Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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trying to get hold of vets again! local vets - there' s no one who has seen him from a consistency point of view - trying ot get some advice from the referral vets now.
He's so sleepy - but then they said that adding in the gabapentin might make him more sedated.
I'll try for harness once i get over this immediate hurdle - he's had his scapula removed as well - so the harnesses I've seen would seem like they might affect the wound - hence why I haven't bought one yet.
Honestly, this is a nightmare. All I seem to be doing is phoning for vets and waiting for call backs after consultations have finished.
I guess I'm afraid that if I take hin to our local vets and they aren't familiar with his case, they'll take one look at him and suggest euthansaia - and whilst that has gone through my mind, I am still holding put hope
Nitro had his scapula removed as well, and we still had no problem with the harness. Honestly, if we'd left the clinic without it on, I don't know if he'd have made it even one day, that's how critical it was for us to use it. But in the meantime, a sling isn't a bad substitute. We made one out of a cloth grocery bag (that has handles), just opened it up down the seam and lined it with a soft towel.
So the vet who did the surgery isn't getting back to you? Are they near you? So sorry you are dealing with this stress. Please try to hang in there.
Paula
Nitro 11 1/2 yr old Doberman; right front amp June 2014. Had 6 doses carboplatin, followed by metronomic therapy. Rocked it on 3 legs for over 3 years! My Warrior beat cancer, but couldn't beat old age. He crossed the Bridge peacefully on July 25, 2017, with dignity and on his terms. Follow his blog entitled "Doberman's journey"
"Be good, mama loves you".....run free my beautiful Warrior
Just spoke to the vet who did the surgery. No, they are 2 hours away. It was a specialist referral vet med school in the UK.
Anyway spoke to him for quite sometime. He thinks it might be the tramadol that's actually inhibiting his recovery now, based upon what he knows about his case, what I've told him and what he did in surgery.
So we are taking that out of his meds. Keeping him on NSAID and gabapentin for the time being. Speaking to pain clinic tomorrow lunchtime. Also picking up some Mirtezipine tomorrow for appetite in case meds reduction doesn't help.
Feeling slightly better, having gone from crying all the way home and when seeing him thinking it would be kinder to euthanase him. Trying to put that from my mind now and and work with new plan of action.
I'll definitely look into harness or we will make one as a first port of call
OK, well he got up - we helped him with a towel like sling and he went out for a wee. Which I think was a relief for him. He has done this in last 10 days unaided, but the last couple had seemed to go backwards.
Managed to get him to eat about 250g of liver sausage since this afternoon - he also had a bit of cheese this morning - better than yesterday when all he ate was cheese!
He's had some water - which he has been drinking anyway - so trying to think about the positives!
Buying a harness tomorrow!
WHEW! This is a GREAT report!
I'm so glad you were able to come up with a plan with your vet team. It sounds reasonable. Pain medication and appetite stimulation can be such a juggling act at times. You will get this down. Now don't forget to breathe.
Let us know if you have any questions about the Webmaster harness . If you order on Amazon UK via our link the Tripawds Community gets a small bonus, so thanks for thinking of us!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thank you. Yes, feeling more optimistic tonight.
Hoping it continues in the right direction. He definitely looks more with it and happier than he was.
couldnt have done it without all your support. Early signs still but keeping pawsitive🙂
That is GREAT news, thank goodness! This can be such a rollercoaster ride but you are doing a great job of advocating! Fingers, toes, paws, and tails crossed that things start smoothing out for you! 
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry 
Trust is, what you have just described are HUGE VICTORI3S!!! HUGE PROGRESS!!!! There are no such things as "little" improvements during recovery!
You advocated for a plan of action and that is exactly what you needed.....and got!!!! Good job!!!
As Jackie said, we call recovery a roller coaster ride, up and down. Three steps forward, two back. And I think we can say, you are avout to get pff thst darn roller coaster!
YAAAAAAY FOR YOU FOR ADVOCATING AND GETTING SOMEONE TO LISTEN TO YOUR CONCERNS!!! YOU GOT RESULTS......RESULTS THAT ARE ALREADY IN THE WORKS!!!
Glad you are getting the Mirtezipine and can go ahead and get a dose started tomorrow. Pain meds can affect dogs differently, that'a for sure. And then not getting proper nutrition only compounds things.
And we can all "hear" the change in your demeanor and we are thrilled! I know it's easier for us to be pawsitive because we have seen recoveries like this. We've also seen the sparkle come back slowly but surely!!
Not a Vet and not giving Bet advice, but I would go ahead and give him a dose of the stimulant as soon as you get it.
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!
I usually see results in about half an hour and make him something yummy. Cottage cheese is a hit here, oh... plain old sprinkle parmesan cheese is a big hit too! Sometimes just sprinkling that on dry food does it, sometimes I add chicken or if I grill salmon, the skin is one of his favorites. He also likes baked sweet potatoes. I always have a little butter and cinnamon on it, I don't know if that's a game changer or not lol.
Trying to throw out ideas in case you have something handy in the house.
Good luck !!❤❤
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry
Any ideas for constipation? Poor boy. What with lack of movement, diet, lack of any real food and meds he hasn’t really pooped since Thursday! He’s tried yesterday and this morning but no luck.
Many use canned pumpkin for diarrhea, I have used it for constipation with good results. Just plain canned pumpkin. I also gave Huckleberry a tiny bit of Miralax for a few days after surgery and that did the trick for him. I do not know how much / if that is good for dogs, I know it was ok for cats, lol.
I do have to say, once food goes in on a regular basis you should see him start to eliminate better. But in my honest, non veterinarian opinion, if he is straining to go and does not produce anything, then it would be another call to the vet to see how they want you to handle it. Ask them about Miralax and see if they have any other options.
Between the anesthesia, pain medication, lack of appetite, it is not unusual at all for them to take some time to go. That happens to the majority of them. My only concern would be much straining and no production, so if you can keep an eye on what happens when he tries to poop that would be best. If he is at least producing a small amount of stool, that's wonderful. That amount should increase as his food intake increases. Lots of straining and NO production you need to be careful with. Not trying to scare you, just trying to guide you what to look for.
Keeping fingers crossed for a better day today, possibly gifted with 
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry
He's yay! Yes, all too aware of problems with prolonged constipation. I had a maine coon who ended up with megacolon!
Hoping to give him a mirtezipine later and get him to eat some proper food!
Another small win today though. Also just spoken to pain specialist so a plan has formed for going forward to help.
Oh no..... that's a HUGE win!!!! Ginormous!!!!! YAY 
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry
Whew! Isn't it a great day? Do the poopy dance!
I would continue to add little amounts of fiber to keep things moving. Steamed squash, pumpkin pulp or even just a bit of olive oil should help.
Here's to more great milestones 🙂
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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