Casey was pretty zonked, and made it through that first night without issue. He slept in Jake’s bed, penned into a corner, and I slept next to him on the couch. The vet was right, and Gabapentin is powerful stuff. Now, we had to learn how to deal with a TriPaw. How do we maneuver this (now) 53 pound dog and help him to his feet? I carried him outside and stood him up for the first time with a long pillowcase under his abdomen for support. He was able to urinate and we carried him back in, offered him breakfast which he refused, and elevated a water bowl on a stool. He drank heartily and got his first cupcake with sprinkles. This was a little square of bread with peanut butter, topped with 200 mg Gabapentin, 100 mg tramadol, and 50 mg Rimadyl. He gobbled that down, put a T-shirt on, and it was back to his corner. He didn’t really move all day, but at dinner time, I carried him out with his brothers while Ann put out kibble. Casey came in and ate his normal portion, had a drink, ate another “cupcake”, and went back to bed.
He never demonstrated acute pain, but he did pant at times, telling us he was uncomfortable. Still, he was resting easily with occasional stirring, and as the night progressed, I carried him outside to take care of business, and when we came back and I lied him down, he worked his way up into a sitting position for the first time, and looked out the window. He was in dreamland, in the glow of the Christmas lights, watching the snow flurries through the blinds. He sat there for over an hour, wondering what the heck had happened, and what his new life was going to be like. He’d been a Tri-Paw for just over 24 hours.
I loooove this picture!!
Some dogs are srill counting pink elephants 24’hrs after surgery. Clearly Casey prefers counting individual snowflakes!
Cupcake with “sprinkles”! Great “pastry”!