Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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He's UP! All by himself! I opened a can of food for the other kids and His royal spaciness hopped right up and headed for his bowl. He ate a can of food, drank some water and hopped out to pee all on his own! For a few minutes the stoner fog lifted and Astro was front and center. It made me so happy to see him balancing and functioning without support! We still have a long way to go, but it was a good day for us!
Those glimpses of 'normal' are so special early in recovery. And he has the Tripawd stance down with that front leg in the middle.
Go Astronaut!
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
So happy to hear this!!! 🙂
As Karen said, the glimpses of normalcy are so special!!
ASTRO! YOU ARE A RECOVERY ROCK STAR!! 🙂 🙂 🙂
You are a very handsome long legged big boy!
Keep these great updates coming!!
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!
So awesome to see Astro up and eating! Go Astro! !
Otis - 121 lbs pre amp - 114 lbs post amp and now 118 lb Great Dane - English Mastiff X. Started limping on 12/24/16. Diagnosed with Osteosarcoma 12/28/16 - amputation of front left leg on 1/6/17. Stitches out and 1st round of Chemo on 1/19/17. 2nd round of Carboplatin on 2/10/17 - 3rd round on 3/2/2017. 4th round was scheduled for 3/22/17 - however due to low WBC postponed - 4th Chemo completed on 3/28/17. Had breathing difficulties, stayed in Tufts ICU overnight. Due for 2 more rounds of Chemo but we are opting to go with homeopathy with Dr. Loops instead.
Look at him! 
He does look in splendid shape as well, which can only help him in terms of adjusting.
Just love this boy.
Ruby, Staffy, born June 2022, became a Tripawd, November 2023, adopted January 2024.
Also Angel Tripawd Meg (aka The Megastar), who died in April 2023, aged 14, after seven glorious years on three, and Angel Staffies Elsie Pie and Bille. In the pawprints of giants...
So, aside from the brief glimpse of normal on saturday, Astronaut has been pretty much sleeping or comatose ever since. He will blink and roll an eye in the direction of any action, but won't even pick up his head to look. Which is fine, rest is good. My concern is that the fentanyl patch (which is the key factor in his heavy sedation) is due to come off tomorrow, and I'm a little concerned with how well he will handle the transition over to tramadol as the replacement. He will stay on the gabapentin, which he seems to do really well on, but in the past, we've had a hard time 'dialing in' the dose on tramadol. He either is disoriented and whining or totally comatose and incontinent. Anybody have advice on the best way to manage the transition?
Morning, sunshine.
~Kat and Astro (and Rosie and The Zig)
Love, love reading about Astro's recovery! What a rock star!!!
Harmony became a Tripawd on 10/21/14 (MCT). She left us way too soon on 11/1/14.
"We miss you so much; our love, our heart, our Harmony."
- Pam, Ron and Melody, Meesha, Doublestuff and Mariah Carey
I thought a vet had said to me once that by the time a dog is home from surgery, the fentanyl patch is already starting to wear off, and that by the time it's removed there is no more drug being released. So I'm pretty sure it's not a 'cold turkey' thing. You can verify that with your vet, and let me know if I recall that info correctlly.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
jerry said
I thought a vet had said to me once that by the time a dog is home from surgery, the fentanyl patch is already starting to wear off, and that by the time it's removed there is no more drug being released. So I'm pretty sure it's not a 'cold turkey' thing. . . .
That totally makes sense.
Harmony became a Tripawd on 10/21/14 (MCT). She left us way too soon on 11/1/14.
"We miss you so much; our love, our heart, our Harmony."
- Pam, Ron and Melody, Meesha, Doublestuff and Mariah Carey
I absolutely LOVE that pic. You have such an eye for capturing a whole story in a photo. I'm pleased Astro is getting plenty of rest. I'm not sure re the patch. Meg had one after a previous surgery (not the amp) and I was told that it will last until about Wednesday (or whatever, I think it was five days), which seems to support what Jerry was told. Meg didn't have any problems transitioning onto tramadol and metacam, but obviously every dog reacts differently. Will Astro be on a NSAI as well as the tramadol?
Meg, Clare and Elsie Pie xxx
Ruby, Staffy, born June 2022, became a Tripawd, November 2023, adopted January 2024.
Also Angel Tripawd Meg (aka The Megastar), who died in April 2023, aged 14, after seven glorious years on three, and Angel Staffies Elsie Pie and Bille. In the pawprints of giants...
Astro, Astro, Astro! You are doing SO WELL!!! What a phenomenal recovery so far! Mixing pink elephants with the occasional appearance at the dinner table this early on is spectacular!
As far as the drugs, what Jerry and others have said is pretty much what my vets have said over the years. So the fentanyl is wearing off or gone so tramadol is being added on board now? Other than gaba does he have a NSAID? Tramadol has, as you noted, very mixed results. When CharlieBear had his full dose he was not CharlieBear but a beady-dark eyed Bear. And when he had @ 3/4s he seemed not to be helped by it nearly as much as he is by gaba, previcox, and, for the time being, doxycycline. So we went down to 1/2 and that was the magic number. I think it kind of is trial and error over a few weeks but given that Astro needs major pain coverage at this time, I hope he does well with the maximum dosage for awhile! Extra nap time is never a bad idea!
Huge hugs and PyrPaws all around!
Yeah, ditto everyone. There shouldn't be any issues as the patch is pretty much usednup anyway.
Rhe dosing of the Gaba a d Tram really can be somewhat of a trial and error. Start off with the dosing the Vet suggests. Some start of "lower" and/or less frequent, and then add .ore frequent doses and/or increased amounts if needed. Conversely, some start off at more of a "maximum" amount and frequency, and decrease amounts as needed.
You may see him become a bit more perkier without the patch, but the Gabapentin can have a sedation effect on some dogs.
How much Gaba is he on and what will his Tramadol dose be?
Astro is such a cuddle bug! Love the photo!
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!
jerry said
I thought a vet had said to me once that by the time a dog is home from surgery, the fentanyl patch is already starting to wear off, and that by the time it's removed there is no more drug being released. So I'm pretty sure it's not a 'cold turkey' thing. You can verify that with your vet, and let me know if I recall that info correctlly.
Absolutely. Fentanyl has a 'half-life' as it is dispensed from the patch, and there is definitely a steady reduction in potency, but I haven't been able to find any clear answer to how fast that reduction is. Astro is on day 4 of a 5 day patch and he is still pretty deep down in the ether (which happened last time we patched him, too). Even once the patch is removed, it purportedly takes ~12 hours to be completely out of the bloodstream (assuming there is anything left). Astro seems to do pretty well on Gabapentin (500mg, every 12 hrs), so I'm hoping that will carry us through while we make the transition. Right now he is just on the patch, Gaba, and Clavamox (antibiotic). No NSAID at this point. I have tramadol on hand, but haven't needed it yet. so I guess we will see how he does as the patch fades out.
~Kat and Astronaut, still orbiting the cosmos.....
Oh the Gabapentin could be doing it, that makes MANY dogs super sleepy. And if he's already sensitive to medication, that could have an extra whallop on Astro.
You're so lucky medication works the way it's supposed to on him (good boy Astro!). So many of us have dogs who react the opposite and they go bonkers on the stuff, which is no fun.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
ASTRO you are such a STAR !!!!
Me and Eurydice are falling harder every day for you and your Mom
You are doing fabulously, boy 
Eurydice had a much rougher recovery but we kept Tramadol for an emergency and never had to use it.
You are marching steadily towards stitch removal date which is the first landmark in a dawg's recovery ...
And you are SO clever resting whenever you need it
and making no fuss about it, too.
Keep up the good news and photos, we love them !
Big hugs and cuddles plus woofs from miss cow here
Eurydice 77kg/170lb Great Dane limping end of April 2016, amputation (right front leg/osteosarcoma) 4 May 2016 6 courses of carboplatin followed by metronomic therapy, lung mets found 30 Nov 2016. 3 courses of doxorubicin, PET scan 26 Jan 2017 showed more mets so stopped chemo. Holistic route April 2017. Lung X-ray 5 May 2017 showed several tennis ball size mets, started cortisone and diuretics. Miss Cow earned her XXL silver wings 12 June 2017, 13 months and 1 week after amputation and 6 1/2 months after lung mets, she was the goofiest dawg ever and is now happily flying from cloud to cloud woof woofing away :-)
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