Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi!
Roscoe is about 3 weeks out from his amputation surgery. He definitely seems to be getting better everyday. One lagging problem is that he is having a very hard time sleeping at night. He sleeps in our bed with us so this also means I am not getting very much sleep. During the night he will get up, turn and plop down in the same spot over and over. Sometimes he'll go for an hour before readjusting and sometimes it's every 5 minutes. And sometime he literally just stands up for a couple of seconds and lie down again. His rear legs seem a bit stiff at times so I wonder if he is getting leg cramps or restless leg syndrome. He does seem to sleep ok during the day although still a bit restless. I also wonder if it could be a side effect of meds. He is currently on Gabapentin and Metacam. I've been massaging him but it doesn't really seem to be doing much to help. Anyone else had similar problems?
Also, Roscoe has been having some phantom limb pain. Definitely less than the 2 previous weeks, but just wondering how long we should expect it to continue and if there is anything we can do to make him more comfortable?
Thanks!!
Hi Julia! I'm glad you brought this up because I asked for more details about what you described in your other post. We can just discuss it here. So, has Roscoe seen a rehab therapist? And when you massage, have you noticed any areas that are more sensitive? Usually dogs let you know something doesn't feel good by flinching or looking at your hand or just getting up when you massage painful areas.
Post-op pain is common and is manageable, but the best way to do it is by working with a therapist. This post by a pain management specialist explains more (Scroll down to the post-op section)
Vet Expert Dr. Mike Petty Shares Tripawd Amputation Pain, Rehab Care Tips
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thanks for the link! There is so much info on this site it can be hard to find things sometimes. I haven't seen a rehab therapist. I have scheduled appointments with an acupuncturist but Roscoe has only had one appt. so far, so hard to say how much it is helping. He mostly ignores me when I massage but he does signal discomfort when I massage his hips and back legs sometimes. I wonder if the Gabapentin is causing restless leg syndrome. The first day home he was in such pain that the Dr. actually upped his meds and the next day his back legs weren't working well. He was basically walking on 2 legs so the Dr. had us bring the meds back down and his legs seem better but still very stiff sometimes with some spastic kicking when he is laying down. Seems like when he is waking up at night he is standing to stretch his legs and then goes back down. The Dr. wants us to keep up the Gabapentin for another month but my instinct is to try an phase it out sooner to see if it helps. Not sure how much it is doing for pain and if that would be a bad idea. What would be a good search term to find out what rehab therapists are in my area? Or should I ask my Dr.?
Interesting thing about the article you linked to, I had the same experience where all the Dr.s involved with Roscoe's surgery downplayed his recovery and said he would be fine in no time and wouldn't need follow-up care. I feel like we were underprepared as to what to expect during recovery which made it way more stressful.
There's a load of information on rehab and how to find a certified therapist here
Ruby, Staffy, born June 2022, became a Tripawd, 23 November 2023, adopted 12 January 2024.
Also Angel Tripawd Meg (aka The Megastar), who died in April 2023, aged 14, after seven glorious years on three, and Angel Staffies Pie and Bille. In the pawprints of giants...
If he is still having phantom limb pain you might want to keep him on the gabapentin- that is what is most often prescribed.
How active was Rosco before the surgery? Now that he is over the worst of the healing maybe he is just getting restless and I would guess he is a bit sore from his new gait on three legs. Hopefully you can find a rehab vet near you from the list Clare posted.
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
I love his ears! (Sorry, way off topic). It sounds like he is having some pain still, although it might be just due to the fact that as a new tripawd he is using muscles he has never used before. My vet said to think about hopping around the house all day on one foot - exhausting! I presume that he used to sleep through the night with problems? Is he sleeping more in the day than he used to? If so, you might try to keep him a bit more awake during the day. Any chance that you are just more alert to night time movements than before? Also, are you done with pain meds? We kept giving one Tramadol before bed into the fourth week.
Otis - 106 pound lab/Dane mix, lost his right front leg to osteosarcoma on Febuary 9, 2016. Four rounds of carboplatin completed in April, 2016. Lung mets August 25, 2016. Said goodbye too soon on September 4, 2016. Lost his adopted sister, Tess, suddenly on October 9, 2016. likely due to hemangiosarcoma.
Wherever they are, they are together.
I second what Otis' mom said. My Fionn's surgery was Oct 6 and he just stopped the gabapentin last week. I tried taking him off (after tapering him down) twice before that and he would have occasional yelps which I attributed to phantom limb. I want to say he was off the tramadol at the end of week 3, but all dogs are different. Can't hurt to give him a dose before bed. Humans often have more pain at night so why should it be different for dogs? I occasionally give Fionn a tramadol if I think he has overdone his activity and is sore. Just watching them move so differently with 3 legs makes it obvious that they are going to be sore in places.
BTW- I agree, Roscoe has the BEST ears
Nancy- mom to the FABULOUS Fionn. He rescued me in 2015 when he was 6.
Right front leg amputation at age 7 for osteosarcoma 10/6/16. Taken too soon 6/12/17. Read about our journey here:
http://fionnsjo.....pawds.com/
Roscoe was super active before his limp started. Way more active than the average dog. But he has been limited in activity since August so I think his body is more used to less activity now. I think both me and Roscoe are getting used to him not being able to do as much. He would readjust at night before but nothing like he is now. Sometimes he is up every 5-10 mins for a couple of hours. It may be his restlessness is due to discomfort but since his weird episode where his back legs stopped working I'm hesitant to increase any of his meds. That was really scary. He isn't on Tramadol now but we do have some left over. I wonder if one before bed would help. I'll ask my Dr. about it.
Thanks for all the advice!!
Right now, it seems like your best bet is getting the right "diagnosis" of what's causing this, if it means getting second and third and fourth opinions! Obviously we are all just "guessing" to some degree, based on individual experiences.
It maybe a Rehab situation...It maybe a pain situation...It may be the pain meds causing the restlessness...It maybe something yet to be uncovered.
So, while we're throwing possibilities out there, maybe even having an xray done to eliminate pinched nerve or disc issues causing weakness in tbe legs.
And another "throwing everything out there",...many dogs are used to "circling" in a particular direction as they make their "nest". Many dogs are also prefer laying on one side moreso than the other. Do you think the amputation has interrupted his "routine"?
A d dogs don't generally care about how super active they are, but they sure do care about lovinr, spoiling and treats and tummy rubs and snuggles! 🙂
I know lack of sleep is exhausting to say the least...for you and Roscoe! I hope you can get things figured out. Hang in there! Recovery is NOT always "easy snd they do fine"! Yes, it gets to "easy and fine" eventually, but many, many times there are "hurdles" like this that pop up along the way. They DO get figured out though or worked through with more healing time!
Lots of hugs!
Sally and 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!
I think you may have a point about the direction he is used to circling in and the side he lays on. He often starts to lay down on his amputation side and gets half way down then comes back up and changes sides. I think he is nervous about laying on that side. I don't remember if he had a preference pre-op but if he preferred his amp side I could see that being uncomfortable for him.
On the good news side, his phantom limb pain seems to be bothering him a lot less. For the past couple of days he's only cried out a couple of times a day. Way down from before. Hopefully we continue that trend.
Definitely no shortage on belly rubs and snuggling on this end! I thought he was spoiled before but we have upped our game!
Alrighty the , sounds like his "preferred sleeping/circling" side may be the clue! And it sounds like the phantom pain may be subsiding!
While it took my Happy Hannah five weeks tomlay on her amp side, most dogs do it much sooner!
Keep js posted on that cutie pie!
Hugs!
Sally and 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!
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