Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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just recently our rotti has been fast a sleep in her bed or just laying down quietly then she would all of a sudden scream and jump up like something hurt her? Any ideas what this could be? It's not something that happens all the time say 1-2 times a day? She has not injured herself as far as I am aware and her wound is healed and stiches have been removed and she is weeks post op
any suggestions or comments would be much appreciated
thanks
How many times has this happened? How often does it happen? When was her amp? Could be phantom pain , or she could have pulled a muscle. (But I am not a vet - just some thoughts).
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.
How many weeks post op?
It sounds like classic phantom limb pain which I believe can occur some weeks after surgery, here are some blog posts.
There is a post in the links I gave you about massage which might help. You can also talk with your vet about gabapentin which seems to help with phantom limb pain. It seems to be a relatively short term problem in dogs, I don't remember any stories of it going on for a long time after surgery.
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Thanks for getting back to me
it has been exactly 4 weeks since her op her front left leg, it appears to happen most days but only 2-3 times throughout the day, it makes her jump and I think she scares herself, she would be sitting quietly and the she would just scream (only once) and jump up. She is not showing any pain or injuries on her other legs and we generally give her a massage once a day to relieve and tightness etc she has no aversion to me touching any part of her body!
does the phantom pain eventually go?
Thanks
I don't remember any stories here of phantom limb pain being an ongoing problem after amp surgery. Hopefully some members who's pups experienced phantom limb pain will share their experiences.
I did a forum search on Phantom Limb and got these results.
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
As I recall, Bubbles was sent home with just one pain management modality and when she was still shaking,she was switched to Tramadol. I really would consider talking to a vet about Gabapentin for nerve pain.
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.
I would talk to your vet about gabapentin since nerve pain is your most likely problem.
Pam
My Fionn will do the same thing and have always assumed it was phantom limb. He was sent home on gabapentin and as we tapered him off the sudden yelps started. They gave me 100mg capsules so we could more easily adjust his dose as needed (he was on 300 or 400 mg, but as they are capsules you can't cut them to reduce dose). Just as I would get him almost off it, he would start yelping again so I put him back on it. Now he is 2 months post op and off it completely. No yelping for a few days so lets hope he's over it.
Nancy- mom to the FABULOUS Fionn. He rescued me in 2015 when he was 6.
Right front leg amputation at age 7 for osteosarcoma 10/6/16. Taken too soon 6/12/17. Read about our journey here:
http://fionnsjo.....pawds.com/
Thank you for this post, my dog is two days post-op and will yelp and freak out from being in a sound sleep and cuddling with us~my thoughts were that it was probably phantom pain but the other 95% of the time she is remarkably active and doesn't seem to hurt. They just sent her home on a once a day anti-inflammatory pill for pain along with 2 weeks of antibiotics.
teacupmom said
They just sent her home on a once a day anti-inflammatory pill for pain...
Nocita by any chance? If not, please consider consulting with your vet about current AAHA pain management recommendations, or seeking another opinion. pain management is key to a quick complete recovery!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
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