Nov 8th, 2012
Day 3: Home!
Last night Marlie was cleared for take off and we got to bring her home! The swelling in her leg has gone down and everything else is looking pretty good. She seemed to be a little high to us yesterday, and kind of groggy, but that could be because she hasn’t been getting all her beauty sleep. She is on quite the list of meds right now: gabapentin, tramadol and melocam for pain, amicar to prevent bleeding, and because she had a fever, an anti-inflammatory to prevent infection. Being the type A nerd that I am, I made a chart to make sure I give her the right ones at the right times!
Walking wise, she is a little cautious when she first gets up. Sometimes I wonder if she forgets that she is a tripawd and goes to lean on her missing leg. I am sure this will change with time. She likes to walk next to us ‘just in case’ and we have a sling to give her a boost if she needs it– not much unlike a child learning to ride a bike with training wheels, she likely doesnt know that we arent doing anything and she is hopping along on her own. Being that she is a rear leg amp, I already have put her RuffWear harness on to help her and us with getting up and down. We have a few steps in our house and so far she has taken them like a champ.
Of course, being that we are in Canada, we were all less than delighted to see that it is snowing like crazy right now, so we are extra cautious about her slipping outside.
Bathroom wise, she woke us up at 400am to let us know she wanted to pee. And she let me know again this morning at 10.
Only a few things are concerning me at this time: 1. She seems to tire very quickly when she is hopping. She started to sit down while she was eating and seemed exhausted. 2. The panting. She has been panting every waking moment. I know that tramadol causes some panting, but it wasnt this bad pre-operation. Any thoughts?
Hi there! So glad to hear the adorable Marlie is home and doing well! She’s only going to get better every day… we just know it!
I’ll try to answer your concerns:
1. Our dog only hopped short distances to go potty the first few days, and after the 2 week mark when his stitches had been removed, he took many breaks after hopping on short walks with us. Their body has to relearn how to walk using only 3 legs and it puts more strain on the other rear leg. (Our dog is a rear amp also) When she’s out of the grogginess of the pain killers, make sure she doesn’t over do it! When we were given the green light for exercise, we took our dog for water therapy to help him strengthen his body for his new “normal” way of moving. So Marlie sounds very normal here.
2. The panting. Our dog panted a lot the first couple of days after his surgery. We needed to keep it cool in the house for him and that really seemed to help. It never got so concerning that we needed to call about it though. If it does concern you, please call your surgeon’s office. They are there to help.
And about your chart… good for you! I’ve got a chart above our feeding area for all of our dog’s supplements and one on the fridge for his evening meds.
If it helps… more power to us!
Sorry to hear that you are getting snow already… I am concerned when we start to get snow and ice here in Wisconsin. We’ll have to be very careful with our tripawd over here!
You’re doing a wonderful job so far! Keep up the good work and please keep us posted.
Oh, and whenever our lab feels unstable he sits down. That is his natural reaction to catching his balance safely… he still does this and he just had his 5 month ampuversary on Oct. 30th. Hope that puts your mind at ease about that one!
Love and Labby kisses from Hunter and family.
Hi Marlie,
As we were operated on the same day, we do show the same signs.
# I am quite a hero hopping on my 3 legs, but I had my right front leg amputated. Perhaps it is more difficult when the rear leg is gone.
I do have difficulties to get up, especially inside the house were my paws don’t have that much grip. For that reason my mummy tried to give me more stability by putting anti-slip carpets on the floor.
Hopping is very tiresome, so I hop only little distances and than I take a rest.
# My mummy ordered me a Ruff Wear harness today, so I hope to be able to use after the weekend. It will hopefully help me with my biggest problem, going to the big toilet. I haven’t yet figured out how to do this with 3 legs. If I have this problem tomorrow, I must perhaps call my vet and get a anti constipation drug before I am really in problems.
# I am also panting more than I used to do. I thought it was because it is much more difficult to do the normal things that we dogs do, but i will take the advise and we will turn the heat down.
I am really happy that we are in the same boat Marlie, we can learn from each other as we move on.
Big paw & hugs.
Zambor & Krizzy
Hmmm, sounds like the panting is pretty normal. I agree that this is the result of learning to use the body in different ways. Once she gains her strength she won’t be as tired when she moves around. And of course the tramadol also adds to her fatigue.
Rest assured, most dogs do experience this side effect but things will get better. Hang in there!