Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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This may be an odd one and maybe he just had an allergic reaction to something but we had an awful night with Wolf (day 3 post-op). The Fentanyl patch was removed and I swear he started having phantom pain (I downloaded the ebook and this sounds about right): yelping, whining, shivering and then fine. He was restless all night (so, of course I didn't sleep either) and when I called the vet they told me he "should be fine" on just the Tramadol and anti-inflammatory. I told him that he "was not fine" and we put on another Fentanyl patch (this is obviously not a vet who believes in the gabbapentin, unfortunatley). So, he's getting a little bit of rest but he is hunched with his tail between his legs and still whining and not eating and the wierdest thing is his eyes are swollen. We gave him Benadryl (on doctor's orders) but I'm wondering if this a drug reaction. Has anyone else seen this?
I am so sorry Wolf has had a bad night! I have no experience with the eye swelling- perhaps someone else here does. Is there more than one vet in your office that you might be able to talk to about the possible phantom pain ? Don't be afraid of being too insistant when talking to you vet.
Spirit Samson was Spirit Tripawd Daisys four legged "brother" and ruled as the self proclaimed head of the Monkeybutt Federations East Coast Division. Lady Chunky Monkey stayed from Oct 2011 and left for the bridge in Apr 2012. Miss Perdy is left and has some big pawprints to fill.
Do you have what it takes to be a Monkeybutt? Find out more at the Monkeybutt Federation
Thanks for the reply. We found hives all over the shaved area of Wolf's skin as well so it is some sort of allergic reaction - the Benadryl seems to be helping and he can finally sleep. Just one more thing to add to the poor pup's troubles. We have an appointment in the morning because he has developed a seroma and it's getting bigger so I will ask again (with a little pressure!) about the gabbapentin.
Poor Wolf! I hope the appointment goes well. Keep us posted.
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!
Geeze Wolf, you are due for a break!
Hang in there guys- it will get better. Let us know what the vet says.
Karen and the pugapalooza
I cannot recall if I have welcomed you to the site. I am sorry that Wolf seems to be having so many issues. I have read several times that Gabapentin is one of the newer meds and a lot of vets just aren't very familiar with it. I would specifically ask your vet if he has ever used it before - he may just be reluctant to try something new. Also, keep in mind that vets sometimes will call a prescription into a human drug store if it is something they don't use often and do not keep in stock. The human form of Gabapentin contains xylitol and can be toxic to dogs. Be sure to keep this in mind if your vet relents but calls it in to a drug store!
Good luck!
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/
Poor Wolf!
The eye swelling definitely sounds like an allergic reaction to something (I recall when my niece ate coconut she had horrendous eye swelling), maybe the adhesive in the Fentanyl patch? Who knows. But I hope the benadryl helps, it really should.
Gaba isn't a new drug, it's a drug that's been used on people for quite some time but has been repositioned for use with animals over the last couple of years. It does help with phantom pain . I'm wondering if he started having problems when he was withdrawing from the first patch? Hmmm....
pain management can be frustrating but it's not impossible, things WILL get better. You are being a great advocate for Wolf, keep it up.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
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So we went to our regular vet and she drained the seroma and was happy to prescribe Gabbapentin. She also upped the Tramadol - he was only being dosed at 1/3 the allowed amount. He came home and slept all day - woke up and ate and we thought - yeah! Things are looking up. BUT, he is not wanting to move at all. We are literally having to pull him out from his crate and force him to get up once in a while. It's when he gets up that the yelping starts and he his hunched up and miserable. When does the Gabbapenting seem to help? Should he continue with Fentanyl after this second patch or should he wean off at this point (today is day 6)? Do alot of dogs become fearful of moving? I read in the ebook about "tough love" and really not sure if that is what is meant - do I force him to get up and move? Thank you, thank you, thank you for your posts - I can't tell you how much I need to know he is going to make it through this.
if you are increasing the tramadol, and giving gabapentin, then maybe you don't need the fentanyl too...alot of drugs for one pup. some pups take longer to recover, so don't get frustrated at it being 'day six'...resting helps with healing, so maybe it's just the drugs keeping him loopy. we didn't have phantom pain , but from what others have written, it's just an 'outburst of pain', not necessarily associated with movement or getting up or down. if he's eating and drinking, and going outside to pee and poop, maybe you just have to be patient with him until he feels ready to do more.
hope you see some improvement in the next couple of days, and please let us know how he's progressing.
charon & spirit gayle
Life is good, so very, very good!!! Gayle enjoyed each and every moment of each and every wonderful day (naps included). She left this world December 12, 2011 – off on a new adventure.
Love Never Ends
I would also think you won't need that fentanyl patch anymore. We never had one w/ Abby, but our previous dog had one after a surgery, and I hated having her on it. She acted very strangely while she was on it and I couldn't wait for it to come off. Hopefully your pup will start to improve soon, once the gabapentin kicks in and the patch is gone. It's still early days!
Hang in there! (We were no good at the 'tough love' thing. We are the marshmallows of love at our house... so I'm not a good one to give advice on that!)
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!
Thank you both. I will stop the Fentanyl and hope that we see improvement. And, yeah, I'm not so good at "tough love" either, obviously! Will let you know how it goes and thanks for the help. We just saw a fledging Great Horned owl (even heard it vocalizing) so we're taking that as a good omen!
Eileen
That's a lot of pain meds for sure! Be careful when removing the patch......you can get the meds in your system. (you may want some dope at this stage! 
)
You may want to use gloves. And make sure you dispose of it to where it cant be gotten to. My vet always made sure he removed it.
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.
I just thought of something....is he on an antibiotic that he could be allergic to? Most dogs get them after surgery. I know I'm allergic to a lot of antibiotics...and face swelling is how I know!
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.
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