beth, i don't think you can 'overstep' with this crowd.  wish we could offer some advise/thoughts about tshuvah's not eating…i still think it could be the tramadol, but if she still has pain, then you just might have to stay on the bus for a few more stops.  it's good she takes the syringe food, that's a positive.  paws crossed that she makes a turn-about and starts eating and being her old self in the next day or two. 

don't ever apoligize for loving your gal – you worry, because you care.

gayle & charon

I think I might have freaked some folks out with my last message since I haven't had any replies, if I overstepped I apologize

 

Oh Beth, it's Friday night and we are all party people!  We just haven't gotten a chance to respond!   

Don't apologize!  Admin looks to have been gone all day!

There was a great post from Maxidad a little while back regarding the nerve ending repairing and the pain during the healing process.  I'm going to find the post so you can read it.

Everything you are feeling is normal.  I spook pretty easily…no actually, I panic pretty easily, so I think you are doing great.  I  feel confident it's the healing, the meds and the pain.  And Beth, once you've been here long enough, you too will see most every dog struggles in the two weeks – and each pawrent is scared.  They are not all in the same manner but they struggle to recover from this major surgery.

Off to see if I can find that post… 

Beth, I would just take one day at a time and not worry about chemo/metronimics at this point.

Here's what I would do – and take it with a grain of salt since I'm not a doctor – but I'm going to say it anyway.

For 24 hours – I'd take her off all the medications except I would give her a pepcid (20mgs  Famotidine) for her tummy.  I would put a fan on her to keep her cool. I would put an ice pack (frozen peas or crushed ice in a baggie – making it light weight wrapped in a dish cloth) and gently hold it on the incision site for 10 minutes at a time.  Try to numb the pain/inflammation.  It's probably throbbing like hell! 

I would freeze chicken broth, tuna with the water or beef both in a ramaken or small container and let her lick it.  Now, she may or may not.  But I'd try.   When you are sickly feeling and you have all the inflammation, something cold seems refreshing.  It's just like you getting ice chips after surgery.

That's the extent of my nursing skills!  But I would sure eliminate that tramadol. Not one dog I know has ever acted normal on it.   I think ice will work so much better to numb the pain.

Hang in there and try not to let your other dog's death creep into your mind.   It's easy to make mental comparisons. 

labradorim said:

She's never been the grand champion of eaters, so perhaps this was to be expected.  I'm so much more used to retrievers (grew up with goldens, have had labs ever since), that this is just such new territory…whaddya mean,  a dog that won't eat?!

That is important to remember- if she didn't eat a ton before, she is certainly not going to do so now.  I was in the same boat with Maggie- a pug that won't eat?? I had never heard of such a thing.

I think I said before that I had to feed Mag with a syringe… I wanted to let you know that I did that for
most of three months with her- and was able to keep her weight steady. 
This was just this past year, way past her amp.  She was not eating on her own because of a combo of early kidney failure
and the melanoma tumor in her mouth.  But the point is- I could get
enough food in her.  She was smaller than yours- but still you are probably getting enough food in her at this point.

Keep trying different things, and remember not to stress her when she won't eat what you offer (I had to walk away from Mag many times so she wouldn't see how stressed I was getting….) she will eat when she wants too.

I only gave Mag tramadol when absolutely necessary- I think it took the pain away, but she would not sleep and would look panicky.

Here are a couple pics of my dad feeding Mag for me last April- I hope you get a smile from them- sounds like you need it!

I know she looks mad in the first one- but she actually liked being fed this way!

Karen and the pug girls