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Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat

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3 weeks post op and regressing :( Need advice please!!
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Member Since:
26 August 2016
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2 September 2016 - 8:56 am
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Hello guys,

My boxer baby recently underwent her amputation 3 weeks ago. At first she was moving around ok but the last week or so, I have been having to either help her up by her hind legs or hope she finally gets up to go outside (or do anything). She is currently on Gabapentin and I have been mixing Nutrocept with her food. She has been excessively urinating since right before surgery and howling randomly throughout the day and night. I'm scared she's in pain but not sure if its the pain meds just making her loopy lol. I am going to try and wean her off of the Gabapentin and see how she does. (any tips with how to go about that would be great!) TIA!

Durham, NC
Member Since:
16 September 2015
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2 September 2016 - 9:08 am
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Hi there,

Sorry that you find yourself in a position to need this website but so glad you found it. When my pup underwent from limb amputation last year, it was my lifeline!

Sounds like your boxer baby is hurting - it's not unusual to continue pain meds for a good long time after surgery. My dog was on three different pain medications (including Gabapentin) after hers and it seems like it was at least a month before we whittled those back. In any event, I would definitely give your vet a call to discuss what is going on.

Izzy (my nearly 13 year old who had the amputation last September), had phantom pain for a LONG time after surgery and would randomly yelp and hop up to "run away". It does sound like maybe your baby is having some problems with the remaining legs but it's a big adjustment and it's entirely possible that there's a muscle "tweak" or something simple.

I'm sure some of the more knowledgeable folks will chime in, but my best advice is to help with a sling to avoid excess stress or strain on the back end and give the vet a call! Remember, the only "stupid question" is the one you don't ask!

Keep us posted!

Amy & Izzy, too

Momma to the world's most beautiful American Bulldog, Izzy!! Lost her front leg to OSA 9/18/15. Diagnosed w MCT in June 2016. Celebrated her 1 year ampuversary with knee surgery on 9/18/16! MCT recurrence in Dec 2016. Happy & hungry til nearly 14, earning her wings on 7/31/17.

Michigan
Member Since:
2 April 2013
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2 September 2016 - 9:20 am
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Have you tried massage?  We often massage down Murphy's back, his hips & down his back legs - he loves it so much that he curls backwards & moans! lol  It could just be stiff and achy muscles from walking differently.  But if you are really concerned, you can always talk to your vet.  Have him take a really good look at her.

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

Donna.png

Member Since:
14 February 2016
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2 September 2016 - 10:28 am
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Not a vet, but I think you have to be careful in how you stop the Gaba, so you might want to ring up the vet.  

The Ruffwear Webmaster Plus harness is also great (see the gear blog) - you obviously need to get to the root of this problem, but you might find a harness helpful generally.

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.

Virginia







Member Since:
22 February 2013
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2 September 2016 - 10:33 am
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Deep breaths......this is still the recovery phase a d can have some ups and downs still.

The first thing that comes to mind is she did too much too soon. The first two weeks shoukd have just been potty breaks and rest. She may have overdone it and now is dealing with muscle sprains, sore joints, sore back and neck miscles, etc.

As Donna said, definitely try gentle massage up and down her spine, her neck, etc bedore she gets up.

As Amy suggested, maybe try and sling and also check out phantom limb pain. It may be that she needs to be back on a dose of Tramadol for awhile too.

Also, definitely have your vet to some blood work and bri g him a fresh urine sample to ensure she doesn't have a UTI or bladder infection.

How old is your pup? Reason for amp? Eating, drinking okay? O ee other crazy thing to check for. Make sure all the staples have been removed! Every now and then one can be left and cause a random ouch!

Let us know what the vet says about the meds and her excessive urine. Sounds like she still needs some form of a pain med.

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!

Member Since:
15 July 2016
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2 September 2016 - 11:04 am
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Milo's front leg amputation was July 28.  He took his last Gabapentin (for now) just 2 days ago on August 31.

Milo had 2 steps back during his recovery (again, so far.)

His first big slide back started around Day 9, and he kept sliding through Day 12.  Hindsight, we cut the drugs too quickly.  I did exactly what the surgeon said, but that was too fast for Milo.  He hurt, so he wouldn't move much, which probably made him tighter and made it worse.  Even as we kicked the drugs back up, he still wouldn't move.  The vet had us kick his Tramadol to max one night. He was over-zonked!  He slept really well, though. The next day he had a very long, very busy day at Tufts with a lot of walking.  And then he was better.  I think it was probably all the walking that finally got the kinks out, and maybe the one drugged out night helped?  We've made an effort to make sure he does at least a walk around the house every day since.

The second slide was Day 18 or so.  He started whining more, and yelping every time he stood up and sometimes when he sat down.  Those yelps in the middle of the night give you an adrenalin kick!  We added an NSAID, Derramax to his meds.  It's the closest you get to doggie ibuprofen for overdoing things, or tweaking a muscle.  He took it for about 4 or 5 days and has been great ever since, and have a few more for future overdone days.

I also try to spend about 5-10 minutes each morning massaging and stretching his body for him.  So far, so good.  Fingers crossed....

If it helps, here's how our drug protocol went.  Milo is ~75 pound Australian Labradoodle, who had a bad reaction to Metacam prior to surgery, so we tried to avoid NSAIDs like Rimadyl which many dogs have.

  • He came home with Fentanyl patch, and Gabapentin 300mg x 3 a day.
  • Day 7 pulled Fentanyl, maintained Gabapentin, added Tramadol 50mg x 2 a day.
  • Day 9 upped Tramadol 100mg x 2 a day.  Same Gabapentin.
  • Day 11 experimented with Tramadol at 150mg in a dose -- too much for him. 
  • Day 12 back to 100mg x 2 a day.  Same Gabapentin.
  • Day 15 started tapering back on Tramadol (Milo may be the unusual case of fever with Tramadol)
  • Day 18 just Gabapentin, still 300mg x 3 a day
  • Day 21 added Derramax once a day for a few days.
  • Day 26 finally cut Gabapentin to 2 x a day, then eventually to 1 x a day.
  • Day 35 - drug free!

I know this is long with a lot of detail, but I thought it might help seeing how another dog was up and down, and how long we had a variety of drugs, with the mix changing based on his reaction to them, and his changing activity level.

Good luck with your guy, and hopefully you find the magic mix soon.

Peace,

Jenifer & Milo 

Member Since:
15 July 2016
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2 September 2016 - 11:10 am
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BTW, we had crazy urination for about 3 weeks.  It was clear and a solid stream, so we let it be, mostly because I was too busy monitoring everything else.  Milo would pee 40+ seconds straight a couple of times a day.  Once he even broke 50!  You better believe this was a topic of fascination for the college boys in our house.    

No idea why, but he's finally back to normal.

Virginia







Member Since:
22 February 2013
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2 September 2016 - 11:26 am
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Great feedback Jenifer! Details like this are very helpful.heart

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!

Member Since:
26 August 2016
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2 September 2016 - 11:42 am
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Hey guys! Thanks for so much feedback!! Carly is 7 years old and she was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma. She also had to remove her shoulder blade also due to the tumor being attached and protruding out of her shoulder blade. She was only sent home with Gabapentin and an anti-inflammatory (which is what I thought caused her urinating). I mean she does walk around the house but just seems like it's a chore and is hard to get her up (which is probably from the Gabapentin) I also think I am very guilty of freaking out for every little thing because let's face it, she's my baby lol. 

Member Since:
27 August 2014
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2 September 2016 - 12:11 pm
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I was the same way - I worried about everything and my vet's office was sick of taking my phone calls by the time Jack finally healed. I agree that you should talk to your vet. It can be so difficult to figure out whether pain or the meds are at the root of behavior. In addition to massage, I found putting a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a towel to give Jack a lot of relief from phantom pain and sore muscles. 

Member Since:
26 August 2016
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2 September 2016 - 4:27 pm
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Ok guys,

So I just talked to the vet, again lol. ( poor things) We will try and switch up her med regimine a little to see if it works:
Clavamox 2x daily
Carprieve 2x daily
Gabapentin 1x daily at night

Wish me luck!! 🙏🏻🙏🏻

Minneapolis, MN
Member Since:
23 April 2016
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2 September 2016 - 9:11 pm
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Hi, Mattie and Carly:

It isn't uncommon at all to need to tweak the meds, frequency, dosage and even type (modality) of pain med during recovery.  I hope the new approach works for her.  But if it still seems like she is uncomfortable, ask your vet about a third modality - you have an anti inflammatory and the Gaba for nerve pain, but a narcotic that works on the brain and pain receptors like Tramadol is not uncommon to have in the mix. 

We also took Gabapentin before and after surgery and really tapered down

  • For 2 weeks prior and 2 weeks after surgery, Pofi took 300 mg Gabapentin 3x daily, 100 mg Tramadol 3 x daily and 75 mg Rimadyl 2 x daily
  • Clavamox for 10 days post surgery 2 x daily
  • Week 3 we went down to 200 mg Gabapentin 3x daily and 100 mg Tramadol 2 x daily and Rimadyl 75 mg 2 x daily - as the week progressed we backed down on the Tramadol and stopped the Rimadyl
  • Week 4 started with 100 mg Gabapentin 3 x daily and Tramadol as needed - we tapered the Gaba down to 2 x daily by end of week and stopped as we rolled into week 5

Let us know how she is doing over the next 24 hours - I hope she seems better!

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.

Blog: Pofi, Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor Amputation

Virginia







Member Since:
22 February 2013
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2 September 2016 - 10:00 pm
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Yeah, ditto about checking into adding Tramadol into the mix if Carly still seems uncomfortable.

Her avatar picture is adorable! Can't wait to see more!

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!

Member Since:
31 May 2016
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3 September 2016 - 6:22 pm
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Just to chime in with my dog's drug regime post op - he came home with a Fentanyl patch, Rimadyl and Tramadol. The patch came off after 9 days, and he continued with Tramadol 2X's per day and Rimadyl once a day for 30 days. He still takes Rimadyl daily, as I find it helps overall stiffness associated with the hopping (vet said it was fine to keep it up, Clyde is now 10 and its harder to hop than walk). The vet explained that Tramadol and Rimadyl work on different receptors in the brain, which is why he was on both post surgery. He really didn't have any pain issues once his stitches came out. Hope your guy feels better soon.

Member Since:
26 August 2016
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9 September 2016 - 1:52 pm
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UPDATE:

Carly has been doing great! Appetite is back somewhat and no more accidents in the house! After tweeking her meds a little, it seemed to get a lot better. Currently trying to ween her off of Gabapentin. The only thing I have a question about is that all through the night she howls... Not sure if it is the Gabapentin making her loopy or what but we shall see! Thanks again for all of the advice guys!

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