Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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My stallion once had an injury from a fall & had weird neurological symptoms & within 24 hours of starting the steroids he was feeling MUCH better... Hope your baby responds to the treatment right away & can get back to being himself soon!
Update:
We're in a very strange spot right now. He's been on Prednisone, Tramadol & Gabapentin for the last two days, and we've started to see some improvement. He's putting more weight on his hind legs and can walk around a bit, but only with the extra support of the harness. So the mobility is slowly returning. All good signs....
But the troubling news.
He still can't get up by himself. He just doesn't have the strength. He won't squat to poop so he's been doing it lying down, which upsets him. He's also having some trouble peeing, so we've had to help him express his bladder when he gets outside. Sometimes I have to support his hind legs from behind & underneath while my husband holds him up with the harness, for him to get the stream going by himself. (I can only imagine what the neighbors think - ha). He'll pee a few times outside and I'll get some great results to make us think he's empty.
Which leads to a the new problem we're facing... since Saturday night he's lost some control of his bladder. He's had 3 accidents on his bed, and he's NEVER been the accident type of dog. Even when he was a puppy he was house trained in a few days. I watched last night where he was napping and then he woke himself up peeing. He did it again in the middle of the night and I only realized it when he started to try and clean it up. Both times he had been out an hour or less before to pee, and we thought we got a lot out of him.
It's just really hard to see him going through all this. Our vet told us to be patient as it could take a few days for him to pull out of this, and we're trying. But it's tough. I hate to see good signs like the better stability, but then the bad signs where he's loosing control of his bladder and can't get himself standing.
Maybe it all comes down to my impatience for him to get better. Probably.
Ohh that's so hard to go through, I'm so sorry. Prednisone will definitely make a dog lose control and have accidents, that sounds normal to me but do mention it to your vet. If you take his water up around 7pm that can help, although it's tough to do!
What exactly does your vet mean by a few days? Ask for a time frame, a specific plan of action at the end of this timeframe, and if you're not happy with his progress, get a referral to a specialist so you can figure out what's going on. From what I understand about steroids (and take it for what it's worth as I'm not a vet), steroids are a short term fix to a deeper issue; steroids are good at hiding the real problem so it's best to uncover it as soon as possible. Unfortunately they also have side effects like excessive thirst and incontinence. Ugh.
We send all our love and hopes that he gets better soon. Hang in there and keep us posted OK?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
gilday said
We just returned from the vet. He thinks that it's spinal stress. He got a shot of cortisone, and will start a new cocktail of medication. If its truly spinal, then we can do steroids and pain management . IF he doesn't improve over the next few days however, he'll go in on Tuesday for X-rays of his back and legs to see if the big C has returned.
Doh! Just saw that you do have a plan. OK, that's great. Paws crossed that the x-rays are clear.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Kermit had several accidents early on after his surgery when he was on prednisone. They just seem to consume SOOO much water when they're on it that they can't keep it all in, so they overflow. I wouldn't worry too much about that part, just use puppy pads or bed pads where he sleeps.
If he does have a nerve injury or inflammation against his spine, the pred should bring the inflammation down really well. THEN you can go about figuring out what the heck happened!
Good luck for continued improvement, even if it is slower than you'd like! Baby steps are still steps! 
Scary! I have no experience with Prednisone, but it sounds like others here have and have (I hope!) given you some comfort. Sadly, it sounds like only time will tell. I like Jerry's suggestion to find out from your vet about how many days it should take before we all know if Finnegan is responding well to the new meds or not. Did you say he also had xrays done - to screen for possible spinal issues (mets to the spine?)? I have to assume they were done and were clean, or you would have mentioned something here. Or, maybe they weren't done? Again, I'm so sorry to read this. Everyone is clearly very confused and frustrated about this. Let's all hope this is extremely limited! What happens when he improves? I mean, steroids are to be temporary (right?), so when he gets better (I'm being optimistic!) what happens then?
Thinking about you all!
~ Katy
ACL tear in right hind leg 12/5/12 and scheduled ACL repair surgery 12/21/12. Pre-op xrays revealed osteosarcoma. Amputation 12/28/12. Chemo (carboplatin) started Jan 10, 2013 and ended on April 5, for a total of 5 doses. He handled carbo like a champ! No side effects. We started metronomic therapy at his third chemo and have been also doing some holistic treatments. He's a lively, playful 10 year old huskie-boarder collie and a very proud member of the Winter Warriors! Our love. Our funny little guy!
Yeah, a lot of ditto to what dharma said. Have had dogs on Pres. more often than I'd like and one was spine iflamation related----ad the peeing can definitely be a side effect. Could be everything our vet said and nuerologic too. (the paw folding under makes me think that---kind of related sometimes to aging). As anxious as I was to get my dog off Pres. he would always say--not uet-give it time to work. and it did for those instances.
Holding you dearly in our thoughts, Sally and Happy Hannah
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 am so sorry you are going through this, Finnegan is so gorgeous.
I know what you mean by these stoic large breeds, angel Porthos was the same.
Definitely have a look at a spine xray just to ease your mind that nothing sinister is going on there, information is power.
Porthos was on Gabapentine at the end and it seemed to make him even more unstable on his back legs. It seems that it is helping Finnegan though and thats good he is responding well to pain management (Porthos was a terrible druggy! really spaced out even on the smallest doses)
I dont have any experience with prednisone but it seems that bladder control problems is a common side effect.
Hang in there, I am thinking of you.
Amanda and Angel Porthos
Angel Porthos, Pyrenean Mastiff, 7 years old Os front right leg, DX 18 May 2012, Amputation 14 June 2012, Hip Dysplasia, Two TPLO surgeries. Is now somewhere over the rainbow, 21 November 2013.
I wanted to update everyone on Finn.
This morning we had our appt with our vet to get x-rays to see what the deal really was. Finn was still not walking great, no change really after the cortisone shot and the prednisone/Gabapentin/tramadol.
The X-rays revealed that the cancer had indeed returned, and attacked his lower spine. there were a total of 8 vertibrea affected with masses in various sizes metastasizing. Our vet was shocked at the discovery and told us that he shouldn't have even been able to walk with assistance. He really only had days.
That noble breed strikes again.
In the end, we had to make the best decision for him, which was the hardest thing ever.
Damn. Damn, cancer. I'm so glad you brought him in for some final tests. What a cruel world. Not fair at all. Your Finnegan was so loved, all the way to his dignified end. I'm so sorry. I'm very very sad for you. Run free and FAST, Finnegan! You will be missed.
~ Katy
ACL tear in right hind leg 12/5/12 and scheduled ACL repair surgery 12/21/12. Pre-op xrays revealed osteosarcoma. Amputation 12/28/12. Chemo (carboplatin) started Jan 10, 2013 and ended on April 5, for a total of 5 doses. He handled carbo like a champ! No side effects. We started metronomic therapy at his third chemo and have been also doing some holistic treatments. He's a lively, playful 10 year old huskie-boarder collie and a very proud member of the Winter Warriors! Our love. Our funny little guy!
Oh guys, I'm so sad to hear this. I had so hoped Finnegan would get better news. Spinal mets are tragic, awful news that takes everyone by surprise. My heart goes out all of you I'm so very sorry. I see you posted in Coping with Loss, I'm going over there now..
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Ooooooo sorry......really was hopeful the steroids would work and it would be a different outcome..
We can only imagine the spoiling that took place during this journey and that is infused in Finnegan and will live with him forever as his love for you will be with you forever.
We all wish we could help heal your pain but only time and happy memories will do that.
We surround you with peace and love, Sally and Happy Hannay
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!
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