Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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jerry said
Really glad you talked to the vet. Trazadone is used as a sedative in veterinary medicine, so it should help him sleep and relax more. Amantadine is used for pain in conjunction with Gabapentin.Never feel like you're being disloyal to your vet if you want another opinion. A good vet understands that they don't always have the answers. I know the referral clinic you went to, and the practitioners, are top-notch, but if the issues continue unresolved there's nothing wrong with talking to another vet, like maybe Kip's general practice vet he normally sees?
Meanwhile, what stood out to me is that Kip ate well when your fiance fed him (yay for eating!). So try to ask yourself, what is your fiance doing differently, behaviorwise, that you can try to emulate, in order to help Kip feel relaxed enough to eat?
Ditto all of the above!!
Also wonderful if maybe your boyfriend could take over "night sity" so you can get a solid night's sleep. Also. and it goes back the the "energy" thing, to see of your boyfriend puts forth a calm and reassuring energy if Kip show signs of restlessness. Just a change in the energy of "caretakers" sometime is helpful this early in the dog's recovery.. Nothing anything anyone is doing "wrong" at all....just a fresh approach so you can get some sleep.
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 so much! Going to try! Unfortunately finance pulled an all-nighter as well last night on work and has another big deadline Monday SO I’m in charge of the Kip care, cooking, cleaning etc - Hoping I can get a little break this weekend. Hoping to give Kip a lot of love this evening and relax then try the trazadone (an hour before bed) and hope we all get some good rest!
As a Kip update, I think the trazadone really helped! I gave him his PM meds around 9pm and fell asleep so my fiancé was in change of Kips 11:30pm gabapentin before bed. My fiancé didnt hear my say I was giving Kip his trazadone at 9pm (or read the med schedule) and gave him another dose at 11:30pm with the gabapentin. He told me at 11:45pm and I immediately freaked out and called the vet hospital and then poison control. Luckily, they said he’d be OK just super sleepy. SO I got a few hours of good sleep then was up monitoring Kip! The GREAT news is that he slept until 4am and then when woke up panting a little, we went into the living room, he sat down and calmed down in about 5 minutes which is a HUGE improvement from the past nights where its taken 1-2 hours. That means the meds are working right!?!?!
So "around " bedtime he had 600 Mg Gaba and two traz?? I tell a' what, if Kip did NOT "sleep", I would have taken him to the ER!😉😉
So yeah, the sedative certainly appeared to give Kip the rest he needed!👍 And sounds like you got some solid sleep, at least for a little while!👏
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!
Only 300 mgs at bedtime!!!!! He is still sleeping peacefully so I’m hoping the sedative is exactly what he needed ♥️
Okay, my brain seems to be on vacation a lot on this thread! Sorry for my "duh" moments!
So a couple of days ago this is what yoi said about his Gaba dose. It would DEFINITELY be in the high end of what's given and it would be hard ro believe he was having phantom break through.
"Yes – 600 mgs of gabapentin three times a day."
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!
Ah understand!!! Yes!!! I’m hoping we’ve unlocked the kip med conundrum. Fingers crossed ♥️🤞🏻
Yay it worked! Sleep is so refreshing isn't it? Here's to another night of R&R.
I do agree with Sally's thoughts about the Gaba being on the high end of dosages. It's not unheard of but typically reserved for dogs experiencing extreme pain after amputation. Not that Kip isn't, but it's just been feeling like you guys were in the tweaking stage of adjusting the meds. Looks like the tweaked worked?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Yesterday was a good day! I think the trazadone slowly wore off because he was sleepy / chill most of the day. Ive noticed the anxiety is WAY better and more importantly he settles himself down in a few minutes v. 2 hours! I’m going to give him a dose of trazadone tonight just to help him sleep. His strolled arrived and we brought it outside and he actually jumped into it immediately! There is a video on his instagram (Kip_Thomas_Superdog and I tagged the Tripawd insta so people can see! We walked about 6 blocks to get coffee - he eventually laid down so we could put the top down and he was SO HAPPY. Today is the first day he actually seems more like himself. I’m anxious to get the staples out Tuesday so we can try to get him on the diet / starting PT. Thank you again for all your help and support! I’m still very sleep deprived (he woke up at 12am but calmed back down - I should have just stayed in bed but I moved to the couch with him just to make sure he was OK) but I feel like there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.
Kip looks so happy in his stroller! Things definitely seem to be heading in the right direction and we are sending hugs to all of you from NYC! ~ Stacy & Griffin
Griffin lived an amazing life for 11 years! Diagnosed with osteosarcoma on March 17, 2020, Griffin's right forelimb was amputated on April 2, 2020. Ten days later he was running and playing fetch! Lung metastasis discovered in July 2020 did not slow down Griffin and he lived joyfully for the next 7 months, passing peacefully at home on February 11, 2021. https://griffin.tripawds.com
I definitely see the light! 
This is miles ahead of where you were just a few days ago, congratulations!
That's pretty cool that he took to the stroller without hesitation. What a good boy he is. Our Wyatt Ray would jump out of that stroller without hesitation, it takes a pretty chill dog to ride in that convertible.
He was probably soooo anxious to get out and into the world, what a great way to celebrate his progress. Cheers to many more adventures on wheels!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thank you!!!! He seems good today. Yesterday was a little rough - he didn’t settle from 1am-3am but I think I need to give him a little more freedom in the condo. He gets his staples out Tuesday and so excited!!!
I think once the staples come out you will all feel like you've turned a corner. Hang in there!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Trying!!! We took him in a stroller to a wine bar and they spoiled him w meatballs and grilled chicken. He seems happy! Will post pics on insta for you to see! Hoping we figured out timing of the anxiety meds today and that well all get a good nights sleep. I sent the video to his surgeon and oncologist and both said it made the entire teams on staff smile 🙂 Im lucky to have such a strong resilient perfect pup (who tolerated me w such patience)
.love that things are improving...and we knew they would!
Cannot believe how happy he looks on his stroller! Such a great video!! Acts like he's been chauffeur around his Chariot eceryday for years! He knows it's a good thing!👍
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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