Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Tick bites can be serious but usually the tick is still attached. It could be phantom pain even though he is on gabapentin. If it persists you can increase to 600 mg every 8-12 hours.
Pam
He finished the Gabapentin last night, should I keep him on it and if so how much longer? Today is 16 days post amp.
You can safely use it as long as he needs it. I have had some dogs take it for up to 2 months post-op and some stay on it long term for arthritis.
Pam
Forgive the stupid question but how do I determine how long he needs it? He has not been off it since the surgery and other than the occasional episodes that you say could be phantom pain he seems to be pain free now as he is being weaned off the Tramadol.
He is having a rear leg issue that I am not sure if it is OA which his CT scan affirmed to be in both hips, or if it is neurological as he just seems not to be using the legs in a coordinated way. I would like to get him seem by an ortho when he is scheduled back at the university hospital next week for a follow up with the oncologist and surgeon but I am not sure if they will be able to get me in on that day.
Hey Rob...until the Doc checks in, wondering if you could ppst a video??
I really, really hope you can get a consult with the Ortho when you go in next week. Maybe the Onco or Surgeon could pull some strings?
And if he's only had those couple of episodes and doesn't seem to be having them anymore, maybe our Doc will think it's okay to wean him off...And maybe not!
Conversely, maybe a low dose of the pain meds may help if he is having OA issues. OR, if it is due to the OA, maybe they can prescribe an antii-inflammatory, or a better med, specific to that
Just thinking out loud til our "Doc" sees fhis.
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!
It sounds like you are describing ataxia which is more neurologic in nature and often requires am MRI to see the soft tissues. You might want him to see a neurologist depending on what the surgeon says. Gabapentin helps nerve pain and dysfunction so I would continue it until he is walking more normally. My English Mastiff Julian is now 7 yrs old and is quite huge (230 pounds). He has some arthritis in his ankles and has tweaked his back a few times. I just started him on gabapentin as a means to decrease NSAID use because more than 2 weeks of meloxicam gives him esophageal reflux and he vomits.
Pam
Dr Pam,
Here is his CT report. The second page talks about the OA in his hips.
I will try to figure out how to post a video of him walking but all my videos are too big for uploading here.
Rob and Bruno said
I will try to figure out how to post a video of him walking but all my videos are too big for uploading
just upload the videos to YouTube and copy the link into your post. It'll show the video automatically.
Guardian of Manni the Wonderdog. -Or was it the other way around?
Osteo and amputation in Dec 2015. Second, inoperable, primary osteosarcoma found in June 2017.
The end of our adventures came Dec 10, 2017. 2 years to the day.
Here are two very short videos of how Bruno is walking. They are short because that is all he does before flopping down for 5 or 10 minutes at least.
*I hope this actually works*
I should mention that those 2 videos show him walking well, I have not been able to make a video of him doing the awkward walk or the bucking Bronco which actually seems to have stopped now.
I was able to view the video clips and view the CT scan. Based on the lung nodules, enlarged lymph nodes, and lytic lesions in the vertebrae it does look like he has mets of some type. Do you have a biopsy diagnosis from the mass?
Based on the arthritis in his hips this dog should probably always take an NSAID if he can tolerate it. Ask your vet about generic meloxicam or continue the Previcox. I think gabapentin long term can only help. It is still hard to determine how the spinal cord is doing without an MRI but I do not think it is necessary to treat this dog.
Pam
They removed the auxillary and prescapular lymph nodes when they did the scapulectomy. The surgeon told me that they would not have the results of the biopsy until next week when we go for his scheduled follow up, apparently the University lab takes 30 days due to backlog. I am not sure what exactly they biopsied during the amputation but I do know that they have not biopsied anything from the lungs, kidney or vertebrae that was picked up on the CT the week before the amputation.
I have not seen any improvement while he was on Previcox but honestly he spent those 2 weeks post amputation laying down most of the time in a narcotic daze. I should be able to get Meloxicam from the local pharmacy without a prescription if it is not specifically a veterinary medication. What dosage should he take (43-45 KG) of the Meloxicam?
His dosage of Gabapentin is currently 300mg every 12 hours, should I keep that dosage long term?
I am not sure which mass you were asking about but the biopsy of the lesion on his humerus that was performed 3 weeks before his surgery was chondrosarcoma
You can get the 7.5 mg tablets of meloxicam and give 1/2 tablet once daily. Do not exceed this dose and do not give with Previcox. Also let your vet know you are doing this. You can give up to 600 mg gabepentin three times daily but maybe see what the meloxicam does first.
Chondrosarcoma rarely metastasizes that way but it is possible. I was thinking of multiple myeloma or hemangiosarcoma both of which are much worse than chondrosarcoma. Let us know what the lymph node biopsy says!
Pam
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