Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Well, I took Ophelia in for surgery this morning. I am still very nervous about it.
She seemed to be feeling great before we left. She was out on the patio barking and going after squirrels just like she always does. Is it normal that she doesn't seem to be in much pain? Yes, she is on 150mg of carprofen 2x per day and 400mg of Gaba 3 times per day, but she really seems oblivious to it.
Hi Ophelia,
We are rescue dogs and it's our job to keep our hoomans safe and happy, but for the next few weeks, they'll take good care of us! They will probably worry, they're like that, but just take your own time and you can figure out how to get around: try once, think it over, try again. ....
Get lots and lots and lots of rest.
Best wishes and a slurp from Nicholas Newf, Day eleven post op.
Hint:You will get lots of great treats when they "disguise" your pills. Cream Cheese, I never got to eat cream cheese before. Hold out for the good stuff!
Thank you. That is sweet. Someone just asked me if i expect her to experience a form of depression for a period of time. Is this a concern?
Ophelia update. I just got a call from the surgeon. Ophelia did great in surgery and is now recovering. She’s on some pretty strong pain meds so probably has no clue what is happening.
I’m feeling pretty emotional about it at the moment but at least the decision part is over and we can now focus on her recovery and beating the cancer.
YAAAAAAY.!!! YAAAAAY TIMES A MILLION!! AIRGE4Y IS DONE!!!👏👏👏
And absolutely she is on good pain meds and resting comfortably . And mow is the time for you to finally EXHALE and get some much needed rest!
at least the decision part is over and we can now focus on her recovery and beating the cancer.
AND, you want to focus on living in the NOW jist like Ophelia is. She isn't worried about the yesterdays or the tommorrows, she is fully present the moment. Be More Dog ...that's the lesson. And when we get that lesson, we don't let that piece of crap disease rob us of our time together or interfere with it.
Someone just asked me if i expect her to experience a form of depression for a period of time. Is this a concern?
FWIW, usually what we hoomans might say is "depression", it's really just a reaction to being on pain meds, recovering from MAJOR surgery and sleeping more than usual at first. Once they shake off the residue of surgery and once their pain meds are tweaked correctly, they may feel a bit frustrated simply because they want to jump up on the bed or run full throttle out in the yardd. But no, not "depressed " because they have three instead of four. Dogs don't count legs to determine how they feel. They do count on getting their treats and tummy rubs and soft cones and steaks though😉
Once recovery from the surgery is done (usually about two weeks...maybe a vit more) and once they've developed a fluid gait (usually around the thirty day mark), the sparkle will be coming back! She will recover at her own pace and in her own way, so don't compare, okay?
And when you do go to,pick her up, don't even bother to,look at her incision or draw attention to it. She just wants to see your smiling face telling Hershey's going home! An upbeat and confident emergy is crucial for her healing.
Now go get some sleep!!!
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!
Aww yay! So glad she is on the mend, let the healing begin!!
Its ok to be emotional. Just do your best to put on a strong and pawsitive attitude around her as best you can. She will look to you for direction so the more hopeful and strong you can be the better.
Here's a post about depression after surgery:
I was always told dogs are born with 3 legs and a spare . The doctor told me Kota wouldn’t even notice it was gone for awhile because of the pain meds. And when he was more of himself, he will just notice that the thing that was causing them so much pain is gone. Also, on the meds she was on before surgery, it’s normal for her to act like she wasn’t in pain. Especially when chasing a squirrel. Kota would literally chase a squirrel so fast and not show any signs of pain. But when he calmed down and the adrenaline was gone, the limo came back. Dogs are good at hiding their pain. They’re very resilient.
With all that said, Ophelia will just be resting and sleeping the first day or so. They’ve got her on strong pain meds so she won’t feel any pain. She should be resting peacefully and they’ll be testing to see if she’s in pain and adjust the medicine accordingly. Don’t worry; they’ll take great care of her and make sure she can wait and drink and get up to potty.
You know your dog best though so you’ll be able to monitor for any signs that she isn’t acting right. But if she doesn’t want to eat much, that’s normal. Depending on what combo of meds she’s on, she may not have much appetite. If she’s pooping and peeing and at least drinking water and eating just a little, that’s great. I’ve seen many people say this and I have also adopted this method - cook/make whatever you need that will get her to eat. I made a selection of food for Kota to choose from. Whatever he wanted to eat as long as he was eating a little.
Remember, this is a marathon. It’s slow going but you will get her back to normal. Please keep us updated on her progress. Check in every day, multiple times if you want and we will support you every step. Glad to hear she’s recovering well! One big milestone down!
Thinking of you and Ophelia, Michael and sending you our positive vibes. I hope your girl is sleeping lots and you're being kind to yourself.
You're a great dad. Please let us know how you both are going when you come up for air.
Hi everyone. I will provide a more detailed update within the e next couple of days. I’m exhausted right now tbh.
Ophelia is doing relatively well. As mentioned, I’m really tired. I have barely slept since picking her up from the vet hospital 36 hours ago. She’s able to hop along but in short spurts. It seems like moving around on three legs tires her quickly. I assume that her endurance will improve as she become more efficient?
One thing that is becoming an issue is that she refuses to pee. To my knowledge, she hasn’t peed in almost two days. I took her to the ER yesterday afternoon and they evaluated her. Said that her bladder was still small so that they were not worried yet. That was about 12 hours ago. She still hasn’t peed though and I’m concerned that I’m going to have to take her back to the ER. Had anyone else experienced this? ANY ADVICE?
Good for you for staying on top of this.
What's your fluid intake been like?. That, of course, is crucial too.I know that pain can be a problem sometimes right after surgery due to everything the body has gone through, all the meds Etc
As much as you hate to go back to the vet, that's really the only suggestion I have. They can express her bladder and show you how to do it. It's relatively simple however if not done properly it can be a real problem. So I would use their guidance.
Maybe others will have more insight to offer but that's the only suggestion I can think of. It does need to be addressed.
Please keep us posted, okay?
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 Michael,
Thanks for the update. Sounds like she is doing pretty well! Yes her endurance will get better over time. Be patient, her body is healing and reserving all its energy for that, so don't expect a whole lot over the next few weeks.
Yes, not wanting to urinate is pretty normal. But she really should go if she hasn't peed in 12 hours, that's the longest you want to wait. If you can get another dog to come over and pee in her yard, that would be helpful, and usually does the trick. Worst case you'll need to express her bladder but VERY gently.
Here's a post about the subject:
https://tripawd.....mputation/
And a post about expressing a female dog's bladder:
https://tripawd.....y/#p239625
The peeing issue hasn’t completely resolved. I had to give her a med that relaxes the bladder. So she peed in her bed this morning. She tried to go in the yard this afternoon but she’s having an issue squatting. She tries and the she just sits down. This has me a bit worried.
Her pain is controlled well i think. It’s tough to tell. Saints pant a lot normally do you can’t really use that as a sign. She’s
I am typing on my phone and hit save somehow.
as i was saying, she’s on 800 mg of gabapentin every 8-12 hours, 150 mgs of Amantadine every 24 hours, and 100 mgs of carprofen every 12 hours. She has seemed a little more drugged up today than she did yesterday. Is this regimen of meds normal?
Peeing....even in bed is a victory!!!.
How is Ophelia's appetite and is she drinking her normal amount of water?
Tweaking the pain meds in a dose that blocks the pain but doesn't make them lethargic is really hard to balance sometimes. And what works for one 130 lb dog doesn't work the same for another one.
Thinking that her inability to master squatting at this point may be asign that she's a little over drugged.....maybe. Additionally, it's not unusual for a large dog this new to veing a tripawd to ost when trying to squat. She'll figure it out.
In the meantime, IF you feel like her pain is being managed and with Vet approval, you can maybe dial the Gaba back a vit. Merely throwing this out as an example. Maybe 600 mg Gaba every eight to twelve hours with the Amantadine dose of 100 ,mg halfway inbetween per day...You'll know if that's too little if pain signals increase OR it may be just the right amount to make her more alert and more aware of her urge to get up and pee.
Obviously not a Vet and not giving Vet advice.
I k ow kt's hard to be patient, but Ophelia seems to be having a "normal" recovery this early on. Obvioisly we need to get her peeing more kn a regular basis. Reducing the pain meds mau help with that if she's appearing to be a vit druggy. Her mobility and valance will get better
Hang in there! You're doing great! Really!
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!
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