Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi guys,
Our 9.5 year old American Bully Jango had his right hind leg amputated due to osteosarcoma and a fracture on 10/4 and also a few growths/lumps on his penis sheath. It is now 10/8 and the fentanyl patch is done but he is getting gabapentin every 8 hours. He is definitely showing signs of discomfort/pain usually more so 1-2 hours before he needs his next dose. I understand that this is a major surgery and quite traumatic for him. One thing that is concerning to me are these loose, fluid filled areas around his nether region and along his chest. They seem to be just below the skin and above the muscle. Has anyone had any experience with this? I will be calling his Dr. tomorrow but I want to ask all my fellow tripawd peeps. Thank you in advance. ❤️
Hi Kory,
Thanks for registering as a member, your future posts won't need approval so post away.
Did you talk to your vet today? What you are describing sounds like a seroma . This is usually just body fluid that will eventually either drain out of the body or re-absorb back into it. As long as the fluid is more watery than bloody and pink in color, it's pretty typical. Any cloudiness or odor needs to be looked at by your vet.
Also as for the pain control, what is the dosage of Gabapentin he's getting? Is he also getting an NSAID like Meloxicam?
We took him to his vet today and they said that everything looks great and that fluid is normal. I was concerned because it was in an area nowhere near his incision and nothing is leaking. He is currently taking antibiotics and 50mg of rimydol twice a day and 600mg of gabapentin 3 times per day. They wrote him a script for Tylenol with codeine and possibly an antidepressant as well. They want to talk to the surgeon about it beforehand to see what she has to say about it first. I mentioned amadadine or whatever they call it that i have seen people on here talking about but they want to go a different route. Thank you for your response. This is a trying time and we just want what’s best for our boy.
Glad you got some reassurance from the Vet to confirm Jango is doing well.
600mg of gabapentin 3 times per day.
How much does Jango weigh? When meds are three ti0mes a day it stops the pain from getting a head start. So sounds like a good plan. You may not need the addition of the codeine of the Gaba and Rimadyl do the trick.
I know we say this a lot, but it really is so very early in recovery..... and recovery does not last forever, it just seems like it right now.
Keep us posted and try and get some rest yourself!
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!
Oh glad you went and talked to them. Their pain management approach sounds reasonable and proactive, I like that!
The reason seroma fluid is sometimes nowhere near the incision is because of gravity. It just wants a place to go and will take the path of least resistance. It should clear up soon and you can also apply a warm washcloth to the area for a few minutes a few times a day to help it move along.
Keep us posted!
Benny55,
Jango is 65 pounds. They actually wrote him a script for 325mg hydrocodone with acetaminophen on top of the Rimydal, antibiotic and gabapentin.
Jerry,
Yes that make total sense now but in the moment my mind was everywhere as you could imagine. He seems to be doing better every day and we have gotten some great ideas from people on here, for instance we put a pair of my boxer briefs on him backwards and stuck his tail out of the hole so we can take the cone of shame off him while we are home with him
Oh I do remember how my mind went everywhere too during recovery. It's not easy at all. How is Jango doing today? Is his pain under control? Any more fluid leakage?
No there was never any fluid leakage. It was under the skin. It has dissipated fortunately. Pain seems to be under control and stitches come out tomorrow but one thing that is concerning me is his good hind leg is constantly giving out. I don’t know if it’s the gabapentin causing his loss of coordination or if the leg is asleep from laying on it for the last 12 days. I hope that is it and he doesn’t need physical therapy because I don’t know how we are supposed to swing that with both of us working.
An appointment with a Certified Rehabilitation Specialist can do wonders. And the good news is the Tripawds Foundation will pay for the first visit.
Often all you need is a solid good first visit with a specialist who will show you at home techniques to do. The main thing is you want to build Jango's core strength, his tummy strength.
Be sure and keep his activity level on the low side for now. Make sure he isn't doing any jumping on a sofa or going up and down stairs if possible to avoid for now.
Usually it takes about 2 weeks to recover from the surgery itself and about a month to actually get a strong flow going with his gate. He's using muscles in a different way than he has before and it takes a while to strengthen those particular muscles.
Jango sounds like overall he's doing really well.
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!
Hi Kory,
Yes it does sound like what Sally described, general weakness from recovery and the major hit of having one of the biggest surgeries there is. Time will help, and yes, do take advantage of our rehab reimbursement program so you can learn how to help him get strong.
It's awesome that otherwise his recovery sounds like it's on track. Fluid doesn't always leak and in a perfect situation it just re-absorbs into the body so consider that a win! 
Also, don't forget to put traction down on your floors so he can get around better if they're slippery surfaces. A weak back leg isn't unusual, since dogs have all of their propulsion power in the back end. In time as he gets his strength that rear leg won't give out as much. Keeping him extra slim is super important and again, that's where a rehaber can help you find his ideal weight.
Keep us posted on how he's doing this week OK? We are here for ya!
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