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Having a Rough Time with Pain Meds
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Member Since:
9 December 2018
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12 December 2018 - 7:47 pm
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Ugh, having a rough night here. We are now 8 days post-op. Ciara is acting very agitated and I think it's the Tramadol - have had her on the max dose 3x a day plus Gabapentin (nerve blocker) 2x day. She got the last Tramadol at 3:30pm and for the last hour has panted and licked her paws and bed like crazy. Not sure why that would happen at hour 6 of the dose? She got her Rovera a little late tonight at 8:15, could it be that?

I can't get her to stop until she gets bored of it and lies down. It's kind of freaking me out. I want to give her the Gabapentin tonight since it's supposed to be a sedative. This has been happening since Sunday, but tonight feels particularly bad. The vet just says to take it down a notch, but what do I do if she's in pain without the full dose? I don't feel like I have any way of gauging how much pain she's in so I feel like I can't help her. 🙁

 
I've been reading the boards and it sounds like Tramadol can make pups a bit nuts. But so far into the dose? Does that make sense? The licking looks so obsessive too. She's a paw licker by nature but this is amped up. The incision looks good to me...it's dry and doesn't look infected or irritated. 
This is where I feel like I made a mistake. We're in the thick of it and I feel terrible. 🙁
Virginia







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12 December 2018 - 9:49 pm
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How much does Ciara weigh?  What are the dose amounts of the Tram and Gaba?  Of course, we aren't  Vets amd aren't  giving Vet advice, but merely sharing from our own experiences.

Can't  help you with the licking issues.  I know for a couple of weeks after my Happy Hannah had her amp (rear leg), for some reason  she licked her front paws a lot.

So many of us second guessed our decision  during recovery.  I know I did.  It took me three weeks before I could say I did this FOR my dog and not TO her.  Her TO g to thos part of the journey  is exhausting  and stressful.  Lack of sleep is the norm  during all this and yoir emotions are raw!  Just know that recovery doesn't  last forever! It just feels like it!!

Hang in there!!!  You're doing  great!

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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12 December 2018 - 9:56 pm
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Sorry, should have mentioned those stats. She was approx 55 lbs pre-op. Not sure about current weight. 

Carprofen - 100mg 1x day

Gabapentin - 100mg 2x day

Tramadol - 50 mg 3x day (going to try giving her 2 tomorrow unless she shows a lot of pain).

I’ve been beating myself up bad tonight. She keeps panting and feels warm but that could be from the panting. Just wish she’d sleep!

Virginia







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12 December 2018 - 10:24 pm
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Nope, beating up on our friend is not allowed!!  Giving  yourself a pat on the back for doing a good job is allowed!!

Possibly  reducing the Tram to twice a day may help.  You can also try gicing it to her an hour or so after (or before) the Gaba and  not at the same time.

It's  so crazy, panting can be a sign of pain, AND it CAN be a reaction to the pain meds!!

You can maybe ask your Vet about a low dose of Trazedone.   It's  a sedative that can help take the edge off and maybe break the cycle of the paw licking.

A random thought .  Make sure he Ciara isn't  running a fever.   

Lack of sleep is what's  making you second guess everything.  Whenever Ciara does sleep,  make sure you grab a nap!   

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!

Member Since:
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12 December 2018 - 10:44 pm
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I’m going to try giving the pills at different times so they overlap, thanks for the suggestion!

If she’s still warm tomorrow, I will ask the vet what we can do, plus mention the sedative. We just have to make it a few more days before the sutures come out and chemo starts. I just want to make sure she’s  as healthy as possible so it all goes smoothly. 

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13 December 2018 - 4:13 am
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Overlapping the doses that way works well for a lot of patients! Do you have a thermometer? If you get a regular ole thermometer and can take her temp that might make you feel better. 101-103 is approx. what you are looking for. 103 is a little high, but with panting and agitation is acceptable. Don't forget, their normal body temp is higher than ours. That will be on the higher side with stress/agitation. Above 103 I would not hesitate to call your vet and inform them. 

Oh, just in case, a little Vaseline or some lubricant, temp is taken rectally, give it 4 minutes or so before you read it. 

Jackie and Huck heart

Hugs,

Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry

Huckleberry's Blog

Member Since:
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13 December 2018 - 7:43 am
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I don't have a doggy thermometer unfortunately. 🙁

She's 9 days post-op now, so I gave her a Tramadol this morning (she hadn't had it in over 12 hours) but will try not giving her another one until either tonight or if she actually seems like she needs it (try weaning her off). She'll get Gabapentin and Carprofen today too. I have to play with it I guess. 

Just gotta get her to Monday!!

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13 December 2018 - 8:18 am
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You don't need a dog thermometer to get her temp. Just a plain old fashioned thermometer will work. Obviously after you use it, it will become the"dog thermometer" 🤣

Some pups are on meds for 2 to 3 weeks post op so if you're running low and feel like she's still needing them, by all means call your vet for a  refill please.

You're doing a great job, hang in there. 

Hugs,

Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry

Huckleberry's Blog

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13 December 2018 - 2:11 pm
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Thanks everyone.

I talked to the surgical nurse and she said to stop the Tramadol all together. I can call her tomorrow if there are any bad changes.

She greeted my husband when he got home and me when I got back a little while later, so that's more like her. Her next pill is the Rovera with her dinner, then Gabapentin around 10pm. Fingers crossed that it will do the trick!

Member Since:
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13 December 2018 - 8:08 pm
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That’s awesome ! We also ended up staggering irie meds, Gabapentin and Tramadol separate. Irie is also 9 days post-op! We did try to stop Tramadol but she was still in pain and started crying and whimpering overnight so back to twice a day (I think it’s cause infection). I hope you doggie feels better with your new plan! 

Is Rovera different from Carprofen ?

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14 December 2018 - 3:57 am
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So glad she is feeling better! I hope you had a peaceful evening and she continues to feel better!

Jackie and Huck heart

Hugs,

Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry

Huckleberry's Blog

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14 December 2018 - 6:57 am
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mariahfoley said
That’s awesome ! We also ended up staggering irie meds, Gabapentin and Tramadol separate. Irie is also 9 days post-op! We did try to stop Tramadol but she was still in pain and started crying and whimpering overnight so back to twice a day (I think it’s cause infection). I hope you doggie feels better with your new plan! 

Is Rovera different from Carprofen ?  

Hey there! Our doggos are surgery buddies! When did you try to stop the Tramadol? We tried taking her down to 2x a day last Saturday (5 days post-op) but then on Sunday she was whining so I started giving it 3x again. In hindsight she may have been whining because it was messing with her too. It's just so hard to tell.

She wouldn't eat this morning, so I made her some eggs and she SCARFED them. So she's obviously hungry, just not for the expensive food we buy her. laughing

She's been panting as soon as we took the cone off and the amp leg is trembling. I just don't know what to think and we're getting concerned. She was doing so well when we brought her home and then 2 days in, this stuff started up.

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14 December 2018 - 6:58 am
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paws120 said
So glad she is feeling better! I hope you had a peaceful evening and she continues to feel better!

Jackie and Huck heart  

Thank you for the continued good thoughts. heart

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14 December 2018 - 7:24 am
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When they go in for surgery they are given a bunch of medications plus anesthesia and usually another injection for pain. All of these medications take time to slowly leave the body. It is usually 4-5 days before all of those beautiful hospital drugs are all gone.

Part of this process is keeping their pain medications given at regular intervals so that there is no quick decline. As the hospital meds leave the system, they rely a lot more on the meds you are giving. If they have pain break through, it can be harder to get them back on track and managed.

Amputation is MAJOR surgery. You would not take Tylenol for a couple of days after having a foot removed. Most of these little guys need consistent medication for at least a couple of weeks post surgery. Most do not start getting weaned off until after suture/staple removal. Some have had to continue on to a third week.

I am not a vet. I was a veterinary surgical technician for quite a while. I also did animal rescue and animal control. Panting, shaking, trembling, whining can all be signs of pain. The appetite can be pain, but it can also be because of all the medications so by all means, whatever you have to do to get her to eat go for it. Ground beef, eggs, cheese, rotisserie chicken.. just keep her eating and drinking.

This is just my opinion, but she may not be ready to have her meds lowered. You should speak with her vet and make sure they know everything so that between the both of you good choices can be made. I will also tell you that a lot of vets do not realize how long pain meds should be given and sometimes you have to be a strong advocate for your furbaby. We see it all the time in here.

Good luck and hang in there!

Hugs,

Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry

Huckleberry's Blog

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14 December 2018 - 7:48 am
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Yeah I have to say, this surgeon apparently "likes" Tramadol and the nurse has been adamant that she can be weaned off. We kept her on the pain meds a week after they told us to stop. Either way, she's not acting okay or comfortable. There has to be another med we can try. I'm keeping her on the Carprofen and Gabapentin at night....I'm more or less testing to see if the panting and agitation subside without the constant stream of drugs. But I would like another option besides Tramadol. Right now I hate that drug.

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