Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat

Hello everyone!

First, this website has been a godsend to ease my anxiety. I don't know what people did before the internet honestly.

Last Friday, our boy Scott, got his amputation. He had Soft Tissue Sarcoma on his front left wrist. Needless to say, we were devastated, but we know we did the right thing.

We were sent home with Gabapentin and we are giving this to him every 8-10 hours.

Scott is a terrible patient. When he got home Saturday, he was flinging his body around - crashing into the floor and walls - in order to get his cone and onesie off. He succeeded. Every day we try to put a little shirt back on him but he just does the same thing. When nothing is on him, he is calm. So now my husband and I are taking shifts watching him so he does not lick his suture open. I am already over this #teamnosleep.

His suture is looking good despite our zombie-like state of living right now. I do wonder what the timeline is for suture healing and walking progression. He is walking - but it is still very wobbly and he does not walk for long. I am sure this is due to the constant Gabapentin, but I also wonder if he is struggling with losing his leg. He is sleeping quiet a bit - which I know is necessary. Has anyone else experienced this with their kitty? Is there something I can do to help him build strength? He is quite overweight also, so I am sure this doesn't help (15lbs before amputation).

Also, since we are unable to keep a cone or shirt on, I am always looking at the suture to make sure it looks healthy. The stitches are inside and dissolvable (thank goodness), but I am not sure at what stage the healing should be? Is this even a thing? I am so lost.

Thank you all for reading my wall of text!