Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Great update! Kaju is doing fantastic this early in recovery.
Every cat differs, but yes, it can happen! We hope the gaba helps sedate. Hopefully, with the full dose in, he will rest for you. Keep doing what you are and limit his activity being in his enclosure. We had restricted activity for two weeks.
Yay for more pee, especially since he does have a history. No idea on the cath we don't like hearing he tried going with no results a second time with his history! I agree with the fluids we do a lot of bone broth; the boys lap it right up! You know what to watch for, and hopefully, he doesn't have any more issues.
Our Gaba was a capsule i opened it up and added a little bit of tuna juice (water from the can) and syringed that back up to syringe it to Purrkins. Tuna juice masks a lot of nasty meds. I'm guessing your liquid is not flavored and tastes nasty. Gel caps are great too follow with a little syringe of liquid afterward.
Thanks for the update we are keeping our fingers crossed; today is uneventful, and you can both can get some rest.
Scratchers to Kaju!
Hugs
Holly & Purrkins💝
Update day 3 and 4 and more questions (sorry!)
So yesterday took Kaju to visit the cat specialist. The temp was normal and so (phew!) were the kidney values (back to 1.3 creatinine from 2.1 and back to 22 BUN from 70). She said to continue the meds including meloxicam since kidneys looked fine.
He's mostly been sleeping today. Still not eating beyond a few kibbles on his own. And not v willing with syringed food so I'm not getting much into him 🙁 Plus he vomitted again tonight though I'm spacing out the antibiotic and food (giving them together results in throwing up within 30 minutes). He's not gone pooing in 4 days now. Not surprising since he's eating very little and this is beginning to worry me. But peeing is at least 2ce a day now. I'm continuing with sub cutaneous fluid on vets advice.
I've been noticing also that he's drooling a lot while sleeping (like drool comes out of his mouth and coats one side of his cheek). Is this because of gabapentin? He's also drooling while trying to eat his kibbles (won't touch wet food) and giving up after a bit like he's having difficulty manoeuvring the food into his mouth. Can this drooling and coordination issue(?) be because of gabapentin?
Also he refuses to go pee inside his enclosure and I have to let him walk around and 'choose' a litterbox on his own. He's walking fine (if a bit unsteady getting up) on his 3 legs. Is that very unusual so early? Is it okay to let him walk for about 5-10 minutes? He gets very depressed inside the enclosure and seems happier to have access to his usual sleeping spots instead (like bottom of cupboard).
I have made steps from the bed for him but he's v suspicious. Somehow he jumped down once today after somehow managing to open his enclosure while i was on a long work call 🙁
Tomorrow we have an appointment with the surgeon to take off his bandages and examine his stitches. Keep your fingers crossed for us and send him good vibes that the healing is fine and that he doesn't get too stressed and scared at the vet's. Thank you wonderful tripawd community for all the suggestions and support. Love from me and Kaju
Never apologizefor questions....that's why were here.!
YAAAY for getting those kitty values at a good place!! Great news!
i've been following f your posts and know that oir kitty members have been giving good advice. Can't really help on so e pf uour questions, but they'll co e along and give more input. My knowledge is more from a dog perspective.
I do think letting him sleep where he wants too. It's very important for dogs and cats to resume their regular sleep places, regular routines, etc as soon as they can. I would also think letting him use the regular litter box of his choice would be okay too, even of it means he has a little bit of "free roam" to get to his regular spots.
Does his pain seem to be managed at this point? Maybe the Gaba could be cut back a notch, or even the Metacam?? Talk to the Vet about it.
Others can advise, but it is possible the Gaba may be causing the drooling, etc. The antibiotic can be causing the vomit...nausea. Go over all this with the Surgeon tomorrow.
The fact that Kaju is mobile is really good!! Remem, this is MAJOR surgery all while adjust to three. It is still very early in recovery!
Okay, hang on for good feedback from our kitty members!😎
Hugs
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
Hi, I was going to post later today and ask you how things were going.
My guess is the drooling, salivation, lack of appetite may be nausea. Fluids are wonderful, and im glad his values are better. You may want to see what they can give him for possible nausea and lack of appetite.
I don't know if you've tried this, but most hospitals have Hill's Prescription A/D wet food. It's got an easy consistency to feed with a syringe, and i have found that warming it slightly is very appetizing. It's very high in calories and nutrients, used for exactly what you are going through right now post op.
As long as he's not running too much, letting him roam around might be good medicine for him. Im sure he's frustrated, and sometimes you have to readjust what you're doing especially if it's having a great affect on his general wellbeing. Sleeping in his old spots may be good for him as long as he can't get himself into trouble.
I hope some of this helps. I bought Huckleberry some Delectables and they are a favorite treat in our house even today. Whatever you can tempt him with is worth a try.
Hugs,
Jackie and Huck❤
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry 
You have gotten some fantastic advice from Sally and Jackie, I x2 everything they recommend.
That's pretty awesome his mobility is coming along nicely. He'll get the hang of the stairs eventually, there's plenty of time to train him on them. When his appetite returns, do you think you can bribe him to tackle the stairs, with his favorite treats?
The recovery does sound relatively normal to me, and I do think that with a few tweaks you and your vet make together, Kaju will start feeling better with each new day. Keep us posted!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
So happy to see levels back to normal.
The drooling could be many things. It could be a side effect of Gaba, sure, nausea, gastro, dental issues. You say he has trouble maneuvering his food; it made me think dental, but we can only guess. Absolutely bring this up at your appt. tomorrow.
I third, fourth, allow him to use the litter box and sleep under the cupboard. As long as you can monitor activity and when you can't keep him in the enclosure. Protesting is a good sign!
Pooping you can help with some otc Miralax 1/4 tsp 2X a day if its available there? I mix it with water and syringe it. It is normal not to poop the meds can constipate, and as you say he is not eating like normal. I would be inquiring about the vomiting and drooling and see if you can rule out what the cause is and change out meds and tweak meds.
Is it the Gaba or antibiotic getting him sick, and what can they replace those with. We need him to eat even if it is not his average amount—keep enticing him! Yay for 2 pees!
Fingers crossed & good vibes for tomorrow's appt and Kaju eating!
Hugs & scratches to Kaju!
Holly & Purrkins💝
Hey all,thanks thanks again for all the advice. I'm syringing hill's a/d for him but he doesn't seem to like it. There's a very low calorie japanese tuna mousse that he tolerates more. I've been tricking him by first drawing up a/d on the syringe and then the last half ml or so with tuna. But he ain't well pleased! Last night i left some dry food in his enclosure and he ate! Not all of it and not all at once obviously but he's clearly eaten maybe half of what I left overnight so that's another positive today.
Also I read somewhere that gabapentin needs to be separated from antacids or it interferes with absorption of gabapentin. Did anyone also follow this? The vets had not mentioned this to me. I'm going to check with them today.
Will definitely check with the vet about nausea and cutting back on the pain med dosage. Miralax (is it lactulose?) Isn't available here but he's been recommended a couple of things before when he's had constipation (lactulose and a paste called air-lax: both work fine for him). Will check with the vet if I need to separate them from his other meds.
Also has anyone used supplements as they get better? Probiotics or vitamins?
Thanks a bunch for all your help!
Love from me and kaju
Lactulose is like veterinary miralax. I used it on my kitty that had mega colon.
Have you tried just gently warming up the a/d? Not hot, just warm enough to get that beautiful smell, lol.
Delectables are easily available on Amazon and Chewy if you have those. It's a thicker gravy like consistency. I use the senior for the extra calories and nutrients. When my cats see that squeeze up they go crazy for it.
Tuna juice, canned chicken juice, ground chicken in a food processor can do well too.
See if you can get an appetite stimulant, ok? That may be what you need for now.
❤❤❤
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry
Great, you are getting some A/D in. I agree warming foods helps get the smell going and might entice him to eat on his own. Crush some kibbles up and sprinkle on top of the a/d. Have you tried dabbing a tiny dot of A/D on his nose? His instinct will be to lick his nose, and he may decide he likes the taste that way. Brilliant to hear ate his kibble even if it is not an average amount. Excellent sign!
We have no experience to share as we did not have an antibiotic or antacid.
Yes, the Miralax & lactulose are both an osmotic laxative, but drastically different to give and receive. Miralax is otc now & lactulose a prescription it is an indigestible sugar that acts as an osmotic laxative it is a sticky wicket mess and not pleasant to give or for cats to receive;) It can rot teeth and affect blood sugar. Miralax is a tasteless, odorless powder dissolves in water or wet food. Easy to give cats. We use it daily for Purrkins brother vet-approved and for Purrkins in recovery. Not helpful if it is not available there. Use what has worked in the past asap, especially since he has had issues before.
I would be adding the probiotic now and continue since he is on an antibiotic to get some good flora back in his gut. We use them daily on both our cats along with digestible enzymes. Oh boy, i have a list if you are interested;) We see a holistic and traditional vet.
Purrkins Daily Supplements
- Standard Process Immune Support crushed– AM & PM.
- Standard Process Musculoskeletal Support AM and PM
- Caneva Pet-powder (elk antler powder) AM
- Bluebird Botanicals Companion CBD for cats and dogs. 4 drops A.M & P.M
- Dr. Mercola Whole Food Digestive Probiotic 1/2 scoop AM
- Dr. Mercola Digestive Enzymes 1/2 scoop AM
- Dr. Mercola Krill Oil AM
- Dr. Mercola Ubiquinol AM
- Milk Thistle 0.5 ML AM & PM
- Boiron Hypericum Perforatum 30c
I put all those in a little bowl, crush the tablet and pellets, add 1/4 tube of Churu lickable treat and slurp that up a syringe to syringe back to Purrkins. He does not protest and readily takes it. We have a different list for Purrkn's brother, but a lot is the same.
Let us know the vet visit goes when you have time.
Hugs & scratches to Kaju, please.
Holly & Purrkins 💝
Hello again from me. Kaju went poopies yesterday night twice on his own before I gave any supplements. The 2md time was too liquid. The vet thinks it's because of the antibiotics. He's been on probiotics for 2 days now. Hopefully we'll see poopies improve. He's walking about and going to balcony and peeking through railings as per usual but is still a bit grumpy. Also only grooming his remaining front leg. I think it might be the bandages. He's jumping down from bed (it's not v high but still) ignoring steps, catnip bribes and my protestations.
His surgery wound was checked on Friday. He had some oozing into his gauze bandage but the vet said that's because he had some inflammation and infection at the time of surgery. He said the wound looked fine but won't heal up for stitch opening before the10th day (he had hoped that it would heal enough by 7th day). His bandage has been retied but loosely because the vet felt he was probably bothered by tightness before. I'm a bit worried dirt will get in when he's out in the balcony. We'll get another recheck and re-bandaging on Tuesday and hopefully, stitches come off on Friday.
He's still only eating minimal amounts of kibble only and a few licks of water on his own. But i was able to get more food into him today and yesterday. Today he finished (via syringe, patience and perseverance, on both our parts) an almost entire can of k/d. He seems to like it better than a/d!
His teeth aren't in the best shape (tartar) but can dental problems of such magnitude just appear overnight? Like he was eating fine on his own before surgery. I was actually planning on having his teeth scaled in August but then this thing with his stump kept getting worse. Anything that can be done in the short term without another surgery?
Sorry if I'm a bit all over the place. I'm really exhausted. B/w kaju, two other cats (kalonji and marmalady, who are loudly letting me know they're not getting enough attention) and a full time job I'm kinda not getting enough sleep. The advice and encouragement from everyone here has really kept me going. Thank you all so so much.
This is such a great list of supplements! Unfortunately almost all not available here. I am giving him this probiotic called benebac (paste) and the vet gave an additional probiotic powder today. I was giving him a tonic combining milk thistle vitamin b complex and l-tryptophan. I stopped because I thought too many meds.but maybe it'll be good to start again.
Oh also forgot to add, very little drooling during sleep now, so I do think that was the higher dose of gabapentin. He's now getting 4mg/kg dosage of gabapentin.
Drooling could def have been upset tummy. Now that he is eating and taking probiotic, I bet his tummy is better. Cats are not like we and dogs are where we can go time without eating. They can get really sick. I am so glad he is turning this corner.
Somewhere back in my brain I remember benebac and although I have not needed/used it in forever, I do remember it being a good product.
You are doing a great job of taking care of his needs, I bet you are thoroughly exhausted. Huck never drooled unless he struggled and got medication in his mouth, then he was a total drool monster, lol.
Like Holly, we used a bit of Miralax for Huck until he started eating and pooping regularly and it worked well for us. I used the lactulose years ago for my kitty Falcor that had megacolon. They did not have Miralax back then unfortunately. I think it is much gentler on the system.
I am totally thrilled that Kaju is starting to feel better. I know you would have liked to have sutures out, but to me slow and steady is still a very pawsitive thing.
Dental issues can definitely cause problems, and sometimes quickly but hard to say if this is related at all because of everything else going on. They can get cracked teeth, exposed roots, abscess, and infection which can greatly impact their ability to eat. The infection and bacteria can make them sick down the road and give them bad health. Maybe after this is all over with you could have his mouth examined and a dental performed by his vet.
As you can see, after extensive research and experience, Holly has this down to a science. If I came back in my next life as a cat, I would want to live with her 
I hope you have a smooth day today. Keep working on the stairs, it will come. All of my kitties use stairs now, even the quads. It is just going to take some more healing time and getting into a new routine of life for Kaju... it will happen
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry
Well, YAY FOR POOPIES!! (Not the liquid kind of course)
And YAY for eating a whole can of food!!! Maybe things are starting to turn a corner for continued improvement. His attitude seems good and that's great news.
Shhhh.......in my non Vet opinion, seven days would have been too early to take stitches out anyway. So the delay to at least ten days is a good thing.
Try and get some rest. This early part of recovery is so exhausting, especially when you're dealing with the extra hurdles. And yes, you are doing an extraordinary job of watching over that precious kitty!♥️
Hugs
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
PS. Agree with Jackie, wouldn't worry about the teeth issues for now. The meds, a antibiotic, etc are most likely the cause of earing issues. Plus, just like hoomans, he probably doesn't feel like eating mich when he just had MAJOR surgery.
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
I'm so glad you figured out the drooling issue, great job! 
The supplements you've added into his diet should help, definitely better than nothing. Start slow though, you don't want to turn him off his food.
Keep us posted OK? In no time at all you'll see his sparkle come back.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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