Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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My 62 pound dog Maya had front left leg amputation 6 weeks ago. She's doing well except that periodically she suddenly yelps and runs around for a few seconds in sort of a panic as if she's been stung or shocked. Sometimes she even knocks things down and once tried to jump in the bathtub. When I look her over, nothing seems sensitive and her vet can't find anything wrong. The vet just recommends Gabapentin which doesn't help much and I hate to give her a higher dose when it's only intermittent pain. Has anyone else experienced this?
Hi Sarah and Maya. Your post jas been approved and we look forward to hearing more about Maya.
Of course, we are not Vets and not giving Vwt advice, however. it does sound like you are describing phantom pain ... phantom limb pain. The way you describe her behavior is so very similar to reaction from the phantom pain .
When did this start? Frequency? What is the dose of Gaba did the Vwt prescribed? How much does she weigh?
When you say it isn't helping, are the episodes as frequent and as strong as without the Gaba? It may take a while for the Gaba to "break the pattern" so to speak and then, with Bet advice, you could taper off.
ASorry for the questions. Update when you can.
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!
Hi Sarah and Maya, welcome. What was the reason for her amputation?
Yep, sounds like phantom pain , which is not at all uncommon, but can be difficult to treat. At six weeks out it might resolve on it's own with additional Gabapentin (what is the dosage/timing and her weight), but sometimes doesn't work on this.
Unfortunately many vets don't know how to help resolve phantom pain and oftentimes medication alone won't fix the problem. One reason you'll see us recommending rehab therapy a lot around here is because these pros are good at diagnosing pain when general vets are stumped. And that's a big reason why Tripawds Foundation will pay for your first rehab visit too, so please ask for a referral to a therapist for Maya. Or, DM me your location and I'll help you locate one.
Thank you. She had osteosarcoma. I'm giving her 400mg Gabapentin once a day at night. She's 62 lbs. It's hard to tell if it reduces the episodes because they're intermittent. It does not eliminate them. Maybe they're not as strong, but last night she woke us up with a strong one several hours after the Gabapentin dose. This started at about 3 weeks, about the time she stopped taking post surgery pain meds.
I do have access to rehab. I'll make an appointment Monday.
Thank you so much.
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