Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
Tripawds is your home to learn how to care for a three legged dog or cat, with answers about dog leg amputation, and cat amputation recovery from many years of member experiences.
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Teaka went in for a gi episode and spent 2 days in the weekend with her in the vet office while she got iv fluids. I was lucky to find a vet who let me be super involved, I spent at least 16 hours over the course of the weekend hanging out with her. Had an iv pole set up outside in the sun while she rested. I was in doing x rays with him and was able to maintain some medical things after all this at home (I'm a paramedic)
After it was all said and done I got her swollen leg x rayed while I was there and found out the worst news. She had cancer that had eaten away her rear knee so badly I had one week until it fractured at which point I would have to amputate or euthanize. On top of that I had anywhere from 2-6 months for her after all this since the amputation would cause it to metastasize everywhere else. She had only been swollen for 2 weeks. She had only been limping for less than one.
So I chose preemptive amputation. You hear that bone cancer is so painful and I thought I was doing the right (albeit more selfish) thing.
Now it's 10 days after and I dont thing it was the right thing at all. I have been doing everything to keep her pain under controll buy she's a big dog and it's hard. She originally had a catheter. I would not recommend this to anyone. They had me bolus 10 MLS of Marcan in every 6 to 8 hours.
She's on tramadol every 6 hours (150 mgs) and sometimes it helps put her out and stops the pain. Sometimes I think it's causing stump twitching and tripping out. I am trying to slowly wean her off but her breakthrough pain is bad. You can touch her stump gently with no whining now.
Increasing yesterday: She's up all night. So I am too. She's started in the last day to have constant flexing and releasing of her stump unless she is passed out cold. It lasts for up to 20 mins before she moves or it stops. She whines sometimes on almost every exhale. She stops the whining when you put her head or spoon her. Usually anyway. She has gotten better and some things. She can scale 6 stairs and has gotten around ok since day one. She stress pants or lays there breathing shallow and quick sometimes. She has played a few times with big sticks and balls but is pretty uninterested. This is SO unlike her.
Teaka just turned 7 this month. She is a 100 pound rottweiler with a rear left leg amputation.
So here are my questions:
How have you guys been on tramadol vs gabapentin. I know ever dog is different but what did you see?
At what point in this process should I say screw it and just put her down? The suffering is killing me. But any choices are for her best interest. I'm thinking at leat 2 to 3 weeks?
She was on percocet before the surgery and I'm thinking of transitioning to see if the side effects are better. Any thoughts?
The sucralate and probiotics, when did you stop them? Her bowel movements and appetite are just fine but the tramadol constipated her so she's on tons of chia seeds and water and oil. Did anyone else deal with constipation with tramadol?
Welcome and best wishes for Teaka! Your future forum posts will no require moderation.
Most members see vast improvement in their dogs once off the pain meds, at about two weeks. The twitching is likely phantom pain , and you'll find many helpful forum topics and blog posts about pain management. Here's just one to start... How To Tell If Your Pet Is In Pain
Search the forums above and you will find lots of feedback about tramadol and gabapentin. Use the Advanced Search to refine your results or search all blogs here .
The most important thing right now is to Be More Dog . Teaka needs you to set a good example by being strong. Once through the major recovery, you can focus on regaining strength. For now, don't let her overdo it. Find lots of helpful links in Jerry's Required Reading List or consider downloading the Tripawds e-books for fast answers to common concerns. And start here for help getting the most out of this community.
Others will surely chime in soon. Please keep us posted.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
I'm sorry you're in such distress over your Teaka. It can be agonizing, we all understand.
You are probably in the hardest part of this whole rotten process right now. Recovery can absolutely be rough but it can get better and probably will. You made the decision to amputate for the right reasons---not at all selfish! You wanted her to be pain free, and you didn't want her to suffer a pathological fracture. Those are good reasons to amputate. You did it for her, because you love her.
I'm no vet, but it does sound like she's got some nerve pain (the twitching etc). Many dogs come home from amputation on both Tramadol and Gabapentin (and sometimes a Fentanyl patch). My understanding is Tramadol and Gaba operate on different parts of the pain pathway, so both are usually given. Tramadol sometimes causes a lot of panting and anxiety. Our Ellie acted like she was on LSD and saw bugs crawling on the walls. So some of the whining, panting etc could be reaction to Tramadol.
Most pain relievers can cause constipation. Have you tried canned (unsweetened) pumpkin?
Denise, Bill and Angel Ellie
Active 10+ Pyr mix suddenly came up lame with ACL tear in left rear leg. Scheduled for a TPLO but final pre-op x-rays indicated a small suspicious area, possibly OSA, which could have caused the ACL tear. Surgeon opened the knee for TPLO but found soft bone. Biopsy came back positive for OSA. Became a Tripawd 9/18/14. Carbo6 with Cerenia and Fluids. Pain free and living in the moment. Crossed the Bridge on 7/12/15 after probable spread of cancer to her cervical spine. A whole lifetime of memories squeezed into 10 months. Here's her story: Eloise
Do not give up now!!! Otis was on Tramadol, and we had to keep giving it well into week 3. Lots of dogs also asked their vet for gaba, especially if the dogs isn't tolerating Tramadol or the Tramadol isn't working. For now, keep activity level low - I wouldn't even do the 6 stairs. That will come with time. Are her staples out yet? I saw a big improvement when Otis' staples came out. This is really hard, but what you describe is not unlike what a lot of us experienced. Otis' leg broke and I have never heard an animal scream in such pain. You made the right decision, and there is light at the end of the tunnel. Just hang in there.
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.
Hi. What time of it you are having! Bandit is on tramadal and gabapentin and remadyl. I think it is too much. We go to the vet soon and will see if we can wean him off at least one of them. I think you know when it is time to take drastic measures. You won't be thinking should I or shouldn't I. teaka I'll let you know. For now spend more time spooning with your baby! Hang in there
Sorry to hear you are having such a rough time. As others have said, you did the right thing for you dog so she wouldn't be in any pain and would have the best quality of life! 🙂 We are on day 8 post amputation. Our dog Sunny was sent home on tramadol and rimadyl after surgery. We saw a rehab vet yesterday and she also recommended hypericum which helps with nerve pain. It is homeopathic. While there isn't a ton of research she said it is tolerated well by most dogs, but do talk to your vet first. She also put our dog on T-relief which is another homeopathic drug (arnica) that can help with soft tissue pain. So that combined with the hypericum can be really effective for any phantom limb pain. Our dog is taking the T-relief with no issues, but the hypericum is harder to give since it can't go with food. You either have to put the pills directly into their mouth or dissolve in water first. We did discuss the gabapentin, but she has seen better results with the homeopathic options since they have less side effects. So far they seem to be helping, but it is only one day in. Best of luck in finding a combination that helps her.
Okay....deep breaths....B R E A T H E.....B R E A T HE....You have really been through a very stressful time,.starting.with the GI upset, to the diagnosis, ro the amputation, ro the recovery. And it is still very early in recovery!! This is MAJOR surgery and it hurts! Heck, humans would probably still be in the hospital with a morphine drip!
You've gotten a lpt.of insight from everyone.
My Happy Hannah was 125 lb Bull Mastiff and had a rear leg amp. She came home with Tramadol, Gabapentin, Rimadyl.and an antibiotic. The combination.of Tramadol AND Gabapentin worked best in.managing my Happy Hannah's pain. I would DEFINITELY talk to your Vet about adding Gabapentin to help stop.the nerve pain that she seems to be having.based.on all that twitching. You may also try very gentle massage around the incision (obviously not in it). Some have.found that just by cupping your hand over.the amp.site.helps stop some.of the.nerve pain.
Unfortunately, sometimes dogs react a little whacky.on Tramadol. It's such a fine line.when trying to manage the pain and not let them get to whacko at the same time.. After introducing the Gabapentin, maybe you can try reducing the Tramadol. Of course, only under a vet's direction.
Have Teaka be really careful with the steps. It's.very hard to the remaining back.leg when going up stairs.
The fact that she's.eating.and drinking...all good!
It was.three weeks....yes three weeks....before I coukd finally say I did this FOR my Happy Hannah and not TO her!! She whined and cried alot! I don't think I got more than a few hijrs of sleep that first week! I'm sure you are absolutely exhausted!
Want to add that "statistics" don't mean much around here. We've seen dogs blow statistics sky high time after time!! And Teaks sure doesn't give a rip about anybole prognosis or days on a calendar. They mean nothing to her! Teaka lives in the moment with no worries about tomorrow. All she.cares about is being pain free.and soaking up all that loving and spoiling you give her 24/7! And there's nothing like spoiling and loving a tripawd!!
Hang in there my friend. We know how rough this recovery can be. We also know how spectacular it can be once the sparkle starts to come.back...slowly but surely!!
STAY CONNECTED! Let us know how she's doing, especially if you decide to add Gabapentin to the mix.
TRY and get some rest!
Hugs to all!
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!
dwalker said
HBandit is on tramadal and gabapentin and remadyl. I think it is too much.
This combo is what the American Animal Hospital Assn. recommends in their pain management guidelines so it's what all dogs should come home with. How long they need to be on it depends on each dog but generally at least 10 days. As humans we tend to underestimate our dog's pain levels because they are so good at hiding it.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hello, and I am sorry the post op experience is causing you to question your decision for Teaka. Pofi came home 14 days ago with 3 different modalities for pain and we are now tapering off on them.
Gabapentin, Rimadyl and Tramadol all work differently and are considered a very effective combination for managing pain in the short term (a few weeks) post amputation. We had Rimadyl, Tramadol and Gabapentin. We are stopping Rimadyl and Tramadol now and reducing dosage for 2 more weeks of Gabapentin.
Gabapentin works on the nervous system.
Rimadyl is anti-inflammatory.
Tramadol is narcotic - blocks pain signals in the brain.
I may be oversimplifying the explanations of the three pain modalities in these meds, but Pofi has had NOT ONE noticeable phantom pain occurrence or periods of clear and prolonged or even acute moments of pain. Please call the vet and look into adding Gabapentin to her med regime temporarily for her benefit and yours!
Best thoughts!
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.
This was really helpful and thank you so much. I dont know anyone with a 3 legged dog or a similar story and it's so hard to make the right choices.
I'm waiting to for a call back from my vet to get some gabapentin for the weekend but the muscle twitching has stopped and she's pretty much been sleeping all day. I lowered her to 100 MG tramadol. She got a bit of exercise last night in the yard and kind of slept through the night (my partner and I took turns on the floor)
To answer some things, she didn't have staples she has dissolveable stitches. The catheter was horrible though and you could see some relief when it was removed. 10 ml bolus is TOO much they should have done a continuous pump.
She also only did that flight of stairs in the back yard once and it wasn't intentional on our part.. Also made it down 2 flights of stairs and hopped up on a couch when we left the baby gate open.
She seems to have lost her spirit today but she's peaceful so that's a plus. She ran after a ball last night a little bit. Slowly. She's whining on exhalation again now.
I can't reiterate how much reading your kind words meant to me. It's such a horrible thing to have to decide on your own, and the support makes all the difference.
Pofi also insisted on stairs right away despite my trying to keep him to one floor, but he had also been lame much longer and was a virtual 3 legged dog already, so he is very, very steady on 3 feet. I only let him do it with close supervision - you don't want your dog to slip and fall on that area that is healing.
I think if you use the Gabapentin for a while in combination with Tramadol, and keep her activity more restricted for a few days, you will see a big improvement. Pofi was about 74 pounds pre surgery and was taking only 100mg of the Tramadol every eight hours to start and we moved to twice daily after a week. Maybe the 100 mg will be a better dosage for her. It was adequate for Pofi!
Stay strong!
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.
Oh, good that she has Metacam, too. I hope the Gabapentin will just round it out and make her much more comfortable!
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.
Well she's on 400 MG gabapentin now twice a day. Any advice on what your dosages were? Because I've been told every 8 hours is far more effective in humans.
Just catching up.
Murphy is one of the dogs who has blown the statistics sky high as Sally has said 
His surgery was just over 3 years ago for histiocytic sarcoma in his right front leg. His prognosis was 12-18 months. He came home on Tramadol, Gabapentin & Rimadyl and was on those for about 2 weeks, weaning down during the last few days of the 2nd week. I don't remember the dosages, though. I'm glad you're starting the Gabapentin now, it should help a lot with the nerve pain Teaka seems to be having. The first couple of weeks is really a roller coaster of emotions! We all go through it, but it gets better. You can also try putting an ice pack on her incision, with a towel or wash cloth to protect her skin, for about 20 minutes a couple times a day. And massaging around the area helps to re-absorb any extra fluid that might build up. If you haven't gotten a harness yet, you might want to get one. There are a couple listed on the main page. We use the Ruffwear harness
by Webmaster for Murphy. We love that it has a handle on the top, which is great for helping him in & out of the car.
Hang in there, you're half-way through recovery. There's a light there at the end of the tunnel!
Donna
Donna, Glenn & Murphy
Murphy had his right front leg amputated due to histiocytic sarcoma at 7 years old. He survived 4 years, 2 months & 1 week, only to be taken by hemangiosarcoma at 11 1/2 years 6/12/17
Read about Murphy's Life on Three Legs
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