Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Our rotti Bubbles is 7 days post op and has been given Metacam tablets to take once a day (She has 2 days left of these)
She has appeared okay in her recovery but has been shaking quite a bit (like she is cold) but its not that?
Any ideas what this could be and if this is related to pain or something more serious
She is being super fussy with her food but still eating but not drinking that much, she also cannot get comfortable
This has only become apparent today the rest of the week she has appeared okay?
On another note I am not sure if you could advise - I have been reading up on a supplement callled Boron which can help with Arthritis, would you know if it would suitable to give to dogs - it is okay for humans but cannot find any information on dogs.
Also another supplement is something called methelyne blue - have you heard of giving this to dogs? If you do not know would you recommend anyone we can contact who could help us with this?
Thanks
Just gon aa jump in quickly. I'm not a Vet so this is my first instant thought. Bubbles needs more pain meds!!! 'Is all she was given is Metacam????? Almost all doogs here come home with Tramadol, Gabapentin, Metacam (or Rimadyl) and antibiotic.
Shaking is generally a sign your dog is in pain! Not getting comfortable, not eating, restless etc, all can be signs of pain!! It may not as been as noticer the first couple of days because she had hospital meds in her still.
Okay...just had to jump in quickly on tne pain issue so you can get that addressed quickly.
Share more a bout your Bubbles when you can! Her avatar picture is beautiful!
Hugs!
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
I would agree with Sally ... I am no vet but definitely think shaking is a sign of pain. I would definitely call your vet ASAP. Most are sent home with much stronger pain meds. I think Metacam is really more like an "advil" or "tylenol" and major surgery definitely needs a stronger narcotic!
Hugs!
Shelby Lynne; Jack Russell/Shiba Inu mix. Proud member of the April Angels of 2014.
October 15, 2000 to April 8, 2014
Our story: Broke rear leg in June 2013 - non-conclusive results for cancer so leg was plated and pinned. Enlarged spleen in September 2013 and had it removed and was diagnosed with Hemangiosarcoma and started chemotherapy. Became a Tripawd January 8th, 2014 and definitive Hemangiosarcoma diagnosis. Three major surgeries in 7 months and Shelby took them all like a champ only to lose her battle to cancer in her brain. We had 8 amazing extra months together and no regrets. #shelbystrong #loveofmylife
One more "not a Vet, but that is pain and she needs different / more meds".
Call your vet and ask for additional meds and different modalities - Gabapentin addresses nerve pain, Metacam is an anti inflammatory NSAID, Tramadol will block pain receptors in the brain.
Modern pain management protocols - see especially the section titled
Pain Sensitivity in Post-Op Tripawd Dogs
Lisa, Minneapolis
On October 27, 2016, nearly 6 months after amputation, and 18 months since his cancer likely started, we lost Pofi to a recurrence of Soft Tissue Sarcoma in his spine quite suddenly. His canine sister also succumbed to cancer on March 1, 2019 - we lavished her with our love in the interim, but life was never quite the same without her only real canine friend. Cliff kitty had to leave us, too, suddenly, in August 2019. Lucia kitty grieved all these losses, but helped us welcome two new Lurchers into our home and our lives, Shae and Barley.
Not a vet, but ditto everyone above. My Meg was discharged just on Metacam, but I added Tramadol after talking to my vet. Metacam on its own is not enough. She may also need Gabapentin. The shaking and the fact that she can't get comfortable, are classic indications that she is in pain. The great news is that once this is under control, you should see a clear improvement.
Re the arthritis, a good supplement is Dasuquin. A lot of people here use that (including me) and it has lots of great stuff in in a highly absorbable form. I also give a good quality fish oil (high in EPA, and tested for mercury contamination). Fish oil is a great anti-inflammatory, among other benefits.
All best to you and Bubbles
Meg and Clare (and Elsie Pie) xxx
Ruby, Staffy, born June 2022, became a Tripawd, November 2023, adopted January 2024.
Also Angel Tripawd Meg (aka The Megastar), who died in April 2023, aged 14, after seven glorious years on three, and Angel Staffies Elsie Pie and Bille. In the pawprints of giants...
Ditto!
As far as methylene blue - what I know of it, we use it in the OR to check if there's a nick in the bladder lol. I just did a quick google search & I can see that it's used in fish tanks ( we used to have one & I remember using blue stuff to get rid of ick)...but I also see that there is some concern by the FDA about central nervous system reactions, so I would probably shy away from it if there are other alternatives. We're using cosequin/chondroitin for our dog Cassie & I've noticed some improvement in the short time we've been giving it to her.
Murphy came home with Tramadol, Rimadyl & Gabapentin and took those for about 2 weeks, weaning down during the 2nd week. I would definitely say that the shivering is a sign of pain. Metacam is the same classification of medication as Motrin - not very strong for having a leg removed!
Donna
Donna, Glenn & Murphy
Murphy had his right front leg amputated due to histiocytic sarcoma at 7 years old. He survived 4 years, 2 months & 1 week, only to be taken by hemangiosarcoma at 11 1/2 years 6/12/17
Read about Murphy's Life on Three Legs
Shaking can be a sign of pain as is lack of appetite. Some of the larger dogs also will have nonspecific muscle shaking just because their muscles have to get used to the lack of a leg. Shaking in larger dogs is rarely due to cold.
I have never heard of Boron or methylene blue used in dogs for arthritis. Often you can use turmeric, boswellia, fish oil, or glucosamine as natural supplements.
pam
Not a vet, but also recommend Dasaquin and fish oil. That combo kept Otis' arthritis in check for 3+ years.
Otis - 106 pound lab/Dane mix, lost his right front leg to osteosarcoma on Febuary 9, 2016. Four rounds of carboplatin completed in April, 2016. Lung mets August 25, 2016. Said goodbye too soon on September 4, 2016. Lost his adopted sister, Tess, suddenly on October 9, 2016. likely due to hemangiosarcoma.
Wherever they are, they are together.
Happy Thanksgiving - Thanks for all of the replies and my apologies for the slow one!
We figured it was her not being too keen on the metacam - I changed to tramadol and she seemed a lot better, however on Monday
she for the first time scratched her stitches and I have never seen so much water blood my husband was in a blind panic it was not pure blood so I was thinking that it had to be a build up of fluid anyway after visiting the vet they have put her on antibiotics so this should clear it up but she is not great on these tablets but I need to finish the course to ensure there is no infection!
Bubbles starts physio today so I am hoping she gets on well with this as she does seem to be struggling on her other legs due to her arthritis.
Please find our story below...
We recently had to make the very tough decision of Amputation or putting our beautiful dog to sleep.
Bubbles is our 10.5 year old Rottweiler - she is the best friend an owner could have, over the years she has had her struggles with Arthritis all over and a cruciate ligament op on her back leg at the age of 6. Then last week we got the devastating news that she had Osteosarcoma on her left front leg - our local vets gave us the only option of putting her to sleep (to due age and her other conditions) - which we did not feel she was ready for, we wanted to give her a chance at life before ending her life too soon. So we got a second opinion they were happy to amputate as long as there was no spreading elsewhere (luckily there was not visible signs) but we had to act quickly as she was not in a good way with the awful pain the cancer was causing, after wondering if we are making the correct decision we went with amputation as she was in so much pain, our only concerns were related her Arthritis and if she would cope on her remaining 3 legs, the op went well and also her recovery seems okay so far - although she is not so good on the pain meds, next week we get the staples removed and start Physio and Hydro with her to help build up her legs to make sure she can cope - I really hope she will be okay. She seems to just be getting on with it and I am so proud of how brave she has been through all of this, she is definitely a fighter, I just want to make sure she has the best time with us as possible and as pain free as she can be.
We're proud of her, and you too! Glad that the fluid buildup (a seroma ?) is being treated. Yep, you definitely want to finish the antibiotics. Good job1
Please consider starting a new topic elsewhere so we can better follow along with Bubble's journey. Thanks!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
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