OMG ... no pain meds? Please call another vet! I don't mean to sound harsh but that is not enough painkillers for an amputation!!!

I love the name though! Looking forward to learning more about Spaz!

XO

Cyndi - so sorry you and Spaz have not had perhaps the most forward thinking plan for pain management provided.  I am sure your vet means well - some are far more conservative toward pain meds than others.  But you have been given some excellent guidance here on what to ask and perhaps even who to ask; if your vet is resistant, you definitely need to pursue a second consult with someone who is a bit more current as Admin put it.

Pofi was on Rimadyl (anti inflammatory), Tramadol (narcotic - works on pain receptors in the brain) and Gabapentin (for nerve pain). 

Sending out good vibes for better pain management very soon for your Spaz.  Can you share with us why Spaz needed her amp?  Injury or disease?

benny55 said

Is she by ANY chance at least on a pain patch??

We would love ro hear more about Spaz when you can catch your breath....reason for amputation, hiw much she weighs, and all about your sweet senior Spaz! But for now try and locate a Vet who is more up to date on treating pain.

You do want to make sure she pees, but pooping may not happen for a few days and that's okay. Drinking water is important...maybe add some chicken broth or tuna water...even aif scoop of ice cream to help entice her.

Just rest and potty breaks for now. If you jave hardwood floors, use some non slip scatter rugs for traction .

STAY CONNECTED!! You are not alone and we are here ro help anyway we can. Recovery can be rough for zvout two weeks, more or less. Try and get some rest when you can. It gets easier...but not at first!

She wasn't given a pain patch either.  I work at a no-kill cat shelter, and we have a vet that comes out and spays/neuters our cats as well as the feral colonies and another no-kill shelter.  I texted her and I finally heard back.  After giving her Spaz's weight she said to go ahead and use the previcox I have (Spaz's prescription from June of this year for arthritis).  To start her on a whole 227mg tablet, then maintain with 1/2 tablet.  The panting finally stopped, she actually got some sleep, and no more whining and whimpering...YAY

Spaz was 62.1 lbs when she went into the vet on Friday.  We jokingly call her a pure bred Spointer (Springer Spaniel/English Pointer), and she lives up to her name Spaz!  She even personally chose her name out of four choices twice.  The reason for amputation is because of a fatty tumor on lower right leg (the vet said she has to have lab in her somewhere because they are the ones known for the massive fatty tumors). It has been removed 3 times in two years, the last being earlier this year, and each time less and less of the tumor could be removed because of it being so entwined in her leg.  After the last time the vet said that would be the last time he would be able to remove any of it.  It had gotten so big again that now you barely touch it, or she bumps it, the skin would break open and blood would be everywhere and she has spent the last 3 weeks with bandaging wrapped on her leg and the cone of shame to keep her from licking it open.  Kent and I discussed it and figured out our only choices left were amputation or euthanization, and except for the fatty tumor she is still going strong.  The vet felt that with all her muscle mass in her rear legs that she would be able to handle the amputation.  I was going to post a couple of pics of her (a collage before amputation and one when I picked her up today), but they are on my computer and there isn't a spot for me to click on to insert pic from computer.  Just from the web.

She peed when we got home, and she actually peed and pooped about an hour ago, though she was exhausted after words and it took a little bit to get her back in the house.  A few steps and lay down.  Give her a few minutes rest, a few steps and then lay down.  Drinking isn't an issue.  I have a LARGE water bowl for her and the two cats.  She downed about 2/3 of it as soon as we got home, plus a little bit more later out of the bowl I put next to her dog bed.  It took awhile but I finally got her to eat 90% of a 12.5 oz can of dog food literally out of my hand, and about 1/2 hour ago got her to eat her "you did great at the vet" McDonald's cheeseburger that she refused around 2:30-3:00.

I do have tile flooring where the water and food bowls are so I put a rubber mat down on the floor (the kind you find the doorways of some businesses during winter time to trap snow and ice).  Right now she is resting on her dog bed in my computer room.  She has a dog bed in the living room with a blanket on it, she has the one (it moves around the house) in my computer room with a blanket on it, and she has her kennel with a blanket in it that she can lay in now that the cone of shame is off (we are keeping an eye on her because if she starts licking the sutures cone goes back on...her first fatty tumor removal she took out everyone of her stitches in a couple of days).

I am appalled that the vet sent you home with no pain meds!  What on Earth is he thinking?  I think you need to start blowing up his phone as soon as he opens in the morning.  Maybe start off by asking him what he would take for an amputation.  Humans would be in the hospital for days with at least a morphine pain pump.  There is absolutely no excuse for this!  Ask him what the standard of care is.  I can guarantee you that it is not nothing, especially aspirin.  Aspirin will likely increase the risk of a seroma .

Murphy, like many here, came home on Tramadol, Rimadyl & Gabapentin for pain.  You can also apply an ice pack wrapped in a thin towel to the incision for about 10 or 15 minutes a couple times a day.

Where are you located at?  Is there a teaching hospital near you?  If you don't get the appropriate medications from him, I would consider getting a second opinion and possibly even reporting a complaint to the licensing board.

Donna

You still may want to consider speaking with your vet about starting Spaz on an additional pain med with the Previcox.  I would suspect Spaz still has some residual pain meds in her system from the actual procedure and the addition of the Previcox may have taken the edge off.  I'd be concerned that once all the clinic meds have gotten out of Spaz's system that the Previcox may not be enough.  My Leland was on Rimadyl, Gabapentin, and antibiotics for about 2 weeks after his amputation.  I know Sally used to always say that if we had a limb amputated we'd need more than an Ibuprofen to manage the pain and it's the same when it comes to our fur babies.  

Anyway, I hope you consider speaking to your vet about getting Spaz started on Tramadol and/or Gabapentin in conjunction with the NSAID she's currently on.  I'd hate to see you try to play catch up in getting Spaz's pain back under control.

Best of Luck,

Sahana and her Angel Leland and Lucian too.