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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Makes sense. Good to hear. Thank you, Stacy and Sally! Really appreciate it!
My name is Casey, by the way. We always laugh because in our neighborhood, everyone has dogs and we all know the dogs’ names but rarely the humans 😋
Laying on the incision is a GREAT sign! It means he's on the mend! Many dogs don't lay on the incision for a couple of weeks. Yay for Finn!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi friends,
I have another question/concern for the group that has come up today, 8 days post-op. Finn has had two episodes of incredible restlessness (panting, pacing, can’t get comfortable). It’s terrible to watch and I feel helpless. I read some of the other forum which covered this and I think I need to call the vet tomorrow to readjust the timing of his pain meds. Or it’s potentially a tramadol side effect? Currently he is taking 100mg of tramadol every 12 hours, 150mg of carprofen every 12 hours and gabapentin 300mg, 3x a day.
I also noticed he has been moving or twitching the muscle at his incision site a lot today. Any ideas on this?
Thank you as always in advance!
Finn (and Casey)
Hi Casey! Griffin experiences those symptoms nights 2-3 after he was home. He was taking gabapentin, galliprant, and tramadol (which is an opiate). He had been on the gabapentin and galliprant for 2 weeks prior to surgery with no issues, so the vet took him off all meds for one night, and then Griffin took gabapentin (300 mg) twice a day for a few more days after that. I think Jerry said that Wyatt Ray has similar reactions to opiods, so it is definitely worth speaking to your vet to find out if Finn's meds need to be adjusted. Good luck and keep us posted! ~ Stacy
Griffin lived an amazing life for 11 years! Diagnosed with osteosarcoma on March 17, 2020, Griffin's right forelimb was amputated on April 2, 2020. Ten days later he was running and playing fetch! Lung metastasis discovered in July 2020 did not slow down Griffin and he lived joyfully for the next 7 months, passing peacefully at home on February 11, 2021. https://griffin.tripawds.com
Casey, it does sound like it could be pain. I'm thinking that's the case because if the Tramadol wasn't giving him anxiety/panting issues earlier, it could be that now that he's moving around more, the pain is catching up to him. Usually you can tell right away when Tramadol causes issues with dogs. Your vet should be able to guide you on a better timing schedule to minimize any discomfort.
What is Finn's activity level like? Is he moving around a lot? He should still be in a small area of your home, outside for leashed potty breaks or some sunshine, but not moving around a ton. It's still very early.
Also, you may want to discuss a higher dosage of Gabapentin. The muscle twitching could be the result of too low a dose. Is he licking at the area or crying out suddenly? I say this because it's a pretty low dose for a dog his size. Now I'm not a vet so don't go quoting me to your vet, but this is just based on what other members report and what we give Wyatt Ray , who is 74 pounds. He gets 400mg of Gaba 3x daily for maintenance. If he had acute pain it would probably be higher.
See if you can help Finn with some gentle massage and heat and ice therapy on his shoulders, that may help him feel better.
I'm in the Tripawds Chat for a bit if you want to talk.
Let us know what the vet says OK?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thank you both so much for the advice. I agree and believe it’s pain. We’ve had a rough morning again of serious restlessness and muscle twitching/spasms. He is also trying to lick the site a lot. I’ve got a call into the vet to see what we can do.
And I didn’t think we were over doing it but maybe we have. I’ve been taking him “on a walk” every day out to the end of the driveway (maybe 20 yards) just to keep him feeling like he has his old routine. We did a couple balancing/strength exercises on Monday but nothing yesterday.
Yeah, just want to ditto about the pain meds. My Happy Hannah was on pain meds for about three weeks.
A little leashed outing to the mailbox doesn't sound like too much for day nine. That said, it doesn't take much to exhaust our pups when they are first adapting while getting over MAJOR surgery. BTW, we would love to see a video of that sweet girl taking her little walk.
So yeah, see if tweaking the meds helps. Continue giving her massages allmo and down her spine, her neck, her shoulders. Muscles are being used in different ways and can be a bit tight and sore.
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!
Aww I'm sorry for the ruff night. I hope your vet has some good advice that will help Finn feel better.
It's a fine line understanding how much activity is too much or too little, don't beat yourself up, you are doing your best to figure things out.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Talked with our vet and we upped dosage and frequency of the tramadol and gabapentin. We’ve also been doing warm compress and massages today. Really hoping this helps!
Oh, some good news: we got our beautiful Tripawd Power charm in the mail today. Thank you so much, Rene! I love it and will post a picture in our next blog post! Xx
Oh whew! I hope it helps too. Paws and fingers are crossed, let us know when you see improvement. Hopefully by tonight!
I'm so glad you love your new charm, you made my day. Thanks.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi Casey! I'm so glad you were able to connect with your vet to make adjustments to Finn's meds. Sending you peaceful resting and healing vibes for tonight! ~ Stacy
Griffin lived an amazing life for 11 years! Diagnosed with osteosarcoma on March 17, 2020, Griffin's right forelimb was amputated on April 2, 2020. Ten days later he was running and playing fetch! Lung metastasis discovered in July 2020 did not slow down Griffin and he lived joyfully for the next 7 months, passing peacefully at home on February 11, 2021. https://griffin.tripawds.com
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