Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hey there!
I am reading the posts and the other amputees stories but didn’t have the opportunity to post myself! I think of you daily and pray for the best…
We are doing good. Since the first day he got in the house (yesterday) he ate, he drank water he urinated twice (in his usual litter box) etc. He doesn’t look like he is in pain. Most of the time the e collar is off and he doesn’t mess with his bandages. The medication plas is antibiotic morning and evening, neurontin (gaba) 1/4 morning and evening and (nsaim) meloxydil(drastic meloxicam) once a day.
The gaba is powder 300mg in every pill so it is diff for me to get the right dose. Also I asked the vet and waiting for an answer if he really needs to take it.. I was very sure at the beginning but the more I read about this medicine the more I think it will make him lose appetite make him sleepy and affect his kidneys… he will take the meds until 29/7.. so five days is not a lot right??? Probably he won’t get much affected.
The non steroid is oral suspension and he won’t take it… I knowing’s a good combo with gaba but I am not sure how it will go. I will put it in his leg to lick it but I think he will have a lot of drool as always when he licks medicines… any idea ? There is jointer drug he can give me to try.
29/7 we have appointment to see if the stitches will be removed. I think it’s a bit early but the vet said it’s alright. Hope he won’t be sedated for nothing.
I sound grumpy I know! But I assure you I am not! I am really happy about his progress and if the incision is healing nicely it would be much easier than I expected! Of course without your support and encouragement and prayers and crucial information it would be far more difficult… an uncharted territory! Thank you for all your tolerance 🙂
benny when I read your posts it feels like sunshine is coming in
jerry you are the voice of reason and so true about him eating as soon as he was home 🙂
Dear amy you re doing great, hope to tead (again )good news on Sunday !!!
Gioukas the first born -*Ntoris the wise*- Kimi the cat
I am so happy to see those pictures of Gioukas at home and looking pretty good for what he has been through. I was so worried about him and when you didn’t post. He looks like he is ready to fight for his recovery and then be a happy survivor. Looking forward to what happens at your next appointment.
Thank you for your concern about Roger. This forum really does help with this difficult time. I continue to believe whatever happens with Roger and Gioukas from now on we know we have done every thing we could do to help them have some more time and they know how much we love them.
Well I thought for a minute I had lost my mind as I knew I had posted but it was no longer there! So it seems that during the maintenance time when the site was down some of our post disappeared. Anyway, I'm glad you at least got to see it before it vanished.
So glad to hear Gioiukas is home and is doing so much better! This has been a huge stress on him and you as well. No, you don't sound grumpy at all! You have had some really frustrating times while he was at the clinic and it was very stressful to be dealing with the way some things were done. I think you were handling it much better than many of us would! I'm not an expert on Kitty meds, but I do know the Gabapentin comes in 100 mg capsules. This would be easier for you to divide and figure out the amount to give than trying to deal with a 300 mg capsules.
If you're able to figure out the right dose that works for him, it shouldn't make him sleepy or mess with his kidneys if used for just the short term. Of course, check with your vet.
Refresh my memory, what day was his surgery on? Generally stitches stay anywhere from a minimum of 10 days to around 14 days. Also, most cats stay on pain meds for at least 7 days and maybe longer, 10 to 14 days. It really is a case by case basis.
Give yourself a huge pat on the back for staying the course and staying strong! He is eating drinking, using the litter box and he is home! Onward and upward.Gioiukas 👏👏👏
Hugs
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
PS...The pictures are adorable! He looks comfy and relaxed....no more Mr Grumpy hissing!!
Thanks for sharing these.......they made me smile 🤗
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!
Yes Amy you are right we are doing our best, we also have this forum for support and I know that whatever happens there are people here that have gone through the same thing and they will help me cope!
Benny: thank you for your kind words. When I saw him in the clinic hissing not eating and sad I thought he wouldn’t be his usual self again even back home.. Fortunately Jerry was right!!! he ate the minute we were home!!
Gioukas had his surgery 19/7, he came home 24/7 and we will go to the vet 30/7 (29/7 was my mistake) to check the incision and decide if the sutures will be removed. From 19/7 obviously he is on pain medication until 30/7 when the vet will decide if he will need more.
Well he told me to take these capsules - maybe there is no hard pill easily available in our town - I managed to use the empty capsule to measure the powder. His initial instructions was to give him 75 mg in the morning and 75 mg every evening. I talked to him about it again and he said that if Gioukas is not in pain he can skip it. So after reading a lot I decided to give him 75 mg only at night. This way it would be easier to cut it off gradually. The first time he took it, was yesterday and he didn’t seem sleepy so I will continue this way, as I believe the dose is not so much for him and it will be only until next Tuesday. The vet don’t overprescribe so I believe that he will guide me well even if I have my doubts.
I think we have to try some supplements for his joints as well .. hope to find some he would like to eat because he is so picky!
Gioukas the first born -*Ntoris the wise*- Kimi the cat
WOW what an update! I'm so happy he is doing well at home! 
YAY!
That's got to be so frustrating about measuring out the Gabapentin. There is a liquid form for cats, as well as a transdermal given by rubbing into the ear. I'm not sure you can get them there but it's worth asking your vet. And while it isn't unusual to adjust the dosage, it is pretty important to help the nerves calm down after a major surgery like this. Sometimes we see that when animals are not given enough Gabapentin after surgery, phantom pain comes back with a vengeance even weeks or moths later. Yes it can cause some sedation, but vets have told us it is relatively easy on kidneys, and the risks of any side effect are pretty low. The benefits outweigh any potential issues. So please don't skip any doses and wait until the next check-in with your vets OK?
We are so happy things are going well! Keep us posted.
Yes I agree with your point of view and thank you very much for your input but I talked to the vet and he said that if I think he isn’t in pain I can skip the gaba.
Then I changed my mind bc I was afraid of him not showing pain even if he was in pain and gave him what the vet recommended initially. As I say you are the voice of reason 
But we may have another problem.. the first day he got home I saw a blood stain where he was sitting on the bed sheet. I thought it was an old stain so I didn’t bother. Today I saw a bigger one (and then some more) and thought it was from his urine but I watched closely when he urinated in his box and no blood stains. I wiped him as soon as he came out and it was clean.
So I think it may be a discharge from his wound because the color is light red (attached pics) or is it something worse like a suture broke ???I sent pics to the vet and waiting for his response. Probably I will take him there tomorrow and not on Tuesday and we won’t get rid of the sutures yet 
however his behaviour hasn’t changed he doesn’t seem in pain or anything.
what do you think??
PS he has some wound under his chin (3rd pic). His skin there peels off and there are flakes. I don’t know if these 2 problems are connected. Maybe it was itchy because of dehydration and scratching it caused this wound but there are not other spot in his body like this anyway I informed the vet about this as well..
Gioukas the first born -*Ntoris the wise*- Kimi the cat
I think it's such a fine line with pain control, and deciphering those signals. That's why your vet left it up to you so if that's what your gut says and he seems better that's a win!
Those pics are helpful so be sure to show them to your vet. It looks like he has a seroma , which is fluid buildup. Is there any smell or green discharge? If not it's probably a normal seroma but good to mention it to the vet.
He could have chin acne, which our member Purrkins had once. Definitely take a photo and let your vet know. It's probably not related but good to get under control.
Thanks Jerry ! I already sent the pics to the vet and waiting for his response. You are right the line is so fine but I started being afraid of him developing PLP and that’s why I gave him the gaba the vet initially prescribed. I cannot believe how lucky we are with his path to recovery so far. Probably the vet did a good job as well haha! He pooped today-loose stool but it will get better i suppose when he is off the meds. No there is no smell or other evidence of a seroma gone bad. I hope for the best! I don’t know about the acne though, my other cat had it but there were many black spots which Gioukas hasn’t. Let’s wait and see! I will update you in a couple of days.
Gioukas the first born -*Ntoris the wise*- Kimi the cat
Hello again!!
today we went to the vet because of the discharge. The fluids flew out from the small hole made by the tube of the drainage bag… they didn’t sew it after removing it. He will take antibiotics for another ten days and gaba. He is not in pain, he even jumped from the floor on the back of the couch in the blink of an eye! No time for me to react. But he landed ok his back legs work fine for his weight..
The sutures were removed today as well and his incision looks really great apart from that little wound. There was blood all over the place today but by Tonight it seems to ooze a lot less. I begged the vets to put a bandage again but they were totally opposed to it. I said that the e collar won’t prevent him from scratching his incision and there is no scab created yet. Obviously we cannot watch him 24/7… I ll talk to them again in a couple of days but what do you think I should do?
I am so happy for him. He is doing great and he makes it easy for us to nurse him (hope this is the right word). It would be a shame if he develops an infection because of scratches or reopen the wound and need stitches…
Gioukas the first born -*Ntoris the wise*- Kimi the cat
This made me so happy to read! I am glad he is doing well. How stressful worrying about the scratching but I am hoping there are no complications. Keep up the good recovery! My doctor took Roger’s bandage off after 6 days…,but since it was his back leg that was amputated he couldn’t scratch with anything so the cone took care of the problem.
Hey good to hear from you, just had a chance to read your update. WOW! He is really feisty and ready to be done with this healing business! I'm sure you are too.
So yeah that fluid issue is not uncommon, and it's better to be safe with the antibiotics just in case. If you can get a little baby "onesie" we call them here, on him, that can help keep the area protected. Did you see Purrkin's onesie tips?
https://purrkin.....ternative/
Just keep an eye on him and hopefully he won't mess with the area. It sounds like he is healing so well that he won't be bothered by it but you never know.
Keep us posted!
Hey there!
I had no time to post but I was reading about Amy and roger and was delighted to read such good news!!!
we were doing great this last week adjusting in the house … we finished off meds yesterday, I only spray the wound with cothivet which is antiseptic.
but 15 ago Gioukas urinated blood not a lot but some.. and he did it four times. We will go to the vet tomorrow.. I wonder if he had a uti how come it didn’t go away with 15 days of antibiotics.. anyway maybe it’s something worse!!
This recovery picnic as benny says was too good to be true 🙁
I am sorry I feel awful … I hope everybody else is fine ..
Gioukas the first born -*Ntoris the wise*- Kimi the cat
Anma, you don't need to apologize for feeling worried, any of us would too! I hope the issue is nothing serious. Is he still eating, drinking, eliminating, and being himself?
I am really glad you are seeing the vet so quickly so whatever is going on you can find out and treat it. Let us know!
We will go to the vet tomorrow.. I wonder if he had a uti how come it didn’t go away with 15 days of antibiotic
UTIs can be so tricky, or bacterial infections, etc can require specific type of antibiotic. Also, even sometimes the "right" antibiotic has to be repeated sometimes.
We know it's hard not to worry about worst case scenarios of awful things on this journey. We all do it. We can also tell you more often than not worst case scenarios don't occur!
Your Vet will identify the issue and come up with the plan. Update us after the appt.
Really glad to hear how well he's doing overall! You deserve nothing but good days ahead!
Hugs
Sallyand 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!
Hi again!
thank you for your support it really means a lot!
I talked to another vet today (the mom of our usual vet !!) as the one who is treating us is on holiday. Gioukas is eating, drinking, urinating and pooping everyday. So the vet said that maybe he has fic because he was stressed enough from the last 2 visits to the clinic to take his antibiotics, he is trying to adjust, I transfer a lot of stress to him with my behaviour and some other stressful events that put a lot of strain on him. In general she is right. Gioukas also gets worked up because of the antiseptic spray I use. He doesn’t like it at all.
She said to wait a couple of days to see if the blood remains and gave me an oral suspension for his food and a feliway.
she didn’t want to stress him more so we didn’t proceed to an ultrasound or x ray or urine collection bec he had to be sedated. On Tuesday I ll update her and we will decide what to do. I think he has crystals in his urine. I think I found some on the blood clot I picked up from his litter box. I showed it to her but She said it was not. I know that cats with fic can have crystals in their urine as well (not because of fic) so I have to wait until Tuesday. I like their non invasive approach but I hoped I could go on vacation since he was doing so well being amputated etc. Since he had his surgery I thought everything would be so difficult and decided not to take time off. Then on Saturday morning I thought he is doing great and I booked some tickets! the days I would be gone my mom would watch him, the camera would be on so I can spy on him and my friend would visit him often because she has cats and understands immediately if sth is going wrong when my mom would not be able as she cannot see very well. And Now I am devastated because he is sick and I feel guilty for wanting to rest…and sorry for talking for me when my boy is sick… I hope I am wrong, he has no crystals and he just stressed because of all he is going through! He has not urinated since last night, he didn’t go in the litter box at all yet. I am afraid of urinary obstruction and yes I am jumping to conclusions:-) Let’s hope once more for the best sorry for writing a lot again 🙂
Gioukas the first born -*Ntoris the wise*- Kimi the cat
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