Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Looking for some guidance, ideas, support, etc.
We are 4 days out from Lupe's amputation and she is bascially refusing to eat. She is on .2cc of Buprenex twice a day for pain and 1/4 of a 15mg pill of Mirtazapine to stimulate her appetite.
I bought her the same kind of chicken that they said she was eating in the hospital before she was discharged and today bought canned chicken, which she loved after her eye surgery last year. She will eat maybe 5 or 6 little bites and then turns her head away.
I called the hospital where she had the surgery and they told me she should be checked out to make sure there isn't any underlying cause for the lack of appetite, mainly infection, or suggested that she may need to switch pain meds to Tramadol as she could be too sedated to eat.
She is sleeping a lot, which I figured was somewhat normal, she will get up and walk around, has no problems with going tinkle (hasn't pooped yet). Feels like we are exactly where we were last Monday where she spent 2 days at the vet's office getting pumped with fluids.
So, we are off to get her vitals checked at her normal vet, but thought I would see if any of you folks had a similar experience with your furry one.
Hate to say this, but really questioning the decision to operate and feeling completely overwhelmed.
Diagnosed with possible synovial cell sarcoma of right front elbow 5/31/12. Amputation surgery performed 6/7/12. Final diagnosis of histiocytic cell sarcoma 6/11/12. Her soul and spirit were strong, her body was not...my little girl earned her wings 6/14/12. "If there are labradoodles and goldendoodles, why can't I be a cockadoodle?"-Angel Lupe (June 28, 1997-June14, 2012) http://lupepod......pawds.com/
First off- make sure there are no complications. Lupe was pretty sick before surgery and you don't want to take any chances.
If all else is OK then it could be that the pain meds are causing her lack of appetite. Four days out is pretty early in the recovery process- many pups aren't themselves for many days- including not eating. Maggie poked at her food for a couple of weeks after surgery.
Can you take her temperature? A temp over 102.5 might indicate an infection.
Again, four days after surgery is really early. You are tired and stressed and everything seems worse. Don't spend time on regret, focus all that energy in a positive manner on Lupe. Maggie was an obstinate pug who took her time recovering, she wasn't really herself for several weeks, but she came around. And Lupe's a senior pup, right? She may need some extra time to heal up.
Be sure you are calling your vet with any concerns, you need to be confident that things are OK so that Lupe knows it is OK.
Karen and the pugapalooza
I think you'll feel better once you have the vet look at her. It sounds like your vet is really good and is good guidance. With her prior problems and age, it's not something that we have any experience with here.
I know you are very concerned and we are thinking of you.
Comet - 1999 to 2011
She departed us unexpectedly January 23, 2011 at the age of 12 1/2.
She was born with a deformed front leg and a tripawd all of her life.
Temp is okay, she is a little dehydrated and there is some swelling around the incision. She got another round of sub-cutaneous fluids and Metacam. Vet thinks its a matter of pain management so she increased Lupe's Buprenex to .30cc three times a day (we were at .20cc twice a day). She feels that if her pain is under control she will be more likely to eat.
At least the vets are agreeing with each other which makes me feel like we are on the right path.
She was the hit of the vet's office, everyone had to come in and say hi and see how she is doing.
Work dinner cancelled for me...luckily it was with my boss and co-worker. My boss just had to put her 10 year old Wheaton down due to lymphoma so she understands my trials and tribulations.
Will keep you posted...
-Kori & Lupe
Diagnosed with possible synovial cell sarcoma of right front elbow 5/31/12. Amputation surgery performed 6/7/12. Final diagnosis of histiocytic cell sarcoma 6/11/12. Her soul and spirit were strong, her body was not...my little girl earned her wings 6/14/12. "If there are labradoodles and goldendoodles, why can't I be a cockadoodle?"-Angel Lupe (June 28, 1997-June14, 2012) http://lupepod......pawds.com/
Kori, I'm so glad you were able to get to the vet. You are doing all the right things, and I hope that this latest round of pain medication adjustments are the ticket to a better appetite.
It's so normal to question your decision. Most of us have felt pangs of guilt and regret when complications get in the way of recovery, but try hard to stay pawsitive and in another week or two you will see a lot of progress.
One thing to be aware of, is that too much doting or babying can sometimes be the culprit of appetite loss. I'm not saying you're doing that, but just wanted to mention it because it's a pretty common thing for humans to do. When pawrents are so worried, and hand feeding their pup every time, the pup will respond accordingly and not want to make any effort on their own. Normalize your routine as much as you can, be strong, and she will too.
Paws crossed for a better night ahead.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Kori,
The Not Eating thing is one I've been through. After surgery especially. I think every dog deals with pain differently and maybe Lupe is like my Rizzo and when she hurt she didn't have any interest in eating. Pain meds seemed to make the appetite even less for Rizzo. So here you are trying to help them by taking the pain away with the drugs and it's a vicious circle.
I got caught up in the hand feeding and begging her to eat....finally my husband had to stop me and flat out tell me "when she is hungry enough, she will eat". Guess what? He was right, damn it! Just kidding.....I was thrilled she finally decided to eat but I think it was because I laid off her too. I am the most guilty one of smothering and I admit it. Someone just had to tell me and then I realized it.
So Lupe, feel better, and she will eat. I know when I'm in mega pain I don't feel like eating either. Thinking good thoughts for you!!
Suzie and Rizzo
Jack Russell born in 2001. Mast cell cancer found Dec 2009 and right rear amputation. Five rounds of chemo done before all treatment stopped. Living life to the fullest!! Read my story at http://rizzo.tripawds.com
It is good you are talking to the vet, there are a variety of factors at play here.
I can speak to my experience with Chloe and here it is: The vet prescribed Chloe Tramadol (for heavy duty pain), Rimadyl (for lower level pain) and antibiotics. He also told me that the pain meds can interact with the antibiotics and suppress appetite. Yep. Definitely noticed that. So I tried to space out the pills as far apart as possible. Pain killers in the morning and antibiotics in the evening. Helped slightly. I also started offering Chloe WHATEVER food I ate. For example: I was sitting on the couch eating oatmeal when Chloe came over to beg. I was rolling my eyes thinking, "Yeah you snub your nose at the chicken and rice, but you think you want to eat the oatmeal" (plain rolled oats cooked with water and milk). So I sarcastically put the bowl down (thinking she would sniff and walk away) and was surprised to watch her stick her face in the bowl and lap the equivalent of a cooked cup of oatmeal down the hatch. So oatmeal became our thing. I also found she liked chicken broth (which i would throw chicken and rice into for more calories). I know oatmeal sounds really weird, but she ate it!
so just do your best and you never know when you find your 'oatmeal' food. After she was off pain meds and antibiotics I gradually transitioned her back to her regular food. So good luck with the food hunt!
-Chloe's mom
Chloe became a rear amp tripawd on 7-29-10. Another tumor was removed on front leg 2-20-14. Found 3rd tumor on neck 2-2015, but she's still kicking cancer's butt at age 14. Chloe's blog
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