Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Good morning my poor baby Moose (6.5y Doberman ) is 8 days post amputation and we had a super rough night he was really unsettled pacing whining etc. It seems to be mostly intense itching along the suture line ( if I rub it it seems to calm him slightly) or possibly pain but we're stumped on how to help soothe it. Pain meds were given 2 hours prior so he shouldn't be painful. Any advice on how to help him feel more comfortable?
Kelly Miller said
...we had a super rough night he was really unsettled pacing whining etc.
Welcome and best wishes for Moose. You're describing some common side effects to certain pain meds, especially Tramadol – which most vets agree is not an effective standalone pain killer. What medication is he taking. There are fine lines between pain med side effects and common pain indicators. Learn much more in the many Tripawds News blog vet interviews and articles about main management.
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How much does Moose weigh? What pain meds is he on, dose and frequency? The pacing and whining could be pain signals .
What has his activity level been like? Right now he needs SHORT leashed potty breaks and back in for rest.
If everything looks "normal" along the incision line, it simply may be the stitches are tight and pulling, plus the shaved area can be quite itchy. The important thing is to make sure he doesn't get to the incision and bites at it.
You can ask your Vet for a topical ointment recommendation to help with the itching. You can also try a cold compress.
Up to this point, how has Moose been doing? Eating, drinking. peeing, pooping? Resting co comfortably at night? Mobile?
Hang in there. Recovery doesn't last furever.
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!
Moose is 80lb after surgery and on Meloxicam only( tonight is supposed to be his last dose) he was on Gabapentin and rimadyl but had a bad reaction to them that ended us up in the ER 48h after surgery. He's been doing fine other that, his incision is healing well all bruising and swelling is gone. I'm more convinced it's really crazy intense itching. He's frantic to get at it now. We were using just a shirt but he started licking it through the shirt so we added an inflatable e collar but now he's figured out how to work it around so he can stick his tongue through the gap where it comes together. We had to put him in a regular cone now and he's miserable in it. The only thing that hasn't been affected is his appetite he still eats like a horse :). Activity whise he's only going out for potty breaks and one 10 min or less walk. We added this in with the vets ok 5 days ago to try to keep his brain happy, he's a very fit very active doberman who's not afraid to let us know when he's not happy. We have a recheck scheduled with our vet on Friday morning. I just feel so helpless and hate seeing him so uncomfortable. I will try the cold compress hopefully it gives him a little relief.
I know Friday seems like a long time off while watching Moose go nuts with the "itching".
I do hope the compress helps. Maybe, with Vet permission, Benadryl??
The only other thing noted is this could also be actual incision pain signal. To have only been basically on an anti inflammatory after this type of MAJOR surgery where a limb is cut off, nerves are severed, muscles ,manipulated, etc. is fairly rare. So maybe ask the Vet about another pain med like Amantadine. Just throwing this out there as it may bring some relief between now and Friday (or may not).
Keep is posted, okay?
Higs
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!
Oh yikes poor guy. Did the ice help?
A vet pain expert once told us that when a dog is constantly messing with the incision, it could be a pain signal. Was it the Rimadyl or the Gabapentin he had a reaction to? Since he's only a few days out of surgery, ask your vet to consider a different pain reliever like Galiprant (NSAID alternative) and Amantadine (makes some dogs sleepy but Moose should be resting right now anyways).
The ice did help a little thankfully. It was most likely the gabapentin he had the reaction to, he's had rimadyl before just at a lower dose with no issues. We saw our vet on Friday and she agrees it's most likely phantom limb pain and itchyness from the skin heeling. He's been better since we got the sutures out we haven't had to use the cone thankfully since Friday night. We're still are having a hard time weaning him out of the shirt, he still wants to go at it like a mad man when we take it off. He also hates wearing it and tries to body slam anyone near him and rub on you like a cat trying to get it off. He's definitely not shy about letting us know what he does And doesn't like. Hopefully were over the the worst of it now. He's starting to try to play and get back to his normal dober dorkie self.
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