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Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat

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Chief still anxious a week+ post-op
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Member Since:
26 August 2021
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26 August 2021 - 2:17 pm
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My chihuahua terrier mix had his front left leg amputated on 8/17. Surgery went well and at our appointment on Tuesday, the vet said he looked great. He came home with a bandage and they removed it Tuesday. Since then Chief has been very anxious, yelped a lot more, and just seemed off balance. So I wrapped him back up with an ace bandage and it seems to help a bit. But he's still anxious, follows us everywhere which was never something he'd do prior to surgery. He can never get comfortable and is very restless at night. The only time he seems to feel calm is when we are right next to him while he's laying down. I asked the vet and he said this was normal but it's not getting any better. We're afraid of him falling off the bed so my husband slept with him on the couch last night but I don't think either of them ended up getting much sleep. 

Any suggestions? Should I reach back out to my vet or is this all normal? He's 13 so playing hasn't been his thing for years. He normally slept the day away but LOVED going on walks. 

Thank you!

On The Road


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24 September 2009
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26 August 2021 - 5:59 pm
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Hi and welcome to you and Chief. I'm sorry you had to join our club but glad you found us!

What kind of pain control did Chief get when he came home from surgery? Specifically, what medications, dosage, and frequency? 

I'm not a vet, but what you are describing sounds like pain signals to me. Usually when folks describe this kind of behavior, there is unaddressed pain that's happening. That often occurs when the dog comes home without enough pain control immediately post-op. If your vet dismissed your concerns at first, yes, contact them and insist on some kind of pain control. And don't let them give you Tramadol, it's been proven to not be very effective on its own. Typically, Gabapentin and an NSAID like Rimadyl can address the nerve pain associated with amputation (and this type of behavior). Let your vet know you believe Chief is still experiencing pain and needs help. 

If your vet is dismissive about your concerns, it's time to find a practitioner who is more knowledgeable about post-amputation pain management . Quite often you can find a canine rehab therapist who can pinpoint the cause of his pain and then come up with ways to treat it. The best part is the Tripawds Foundation can pay for your first rehab visit so you've got nothing to lose. I'm happy to help find a therapist for you if you'd like, just PM me your location.

I hope this helps. Please keep us posted.

Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet

Virginia







Member Since:
22 February 2013
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26 August 2021 - 10:32 pm
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Yes, please let us know about  his pain management   protocol.  As Jerry said, it sounds like your sweet pup has some unaddressed pain.  It's MAJOR surgery, all while trying to adjust to three.

Chief needs rest, rest, rest, short leash potty breaks and back in for more rest.

How is Chief doing as fas as eating, drink, pooping, peeing?

We'll look for to your feedback  on the pain meds (or lack there)  

Extra 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!

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27 August 2021 - 8:16 pm
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I am giving Chief 50 mg of gabapentin three times a day and 25 mg of the Rimadyl twice a day. Talked to the vet this morning and he still says it’s all normal. He isn’t yelping anymore but he’s still anxious and just won’t stay still. I think he’s most comfortable when he’s touching me or my husband. 

Up until yesterday, he had been eating and drinking well. He will eat people food and wet food but not his normal dry food. I did call the vet about this but unfortunately I had to leave a voicemail and didn’t get a call back. I will call tomorrow morning. 

We took him on a walk today and he did really well. He road most of the way in the basket of my son’s stroller but we let him out and he got to walk and sniff around. He did really well so I’m not sure if he’s in a whole lot of pain still or just nervous and uncomfortable. 

Virginia







Member Since:
22 February 2013
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27 August 2021 - 9:12 pm
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How much does your pup weigh?    It may be that another pain med needs to be added  to compliment the Gaba or in place of it.  While Gaba addresses  most surgery pain in alm0st all dogs, it may be that Amantadine is something you could try. 

Saying this on the "assumption" the inability  to get comfortable,  the restlessness, the not wanting to eat, the panting (is there panting) usually are pain signs.  Sometimes, and I even hate to say this,  but a sedative  like Trazedone may be needed if this is some form of anxiety  instead of pain.

Your pup is thirteen and trying to get over MAJOR surgery while adjusting to three.  That's not easy for any dog, but especially a senior.

What is your energy like?  As you know, dogs feed off our energy and are extraordinarily  tuned into our emotions.  Are you strong and confident and giving  out a reassuring  attitude??  Is it possible  you are feel anxious (which is perfectly  understandable!) and your pup is mirroring  that energy??

I'm just throwing  out a bunch of "stuff" IF you don't think he is in pain.

Oh, and is Henin an antibiotic,  or was he on one for the first seven or so days?

How does his incision look?  Any drainage, bruising or swelling?  Peeing, pooping okay?  Drinking plenty  of fluids up until today?

As far as eating, go ahead and spoil him now with anything  he will eat.  Warmed chicken,  scrambled eggs with cheese,, maybe even some cut up steak.     There's a refrigerated  dog food I swear by that dogs cannot resist.  It's called Fresh Pet Grain Free Chicken.     

Also give him lots of gent massages to help relax his mus as they can get tight when first adapting  to three.

Hoping you can get some good sleep tonight.   Being out in the fresh air in his stroller  may help him relax this evening 

Guess that's  all I can come up with.  Let see what others can offer.  BTW You're  doing a great job!!!!

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!

On The Road


Member Since:
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28 August 2021 - 12:30 pm
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It can be sooo hard to tell the difference between anxiety and pain. Yes, his behavior is normal if Chief is normally an anxious dog. And it's "normal" for a dog who doesn't have the pain management dialed in. If he isn't typically anxious, keep in mind that quite often around here we see that the anxiety is because of the pain.

If Chief's behavior is so off that he cannot rest and relax, get back into his usual state of being, then it's time to insist to the vet that his behavior is NOT normal and he needs additional pain management

The Gabapentin dosage sounds a little low, but not knowing what he weighs I can't say (plus I'm not a vet so take this for what it's worth). But what it comes down to is, follow your gut. Don't take "it's normal" for an answer if your heart is telling you that he is not comfortable. 

As for only wanting to eat people food, that is normal during recovery. Pain meds really dull the appetite so the stinkier and yummier the food, the better. Don't force him to eat if he doesn't want it, just make sure he's staying hydrated and in time his appetite will return.

Keep letting him rest, keep his activity to a bare minimum and take good notes about his pain signals . And check out these videos

Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet

Member Since:
26 August 2021
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30 August 2021 - 10:26 am
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Thanks everyone for their input and sorry it's taken me so long to get back.

Chief is about 13 pounds so he's is little guy. I got his pain meds refilled this weekend and we are still doing the Rimadyl twice a day and Gabapentin three times per day. Last night was the most restless he has been. He'd lay down for a little bit but then he'd try getting up to adjust and would yelp. He was also panting more than usual.

His incision looks good and I don't notice any heat to it so I am pretty sure that is healing well.

I spoke to the vet again this morning and stressed that this behavior is not normal for him. She said that maybe he's not really in any pain but he's more aware that he no longer has his leg and he's depressed about. He is a sensitive dog, always has been. We are going in tomorrow morning to get his sutures removed. I don't necessarily feel like they are dismissing me but they also aren't offering me any advice or solutions. We took him on another walk today and he did so well and seemed to really enjoy himself.

As I've typed this, I've heard him yelped from upstairs twice. He still prefers to be right next to my husband so he's up there sitting under his desk while he works. I am going to call Chief's regular vet and will see if they have any suggestions.

Thank you!

On The Road


Member Since:
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30 August 2021 - 10:35 am
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You are so welcome. I'm in the Tripawds Chat right now if you want to talk.

Sensitivity is one thing, but the random yelping is so classic of phantom leg pain symptoms. Perhaps this vet hasn't done enough amputations to really get familiar with these types of pain signals ? I'm just guessing and as I said, I'm not a vet. But long ago I was on the (un) merry-go-round with a vet who didn't want to admit they didn't know why our Jerry was limping, and it caused us precious time to reach a diagnosis and he suffered terribly as a result. So follow your gut, have that convo with Chief's regular vet and see what they can do. And if you don't get any answers, get him to a rehab therapist asap. I'm happy to help find one for you, just pm me your location.

Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet

Member Since:
16 March 2021
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31 August 2021 - 3:38 pm
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I'm sorry your little guy is not feeling well!  The first week for us was really rough for all of us.  Our dog Jet (left rear leg amputated 3/19/2021) was very agitated on the initial cocktail of pain meds.  It was pitiful...yowling, pawing, general confusion.  In consultation with our vet, we eliminated the morphine, reduced the gabapentin, and added Amantadine.  The Amantadine was a game changer for him. It helped control his pain and he wasn't completely zonked out or overly agitated.  He stayed comfortably on his bed, was able to be alert and interact with us, before dozing off to a comfortable sleep.  It wasn't inexpensive, but GoodRx had a nice coupon for it.  You might talk to your vet about it.  

Melinda & Jet

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31 August 2021 - 4:58 pm
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I picked up some Trazodone from Chief’s regular vet to give him at night. I’m also going cutting down the Gabapentin to just 2 times a day and will keep up the Rimadyl 2 times a day for another few days. I really hope it helps because last night he was even more restless.

The surgeon that took out Chief’s sutures today said he’s probably overdoing it with following us around all day. We try limiting it but sometimes it’s difficult to do without locking him in another room. I feel like doing that would almost make him more anxious.

We are two weeks post surgery now and I just think Chief is having a harder time adjusting. I hope the medication change will help him get some good sleep during the night cause Mom needs some sleep too!

Thanks again for everyone’s help!

Chief and Whitney

On The Road


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31 August 2021 - 7:39 pm
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Melinda thank you for sharing Jet's story! We are all about the Amantadine too.

Whitney, the Traz should help him sleep better, hopefully, but remember that it's not a pain medication. Yes, it could be that he's overdoing things by following you around as he heals. Would you consider a doggy backpack maybe for the interim? Just to give him a break? I know that might be kind of hard with you following around a 1 year old all day too, but if leaving Chief alone in a room is too much stress (I can see why), that might help. Or, you can also get an x-pen to keep him in the main area of your home so he has enough room to stretch out but not enough to wander around with you all day.

GREAT job advocating for his needs! smiley_clap

Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet

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