Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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We are now 10 days past amputation and Bella seemed to be for the most part normal with the recovery process. Then last night she starting panting much worse.. and had one loud yelp. The panting last all night ...she never slept so obviously she is in pain. She is still eating and drinking.. moving very slow to get there...but still walking.. My stomach is in knots I just don't know what to do for her or what the problem is....
If it were me, I would get her to a vet. If for no other reason, it will put your mind at ease. Sending tons of good thoughts for you and Bella.
Shanna & Spirit Trouble ~ Trouble gained her wings 3/16/2011, a 27 1/2 month cancer survivor, tail wagging. RIP sweetheart, you are my heart and soul. Run free at Rainbow Bridge.
The November Five - Spirits Max, Cherry, Tika, Trouble & Nova. 11/2008 - 3/2013 An era ends as Queen Nova crossed the Bridge.
I agree with Shanna and Trouble, get to a vet - if nothing else for your own peace of mind. Does your vet have an emergeny number? Most do and these are the kinds of issues they have them for, Cioopers vet and I got to be on a first name basis after my many calls through the recovery - and Cooper now visits just for the sake of saying hello. The vet wont mind and if they do you need a different vet. I hope that doesnt sound offensive to anyone - its just my 2 cents worth.
Coopsdad/ Kenneth Blackburn
http://cooper.t.....ipawds.com
the monkeydogs only THINK they have invaded the tripawd state
Karen and Bella,
Set-backs are not only common during the first two weeks, I would have to say that they should be expected. At the 10 day mark, I would expect that Bella is totally off the painkillers, but if not, this may be a reaction to one of them. I know that Cherry and Emily had such bad reactions to Tramadol, that we each took them off the drug. I am not trying to dismiss the stress on you Karen, or Bella's distress, but rather trying suggestions. After Miss Cherry was done with chemotherapy (about two months), she also had a number of inidents of distress, from full blown boat (but not torsion), to extreme stomach distress. We never really found out why these occurred but bland food and time got us through. Be sure to check Bella's stomach area to determine if there is a "knot" in the stomach or if it is suptle (as it should be).
We send all our pawsitive thoughts your way and await any update.
Spirit Cherry's Dad
PS: Some of Miss Cherry's incidents did trigger a vet visit, but some did not. On one specific occasion, our local vet was away doing a half marathon with my wife.
Hi All,
Thanks, yes my vet is open 24/7. I should have given you guys more informaton but I was just upset when i wrote the email and now things have calm down. She was taking off on Thursday the Tramadol as per the vets order of one week. Friday she seemed ok off of it... but as I stated last night was terrible..At 5am this morning we put her back on and now at 11am she is sleeping comfortably. I am not sure if she was not ready to come off it or not.. but right now is a far cry from just a couple hours ago. I will watch her the rest of the day and see how it goes.. She is due for staples out on Wednesday.. I might try to cut down on the tramadol right now and see how it goes. Thanks for answering.. so quickly..just one of thoese nights I just felt so bad and the minute she stopped panting I thought she had died.. very stressful but I am glad all seem quiet at the moment..
Sorry to hear Bella and you had a tough go of it last night. It's good that she is taking water and food but I know the heavy panting can be very disheartening at times. I'm glad she seems to be feeling better now. I would definitely keep a close eye on her today and as others have already suggested talk with your vet if she doesn't continue to improve. Sending positive thoughts your way.
Fortis'Dad
Hi mybella, the admin yelled at me the other night for not making any forum posts yet 
so I figured Id start my first with you because I can relate to the on edge feeling and anxiety that comes along with this recovery. My georgia has done so well so far, 10 days postop 2day and the worst horror story I have is a 300 am bloodcurdling yelp that last for about 30 secs but seemed more like a half hour. That was her first night home and it was followed by up and down, up and down vigilance all night, maybe one hour's sleep all night. But since then, the nights have been quiet. Yes there are times of panting, restlessness, and waking in panic that she might be chewing on her staples, but I found that if I relax, she relaxes, its a general pack mentality. However, dont feel like your alone in being scared by every subtle discomfort, my wife chronically worries about our little girl. She too thinks the worst when Georgia shows a little trouble. She worried herself sick about how Georgia would react to this whole situation and weve been nothing but rewarded to the point that I actually feel guilty that shes doing so well. There is truth that they start to get more comfortable w/out the painmeds. After her fentanyl patch was off, her eyes were brighter and her sleep was sounder. I asked the doc about the Tram, and he said we could just discontinue. That was four days ago, but Ive read everyone weens them off, so Im give them to her till theyre gone, she has a couple left, one a day. Im hoping that when theyre gone, her playfulness returns. Its unusual for a Great Pyrenees to love chasing and playing ball, but shes always loved it, but doesnt even perk her ears at the sight of one right now. Anyway, thats my first post. Keep ur head up, take it easy, and take care!!
Don't panic about putting Bella back on Tramadol for a few more days. Trouble was taken off after the first week and a day later was put babk on for another 7 days. It was just a little too soon for her also.
So glad things are calming down for you.
Shanna & Spirit Trouble ~ Trouble gained her wings 3/16/2011, a 27 1/2 month cancer survivor, tail wagging. RIP sweetheart, you are my heart and soul. Run free at Rainbow Bridge.
The November Five - Spirits Max, Cherry, Tika, Trouble & Nova. 11/2008 - 3/2013 An era ends as Queen Nova crossed the Bridge.
Well, although her panting has gotten a little better then overnight.. that she can sleep some this afternoon...but when she is sleeping her breathing is going a million miles an hour .. I will call the Vet in the morning and see if they have any suggestions. I knew there were going to be bumps in this journey.. I just hate them....
I don't think I'd feel comfortable waiting until morning if her respiratory rate is that elevated whe she's asleep. There are many potential post-op complications that can cause this. Have you taken her temperature? If she has a fever, whatever the source, her respiratory rate will be increased. I'd be concerned as it's been going on all day.
I did call the vet. They said that some dogs need to be slowly taken off tramadoly and it could be an effect of her just stopping it..They said if she gets worse to call back otherwise.....call back in the morning and talk to the surgeon who did the amputation. Another long night...
I hope it is Tramadol withdrawal. I have used it rarely over the past year for Isabelle, at a 1/4 of the regular dose & never since her amputation. She had a fentanyl patch & a blessedly uneventful recovery. I hope things go well tonight & Bella is better in the morning. Try to get some rest yourself. You are taking wonderful care of her.
we had to wean Kess off of the tramadol. First half tablets and then 1/4 tablets.
Hi mybella and georgiagirl,
Welcome and sorry you have to be here. Love the pyrenees but then my Tazzie was half Pyre!
A few things: the surgeon who did my pup's surgery seemed to think that he would feel no pain. Any G.P. vet was more commonsensical and asked 'now how would you be feeling 1 or 2 weeks after your leg was amputated'. So although we initially stopped the tramadol, we resumed it for quite some time (can't remember exactly, mayb 2.5 or 3 weeks). I don't think there is a real downside medically, although it is a balancing act between being a bit dopier. Later, when Tazzie had mets that started to cause pain, we used tramadol at night more than the day. Then he was able to be coordinated during the day, but have more pain control at night, when it seemed to bug him.
But it sounds like something else is going on and I don't see anyone else who has mentioned it. Usually the tripawds bunch are quick to jump all over this. When a dog yelps suddenly with pain in the weeks or month after amputation, often people consider it a sign of phantom pain. The drug of choice for phantom pain seems to be Gabapentin. It can be used in combo with tramadol (I believe, although I am not a vet). In any case, definitely search the archives for "phantom pain " or "Gabapentin" and you should find heaps of info. Lots of dogs have had such yelps, which understandably are scary to hear.
Some dogs do bounce back right after surgery. My Tazzie was one of the slow-starters, doing an impersonation of a cement block for a few weeks before his crazy border collie x pyrenees zeal came back!
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