Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
Tripawds is your home to learn how to care for a three legged dog or cat, with answers about dog leg amputation, and cat amputation recovery from many years of member experiences.
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Because of my own (and now Yum Yum’s) experience, nicely suggested he consider making a nerve blocker (Gabapentin or comparable) part of the normal meds regimen for amputation cases.
Way to advocate! 
YES!
I'm picturing Yum Yum calling for breakfast and smiling big 
How wonderful to see those little moments come back! With her pain well managed and the smooth incision recovery, you're pretty much on your way to the new normal. YAY!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hope everyone is doing well today! Chin scritches and snuggles all around!
Day 7 post-op recovery update: Yum Yum is doing very well. She's been up and around at mealtimes and even rolling a treat ball around. She lounged in the kitchen for a short while after breakfast this morning, so every day is a little more like her normal routine. Sleeping comfortably and her incision looks great. Insists on using her "normal" litter box (ignoring the special low-threshold one, LOL). Peeing normally. Not pooping every day which was her normal habit. So far pooping every 2-3 days but I suspect her healing body is using up most of what she's eating anyway, and when she does poop it's normal.
Still rockin' her little onesies. 
Enjoyed a nice gentle back/butt scratch with the kitten brush, which started her purring. Made sure to get around the edge of where they shaved her fur, as that has to be itchy!!
A bit of tail-swishing now and then, but I think that is either a bit of nerve flare-up or realigning her center of gravity. No signs of pain.
The medication "sweet spot" seems to be:
Gabapentin (nerve blocker) 2x daily AM and PM (we have cut out the midday dose as it made her too sleepy at dinnertime)
Onsior (anti-imflammatory) 1x daily mid-afternoons
A bit of Miralax powder mixed into wet food (has had this for years as she has gotten older)
She also gets her normal daily multivitamin (Nu-Cat Senior tabs by VetriScience)
Added some photos and video of her with the treat ball to the album: https://photos......a4CjfGN68A
Biopsy results expected by the end of next week when we'll find out if the surgical margins were clean.
We cut our regular litter box out; see here Litter Box Tips for Tripawds - Member Tips to see what we did.
That way, it is the same box Yum yum is accustomed to. Our recovery box ended up being too small for Purrkins after recovery. I'm not sure what your box is like, but it helps Yum Yum, in the long run, to have easy access for those joints.
The pain meds can constipate, I don't know how much a bit of Miralax is;), but you can safely increase and do 2 X a day 1/4 tsp if you're not already. You can go higher, but we don't want the poops. You can also give less 1/8 tsp 2 times a day. I have experience with constipation:) with Purrkins brother, so holler if you need help in dosing. 2-3 days is ok, but you don't want to get in a situation either if that is her normal, no worries.
Again resting, being sedated is healing in recovery.
Excellent update. Keep it up, Yum Yum.
Hugs, Holly & Purrkins 💝💝💝
Awwww...love her photos. She just oozes with sweetness. I think she's enjoying all the extra apoiling. You two make a great team.
Thanks for the update and pictures.
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!
Updated medication schedule starting day 8 post-amputation... 2 tablets gabapentin morning and evening. Onsior (anti-inflammatory) finished on day 7. As we are going into a weekend, I called the vet and they dispensed a few tablets of Onsior just in case she needed pain relief after office hours. So far she has not needed it.
Today is day 9 post-amp. Yum Yum got up onto the sofa to nap in her normal spot, rather than retreating to her recovery "quiet spot." I've read that around 10 days post-op there is sometimes a "crash" with a lot of sleeping or increased pain, so we'll watch for that possibility.
Overall she continues to do really well. 🙂
Thanks, everyone, for your kind words and thoughts. 
Hi!! So glad Yum Yum is doing well. Amazing how smoothly recovery from something so major can go for them. Before we went through with the amp, I read the cat survey done here, and that does seem to be more the rule than the exception (I'm sure you read it, too, as you had the bases very well covered). I was still worried that Jonesy would be one of the rare tough cases.
Yum Yum is sooo cute! She reminds me of our dearly departed Tosh, who was a brown-patch tabby/torbie and was also a bit of a chonker. 😊
You probably know how well Yum Yum does on the Onsior by now, but FWIW, Jones did two courses of it prior to the amp and got diarrhea both times. Results may vary, of course, just thought I'd mention it since there was talk of constipation, etc.
Hugs and scritches,
Melissa & Jonesy
Melissa - mom to tri-angel Jonesy and (only) four other felines
WOOHOO!!! This is great. Hopefully she will keep sailing along and through the recovery phase.
I really like your vet, so glad they are on-board with good pain control.
Cheers to a great week ahead. Keep us posted.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Stitches out today!! Yay!! She's now onesie free! Vet says she looks really good. Weaning off the gabapentin, and so far she seems quite comfortable, even lying on her amputation side. She was up bright and early serenading me when it was time for breakfast. She zooms up the stairs, haven't let her try coming down yet but that will be the next challenge. Now that the stitches are out I'll let her try it with supervision.
Biopsy results not in yet. Should come back soon.
Overall she's being her old self, which is amazing (2 weeks tomorrow since amputation surgery).
GREAT MEWS!!
Yaay, YUM YUM is at her the new normal!
Do you have carpet on the steps? We added carpet stair treads to help Purrkins. He avoided them the first time down but then started to use them. It is scarier for us humans than it is for them for sure.
Great job, you guys! We will keep our fingers/paws crossed for clean margins.
Hugs,
Holly & Purrkins
YAAAY STITCHES ARE OUT!!! And YumYum is being YumYum again after sich a short time..... such great news!!..
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!
Holly - yes we have carpet on the steps and this morning I coached her down (staying below her in case of trip-ups!) but she did perfectly all by herself. She's doing well judging her foot placement and jumps before taking them.
Excellent on the carpet. It makes a huge difference for them.
Great Job, YumYum, on the steps, whoo hoo.
We noticed the same with Purrkins; he was very cautious on his footing and his jumps. YumYum will keep gaining her confidence and lookout;) Never underestimate a three-legged cat k;)
Hugs
Holly & Purrkins💝💝💝
I love it when a new Tripawd turns the corner, this just made my day! Congratulations, the worst is behind you!!!
You'll have to capture Yum Yum's serenading for us, I'd love to hear the sweet sound of victory from her 🙂
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Even more good news, the surgeon called and the biopsy margins were "ABSOLUTELY CLEAR." Woo hoo!!!! No further treatment recommended except a CT scan in 3-4 months just to be sure. What a relief...
YAAAAAAAAY!! Spectacular news!!!👌👍👏 Now go and celebrate with some yummy food..for both of you!!!..
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!
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