just wanted to give you all an update on Doris. She hasn't been doing great the past week or so. She seems less happy, maybe somewhat depressed. I think the pain is getting to her. She hasn't been weight bearing on her leg for a couple weeks. She's having trouble sleeping the second half of the night so we have upped her nightly dose of gabapentin again. She's reluctant to eat breakfast but willingly eats when I hand feed her. She's more lethargic and just not her happy self like she usually is. We had our consult with the surgeon yesterday and it went really well! We scheduled her amputation for march 9th. We went thru all the risks, pros, cons, recovery, and questions we had with the surgeon. The main concern of theirs is the stress on her heart since she does have degenerative valvular disease. The anesthesiologist, cardiologist and surgeon are all going to be working closely together to give this the best shot. The surgeon is also very familiar with our regular vet and our cardiologist, she used to work with both of them. We feel comfortable with the team they've put together and are hopeful! Everyone believes that this is the right move, especially since she's already getting around as a tripod anyways. We also discussed the option of chemo after recovery, I still need to research that. Our initial thought was against that though but like I said I don't know enough about it yet. We're still going to go to PT until the surgery, the vets think its a good idea even if just for her mental fulfillment. She's loving her walks in her stroller so we get out as often as possible. We're just staying positive and trying to keep her happy and comfortable for the next 3 weeks. I wish we didn't have to wait so long but that's just how it is. Some people in our life aren't as supportive and it's difficult to have to deal with that. But we're staying positive and taking it one day at a time! Hope everyone has been well!!!