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Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat

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Kitten sits down on each walking step
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Member Since:
23 August 2021
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24 November 2021 - 6:52 am
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No changes in her walking yet unfortunately.  She did come and jump onto my lap briefly this morning though - she used to be very cuddly as a kitten but this stopped when her limp started to get worse.   She is currently playing with a hair band in a tiny amazon box!  Sometimes I wonder if she has become more playful too.   Thanks.   

Michigan


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24 November 2021 - 7:17 am
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Since starting the gaba, has she been more playful? If so, that's a pawsitive sign the meds are helping!

Again the meds may need tweaking increased in dosage, or duration time will tell. Keep doing what you are doing, observing her actions! Athena will show you.

Cats are masters at disguising pain and why med trials can be so HELPFUL!

Thanks for the update!
Hugs
Holly & Purrkins💝💝💝

On The Road


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24 November 2021 - 9:53 am
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Aww I'm picturing her playing with that box, how adorable!

I agree the playfulness is a really good sign. One improvement at a time is usually how things go, then suddenly you wake up one day and you see that they all added up to 100% sparkle! It sounds like things are going this way with Athena. Did the vet give you any kind of timeline for communication? Be sure to keep them in the loop.

Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet

Member Since:
23 August 2021
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6 December 2021 - 3:41 am
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I spoke to Athena's vet on Friday.   He said it takes time to build up and therefore takes 2/3 weeks to see the affects.   He agreed that her playing fetch now was a good sign and told me to increase the timings so she now has 1/2 a 25mg tab 3 times a day instead of 2 and to review in 2 weeks    I was hoping he would increase it to 1 tab twice a day as even with the pill cutter then it's hard to get 1/2 a tab !   I also saw one of my friends who is a vet on Sunday who said Athena is on a tiny dose even for a 3kg cat! 

Michigan


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6 December 2021 - 6:45 am
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I'm glad the vet increased the dosage, and again I'm no vet, but yes, it seemed like a tiny dose to start with! I'm happy to see he bumped it to every 8 hours!

Here is an IVAPM (International Veterinary Academy of pain management ) chart on Gaba dosage per kg. Second page for felines.

https://ivapm.o.....t-2017.pdf

Here is a screenshot. I posted the link to the pdf above to save if you wish.

Screen-Shot-2017-10-23-at-12.41.43-PM.jpgImage Enlarger

I'm not a whiz icon_lolbut what I can figure is it does still seem low. You can always post here Ask a Vet and see what dosage our fairy godmother vet would recommend for Athena.

I'm glad to see she is more playful!
Thanks for the update!

Hugs & scratches to Athena, please!
Holly & Purrkins💝💝💝

On The Road


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6 December 2021 - 4:51 pm
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Hey thanks for sharing the sheet, Holly, that is super helpful!

I agree it's a low dose but I'm not a vet. Yours sounds cautious, which is good, but don't be afraid to question the amount if she doesn't start to show more improvement. Also remember that pain control can be achieved faster when you use mutliple methods. So in addition to medication, rehab therapy, acupuncture, etc., all work well together for faster relief.

Hope she's having a good day!

Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet

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21 December 2021 - 9:00 am
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Quick update on Athena.   The vet has doubled her dosage today - 25mg 3 times a day rather than the 1/2 tabs each time.    She is definitely more playful since starting on the gabapentin,  she is plays fetch every day now, it's lovely to see her playing her favourite game again.  No change in her walking but hopefully the double dose will help, and we have more physio on Thursday.   We also sorted my daughters room at the weekend so we could lower her bed. Athena used to sleep at her feet her every night before the amputation but couldn't get on the bed since (we tried special steps but she wouldn't use them).   I think they are both happy she is back on the bed at night!   

Thanks for all your support. 

Virginia







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21 December 2021 - 5:19 pm
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This update has me grinning ear to ear.  So glad her sparkle is starting to return.

I love, love, love that you lowered your daughter's bed so Athena and your daughter  could sleep together again😊  We had a dog memver who cut off the legs to her loveseat so the dog could reclaim his spot on the sofa😎

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!

On The Road


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21 December 2021 - 7:32 pm
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Sweet! It's super cool that your vet is willing to fine tune that dosage. A cautious approach, but better than none at all. I hope this new protocol puts even more giddyup in her hop!

We'd love to hear more about her physio sessions if you feel up to it. People are always surprised to hear that cats can benefit from it as much as dogs. Athena is so fortunate to have such great people looking out for her.

Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet

Michigan


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22 December 2021 - 7:30 am
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YAAAAY
I'm happy to see the vet increased Athena's dosage and THRILLED to see she is playing and happy. She is feeling better! I'll be interested to see what Physio says on her dosage. Hopefully, her hop will follow suit, but she is happy & more comfortable; that's number 1.

Glad you were able to lower the bed, and Athena can get up for both Athena and your daughter; all these things add up to happier Athena.

Some kitties use ramps here. That might help Athena in a different area of the house. We have a tiny one at the litter box that works excellent for Purrkins. Ask your physio what they suggest.

You are doing a fantastic job with her; she is so lucky to have you!
We wish you a Hoppy, Safe Howliday
Chin scratches to Athena, please.
Hugs,
Holly & Purrkins💝💝💝

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23 August 2021
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23 December 2021 - 8:26 am
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Thanks everyone.   We are just back from the physio now. 

She is really pleased with the progress Athena is making,  apparently her leg and back are all feeling so much better now and Athena was able to push back with some of the exercises which she couldn't before.   The physio is happy with her gabapentin dose,  all the extra playing Athena is doing shows she is a much happier cat which shows the gaba is making a difference to her.  She thinks the walking has elements of learned behaviour as that is how she learned to walk with the nerve pain and muscle weakness and we need to build her core muscles and strengthen the remaining leg. We hope that will lead to her walking gait improving.   Her remaining leg has very tight glut muscles so we have some stretching exercises and some other exercises to help.    It may be that she will need more gaba but at the moment it's worth trying to build the strength now we know the pain is much less of an issue.  

She wants to see Athena again in 4-6 weeks to give her time to build the muscles and we will see the vet next month as her booster is due.

Will keep you updated on her progress.   Thanks for all your support. 

Virginia







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22 February 2013
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23 December 2021 - 8:44 am
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And another great update! 

Thank you for sharing so much detail from your physio  appt.  The feedback you shared was quite  informative  and makes so much sense.😎

You and Athena have so much to celebrate  this Christmas so extra treats for both of you🎄🎅

Hugs

Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!

PS...reference  the "booster". What kind is that ?

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!

Michigan


Member Since:
11 July 2016
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23 December 2021 - 9:22 am
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Brilliant news!smiley_clap😁😁😁🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻
Ditto all makes sense! Athena is happy the Gaba & physio has helped all aspects!
Continue to take each hop at a time.
Thanks for the update!
Hugs and smooch to Athena, please!
💝💝💝

On The Road


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23 December 2021 - 3:11 pm
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LOVE this update! And your physio is excellent. May I ask who she is? Sounds like a great guest for a Tripawd Talk Radio episode.

Athena's progress is exactly how things are supposed to go. First you get the pain under control, then you move toward gentle stretching for better mobility, then strengthening. 

It's a new day for 3-legged cats and dogs thanks to parents being such great advocates like you, and the super cool physio therapists of the world!

Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet

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12 January 2022 - 3:40 am
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So Athena had her booster on Monday (this is her annual vaccination booster).    We saw the vet who has been prescribing her gabapentin.  He says he has seen lots of cats walk like she does and thinks it's a learned behaviour to conserve energy.   He says we are doing the right thing with the physio and gaba, strengthening her remaining leg and controlling the pain but I says I should worry if she always walks in this odd way.    I'm not sure how I feel about this.  I don't want to worry about her but it really doesn't seem normal to me! 

We also had to reduce her Gabapentin to 2 pills a day for a few days before the appointment as I had almost run out and I thought it would be good to see how she manages on less as ideally we want to wean her off them at some point.   She definitely became less playful in this time so obv the gabapentin is still doing something for her.  The vet said if she needed to stay on it for life then she could but apart from the cost then it makes things much harder when we go away.   Obv we will do whatever is best for her though.  

She lets me stretch her leg out most days which is good but we are having less luck with the obstacles for her to walk over - usually she just pounces on them which moves them all out of position!  Luckily all the play should help too!  

Thanks for all your support. 

ps - Jerry her physio's details are on the rehab form which I sent over before if you wanted to get in touch with her.  

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