Congrats on your first week, trust us, it just keeps getting better. I had Gus on Rimidyl for probably three weeks and Gabapentin for the same, although I didn't know how long he needed it, I had it so I figured it wouldn't hurt. I tried to take him off gabapentin but went back for about another week since Gus had some phantom pain . We are six weeks today and he has been off all meds for about two weeks. Gus didn't get along with Tramadol very well, he would be restless at night, not much appetite and he did pant quite a bit, but I won't say that is why Harley is panting so heavily.  Our vet had given me some spray that supposedly taste bad so he wouldn't lick the incision, I knew Gus wouldn't have anything to do with one of those collars, but we never used it. the only time he would lick was when he had a spell of phantom pain , and he would usually just lick the bottom part of the incision. I knew Gus was really starting to not have pain when he started laying on the side they amputated, and he has just gotten better right along.

 My dog Tasha a left front leg amputee was on her pain meds for 9 days. She didn't need any meds after that but all dogs heal a little differently and have different pain tolerances. Tasha did want to lick her incision so she had to wear the collar, sometimes a tee shirt and we also taped a sock on her left rear leg to keep her from getting to her incision. Tasha did not have phantom pain . Good luck with Harley, things should start getting better and better very soon!

Jo Ann & Tasha

Noah wasn't sent home with any pain meds. In fact, the vet asked me to sign a form saying he could have pain meds after the surgery. When we visited Noah about 5 hours after surgery he was almost unresponsive so I don't think the meds agreed with him or he was over dosed. At home Noah did seem to have some pain but I think it was mostly from his remaining front leg. Maybe I didn't think to ask the vet for more meds because I don't like to take them myself. He will be 2 weeks post op tomorrow (it seems like forever) and is starting to get around. Yesterday I had him lay in a bath of tepid water for about 20 minutes to soften his stitches. This really seemed to make a difference in his comfort.

Congratulations on getting through this first week.  As Spirit Cherry's Dad said, this is a very big milestone too.  Prior to Mackenzie's surgery, she was on tramadol, garbapatin and metacam.  Then following her surgery, she was on the same medication but lower dosages.  Then it was about 10 days following her surgery that we weaned her off all the pain meds. They really did affect her physically and mentally and it wasn't until we took her off the meds, that she made a complete turnaround (but she did need them up until the 10th day or so.)  It was a real balancing act with the pain meds because it's difficult to tell whether they're in pain or whether they're being overmedicated (seems to exhibit the same kind of side effects for both.) But like Jerry said, I would have some extra tramadol on hand just in case since they are so cheap (Target pharmacy is amazingly cheap!)

And as for the t-shirt, highly recommend it vs. the cone (which I see you've already done this.) I had Mackenzie wear a t-shirt until her stitches came out - it really helped her incision heal and she didn't try to scratch it at all.  That was one of the best tips I got during her recovery.

It sounds like Harley is doing well so far which is always great to hear.  We weren't so lucky during Mackenzie's recovery time but I can proudly say that Mackenzie is doing fantastic now and it's been over 6 months since her surgery!

Wishing Harley a smooth and speedy recovery - he looks like a big love!

Kami (Mackenzie's Mom)

Our Harley was on pain meds for about 2 weeks (I think, as this was 6 months ago … should have kept that journal Bob suggested).  He took Previcox and Tramadol the first 4 or so days when home … and then just Tramadol the rest of the time (but at a very low dose, as the dose prescribed would cause him to pant and stare and then pace and then stare some more and then want to be outside where he would stand and stare and pant).  We started Gapabentin after a month or so, due to phantom pain (he took one pill at bed time for several months).

Wasn't there a discussion about itchy stitches a while ago?  If I remember right, someone had bought a cream to put on to stop the itching.  I'm sorry I'm not of more help, as we were past this stage when it was brought up and I didn't pay full attention.  Maybe someone else will remember?