Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
Tripawds is your home to learn how to care for a three legged dog or cat, with answers about dog leg amputation, and cat amputation recovery from many years of member experiences.
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She is on the move constantly, circling, circling, circling. She gets up on the beds and rearranges the blankets, then gets off. She picks weird paths where she has to power through the furniture in her path, pushing aside chairs and tv stands. She breaths hard, mouth open, panting.
She can't stay still for more than a couple of minutes, then she is up and at it again. I am losing patience. She has a wide open look in her eyes like she knows she is doing this and irritating me but can't help it. What can I do? This is the worst yet. She does this at night too, but I can sleep through most of it with the doors closed. It is a bad day for sure. Her body is still okay, though she falls often. Her muscles are atrophying in her back legs especially. What can I do? She finally sits for a moment now as I type this. Her eyes start to close and she looks like maybe she will finally finally nap. She goes up to the other dogs and stands there until they get off their bed, then she will get on the bed, only to get off again. It is distruptive and so sad to watch. I can't relax because her nails click on the floor and the furniture gets scraped back and she gets stuck sometimes behind a chair, her breathing is a heavy pant. The other dogs can't sleep because she follows the walls around the house, room to room. What is it? What can I do? Does anyone have experience in this?
Elizabeth
Diagnosed with osteosarcoma in the right front leg 8/23/10,
leg fractured 8/27/10,
leg amputated 8/30/10
http://sammyand.....pawds.com/
I couldn't begin to say how special Sammy is to us. Living and laughing with and loving this wonderful boy is priceless.
Hi Elizabeth,
I'm so sorry your having such a difficult time. Repetitive behavior such as you describe in an older dog can be a cognitive dysfunction, much like dementia in humans. They may be confused & anxious, made worse by a disturbance in their sleep cycle. Of course, you can't rule out other neurologic problems, but this is often the source. I worked with an older foster dog with similar issues. Diminished visual & auditory function can also make it worse.
Cynthia
Yes, I think we came to the conclusion that she has dementia. What is it she needs? What do I do when she gets like this? It is upsetting. I don't think she is in pain, but I don't think she is happy when she is in the middle of it. This is the longest it has gone on, it has been an all day event. I just gave her a couple of "downers" and she seems to be finally quieting down a little. Cynthia, What did you do for your foster dog with this problem?
Diagnosed with osteosarcoma in the right front leg 8/23/10,
leg fractured 8/27/10,
leg amputated 8/30/10
http://sammyand.....pawds.com/
I couldn't begin to say how special Sammy is to us. Living and laughing with and loving this wonderful boy is priceless.
We're so sorry to hear Sammy is uncomfortable. Try to remember to be calm for him so he doesn't stress even more. Wish we could offer advice, hopefully Pam might have some helpful feedback. Please keep us posted.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
We put the dog on Anipryl, because she was so miserable there wasn't really another option. I had her on a very consistent schedule and used some massage (my version, not as effective as a professional's…. )at night in an effort to get her to sleep. She was always better after sleeping at appropriate times. I always made sure to leave enough lights on at night so she wouldn't get more confused if she woke up & couldn't see. I also made sure she relieved herself very at least every 4 hours (even at night). When elderly humans wake up & have to go to the bathroom at night, they very often get more confused & fall…I think dogs must have a similiar experience.
She didn't have too many side effects after the first week, had some excessive drooling, but it resolved. The drug is an MAOI, so no opioids(pain meds like Tramadol), no cheese, no flea/tick preventative while on it. Like any drug, there are a lot of potential side effects, but for her, it worked and she lived out her life comfortably.
I'm sure your vet will be able to give you guidance & rule out any other problems.
I understand about losing patience. Even though you know they can't control the behavior, it is immensely irritating to be around.
Good Luck
Cynthia
Yesterday I attended a presentation by Dr. Erin Troy who has a practice in Walnut Creek, CA, that specializes in canine rehabilitation. She discussed pain and described the symptoms. Much of what you are describing would be consistent with pain. As she said diagnosing pain in dogs is difficult because they cannot tell us what they feel, so we are left to figure it out, with what amounts to trial and error. Best of luck trying to diagnose what is going on.
Ralph
Elizabeth - We also had a dog on Anipryl. He had pretty much the same symptoms as Shy. He'd ask to go outside, then take two steps and turn around and come in like he had forgotten why he wanted out. He paced, and couldn't sleep through the night. It was awful for everyone. We found he got great results from the Anipryl and everyone was much happier. He was pretty old, so we didn't really worry too much about side effects thinking (correctly), that his quality of life was worth the risk.
I'd recommend it based on my experience.
I'm sure Pam can help you.
Good luck. Lincoln says to give his BFF a scratch.
Rhonda
Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall – Confucius
http://credocan.....pawds.com/
Most of the side effects may be worth the risk, but a a few drug/chemical interactions with this class of medication can be fatal & are worth noting.
we don't have anything to recommend, but send our best ET juju to sister shy!!!
Life is good, so very, very good!!! Gayle enjoyed each and every moment of each and every wonderful day (naps included). She left this world December 12, 2011 – off on a new adventure.
Love Never Ends
thanks very much for the info guys. I finally got her to calm down with some natural doggie downers. She slept right through a visit with a friend of ours that had come over, I guess she was just worn out. I am going to talk with Pam about getting her a perscription for Anipryl. She isn't in pain, of that I am fairly sure. She has dementia, based on what Pam and I talked about. The fish oil has done a lot as far as getting some of her functions back. For some reason last night and today she went down hard, barely recognizing that I was talking to her and trying to get her to calm down. The endless circling.
So, I will check it out. She is 13 1/2 years old, and although her body is doing okay, her mind is leaving me. I don't know what is worse, maybe having them being mentally still a puppy but their body wears out. I don't know, it is disheartening!
Thanks for the support all,
Elizabeth
Diagnosed with osteosarcoma in the right front leg 8/23/10,
leg fractured 8/27/10,
leg amputated 8/30/10
http://sammyand.....pawds.com/
I couldn't begin to say how special Sammy is to us. Living and laughing with and loving this wonderful boy is priceless.
Elizabeth,
This sounds just like what my Kona Kai went through. With her, it was withdrawl from tramadol and prednosone.
The tramadol in particular has a wicked long lasting withdrawl...with hallucinations, muscle twitching, feeling like bugs are crawling all over them, and more .
With prednosone, it causes muscle atrophy ! And it can happen fast!
There's lots of info that we found online, including some human forums of people withdrawling from tramadol.
Don't give up. Fight for your kid.
Denise
Kona turned 9yrs on April 16, 2010.
Kona was diagnosed Memorial Weekend 2010 with osteosarcoma.
Right rear leg amputated on June 4th. First chemo June 18th 2010
Second chemo July 9th, 2010 Third and final (yea !!!) chemo July 30th, 2010
ONE TOUGH GIRL this Australian Cattledog !
***Kona's journey/fight ended late in the evening of December 22, 2010***
We Love you so much Kona….always
Bella 9yrs, albino lab/aussie shep/pit?(abandoned in mts as a puppy) deaf & blind (from birth) in one eye limited vision in other.(laid back, ok lazy 73 lbs)
Cotton, 5yrs, albino hound/terrier of somesort/???(abandoned in mts as a puppy) deaf & blind in one eye(from birth), excellent vision in seeing eye. (ball addict…destroyer of Kong balls…yes,etc), high energy 55lbs knots of muscle)
Kona Kai's pup brother and sister as well as her buddy and playmate cat, Shaymous 12yrs (like Seamus), miss her terribly.
Oh Elizabeth,
I'm so sorry. I can't help you. But I just want you to know that I'm thinking you and your Shy.
That was me ↑
Comet - 1999 to 2011
She departed us unexpectedly January 23, 2011 at the age of 12 1/2.
She was born with a deformed front leg and a tripawd all of her life.
Elizabeth, looks like we are both fighting the perils of old age. I can only tell you I feel your pain, and hope tomorrow brings a better day. What kind of natural doggie downers are you using?
Shanna & Spirit Trouble ~ Trouble gained her wings 3/16/2011, a 27 1/2 month cancer survivor, tail wagging. RIP sweetheart, you are my heart and soul. Run free at Rainbow Bridge.
The November Five - Spirits Max, Cherry, Tika, Trouble & Nova. 11/2008 - 3/2013 An era ends as Queen Nova crossed the Bridge.
Elizabeth,
I'm sorry that Shy had a bad night; I know that just the other day she seemed to be doing better.
There are other things we can try. SAM-E is an antioxidant that you can get over the counter and it can help brain function as well as support the joints (and may help fight cancer). She would need between 600 to 800 mg once daily given either 1 hour before eating or 2 hours after a meal. I like the NatureMade product and you can often get a Buy-1-Get-1-Free deal at Walgreen's or Rite Aid.
There is a supplement called SeniLife that is a mix of herbs and vitamins and is meant to help dogs with cognitive dysfunction. We have this at the clinic and so far I have been less than impressed but it is very safe to try. I have found Anipryl to be safe as long as you avoid using it with drugs like Tramadol or certain antidepressants. It is pricey and she would need 15 to 30 mg once daily. The generic drug (selegiline) is available for people but as far as I know it only comes in 5 mg tabs so it might not be much cheaper but we could check.
Does she seem anxious when this happens? I have had some luck with older dogs using alprazolam (Xanax) alone or combined with fluoxetine (Prozac). It is important that her liver is working well before we would start a drug like Prozac. I'm pretty sure your other vet did an chemistry panel so we could review those results if needed.
Pam
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