Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Thanks Jerry! Today went great. He slept great and in the morning, he did his usual walk around to the back corner to sniff and potty. Before I could really stop him, he had a short burst of post-poop zoomies and he surprised me at how fast he could move. It was a very short distance though because I stopped him. His incision is looking great. No redness at all anymore. The only thing is that it’s still “twitching” often.
When he’s done eating, he always slurps down a bunch of water before he walks away which is how we usually know he’s done eating (or if he’s trying to trick us into thinking he’s done. He’s super picky about food). This afternoon, he ate a full amount of food so quickly that I looked at my wife when I heard him drinking and said “ain’t no way..” and she went over there and was like omg he ate it all. He chowed down! Even beat his brother, who is a fast eater and super food-driven (he was an abused rescue so I guess that’s why - he never got much food)!
This evening is the first time he’s not laid down panting after moving around a bunch so I feel we are progressing great. I’m doing Gabapentin x2 a day at 0800 and 0800 and his Carprofen x2 a day as well. Although I can see his heartbeat in his body, I don’t think it’s “pounding” as it was a few days ago. I’m seeing more and more of him coming back day by day. He even did his little excited bark where he bounces his little front half up every bark when his momma got home from work. He tried to get up on the couch but we won’t let him yet. He’s been more waggy too.
I’m so glad you guys suggested to advocate hard for Gabapentin. It’s literally been a game changer. Does anyone know if the twitching is normal and if it goes away soon? Also, how are your babies? Are they able to walk or anything for long periods of time without getting worn out yet? Does that eventually come back to where they can go about normal activity without being tired?
Hope you all and your babies are well. Love from me and Kota 🙂
So much to celebrate in this post.......and it's still very early in recovery!!..it gets even better and better!
,Made me grin ear to ear knowing he was eating his food like a Champ! And to wag and bark when his mom came home...spectacular news!!.Seeing them reclaim some of their normal routines, pain free, is why we do what we do!
After the stitches are out at about the two week mark Kota can start doing more walks and do more normal things. You still want to do things jn moderation and allow lots of rest stops if going on longer walks, etc. Some people who do a lot of hiking with their tripawds purchase a heacy duty stroller so, if the dog gets tired, he can hop in and be Chauffeured arpund for awhile.
The twitching should subside once stitches are out and further out of recovery. However, some residual twitching may still linger arou d even after recovery. You can continue to massage around the incision site. Not really anything to worry about.
Absolutely thrilled to know things are on the upside of recovery and hos pain is veing properly managed. Good job!!!!
Keep these good updates (and pictures) 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!
I'm so relieved!! Way to stick it out and advocate for Kota, I'm so glad it paid off and he's feeling better. I bet you will sleep better tonight than you have in weeks, haha.
I agree with Sally about giving the gabapentin 3x a day at least for the next few days and to build up in his system and to continue to "stay ahead" of the pain. Also just FYI gabapentin does have a minor sedative effect so Kota might be sluggish from that versus over-exerting, which is just fine as he is busy healing and needs all the rest he can get.
Gabapentin is very often combined with other pain relievers, and excels with NSAIDs. Obviously check with your vet to verify the dosing, but I would think gabapentin 3x a day and the Tylenol 2x a day so that the pain relief is spaced out some would make a lot of sense. That dose is fairly high for his size, but he really needed it. If he's really zonked out you could probably reduce it a little (300mg would be pretty common for his size). Now that you know you can manage his pain you'll see subtle changes where the dosage might need to be tweaked.
I hope you two get some much deserved rest, and look forward to more photos of Kota!
OH my DOG what a great pupdate! Kota has turned a corner! Moe like ZOOMED around it!!!
So happy to see this wonderful news. So, about that twitching. I would say that unless it's accompanied by phantom pain signals (sharp, sudden yelps, jumps, crying out), then what you are seeing is just the severed nerve endings still trying to communicate with the rest of the body. Many Tripawds will have residual stumps that move around at random times, usually just barely light enough to notice, and that is really normal (in people amputees as well).
Dogs will start to get stronger over time, and they will fool you really good into thinking they're ready for more and more activity. But as you know Kota is a prankster and will try to dupe you into doing things his way, so don't fall for it. Keep doing what you're doing and take things slowly. Also consider booking an appointment with a canine rehab therapist who can guide you no the best way to reintroduce activity, and strengthen his body so that he doesn't get injured as time goes on. The Tripawds Foundation can even pay for your first rehab visit so don't hesitate to take advantage of the program OK?
Really great to see this to start my day, thanks for taking time to update.
Good evening, Tripawds family! I hope you and your babies are doing well. Kota had another great day today. Same drive to go an explore as the previous days and he finished his dinner before his brother again! I’m loving that he has such a great appetite. He’s been trying to get on the couch again so we set up his sturdy foam ramp in between the ottoman and couch so there’s sort of a slope with a barrier. He hopped right up it with ease (very little effort for him) and he was a happy little boy on the couch today! Takes him a minute to navigate down the ramp and if he wants to walk over it to the ottoman and he’s lost his balance once or twice but as long as he’s wanting to do it and not pushing it, I’m going to closely supervise and let him figure things out for himself.
Here is this happy boy on the couch. His incision site looks great! He now gets up to go get water on his own when he gets hot and when he hops around the house you can tell he’s getting the hang of it with how quickly he’s starting to move. I’m still forcing him to lay down and rest and not walk around a bunch. The twitching has subsided today, so that’s good.
Hope you guys have a great night!
That expression on Koda's face says it all! He is so proud of himself and definitely sending the message that he has reclaimed his rightful place on the couch😎 You know healing is moving forward at a rapid place once they figure out how to get back on their couch!
I know seeing him have such a hearty appetite is so reassuring to you, plus he has a happy full tummy.
Thanks so much for the great update. Keep them coming and keep those pictures 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!
Oh that boy makes my heart skip a beat! What a love bug all snoozy and cozy up on his favorite spot. YAY!
I agree that as long as you can see he's not overdoing it, or showing that he's sore and tired at the end of the day, letting him figure things out without too much assistance is exactly what a good recovery is all about. YAY to you too!
Thanks for sharing
Will the Gabapentin be the cause for him being tired/sleepy most of the time?
He has times where it seems like he can’t get comfy or he can’t figure out how he wants to lay because of his new configuration.
He did play with a toy very briefly but overall it just seems like he’s still not all back yet if that makes sense.
Because Kota made so much very noticeable improvement since he got better pain management , the fact that he seems to be at a bit of a plateau is perfectly normal. For dogs to rest and want ro sleep while healing is a good thing. Now, being lethargic or seemingly overly sedated, that's another thing.
And yes, some dogs do seem to be sleey, or very slightly sedated with Gaba. But his dose is still relatively low so I wouldn't think uou were seeing any "side effects" of Gaba.
Rest is so important, as is not overdoing it on the days he does feel better. It ge erallupy takes a solid two weeks at least, or more, to start really getting the sparkle back faster and faster. It's hard to be patient, that's for sure. We get it.
Assuming he's not dealing with pain, it can be confusing for dogs to "make their nest" as a tripawd. Like humans, dogs sometimes prefer to sleep curled on one side moreso than the other. Trying to achieve that same sleeping position may be more difficult to do with the new configuration of three. Woth four changing positions was a simple task. Now with three he has to figure out how to do that all over again.
Based on every thing you've e said since getting the pain meds balanced right, he seems to be doing really well and even ahead of the curve.
Oh, be sure and give Kota lots of massages to keep the muscles he's now using differently nice and relaxed and not tense . That may help as he tries to settle when taking a nap.
Okay, all that's in my FWIW category👍
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!
Yep I'll echo what Sally mentioned. Gabapentin can make some dogs sleepy, but honestly it's probably just his body getting used to the movement, and demanding rest when it needs it. It's still early in recovery, he's getting there though!
Does anyone have any resources for how to do the massage for him?
Today, we had my parents and my sister come over and see him. My dad said it the best - he just seems super relaxed and tired. But he did get up to see them and was wagging and smiling and doing a little bit of the happy squeaky whine he does. You can tell he’s in there, just like you guys said though he just won’t have his spark back for another week or so. He’s not lethargic or anything though. Still eating great and going potty great. Getting around well; just not my boy all the way yet. I think all the excitement today and he’s moved around more today than ever wore him out. A little while ago he was panting. He’s either hot or hurting a little or both. He’s snoring now so I guess he calmed down lol.
I’ve got CBD oil coming (no THC) and plan to try that with the Gabapentin. You guys have any thoughts on that?
Hope you’re all well!
Sounds like the visit from his Granddawg pawents and Auntie was just what he needed to get a little wag in his tail and pep in his step.
Yes, your Dad described it perfectly....."tired but relaxed". That's good.
Adapting to three at first is very tiresome and does take a lot of energy. Generally, not always but generally it takes a good two weeks to sort of get past the major surgery itself a And then usually by about the 30-day Mark or so their gait is becoming much more natural and fluid. Muscles that were used in a new way while adapting are becoming less and less sore at that point.
Jerry has studied the CBD and which ones are best to use. She'll chime in regarding that.
Is he taking 400 mg of Gabapentin every 12 hours now or is it every 8 hours?
I think we probably have some videos on here of rehabs specialist giving massages. I may even have one of my three legged dog Frankie if I can find it. Basically it's about massaging the muscles up and down the spine and around the shoulder and neck area.
When doing it right and hitting all of the right spots you can almost see the dogs sort of melt into relaxation.
Dakota really is having a good recovery. No, he's not running a marathon yet, but he's recovering at a pace and in a way that is very reassuring.
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!
Awww how fun he had visitors! Yes that can be very exhausting, he'll probably get some good couch time in today and maybe tomorrow.
Rest is medicinal!
For massage, we do have some tips here.
Meanwhile about the cannabis product you purchased, which one is it? You really want to be careful when giving it while your dog is on Gabapentin, as the combination can cause extra drowsiness. If you are going to start, remember, a low dose, given slowly over time, is best. And I would start it at night so that if he is sleepy while taking it, he can get the rest he needs while his body acclimates to both the cannabis and Gabapentin.
You can see all of my veterinary cannabis posts here. I'll do some new ones this year!
Thanks guys. Kota is on 400mg of Gabapentin twice a day 0800 and 1000. He’s also on the Tylenol with codeine and his last pill for that is tonight. I got the THC free CBD oil from American Shaman. Thank you for the vid resources!
I read side effects of the Gabapentin in dogs is mild sedation and slight loss of coordination so that fits what he’s going through. I’ll check with the vet and see when we can start backing down the dosage. Before surgery, Kota was still a lazy boy. Slept all day except for random rough housing with his brother and during dinner cooking, he’d occasionally chew on a toy once or twice. Now, he sleeps unless he’s getting water or re-positioning or fluffing his bed (which he does with one leg lol). But he doesn’t rough house or chew on toys. Most of the time he will follow me where I go but there are times where he doesn’t want to get up and you can tell he’s like “nah, too much work. I’ll just lay here”. I know he’s going through a lot and we are only barely over a week post op so we got a while to go.
I wonder if he’s sad at all or just tired of the exertion it takes to move around right now. He does still eat and take his treats though. Not nearly as excited as his normal behavior but still wants them. He seems to have more energy in the mornings.
Anyways, how are you all?
Ok let me just say you are so sweet for asking how we are doing when it's you and Kotex who are really going through so much!
All is good with us. Tomorrow we may learn the fate of our Nellie's spare leg. More on that later...
It does sound like Kota's recovery is normal for his type of laid back behavior. He will turn more corners as time goes on and he surprises you when you least expect it with some occasional roughhousing.
I don't know that brand of cannabis, I'll look it up!
Yeah it might be a good time to work with your vet on the dosage for the meds. Do let them know about the cannabis so they can properly guide you knowing that it's part of his current therapy.
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