Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hello
This is my first post. Hope I am doing it correctly. My 9 y/o Boxer mix Henry had a rear leg amputation about one week ago. Five days after his surgery, he started crying intermittently throughout the day. He acted as if he was hit by lightning and wasn't expecting it. The vet said he has arthritis in his back which worsened by the surgery and adjustment to only three legs. Henry is currently on Meloxicam, Tramadol and a muscle relaxant (added after the crying started). The muscle relaxant has helped - he is not crying like he was. Henry still seems to have some difficulty getting comfortable. On a few occasions he just went and stood in the closet which he never did in the past. His behavior is a little odd and I'm wondering if it is the medication making him dopey. On one occasion when he went in the closet, he had not been given any medication. He also seems to have difficulty getting comfortable / finding a comfortable position to lay. Has anyone else seen this behavior? Any thoughts on what it could be? Would gabapentin be a good thing to ask vet about? I wonder if he will need the muscle relaxants from here on out? We are pursuing acupuncture, chiropractic, bicom therapy for that.
Thank you for your help.
Kami
Welcome to Tripawds Kami and Henry, your future posts will not need moderation.
Pain meds can really make dogs loopy, Maggie did not tolerate Tramadol well at all. She would sleep for about half an hour then spend the next several hours agitated and seeing things. On the other hand my other pugs have taken tram without problems. I did not have issues with phantom pain
, many here have used gaba with success, I know you will hear from some of them.
My 12 year old quad pug has severe arthritis and we have seen great relief with chiropractic.
Balancing pain meds is so hard- some of the symptoms you describe could be from pain, or from the pain meds. Was there a change in his meds when the crying started? Did he fall or over do activity? Keep talking to your vet about Henry's symptoms, and do ask about gaba. A week post-op is early in the recovery, but it seems like Henry could be more comfortable.
You could also post in the 'Ask a Vet' forum with medical questions.
I hope you find some relief quickly for Henry
Karen and the pugapalooza
Hi Kami. I think the hardest part about recovery is having to guess at what might be wrong with our pups. Our Zeus (11 yr old husky - front leg amp) did very well the first week after the surgery but then began whimpering when he moved or we picked him up to carry him upstairs. We took him in and the vet found a tender spot in his back and said he probably tweaked it with the new walk/balance issues. We upped the pain meds some and he recovered in about two more weeks. Based on your 'hit by lightning' comment, it may very well be pain (if it happens when he's moving around) or it could certainly be phantom pain if it strikes when he's lying still. It might be worth a quick trip to the vet. We poked and prodded Zeus all over and could never get a reaction that told us what was wrong, but within seconds Dr. R was able to find the tender spot and give us a diagnosis. Guess that's why he's the vet!
Good luck with the rest of recovery!
Lisa
Zeus was a Husky mix diagnosed with Osteosarcoma at age 11. A visible lung met and suspicious spot on his liver meant a poor prognosis-six weeks was our vet's best guess. We decided to fight for our boy and his right front leg was amputated on 12/1/11. We did six rounds of chemo, changed his diet and spoiled him completely rotten. We were blessed with 10 great months after diagnosis. Against the odds, the lung met remained a single met and grew very little over those months. A wonderful furbaby with the most gentle spirit, he fought with a strength that we never imagined he possessed. We have no regrets...
http://zeuspod......pawds.com/
Thank you Karen and Lisa for taking the time to respond. We are going to the vet tomorrow for his chiro/accupuncture/ who knows what else treatment. I will ask about the gaba. I certainly don't want him to live the rest of his days doped up on meds. It is understandable that he is not himself due to meds, surgery, adjustment, discomfort. It is hard to watch and worry about how exactly he is feeling. He has a healthy appetite and was insistent on taking an evening stroll (2nd walk of the day) yesterday which is a good sign.
Prior to the amputation, one vet told me not to do the amputation due to Henry's age. Basically, palative care. That was devastating to hear. The second vet was very optimistic which I appreciated and am still glad I pursued the surgery. I do wish the vet would have told me about what challenges the surgery might present but I guess they don't have a crystal ball.
Thanks for the support of your website. It's great to not feel so alone with these challenges and worrysome days.
Kami
Hi Kami,
I'm just now catching up on your post. This sounds like maybe a pain issue, either too many meds or too little. What did the vet say?
Did he lose his leg to osteo?
Fear not, the first two weeks are ruff but things do get better. Like Karen said, balancing pain meds during this time is tricky, and usually by the time humans figure it out, the dog doesn't even need it anymore! But if it's any comfort, his behavior sounds pretty standard during recovery. Usually dogs need about 2 weeks to feel good again, so the bad news is you've got another week to go, the good news is that you're halfway there!
That's surprising your vet told you not to amputate because of his age, he's still a pup, especially compared to a lot of other Tripawds here!
Thanks for joining, we look forward to hearing more about Henry and your Tripawd journey.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi Kami,
The first few weeks after surgery were difficult for us-the worry, the constant watching, and for us, the "screaming" that Lily would start doing. It would happen suddenly, and we would all come running. It was heartbreaking. For us, it occurred for about two weeks. When we took her off Tramadol, it stopped-may have been a coincidence. The first few weeks are hard, but you're almost there--sending you positive thoughts for a quick recovery.
Take care,
Lily and Joan
Our beautiful Lily was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in her front leg on 12/14/11 at age 8 and had amp on 12/16/11. She completed 5 rounds of carbo. She was so brave and kicked cancer's butt daily! She lived life fully for 4 years, 3 months, and 15 days after her amp. My angel is a warrior princess. I miss her so much.
Hi Kami and Henry - sorry you had to find us here. As others have said, it can take a while to get the pain meds dialed in just right. Hope the vet appt today goes well.
Mostly just wanted to say welcome! I hope he'll be hopping around like his old self soon. It's an awesome thing to be a tripawd pawrent. Would love to see you two prove that first vet wrong! 
Jackie, Angel Abby's mom
Abby: Aug 1, 2009 – Jan 10, 2012. Our beautiful rescue pup lived LARGE with osteosarcoma for 15 months – half her way-too-short life. I think our "halflistic" approach (mixing traditional meds + supplements) helped her thrive. (PM me for details. I'm happy to help.) She had lung mets for over a year. They took her from us in the end, but they cannot take her spirit! She will live forever in our hearts. She loved the beach and giving kisses and going to In-N-Out for a Flying Dutchman. Tripawds blog, and a more detailed blog here. Please also check out my novel, What the Dog Ate. Now also in paperback! Purchase it at Amazon via Tripawds and help support Tripawds!
This all sounds similar to our first few weeks too-even the hiding in the closet. We just kept trying different meds etc. Finally at day 16 things really took a turn for the better. The muscle relaxant was a dream drug for us. Once we stopped giving him all the other stuff things really got better. Just try and hang in there another week or two. It will get better!
Levi was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma 7-7-11
Ampuversary 10-14-11
Lung Mets Discovered 1-4-12. Chemo seemed to not be working so we switched to Artemisinin and other supplements. In May, Levi developed a sinus infection and started having seizures. The cancer had moved to his brain. We let him go 6-26-12.
jerry said
Hi Kami,I'm just now catching up on your post. This sounds like maybe a pain issue, either too many meds or too little. What did the vet say?
Did he lose his leg to osteo?
Fear not, the first two weeks are ruff but things do get better. Like Karen said, balancing pain meds during this time is tricky, and usually by the time humans figure it out, the dog doesn't even need it anymore! But if it's any comfort, his behavior sounds pretty standard during recovery. Usually dogs need about 2 weeks to feel good again, so the bad news is you've got another week to go, the good news is that you're halfway there!
That's surprising your vet told you not to amputate because of his age, he's still a pup, especially compared to a lot of other Tripawds here!
Thanks for joining, we look forward to hearing more about Henry and your Tripawd journey.
Hi Jerry
Yes, Henry has osteosarcoma. Saw the vet yesterday who told me I could increase the frequency in which I give the Tramadol and Robaxin. He also had some chiropractic work done to address arthritis as well as something called Bicom for arthritis and phantom limb pain. The vet thought he would experience some relief over the weekend. I did not ask about the Gaba. Now that it is Saturday morning and I heard him cry a few times, I realize I should have asked about it. Thought the increased doses along with treatment would surely help. I will call the vet over the weekend if needed. My impression is that most of the crying is from the arthritis. Vet thought he didn't need the meds anymore as related to the surgery.
Thanks for your time and words of encouragement. At the age of 44 I've never joined a discussion form but we will do ANYTHING for our pets. I'm so glad I did!
Kami
You're so welcome. We are glad you joined too.
I wonder what's in Biocom? It couldn't hurt to ask about GABA, just in case.
Hope today goes well!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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