Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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I want to cry, I want to scream. My boy is still crying in pain. X-rays at 4 AM showed nothing wrong with his back, organs or bladder. We had been at reg. vet earlier in day for green discharge from his penis. We all thought UTI. They put him on Clavamox and he had 3 doses. Urine results at 4 AM were completly clear. His gait just seems off to me and he is laying around a lot. He got Gabapentin this AM from vet for possible Phantom Pain ? Now.... After 4 months. He would usually yelp once or twice a day and I did not think a lot of it. But this is heart wrenching. All night last night, just howling. Not sure if the Tramadol added to that or not. I am so scared for him. So very scared. Not sure if this could all be from the tick borne thing or not. Temp is normal and he is eating normal. Then I thought, it may be a bit worse right after he eats , but not sure. I guess I will keep his Tuesday xray appt. If it is soft tissue, I am not sure if xray will show it. Hubby is already complaining about the bills. I knew I should have gotten insurance. He just looks so much like TY did. Just laying around. My husband is sure it is the big C. I just want it to be fixable. Lori, Ty, Chan, Lucy and Daryl
TY GUY, Best Black Lab ever! Diagnosed and had amp in January, 2014. Kicked MRSA's butt. Earned his angel wings on April 16, 2014. Run Free my boy and don't forget a shoe. Ty is a proud member of the " April Angels". Ty sent us Daryl, a Tripawd rescue in Sept. of 2016. Daryl is 5 +or -. We are also Pawrents to Chandler, a Border Collie mix who is 15 and 1/2, Lucy, a Corgi who is 7, 2 minis, 2 horses, and a feisty cat named Zoe. Zoe had a non skeletal Osteosarcoma removed in July 2015. No Chemo, she was at least 16. She is going strong although she is now completely blind. She is now close to 20 and her hobbies are eating and sleeping in front of her personal heater.
Oh Lori! I KNOW this is so scary and kt takes you right back to all of Ty's issues as though it's happenng all over again. Your mind...your emotions can't separate the two. But they are NOT the same!! It is NOT that piece of crap disease. Not gonna say it's impossible, but it's highly unlikely with such a young pup.
So weird....everything coming up clear...which is good! To me, the discharge from his penis seems like it would be some type o f UTI regardless of what the tests say! Kidney stones lerhaps? And yeah, the phantome pain could still be a possibility.
Maybe you could hop over to Ask A Vet and ppst all the back drop. I mean, ine second he was acting fine...then not...then goes to vet and acts fine again...and then not.
I'm just soooooo sorry yu are having to go through this. It IS fixable though! I just know it!
Geez, so you were at the vet's at 4 am? Bless your heart!
Yeah, try ppsting to Dr. Pam M.......shellw have some insight.
Okay...something just dawned on me...couldntw tell you which dogs...but at least twice I've seen reference to dogs who had an internal stich...or something that was put of whack from the surgery...that was causing intense discomfort....anuway...somehow it was discovered after a good eight weeks in one case...if I recall.
Dary@, forgive us for discussint your cute little penis...we are doing so with great reverence and respect. Just alittle aside, apparently when I was litte I asked my mom what that little red rocket was peeking out on my boy dog......yeah, that phrase has been used for years to come in my famiky!
Sending you ove and all sorts of positive healing energy...
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle 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 do not know your dog's entire history but was his amputation due to cancer? It sounds like it was 4 months ago so phantom pain is unlikely. I would be looking for some sort of neurologic or spinal pain. This could be localized to the neck or any portion of the back. Unfortunately xrays are rarely useful and most dogs need an MRI.
Some dogs respond to an NSAID like Rimadyl but some are managed with prednisone, gabapentin, tramadol, and a muscle relaxant such as diazepam.
Pam
His amp. Was due to injury. May have been hit by a car. I have heard bad things about Rimadyl and Labs, but TY took it for Aaron year with only occasional vomiting. His breath has always been awful. I thought maybe something there. Sally little red rocket, love it!,,,,,, hahahah! Discussing the little penis, heck, my daughter was so upset, she was taking pictures of it for the vet. The vet did give us some Carpofen which I think is the same as Rimadyl. His spine looked Good on xray but like you said we probably need something better. Thanks, Lori and Ty
TY GUY, Best Black Lab ever! Diagnosed and had amp in January, 2014. Kicked MRSA's butt. Earned his angel wings on April 16, 2014. Run Free my boy and don't forget a shoe. Ty is a proud member of the " April Angels". Ty sent us Daryl, a Tripawd rescue in Sept. of 2016. Daryl is 5 +or -. We are also Pawrents to Chandler, a Border Collie mix who is 15 and 1/2, Lucy, a Corgi who is 7, 2 minis, 2 horses, and a feisty cat named Zoe. Zoe had a non skeletal Osteosarcoma removed in July 2015. No Chemo, she was at least 16. She is going strong although she is now completely blind. She is now close to 20 and her hobbies are eating and sleeping in front of her personal heater.
Hi Lori. I have no idea what this could be but I'm hoping it's not serious and will go away with time and R&R. Don't think cancer right now, chances are it's something that's manageable and temporary. Remember that if you're not happy with the way things are going with this vet you can always get a second opinion. Hang in there.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
When Murphy "went down" last spring, we rushed him to the emergency. They couldn't find anything immediately wrong and sent him home with Tramadol and Rimadyl. When he seemed to rally and then got worse, we headed to his rehab vet. It took her about three seconds to pinpoint the spot in his back that he had tweaked. She watched the way he walked and then pressed a spot far back on the spine. He immediately growled and told her that she had found the source of his hurt. We did several sessions of acupuncture and laser treatments and then a short series of rehab. The difference was amazing.
i don't know if Daryl is being bothered by the same sort of problem, but perhaps an exam by a rehab specialist/physical therapy vet might help.
Kathi and Murphy
Murphy is a five year old Lab/Chessie cross. He was hit by a car on 10/29/12 and became a Tripawd on 11/24/12. On 2/5/13, he had a total hip replacement on his remaining back leg. He has absolutely no idea that he has only three legs!
UPDATE: Murphy lived his life to the fullest, right up until an aggressive bone lesion took him across the Rainbow Bridge on April 9, 2015 and he gained his membership in the April Angels. Run free, my love. You deserve it!
Wow Kathi....so glad you
Psted! Idw forfotten exactly how it was "they" figured out the issue! This just makes such good sense!!!
Lori, do you have a rehab specialist you could go to before putting him through more conventional testing ...ie....costly?
HUGS!!!
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!
Great tip from Kathi. I would go down the same path and also try acupuncture.
Daniela
Our awesome Golden Boy was diagnosed for OSA in April 2014 in the proximal humerus, front-leg amp on 05/20/2014. Finished chemo (Carbo6) on 07/10/2014. Ongoing treatment: acupuncture + K-9 Immunity Plus ( 3chews) and home-cooked no-grain diet. Stopped Apocaps because of liver issues. Liver issues: controlling altered enzymes with SAM-e and Milk Thistle. October 17: started having seizures. Taking fenobarbital for seizures. April 18: started prednisone.
We have no place close that does acupuncture, but There is a vet that does cold laser therapy. I am going to call my regular vet on Monday and ask him to call me. I can't see sedating him for a ton of X-rays when most have already been done. Just his backend needs done. I keep going back to a week ago Thursday. We have a Bible study group that meets at our house. At the end, I let the pups come out and meet and greet. One of the guys played like a drum on Daryl's back and said he had a dog that liked that. It looked a bit rough to me Nd I am sure the look on my face said so. I am afraid that hurt him. Why did I let him out in the kitchen? If that is what started this, I am to blame. I should have kept him behind the gate where he would not be touched. He cried so bad tonite until Gabapentin took effect. He gets about 10 hours from it. Frustrated and sad beyond belief. He is so precious and I just want my peppy guy back. Lori, TY , Chan, Lucy and Daryl
TY GUY, Best Black Lab ever! Diagnosed and had amp in January, 2014. Kicked MRSA's butt. Earned his angel wings on April 16, 2014. Run Free my boy and don't forget a shoe. Ty is a proud member of the " April Angels". Ty sent us Daryl, a Tripawd rescue in Sept. of 2016. Daryl is 5 +or -. We are also Pawrents to Chandler, a Border Collie mix who is 15 and 1/2, Lucy, a Corgi who is 7, 2 minis, 2 horses, and a feisty cat named Zoe. Zoe had a non skeletal Osteosarcoma removed in July 2015. No Chemo, she was at least 16. She is going strong although she is now completely blind. She is now close to 20 and her hobbies are eating and sleeping in front of her personal heater.
Oh Lori, it is not your fault...you can't protect Darryl from everything, and if you did what kind of life would he have? I agree with everyone about a rehab vet, sometimes they are more in tune with biomechanics/injuries and can figure things out when a regular vet cant. X-rays just confirm that his bones look good, if he tweaked a muscle or pinched a nerve I'm not sure an x-ray would show that. Hang in there, we are all sending you positive vibes!
HUGS
Mom to Tripawd Angels Jake (2001-2014) and Rosco (2012-2015) and Tripawd Tanner. “Whatever happens tomorrow, we had today; and I'll always remember it”
Lori,
Just wanted to let you know that I'm keeping little Daryl in my thoughts and I truly hope that the cold laser therapy helps. I had actually undergone cold laser therapy on my ankle many years ago. The therapy itself wasn't painful and with the rehab exercises it really helped.
Hang in there and I hope you can try this other treatment soon so Daryl can have some relief.
Oh and one other thing...you can't go down the road of blaming yourself. You can't keep Daryl wrapped up in a bubble and not let him be Daryl. As Elizabeth mentioned that's no way for him to live...Daryl loves life and people...it would hurt him emotionally being kept away from the things he loves.
Sending you and Daryl hugs!!
Sahana and her Angel Leland
November 17, 2009 - June 30, 2014
May you finally be healthy and running free at the Rainbow Bridge. Until we meet again my sweet boy!
Lori,
I am just back from vacation and catching up and I don't have anything to add but I wanted to send LOVE (lots of it) and hugs and let you know I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers ....
HUGS!!!!!
XO
Alison with the Spirit of Shelby fur-ever in her heart (and little jasper too)
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
Yeah... big huge ditto to Elizabeth...and then Sahana...and then Alison!!!
Tell drummer man to stick to bongos and drums...not Daryl's butt! IF by some bizarre reason that IS what caused a tweak in his back......and that's a huge IF....then the "tweak" would have happended sooner or later with some other little action. Same is true if it's specifically disc related.
What does his walking motion look like today?
Maybe you could find a Rehab Vet that travels "somewhere" close to you on a weekly or so basis.
Holding you securely in our hearts...all of us are! Ty is watching over all of you...try and remember that...and know everything will be okay.
Sending love and hugs
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle 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!
Lori...keeping you and precious Daryl in my thoughts. Keep us posted. We are her for you!
Lori....I'm sure you'll see the thread....Jerry started one on prolotherapy (sp).....maybe so.ething to check out.....
Keeping all paws crossed for cutie pants Daryl!
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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