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Hi,
Loa is 13 days out from her amputation and she has been doing SO well...until this morning. She's whining and crying and occasionally trying to lick the site. I had two Tramadol left over, so I gave her one. She seems a little calmer.
Any idea what might be going on? Phantom limb pain? Or perhaps her site is starting to itch? (She's due to have the sutures out Wednesday.) I have a call in to the vet but I won't hear back until tomorrow.
Thank you for any advice. I hate to see her suffer.
Welcome Loa and pack! Sorry to hear about your amp, but glad you found this site!
Loa may still be adjusting to her new body. Our Bo became much more vocal after surgery and it is hard to know what they need sometimes! We did lots of "ice therapy" when Bo got restless or seemed uncomfortable. We took an ice pack wrapped in a dish towel and put it on the incision area for about 10-15 minutes. We would do that 2-3 times a day and it always seemed to help ease Bo.
Keep us posted!
Meghan & Angel Bo
Thank you! I will try ice--good idea. Right now she's snoozing--I hated having to give her that Tramadol (it was so nice to finally take her off of it several days ago...).
Hmmmm...I'll bet her sutures are bugging her. They're staying in longer than most dogs (seems like most get their stitches/staples out after 10 days). It could be that, or phantom pain . Check her sutures for dryness. If they are, you can rub some aloe vera gel in the general area (not directly on the incision cut) to help alleviate irritation. Also, these Phantom limb Pain Tips might help too.
Let us know what the vet says.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
As Jerry mentioned phantom pain could be the cause, and there is a medication, gabepentin, that can help if that is the problem. See what your vet recommends.
Ralph
FYI: Dr. Pam also discusses phantom pain in this video about common complications.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
She is better, thank you all for your input. Ice packs, as suggested by Bo's mom, have seemed to help. Last night she pulled off her "t-shirt bandage"--it actually ended up around her rear legs, so I wonder if the rubbing of the t-shirt against her stitches was bothering her. I just pulled it off and have kept it off today. The stitches come out tomorrow morning. She's had some Tramadol the last couple of days but none since 7 a.m. this morning and she seems to be doing fine.
We'll talk in depth with the vet tomorrow to see what she thinks. All in all her recovery is going SO well. From what I read about phantom pain I think her symptoms align more closely with irritation from the stitches drying out and itching. I just hope we have a good chunk of time left with her. Thanks everyone.
Oh I hope that's what the issue is! Let us know how your vet visit goes, that's a hop forward!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
And don't get discouraged by this just because she had a bad day after several days of things going well. The first two weeks are usually pretty bad, so count yourself lucky that she did OK during that time. Usually it takes about a month for the pain to fully go away, so just help her through this time and it'll get better soon.
Thank you, Maxidad and Jerry and all! We *are* so grateful that she's done so well. Last night and today no Tramadol and she's doing fine. She had her sutures out today, and the vet says she looks great. Really doing well hopping around, and we're free to put on her Ruff Wear harness and try the stairs, and visit the dog park.
She's eating well, had me *running* on our walk tonight, and is being spoiled rotten.
The vet gently reminded us that the osteosarcoma is likely not gone, and to enjoy the time we have with her. Which we will 🙂
Thanks for all your help and support!
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