Yesterday was Porter’s first full day off of the Fentanyl and on the Tramadol pills. Which meant that last night was the beginning of the panting! Poor guy, he was going pretty hard all evening. But I guess excessive panting is way better than other options! He seemed to work through it and fall asleep after midnight.
Because he’s been doing so well and getting more and more mobile, we decided to take off the vet’s harness this morning. He was so happy! He immediately wagged his tail and was faster than I’d ever seen him. I can’t blame him, the thing probably stunk of vet and mediation and surgery. We’re going to wash it & hang on to it for a while as it makes it very easy to get him in and out of the car.
But the best news of today was…no screams!! I’d been worried all day about him having another episode (it’s been one a day for awhile). Every time he got up or moved around, I braced. But he didn’t have a single one, and I was so happy for him. I’m going to be optimistic and hope that means it’s not phantom limb pain.
Other than that, a great day. A long nap on the couch (he jumped up himself), lots of mobility, extra long walks around the yard with dad, and a visit from his human brothers. We reduced his Tramadol from two pills this evening to only 1 1/2 (to help with the panting). We’ll see if that helps.
Our spirits are good and we’re happy to see our buddy boy slowly emerging from this. My husband loves our boy more than himself – on a humorous note, he has always had a long list of “nicknames” for Porter. All funny, and all intended out of love and affection. Well, since our boy lost a leg, he’s been trying to think of some new ones for him. Peggy was rejected immediately (our psychic massage therapist said Porter did NOT find that one funny!), Tripod seemed too obvious…so today, he’s come up with a few. Tipper (ha), Eileen (get it? i-lean? if only he were a girl), Peter (Cottontail, from his nice new hopping action). He’s still working on others! Sorry if folks find that strange, but it’s their thing (Porter loves it!). I’m happy that my husband is getting back to himself & is healing from this along with Porter.
That is such wonderful news!!! I am so happy Porter has made it a day with no screams and is a bit more mobile. I like tipper, that one is a cute nickname. Sounds like your hubby and mine have a couple things in common, a love for their boys and a sense of humor.
Glad to hear things are getting better.
Tina
So glad to hear that Porter is doing better! Although they do great in the long run, it is a bit of an adjustment for them to learn life on three legs. Hope that he continues to recover so quickly!
Yay Porter! So glad you’re finding your ‘normal’ so fast! I remember how excited I when Baby got on the couch herself. Cuddling on the couch is her all-time favorite thing, so it was a huge event. A month BA (before amp) I would would never have imagined celebrating all these little steps (or hops), but here we are.
Love the name game. We’re kind of like that, too. Let us know what you end up with.
Judy and Baby
Hurrah for Porter and Dad! We love nicknames too. No new names yet but we do a lot of singing and it’s mostly “Here comes Peter Cottontail!” Lucy likes it when the songs are upbeat! We’re a little strange around here too!
Mary, Lucy’s mom