Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi,
My greyhound had his left front paw removed due to osteosarcoma on 12/21/09. He still whines a lot, not acting himself at all. Lungs are "clear" on X-ray, and so are spinal vertebrae and ribcage. He doesn't seem to have a limp or any sign of sensitivity in his remaining 3 legs. It's not the Tramodol because he whines even after it wears off. He went for his first round of Carboplatin on 1/6/10, and seemed to tolerate that well. He eats like a horse but has lost 4 pounds in a week. He is also now on Neurontin because the oncologist thinks he might have some inflammation in the nerve endings by his scar tissue.
I am concerned about the whining which does sound like a pain type whine, and the weight loss. I will take him to his local vet Monday just to weigh in. Everything I've read about these Tripawds is that they recover well after about 2-3 weeks and don't have pain symptoms.
Have you EVER heard of this? Could it be phantom limb?
Thank you!
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Hi maxfli, thanks for joining us here. We're so sorry about your greyboy, but as you can see, there is definitely hope for having a good life on three legs, even with cancer. How old is your pup?
Sure sounds like it could be phantom limb pain, especially because it hasn't been very long since the surgery. There's been lots written about it, here are just a few links that I found by searching for the "phantom pain " tags:
Sudden Pain at Amputation Spot
Restlessness at night – anyone else?
2+ Months Post Op, Body Twitches…pain?
Remember, all dogs recover differently, and yes, many do have pain symptoms. It just depends on the dog, really. Greys are indeed their own special breed when it comes to surgery sensitivities too, from what we've read. Be patient, strong and hopeful, and your boy will be back on the road in not time! Let us know what your vet says OK?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
How much Neurontin is he on? This is the same drug as gabapentin (Neurontin is the brand name) and I think a reasonable dose would be 300 mg 2-3 times daily. You can also ask your oncologist about adding Tramadol as needed for pain. All dogs are of course unique and some just seem to take longer to heal and some are more sensitive to pain.
Pam
Hi,
Thanks for your posts, especially those links. Cosmo just turned 8 on Christmas day. He is on Tramadol 3-4X a day and we just started 300mg of Neurontin, right now once a day, which will ramp up to twice a day in a week, but then we will see what the oncologist says. He does seem to jump up with sudden pain at the amputation spot which at various times is tender or not. I massage his scar tissue every day to minimize adhesions.
He is such a good dog; always has been very somber and quiet, so this whining is so disturbing to us.
Janice.
P.S. How do I post is picture under my member name?
Maxfli said:
How do I post is picture under my member name?
Here are the detailed instructions for uploading your user avatar. If you need further help, feel free to ask in that topic.
Another thing that might help for Cosmo's pain spasms is the Bella's Hot/Cold Pain Relief Pack. You might want to consider starting a blog or a new topic in the Share Your Story fourm to keep everyone posted on his progress.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Ok now I can see if my avatar worked. He has been quiet most of the later part of today. It's the night time that brings on the whining, when the house gets quiet and he is "aware" of his missing leg, or his pain, don't know which. Probably both. I'll give him the Neurontin around 9 pm and he'll sleep until around 3 am and wake up whining. Then I'll give him Tramadol and a half of Valium.
I'm so sorry to hear about Cosmo's pain. He's a holiday puppy like Holly! She turned 8 on 12/20, and had her surgery on 12/29. Holly had some phantom pain
(at least that's what we thought it was), and it seemed to help her when we applied a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a towel to the site. We did that about 3 times a day for about 10 minutes. Heating pads were also recommended (Caira Sue's mom said they worked wonders for Caira Sue) - and perhaps that could be more effective this far after surgery? It might be worth trying one or the other. I couldn't find our heating pad, but the heated seats in our car worked wonders for Holly. It helped her to relax all curled up on the warm seat when I took her for a ride.
I hope you can find something to help Cosmo - it's heartbreaking to hear them whine!
Best wishes to you and Cosmo,
Holly and Holly's mom
Holly joined the world of tripawds on 12/29/2009. She has a big little sister, Zuzu, who idolizes Holly and tries to make all of her toys into tripawds in Holly's honor. And she's enjoying life one hop at a time!
http://anyemery.....ipawds.com
I'm not sure if this is true, but I get the impression that dogs that still have stumps tend to have pain issues that last a bit longer after amp (or more phantom pain issues). I think someone said this might be due to a greater tendency to use that limb than in dogs that have nothing left. Oslo (of the 'tremor and spasm' post) seemed to have issues that continued for a while (3-4 wks) that were dealt with by Gabapentin. I hope the Neurotin works for you once the dose gets adjusted.
Cosmo's surgery took off the entire shoulder so that there is no stump. The Gabapentin seems to help only in that it completely knocks him out. I give it at bedtime. There isn't much daytime whining, but some. I don't know what he does when we aren't home. We have two other female greys that keep him company. He eats a lot, so tomorrow is the big weigh in day. If he lost more weight, then we have a problem. Otherwise, I'll just stay on course. Last night he slept from 10 pm to 3:30 am and woke up. Waking up brings on whining. I let him outside, feed him 1/2 can of high protein/fiber food, and give him a Tramadol and 5 mg Valium to calm him, and pet him and massage the scar for about 20 minutes. He eventually goes back to sleep and wakes up whining at about 6:30 am. No pain meds during the day unless the whining is bad, then a Rimadyl.
I'm wondering why Cosmo is still on tramadal? Maybe he is sensitive to it like Emily was. She would whine but also stared into space, It may not be a reaction to the tramadol but maybe it would be worth checking out. Good luck.
Debra & Angel Emily
Debra & Emily, a five year old doberman mix, who was diagnosed with an osteosaecoma. She had a right rear leg amputation on May 19, 2009. On November 10, 2009 she earned her wings and regained her fourth leg.
Yes, many people misinterpret pain med side-effects as excessive pain. A rehab vet werecently interviewed suggested in such cases where owners are unsure, to stop the meds for two days and monitor behavior.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
ok, I'll stop the Tramadol for a day or so and switch to the Rimadyl when he gets that plaintive painful whine. His questioning whine is usually when he is hungry or wants attention, but the whimper that he has and the moan when he is "making his bed" is definitely from pain. His scar area is very sensitive near the bottom. He twitches when I touch that area, but he lets me gradually do that and then massage it. I may try and wrap him in one of those t-shirt wraps with the sleeve sewn shut to keep him from having contact with anything chafing that area.
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