Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Is he still on the gabapentin? I have never heard of exactly what you describe, but wonder if it could be phantom pain . We have also had some dogs reacting strangely if a staple is accidentally left in - although you can't always tell, you might want to gentle feel his incision area, and then his spine/hips and down his back legs and see if you get any particular reaction.
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.
I am with Christine on this. On all accounts. The only other thing I can think of is that maybe he pinched something in his lower back or legs? You can always try and massage gently and watch for reactions.
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.
He just took his last Gabapentin tonight. Still have Tramadol for a couple more days.
He had sutures not staples.
I have felt/massaged his hips and legs and he did not react.
No recurrence since my last post early tonight.
Hmmm. Yeah sounds like phantom pain . When the brain and body misfire signals, that's what often happens. Watch for other signs that he's experiencing it. If so, there's no harm in re-starting the Gaba and keeping him on it for a bit longer. Check with your vet of course.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Just saw this after I'd posted a couple of "possibilities on the Vet thread. I also added leg cramps...maybe?
Glad that he's not had anymore issues today.
And BTW, Bruno's Jungle Paradise (Pee Patch) is exquisite!!! 🙂 Such a well cared for boy!!
I loooooved seeing the pictures of him lounging around outside at the Fruit Farm and practicing lounging in his Jungle...while you did all the work! Smart pup!
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!
Okay, here at Da Bear HQ - which specializes in Pancake Puppies- we are going to go out on a limb here and say...was Bruno trying to ( and we know this is a curse word for the larger working guardian breeds).... R U N?!?! Because that is what we are envisioning...the hopping and then windup and then R U N N I N G! And when he was "napping" was he chasing wabbits with those limbs?!?
Or did it seem neurological?
We at Da Bear HQ are voting for Bruno Running as the main feature:)
If neuro, ditto the gaba or maybe inquire about amantadine which is generally given once a day ...Bruno the Mystery Dog....mmmmnnnn.
Also, apropos of nothing but interesting big dog news, we just learned that if a large breed dog is sedately sleeping and on their backs, as easy as it is to just roll them over on one side or the other on their backs ( belly up), you must roll them on their legs instead ( belly always to the floor) which is nearly impossible to do without lots of strong help around. And nearly impossible to be certain all remaining legs are positioned properly. Apparently, if you don't follow that protocol, you run the risk of gastric distortion, i.e. bloat. So, know it does not help right now but thought we would mention it.
And, gosh, Bruno looks FANTASTIC!!! He couldn't have a better doctor in charge!
Best wishes, hugs, and massive PyrPaws all around!
It definitely wasn't RUNNING, I think more likely neurological because of the how twitchy and spasmodic it looked. I will get him back on the normal dose of Gabapentin today and if it happens again I will increase the dose 2X as per Dr Pam's recommendation.
The good news about gaba is the large safety margin. My Pyr is relatively ( I think I remember this correctly) the same weight if not just a bit more than Bruno and has been taking 600 mg. gaba every 8 hours since Thanksgiving with no issues:)
He is also on Tramadol, amantadine, and periodically Rimadyl. The least effective for him has been the Tramadol ( and it makes him a bit too sedated at the full dose ) and the most effective Rimadyl ( but he developed a pin point ulcer so we are waiting to heal from that).
So although it sounds like a lot of meds all are very safe and can be maintained over a long period of time (according to the super vets at our teaching hospital including Head of Neuro.) CharlieBear just had blood work and it came back excellent. So yea to effective drugs! Here's hoping if you need it, the gaba works! But here's also hoping Bruno has no more incidents like that!
He looks great and super happy about his garden!!! Good for him:) Best wishes and PyrPaws all around!
Wow, he has really been on pain meds since Thanksgiving? 5 months seems really excessive IMO. I am hoping to get Bruno off meds ASAP, I thought the University Vet was being stingy with only 10 days of pain meds but I never expected an amputee would need more than 3 weeks of pain meds unless there were complications or extenuating circumstances.
Meg's been on pain Meds for two years now. I guess every situation is different.
Ruby, Staffy, born June 2022, became a Tripawd, November 2023, adopted January 2024.
Also Angel Tripawd Meg (aka The Megastar), who died in April 2023, aged 14, after seven glorious years on three, and Angel Staffies Elsie Pie and Bille. In the pawprints of giants...
My Otis continued on the tramadol into week 3, but we began tapering off the doses when the staples came out - first skipping his midday dose, then eliminating his morning dose, and eventually getting his evening dose to a single pill. And then, none. We did not have gabapentin post-surgery, so that was not an issue for us. (Side note - I think that when you end gaba you have to taper off, not cold turkey, so keep that in mind). Many dogs continue on pain meds into week 3 and 4. Some go longer depending upon their circumstances and length of recovery. For example, I also had Deramaxx which I could give if Otis' arthritis started to bother him (didn't have to), and many dogs have various pain meds for pre-existing health conditions or issues like pulled muscles which develop post-amp. My guess is that Bruno will be able to come off fairly soon (although if not, you will have to be able to get routine blood work done to make sure you do not develop liver, kidney or other issues).
We were also given only enough pain meds to get us to staple removal - but were given more once we saw the surgeon again for the removal. I think it is a combination of wanting proper control over the medication, making sure that a particular medicine does not cause adverse consequences to the dog's health, and not wanting to have the owner buy more than is truly needed.
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.
Yep. And, yep, used to think exactly what you are thinking as in...wow...too much...not healthy...aren't there other options...but the truly outstanding (and internationally recognized) Head of Neuro and Head of Oncology and Head of Soft Tissue Surgery and the current Associate Dean of the Texas A&M Vet School and the neurologist from the renowned Animal Health Trust said otherwise...I could go on...there were more...I was wrong. The meds are needed for CharlieBear to have the quality of life that he is entitled to and have not-despite my skepticism and stubbornness- had one bit of a negative effect; rather, it has been the opposite. Live and learn:) It took a Vet Village to convince me but there it is:) And his blood work is excellent and his quality of life is very good so...only mention it because, I too, was very reluctant to have all of the meds on board as long as we have had them on board and at the level they were prescribed. Again...I was wrong (okay Sally and Clare...this will be the ONLY post where I admit that, loll 😉 So don't worry about , perhaps, needing more for a short bit longer...
Ditto. I learned by talking to vets that pain management needs are all so different from animal to animal, and there is no set timeline. If the pain is managed well, it's not detrimental and can improve quality of life. For example, I met Spree and learned she's been on low doses of pain management medications since she was a puppy. She could still be on them for all I know. But she was happy, and along with her awesome rehab care, she's doing great. Here's here story:
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
On Friday I laid the sod and Bruno just snobbed it.
After laying the sod I put Bruno in the pool as he had tried to get up on the deck the last time I went for a swim, it took a while for him to hop around and I helped him to swim as he tried to figure out his balance. At first he kept rolling over on his side in the water but eventually figured out how to keep from rolling over. I did try to get him to swim a bit but he preferred to just put his paw on my shoulder for stability and float. I did have his float coat but he did ok without it. Unfortunately I did not get any photos of us in the pool.
We went to the farm again this weekend and on Sunday went to the beach. The sand was difficult for him to negotiate but he did enjoy the water and this time was able to keep upright and actually swam quite a bit chasing his tennis ball. 
After we got back to the farm he got his first bath in 3 weeks and everyone was really happy about that.
On Monday he really did not want to do anything but lay down and bark at us whenever he was not the center of attention. I figure that he must be really worn out from the swimming and deserves a rest day.
Today we went on the new lawn for the first time but he just laid on it for 2 hours and did nothing. I know that he needed to poop as he did not poop the day before but he still does not want anything to do with the new lawn. As I am writing this he started fidgeting and groaning and sure enough he just pooped laying down on the dining room floor.
Oh what a Great update!!! And those pictures!! I'm SO jealous.
it sounds like Bruno's really getting back to his old self! It's so great to see him swimming! And since animal rehab is probably a little hard to come by in your part of the world that is a great way to get him exercised.
Ok. Pooing in the dining room is obviously not that great. My dog does not poo into my backyard either, though. Or any area surrounding my house. It's like he considers that his place to defend and claim but definitely NOT do his business in. And I don't know about Bruno but Manni always needs the right kind of hedge to hide in, the right length of grass to do his business. Was Bruno like that somewhat before? Nowadays I always load Manni into the car to go for a walk because I know he won't do his business in the streets here. But then he's not really close to Bruno's size so that makes it a little easier I suppose.
*sigh* Thailand sounds really good right now*sigh*
tina & Manni
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.
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