Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi, I was just wondering what Pam or anyone else here thinks. Zoe had her surgery 2 weeks ago. (Mast Cell Tumor) I don't know if I am expecting too much, she still seems confused and is panting. She was doing really well at first. Then about a week post op we started having a tough time, 1st she had a yeast infection in her ears ,got that under control then the next day took her back to vet again because she was panting alot and seemed to be in pain to me. The vet said he didnt think it was pain, but he agreed that she didnt seem quite right, her heart rate was very elevated (EKG fine), almost like she was in shock. He gave her a shot of Benadryl and Dexamethasone, I think because he thought it might be another mast cell tumor degranulating, It really didnt seem to help though. She went back a couple days ago to get staples removed, incision has healed nicely. I asked them to put her on Gabapentin although I got the vibe they didnt seem to think phantom pain was the problem, how long would she have to be on Gabapentin before I would see some improvement? She is eating good, going to bathroom regularly etc. The only meds she is on now are the Gabapentin, Pepcid and Benadryl, they said to stop Rimadyl. She just seems depressed and is still intermittently panting. Am I overreacting, do these things just take time?
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Hello, sorry to hear Zoe is having some problems.
Well, actually in our experience this is normal. Hori is now 3 weeks post amputation and she still has some depressed days (more often than I would like). Especially when she moved more one day, the next is kind of frustrating when she just turns to cement again.
I think it really takes time for them to adjust. As for panting, it is so much more effort to move on 3 than on 4 legs!
Just wait for a "real" answer from Pam or other vets, but I would not worry too much.
Hugs for both,
Cecilia & Horacia
Spirit Horacia, Castaño, Olympia + human family Cecilia, Georg and Julia - - - Hori first diagnosed 8/6/09, ampu 8/12/09, run over the bridge 9/10/09 – We miss you every day dear girl!
Panting can mean so many things, especially that soon post-op. She is not on Tramadol or other narcotic, so I think you can rule out meds as a cause. Panting and elevated heart rate could be consistent with pain but then she probably wouldn't be eating or drinking normally.
Most likely it just due to the extra effort that it takes these dogs to get around. Tazzie still pants for 5-10 minutes every time that she gets up and moves even a short distance. She recovers quickly now but right after surgery it seemed like she panted all of the time.
I would give her more time to see how she does. Gabapentin usually works quickly for phantom pain and may cause some dogs to be a little lethargic or sleepy for the first few days.
Pam
Thanks for the responses, It makes me feel better to know this is somewhat normal. Today, has been a good day so far, breathing normal! I'm probably just overreacting, I guess emotions run high and the cancer is ALWAYS in the back of your mind. Thanks for helping me put my mind at ease, (at least temporarily). Have a great holiday weekend everyone!
Hello: Romeo and I have been thinking about Zoe and wondering how she is doing. We are both approaching the three week mark.
I don't have an expert opinion to add, but just wanted to say we're sorry Zoe's been having a rough time. Romeo has episodes of panting in the night. One trick we found---if we reposition him so he's sleeping on the opposite side that helps. He likes to rest on pillows now. I think it gives him a little extra support. Sometimes I wonder if his panting is caused by anxiety (although in the early days it definitely seemed pain related). He has always slept in the bed with us (more like we sleep with him, because he is a 100lb bed hog!), but would always get off mid way through the night and move to the living room. He would always come in and wake us up when he needed to go outside. Now we notice he seems to wait for us to ask if he has to go out---and he stays on the bed all night. Sometimes it seems he has trouble advocating for himself/being independent since the surgery---and it seems this causes him little bouts of panting. The panting just happens occasionally at night now, but his routine being off is all I can think. He has also been a paw licker all his life. I swear he goes to lick his front paw and is reminded there is one missing. It was such a habit for him. Again, this seems to primarilly be a night time thing.
I think if you think Zoe needs meds and is having phantom limb pain than you know her best and you are probably right.
I don't know if there are any veterinary acupuncturists in your area, but there is one at our practice in VT (he is conventional vet as well). We talked to him on the phone about these bouts of panting and phantom limb pain. Everything he said about recent amputees being "off balance" made sense. We are taking Romeo to see him next week. We will let you know how it goes.
Hope both you and Zoe have a good weekend, Eve and Romeo
Another panter:
My Tazzie's amp was July 15, so what does that make us - about 7 weeks. I have noticed him panting quite a lot, largely at rest or in the evening or night, since the early days. I have been noticing it again this week. It was part of the reason I got an early 2nd chest x-ray 2 weeks ago, which was clear. I am also concerned (this is the worrier part of me - it is probably not a legitimate concern) that it might reflect a heart problem, possibly related to use of Adriamycin for chemo.
Despite his a noble mutt pedigree, I am afraid that the giant side of his family (great pyrenees) has been dominating the medical scene this summer (torsion, OSA), which makes me worry that he might be susceptible to heart trouble. Anyway, the vet suggested we get a cardiac ultrasound before his next chemo, so we will try that this Tuesday. It sounded like a good suggestion to get that information in addition to the EKC they run before and during chemo.
But sometimes he just seems to pant hard after making a short hop around the house, and Pam indicated that her Tazzie does this too. So I think I (maybe we) are probably worrying about nothing.
Another thing that might generate panting in our dogs are the diet shifts we make. The evening he panted the most I had given him finely chopped broccoli for the first time. That probably produced lots of gas that kept him panting through the evening - he did not pant all night.
Also this week, he has been worrying his 'pouch' at the surgery site, and a few other things to make his mum worry (no sign of infection, but I suppose the naked skin makes the extra skin appealing.
(Have you noticed I use the word 'worry' a lot - yes, I thought I was past that stage, but I do acknowledge that my worry is not quite as intense as it was in the early post-amp days.)
Susan
p.s. Eve - sorry to mess up on your name on an earlier post. I realized as soon as I sent it.
As soon as I saw the topic, I immediately thought of pain meds - obviously that is not the case. I don't know have anything medically to offer, but I know the worry...we want to do EVERYTHING possible for our sweet babies who give us so much and dammit they just can't tell us exactly what is wrong. It is so frustrating at times like this.
You are doing great...listen to your heart and your gut...and listen to Zoe. I know it's hard because you all have all that worry going on in your head to and it's hard at times to differentiate between the worry and the message.
If she seems depressed, maybe she is picking up on your worry? They mirror our emotions and I know that when I worried about Zeus, he picked up on it and reflected that back at me. It's hard I know and I'm probably not the best person to give any advice now...
We're thinking of you and hoping that all goes well for you this weekend.
Much love,
Mom and Spirit Zeus
Heather and Spirit Zeus - Our life changing journey…from the earth to the heavens…one day at a time…always together
Thanks for the input everyone, I am happy to say I think Zoe has turned the corner. I'm not sure if it was just timing or the Gabapentin but I started to see a real turn around this weekend. She still pants a little but nothing like it was (and yes hers too seems to be worse in the evenings or at night), and I am starting to see her personality come back, that excitement you can see in their eyes. I even had to chase her down a couple times she took off galloping on me! We went to the lake this weekend, no swimming yet but she loved just getting out in the woods to sniff and track. Thanks again for sharing your experiences and for your concern,
Karin and Zoe
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