Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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You are not "moaning"! You are exhausted, scared, uncertain and yes, impatient. Why? Because this recovery stuff is unchartered territory for you. We call it a roller m a roller coaster ride that none of is want to be on.! Trying to be "patient" and letting it play out for the next week or so is not easy for is hoomans!! So we get it!
All the hospital meds are out of is system now, as should be the patch. So seeing him more " engaged" the past few days was, in part, due to those strong meds.
And this is where tweaking the meds comes in. Refresh my memory. How much does Tonka weigh?? The dose and frequency he is in now is not out of the norm for large dogs. That said, every dog reacts differently to pain meds and, in so e dogs, Gaba can sometimes make dogs sleepy. Of course, rest is exactly what they need right now but you don't want them so "sedated" they must stay zonked!
So, talk with your Vet about reducing the Gaba to 200 mg X 3....or going with the Gaba every twelve hours, or even every ten. The important thing though is to keep him out of pain and to keep him rested.
One thing that stood out is that he was having some "short bursts" yesterday. As hard as it is, right now he needs jist ro hop oit tompotty and come right back in. It is sooooo easy to tweak a muscle or sprain a back right now. So continue to give him massages.
So stay connected, o,at? And yes, patience and a strong confident energy right now are so important. We KNOW it's not easy. I k ow we keep going back to this, but this is MAJOR surgery all while adjusting to three. Major surgery takes more than four or five days to heal. Just because a dog is movile (which is great), doesn't mean that recovering from the surgery itself is a cake walk.
And speaking of cake, just give Tonka any yummy foods he'll eat right now. And it's okay to spoil him and bring it to him for now too.
Hang in there! Ronka's recovering at his own pace and knows he needs rest right now. And you try and fet some too, okay? This IS hard on us hoomans!
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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Sally said it best! You are not moaning, and we totally understand how hard this is to cope with. We are not a patient species!
The "blah" you are seeing is not going to last, really! It's a temporary situation that is probably caused by the Gabapentin making him sleepy, since all other signs are normal. That's not uncommon at all, but don't change a thing until you talk to your vet.
Also remember that the body takes a huge blow when it goes through a surgery like this. Time and rest are necessary for healing, and oftentimes a dog will have a little crash after a few days of being bouncy and energetic. It's like the brain and body come to the conclusion at the same time that they need to chill out for a little while. Keep telling yourself "rest is medicinal" and you can get through this!
Let us know what your vet says.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
I just wanna say ... thank you (think I say that every time!) you guys are absolute pro's at putting my mind at ease each morning as I face the day and whatever it will bring. Yesterday was such a crash from the Fentanyl super powers that Tonks showed I was super disheartened.
So today was a teeeeeensy bit better than yesterday. A poop and a couple of wee's - good signs - even a tail wag when dad got home... it's the little things... he can still make his way outside when encouraged to do so - but even came out afternoon just to see what we were up to.
Spoke to the vet - who said that the meds aren't meant to be pushing him all the way to zombie and to try and space out dose a bit further - watch him for discomfort and dose him with gaba then. As a lover of a schedule, this is hard, but I think I knew in my heart Tonka was over zonked. So I've accepted his slowness, I'm appreciating that his resting is medicinal and not a sign to panic - and for now smaller meals and smaller drinks are ok and not another sign to panic - he's making his gentle giant way through it. I have to trust in him and myself that I will know when he needs extra looking after.
Also spoke to vet about impending chemo... in for a penny I guess. Stitches are due out on day 10, and chemo will start a few days after that. I just have to remind myself that we have committed to do all we can and this is part of it - if I could have my way Tonks would never have to step inside a vet surgery ever again, he gets so nervous and scared.
Here's to another red wine and another night on the lounge with my big man. Day 7 done ..
Loving the sun life
Awwww...sweet boy....smooching handsome mug right thru the screen😘
And a standing ovation to YOU👏👏 This early part of recovery is not easy and you are doing an excellent job of caring for your boy!!
A " teeeeensy bit better" is called PROGRESS!!! A ,tail wag is always a beautiful thing to see. You're doing everything right and are very tuned into Tonka's needs. Sounds like your Vet is on top of spacing the meds out now.
Have to say, Vets love to shave fur! And Tonka is proof!😁😎
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!
Awwww sweet Tonka! I want to SMOOCH that boy! 
You sound really, really pawsitive and optimistic. That's so wonderful to read, you totally get it and you are in tune with where he's at right now. I love that you had a good convo with your vet too. Everything sounds spot-on and YES it's the "little" things that are HUGE right now. So keep up the pawsitivity, you're both getting there my furiend!
Tonka's soooo cute, even with all that bare skin 
poor guy!
P.S. I noticed his nails are kinda long. If you're able to, now would be a good time to trim them while he's mellow. Traction is suuuuuper important especially if you have any slippery floors, and shorter nails will help his mobility.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
The hair cut was massive!!! They weren't shy with those clippers!! Poor man, but it's growing back already.
His toenails have always been a problem, they have a really long quick/cuticle in them and we struggle to keep them any shorter than you can see there (possibly only a couple of mm to come of at the moment) Might chat to vet though and see if there is anything else we can do about them.
He had a good night, gave him a gaba quite late, around 10pm and he's up and about himself this morning and has done a wee and a big poo!! Now he's catching his vitamin D in the sun... he's always loved the sun, but we have to bring him in after half hour or he'll burn his nudey skin!! I'll just keep an eye on him for gaba today, Vet said he may even manage with just the metacam, but I'm watching close.
I wrote yesterday that it was day 7, but thanks to my zombie brain (no I'm not nicking his drugs) I've realised he had his surgery exactly 1 week ago today - Friday - wow what a week - every single emotion has had a run... on the daily. The vet warned me at the beginning that it's us humans that feel all the emotion and the doggies just get on with the healing and working it out - I believe that to an extent, but I know Tonks certainly has some opinions regarding the last week... but I have certainly excelled and feeling all the feels...
I'm home for the next 4 days - I will be getting some proper rest and cleaning up the bombshell of a house that seems to have happened while I wasn't watching
Hey Shannon I'm in the Tripawds Chat right now, come back if you're still online.
Wow I didn't realize that dogs could have a cuticle issue like that. Yeah ask your vet, maybe there's something you can do.
That is AWESOME about his good night that he had. You are keeping careful watch on him, and yeah, see how it goes with the meds. Most dogs are on both Gabapentin and a non-steroidal for about 10-14 days.
I agree, even just a week can be filled with so many emotions for us, and feel like it's lasted a year! Your vet is right, amputation is always harder for us.
Enjoy your staycation!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi, just wanted to say what a beautiful boy you have! I was in the same boat you were a couple years back. Brownie, 90 lbs and three weeks before turning 12. And like you I was stalking this site because I thought Brownie was too old, too big, and it is the front leg
After reading lots of post I realized size and age doesn't matter. Brownie surprised me everyday!
The best advise I got from the Tripawd family is be patient. Older dogs take a little more time to get their personality back. But I tell you it came back bigger then ever
Just wanted to say hi and send positive thoughts your way. Tonka has an awesome team by his side!
Nancy and Angel Brownie
My Beautiful Beloved Brownie was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma on February 26, 2019. With all odds against him he lived an additional one year and eight days with amputation, love, and prayer. I was honored to be his mom, and I have never been so proud! He will live forever in my Heart!
04/01/2007 - 03/05/2020
"March Saint"
Thanks for touching base Nancy, Brownie has given me hope that we will get our boy back.
We are up to day 9 post op, he's nice and relaxed and occasionally we see that look on his face that he's ok. He's getting about, all be it slowly and unsure, but he sure hasn't given up.
I slept in my own bed last night!! It was a pleasure!! Tonks decided he was cold so he snuggled in with his sibling - would have loved to have seen that negotiation - he's not by any means graceful yet, but Zephyr obviously accommodated him. Bless her, the other two dogs just seem to know he needs his space.
Stitches out tomorrow, then we find out about his chemo schedule. I'm so very hopeful that he copes with it OK.
Sounds like you and Tonka had some good sleep. And clearly it was okay with Zephyr too.
Tonks continue ro make progress and IS getting his sparkle back at his own pace and in his own way. I know a lot of people see lots of sparkle come back around the stitch removal time. My Happy Hannah took about three weeks before I could really start seeing more of her Happy self bounce back. In fact, I waited j til the third week to start her chemo as I wanted her a bit more "perky" before she went with that treatment. BTW, she sailed thru her treatments just fine.
We need more pics of Tonks and the pups! Oh yes we do!!
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 love all the signs that Tonka is giving you, his slow and steady progress is happening every minute, even when you're not looking! I'll bet Zephyr sees more of it than you do
Cheers to stitches coming out, that's a BIG milestone 
Onward, you're now in the double digits of the recovery phase. YAY!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
I think Tonka will feel much better and like himself once the stiches are out and all the pain meds leave his body. I know Brownie was high as a kite for over two weeks. lol
Don't worry, things will be back to normal sooner then you think. Tonka is going to do everthing he did before, but just in a different way.
Positive thoughts!
My Beautiful Beloved Brownie was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma on February 26, 2019. With all odds against him he lived an additional one year and eight days with amputation, love, and prayer. I was honored to be his mom, and I have never been so proud! He will live forever in my Heart!
04/01/2007 - 03/05/2020
"March Saint"
Grrrr - I have tried for an hour to post a little video of my warrior playing ball (which is actually a gokart tyre) with his pack today - we were all in tears, and I was terrified it was to soon - he very obviously didn't think so.
He's resting now - I know he overdid it today - but I think I can hear his heart singing with happy...
When I figure out this video business I will update...
For anyone hanging by a thread, the first week was so tough - rollercoaster of tired emotional worry, I didn't think I'd say this - but I'd choose it again for the joy today.
I find the eastiest way to post videos is to upload on youtube, and then copy the "URL Address". Then just paste in the forum.
My Beautiful Beloved Brownie was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma on February 26, 2019. With all odds against him he lived an additional one year and eight days with amputation, love, and prayer. I was honored to be his mom, and I have never been so proud! He will live forever in my Heart!
04/01/2007 - 03/05/2020
"March Saint"
Awww it's good to hear that you are feeling so pawsitive about deciding to move forward. I can't wait to see the video! Nancy is correct. Upload the video to YouTube, copy the video URL, then return to your forum post to paste it into the editing window. Hope that makes sense.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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