Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi all!!! Thank you for all the blogs, resources, posts.... this site has been invaluable!!! Baby Bear is 3 1/2 weeks post front amputation (osteosarcoma) and is doing great, expect for random yelps, followed by shaking a few times a day. From what I am reading it may be phantom pain . But it really seems more like a nerve shock. Could it be nerve pain? And is this common and how long might this last?
Other than the yelps, he is 98% back to normal, sleeping, hopping all around and being his 10 1/2 year old goofy, pittie self! No pain or other meds. I do have him on supplements and turkey tail. 
Hi Heather! We are so glad you found us. I apologize for the delay getting your post approved. Future ones will be automatically approved so post away!
Yes what you are describing sounds like phantom leg pain , which is a type of nerve shock / nerve pain. Even at 3.5 weeks out it can happen. What kind of pain control did your sweet boy get after surgery? Did he have any Gabapentin? If so, how much and how often? Usually a course of Gabapentin for a few weeks can resolve it but sometimes additional modalities like acupuncture are needed.
One of the reasons we recommend all new Tripawds see a canine rehab therapist is for situations like this. Therapists are experts at identifying pain and know how to resolve it, so if you haven't taken Baby Bear to one yet, please do. The Tripawds Foundation can pay for your first rehab visit so there's nothing to lose! Let us know if you'd like help finding a therapist.
What is his activity level like? Oftentimes doing too much too soon can contribute to muscle and nerve pain as you are describing. How long are his walks/ Are there other dogs in the house that he's playing with? Dogs always try to get away with doing too much and it's important to regulate a new Tripawds activity for a while so they don't overdo it. That's the other reason for visiting a therapist, they can guide you on what good and not good activity looks like for him now, and as time goes on.
Stay tuned for feedback from others!
Thank you, Jerry!!! I did re-start him back on the gabapentin this morning and hoping that makes a difference. We live pretty remote and the rehab therapist is about 3 hours away. I have that in my back pocket as well.
Baby Bear is 10 1/2 and a pretty laid back dog. He might be a bit more active since his amputation. I think the bone pain pain slowed him down long before we noticed the limping. No other dogs. No jumping and limited stairs. We did buy the harness recommended here, and it is awesome for vet visits when we do have to move a bit more, he is supported. He was up an run/hopping the day after surgery! I've givin him a pretty good all over light body massage, and no painful areas noted.
I am hoping the gabapentin kicks in. When he yelps he jumps, I jump, my son jumps... and then Bear runs/hops it off. lol. We are a hot mess. But grateful he is here and doing so well.
So glad to hear how well pverall Baby Bear is doing. Like you, some have noted that, even early on after MAJOR surgery, their dog is more active with that painful leg gone! Jist more validation you ,are the right dec for Baby Bear.
As Jerry noted, his pain signals mimic the way a dog reacts with phantom limb pain. Suddenloid yelp combined with trying to get up and "run away" from the pain. The Gaba should take care of it. Let us know how ot goes, okay?
Woild ,ove 5o see a photo of Baby Bear. You can try this link for an explanation for adding images . It can be a vit confusing woth all the different computers, tablets, phones, etc. So feel free to PM me if you need help. I'll send you my email and uou can screenshot some pics and I'll post ''em.👍
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!
Hey Heather! Just wanted to share that Ellie had the exact same thing, once or twice a day she would be just snoozing and then yelp and jump up. I was being encouraged to start lowering her gabapentin, so I was only giving her gaba whenever she yelped, this is wrong. My rehab technician corrected me and we put her on a gaba schedule (at a lower dose (initially she was getting 400 3x a day right after surgery, for this I was giving 200 2x a day)) we only stopped all medication at 6 weeks post op.
They also had me stop massaging her incision and start icing it a couple times a day, sometimes the scar tissue can wrap around one of those cut nerves and aggravate it, causing more pain. So if it continues you might want to ask your rehab specialist about that.
Since stopping all pain medication I found an interesting connection which seems counter intuitive, but if we don't get some sort of activity (Ellie is also a very laid back dog and will happily snooze the day away) she sometimes has a yelp, but if we are active (nothing crazy) she never seems to have one. Granted this is me saying this at her being closer to 3 months post op, but just wanted to share!
Whitney said
Since stopping all pain medication I found an interesting connection which seems counter intuitive, but if we don't get some sort of activity (Ellie is also a very laid back dog and will happily snooze the day away) she sometimes has a yelp, but if we are active (nothing crazy) she never seems to have one. Granted this is me saying this at her being closer to 3 months post op, but just wanted to share!
SUPER interesting observation, which totally makes sense. Take for instance, when we sit in a chair working for too long, or spend a lot of time driving. We might get up and OUCH! Oh there's that back pain or hip pain or whatever. Movement is medicine when the body is ready to do it. Thanks for sharing.
Heather_3 said
Thank you, Jerry!!! I did re-start him back on the gabapentin this morning and hoping that makes a difference. We live pretty remote and the rehab therapist is about 3 hours away. I have that in my back pocket as well.Baby Bear is 10 1/2 and a pretty laid back dog. He might be a bit more active since his amputation. I think the bone pain pain slowed him down long before we noticed the limping. No other dogs. No jumping and limited stairs. We did buy the harness recommended here, and it is awesome for vet visits when we do have to move a bit more, he is supported. He was up an run/hopping the day after surgery! I've givin him a pretty good all over light body massage, and no painful areas noted.
I am hoping the gabapentin kicks in. When he yelps he jumps, I jump, my son jumps... and then Bear runs/hops it off. lol. We are a hot mess. But grateful he is here and doing so well.
Ohhh good, I hope it helps, please keep us posted.
Three hours is a long way for rehab, totally get that. You guys are rural!
There is an online at-home rehab program that you might want to check out too.
Well we are just past 4 weeks. The Gabapinten didn't help with the nerve pain/yelps. I also tried CBD and OstiFen. Either we are sensitized or it is slowly getting better.... Baby Bear overall is super happy, energetic and has lots of tail wags and a big pittie grin. Thank you all for your suggestions and comments!
Hi,
We are 3 1/2 weeks out from amputation. Gabapentin alone was not working for us either. Had to add 100mg Trazodone to 300 mg Gabapentin 3 times a day to alleviate pain and anxiety. Not sure how long Max will be on it. He still yelps occasionally and definitely needs to rest but things are getting better now. He is a 4 1/2 year old 50 lb. Mountain cur who had been shot in the leg. Hang in there!
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