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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Ditto Karen!!
Lola really is recovering like a rockstar! Yes, this is the kind of recovery that we always hope for, but it's not always such smooth sailing so early on.
Yes, all the hospital meds, anesthesia, Etc are all out of her system now. As Karen said this may be when you need to tweak the Gabapentin a little bit. It may be that you need a little higher goes, or that you need it more frequently or Amanditne could be added in between the doses.
Just monitor if the painting starts, for example, shortly before the next dose is due. And yes, the suit could also be a little warm for her and make her pant. As Karen mentioned, you could try a cone, or you could even try a t-shirt and see if that keeps her away from the incision. One thing you don't need now, is her getting to the incision and starting to open it up etc.
The Trazedone does nothing for pain. It's more for a really anxiety-ridden dog. From what you've described, it doesn sound like Lola needs this. Of course, we are not Vets and not giving Vet advice.
Lola is doing so well. Glad she is eatng now.....usually some yummy food is all it takes.
You are doing so well too!! Until you've been through it and are on the road for your pupper's recovery, everything is so scary and worrisome. Yep, what was scary before is just as you said, "strange"
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!
Thank you for the advice!!!! So, I did take the suit off this afternoon and the panting stopped, so, I think she was just getting too hot. She has cried a couple of times when she has moved a certain way and I noticed that she trembles a little after going outside to potty.
She does really well walking out, potting and then coming back in but, when she lays down afterwards, her body trembles. Not a lot, it's almost like she's shivering.
The cone is a no go for her. We have tried to use those in the past and she freaks out. She pants and paces. It's not worth the stress on her. I can leave the suit off during the day while I'm with her and then put it on at night or if I see her start to lick.
How will I know if her gabapentin needs to be adjusted? Her current dose is 600mg tabs but they have me giving her only 300mg every 8-12hrs.
I appreciate all of you and your support ❤️
So Lola weighs just under 70 lbs? Again, not Betx and not giv9ng Vet advice. That said, 300 mg every 8 to 12 hrs is a little on the low side for a gal her size. You have a lot of wiggle room with the dose amount. The shivering is most likely a pain signal.
Ask the Vet about upping her dose amount and maybe keep that new amount at the 8 hr level. Yoi can also get it in 100 mg.
Also, I noticed she didn't have an anti-inflammatory like Rimadyl. You might ask about adding that for several days.
Glad the paintings stopped once you took the suit off. Yeah, I can imagine that that makes Lola feel quite warm.
You both are doing so great!
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!
Yes, she is just under 70lbs. I just tried calling Cornell but they are only open for emergencies right now 🙁 for non emergencies, I will have to call back tomorrow.
So she did not get put on an NSAID or anti inflammatory because during her surgery, they found a bump on her vulva which turned out to be Mast Cell. They said with the Mast Cell an anti inflammatory could cause stomach ulcers
Good morning Tripawds community!!!
I ended up calling the emergency line at Cornell last night to ask about increasing Lola's Gabapentin. They called me back and said she could have 600mg so I was able to give her another dose late last night and that seemed to really help. I think it made both of us feel better. They did send a message to her surgical team as well, which they will get this morning and I am sure I will hear from them sometime today.
I also decided to lay an outdoor carpet down the ramp and she used it last night and this morning 
WHEW!!! I think we are getting this figured out a little bit at a time. This girl blows my mind. She was up and moving about this morning while I was getting my coffee and getting started with my day. Titan is doing really well with her. He has been as gentle as a bulldog can be lol I still lock him behind the gates when I take her out to potty though because he would just push through her and I think he makes her nervous when he goes out with her.
All in all, we are doing great. I have only had one meltdown and that was the first night home. It was a mix of emotions and relief that she is back home with me safe and sound 
Jerry, Virginia, Karen and anyone else I missed, I honestly cannot tell you how much our interactions have meant. The advice, the encouragement, the support, this website is truly a gift and I couldn't have made it through any of this without all of you and this community! Thank you doesn't seem like enough.
I will continue to keep you all updated! I hope you all have a wonderful day!
Loving this update!!!! You are doing such a good job monitoring her, recognizing anything that needs a little tweak from pain signals to ramp "tripawd" fixing.👏 So glad the pain adjustment has already shown results. Seeing this kind of update makes us all so happy👍
Titan is being such a good boy and deserves some extra treats♥️
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!
WOOHOOO!!! 
I'm so excited to come back today (we were out all day yesterday!) to see your update. This is such great news. Lola is a CHAMP! And so are you. Only one meltdown? You ROCK too!
And believe it or not, your kind words of appreciation means the world to all of us here and along with Lola doing better, that is more than enough!
Keep us posted. I hope this week continues the smooth trajectory.
Ugghh...well it's 9:30pm my time and Lola has done great all day. Right now, not so much, she is trembling bad and panting like crazy. I don't know what to do. I increased her Gabapentin to 600mg. I gave it to her at 6 when she had her dinner and was doing fine up until about an hour ago. I noticed she began trembling again. I ended up giving her 1/4 of another tablet of gaba.
I don't know how to help her right now. I feel useless. Her incision still looks good. There is no redness, no swelling and no drainage. I'm going to call Cornell again in the morning. I spoke to them today and they told me to just keep monitoring her and give her the 600mg's. It just doesn't seem to be working that great. I'm so frustrated right now because I can't talk to anyone and I can't help her 
Breathe.....breathe.......I know, easier said than done.
What was her activity like today?
When did she poop?
So she's taking 600 mg every.....how many hours?
How long dis this "episode" last?
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!
Virginia,
So, her activity was minimal. Honestly, the most I let her do is going from the living room out to the yard to potty. I have her on a leash when we are outside. She gets up to eat and drink, but for the most part she sleeps because of the meds.
She pooped after her dinner around 6-630pm and she has had decent bowel movements every day because I have been adding pumpkin to her breakfast and dinner.
Yesterday, I gave her 600mg of Gaba in the morning around 7am and then she had it again with dinner. So, maybe I waited too long in between?
The episode lasted about an hour give or take. I gave her a 1/4 tab of gaba a few minutes after the episode started and then about 15 min into it, I gave her her nightly dose of trazadone. She finely calmed down around 10-10:15p. She woke me up around 2:30am and I gave her another dose of gaba and then she had a dose around 8:30am after breakfast.
Maybe I need to give it to her every 6 1/2 - 7hrs instead of waiting until the pain is so bad she is trembling and panting.
I do notice that after I take her out, she pants, but, I am thinking that maybe that is more from exertion and not pain or maybe a bit of both? I mean, I'm sure it is taking more strength for her on 3 legs now than it did on 4. She doesn't pant long after she comes back in.
I can tell when she is starting to feel uncomfortable because she starts kicking her back legs while laying down and shifting like she is trying to get comfortable. She doesn't get up, she just shifts a lot and then her legs start trembling, then her whole body, then she starts panting. THAT is what I want to try an avoid. I felt so bad last night. I iced her, I put heat on her, I sat down with her and was petting her.
It's times like that, I wish they could talk lol
To me, her incision looks great. I mean, this is my first amputation, but I have worked in the medical field for 20 years, so I imagine an incision on an animal isn't much different than a human. I would post a picture if I knew how lol I can press around it and she doesn't wince or whine. The doctor I spoke to at Cornell yesterday morning had me do it while I was on the phone with her and Lola just laid there.
I have discovered that I can swallow my tears better than I thought I would be able to. I have wanted to cry so many times, but I don't allow myself to. She truly has amazed me through all of this
Maybe I need to give it to her every 6 1/2 - 7hrs instead of waiting until the pain is so bad she is trembling and panting
Yes, you always want to stay ahead of the pain. Once it gets a head start it's a lot harder to get back under control. So it sounds like she went almost 12 hours or a little bit less before she had her pain meds. Again, of course not Vets and not giving that advice,. Try giving her the doses three times a day rather than waiting so long in between with just two doses.
do notice that after I take her out, she pants, but, I am thinking that maybe that is more from exertion and not pain or maybe a bit of both? I mean, I'm sure it is taking more strength for her on 3 legs now than it did on 4. She doesn't pant long after she comes back in.
Yes, it does take a lot more effort especially at first. From the way you describe things, most likely the pending when she comes in is from the exertion and possibly a little bit of being uncomfortable after her potty break
So maybe just that tweaking the frequency of the Gabapentin you'll find the sweet spot. Again, as you know the Trazodone does nothing for pain.
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!
Awww I'm sorry, poor Lola! How is she doing now?
If everything else is going well that's great. Unfortunately pain control isn't an exact science that works the same way every time. I would talk to the vet team about prescribing Pregabalin as an alternative to the Gabapentin. See this article for details about why it may work better than Gabapentin for your girl at this point:
Pregabalin for Tripawd Amputation Pain is Worth Discussing when Gabapentin Isn’t Working
Good morning everyone! I'm sorry I haven't been on in a couple of days. Between work and taking care of my girl, life is a little hectic.
So, update... I have played with her meds a little bit and I think I have a system down that seems to be working. I have been giving her the 600mg of gaba 3 times a day and I have been sure to give it to her BEFORE her pain is out of control. Knock on wood, it is working!!! We haven't had an episode of trembling and visual discomfort for 2 days now! That being said, I believe part of the problem was her getting up and doing too much. My house isn't huge, but, every time I would get up, she would too. She would follow me where ever I went, which isn't unusual for her. She did that even before her surgery. But, I have managed to keep her resting and keep her in one spot instead of getting up all of the time. She is a great listener and if I tell her to stay, she stays.
Every day, she gets better and better and I see her getting stronger. She is a champ using her ramp and when she gets out in the yard she hops right along. She hasn't stumbled once, inside or out!
Her incision continues to look good. I ice it and heat it multiple times a day. She especially likes the heating pad 
Last night she actually laid down on her bed ON her incision side. Made me nervous as all get out lol but, it didn't bother her one bit. She was rolling on to her back and sleeping with her legs in the air!
This journey has been one of the hardest. It has been an intense roller coaster ride of emotions and exhaustion. I still look at her sometimes and my heart just hurts. It's not fair that she has to go through this. That ANY of our babies have to endure this, but then when I see her wagging her tail, or getting up and hopping around, moving like her leg is still there, I am overwhelmed with pride and joy and awe! How incredible it is to see her carry on and just "do"!
I didn't think it was possible, but this journey we have taken together makes me love her more! More fiercely, more completely
She is my best friend, my heart, my companion, my family. Her and Titan and I would go to then ends of the earth for them.
One day at a time! We are getting there!!!
Smiling, non stop smiling! This update made me so happy😂
Yes, we definitely call the recovery phase an up and down roller coaster ride, because it is! So much of that "ride" is figuring out the right dose and frequency for pain meds based on each dog's specific needs. Sounds like you have all the "hurdles" figured out now. Good job!!!
How incredible it is to see her carry on and just "do"!
No dog deserves this, that's for sure. The bliss of being dog is they don't think like that. They are master class teachers when it comes to being ra role model for how to live in the present and embrace each moment as the best ever! Be More Dog ! Be more Lola!!
Last night she actually laid down on her bed ON her incision side. Made me nervous as all get out lol but, it didn't bother her one bit. She was rolling on to her back and sleeping with her legs in the air!
Lola is definitely telling you she's still Lola and just gettin' on with gettin' on!! She would not have lay on her incision side if it really hurt...so that's a huge pawsitive! As the ebook is titled, ,Three Legs and a Spare ....nope, dont need that extra leg at all!
Give that sweet Lola a big smooch for us.....and give yourself a pat on the back for being such a good "Nurse"!
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!
WOOHOOO AND WHEW!!! I'm so happy to see all the progress in such a short amount of time. Lola ROCKS and so do YOU!!!
It's incredible how things can be so difficult one day and change dramatically once you figure out the pain control situation. You learned so much these last few days about her behavior and how to help her heal, and you put it all together into the right formula for her. Congrats!!!
These are things none of ever expect to have to learn but once we do we are smarter and wiser because of it, and better dog parents overall. A++ to you!!!
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