Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
Tripawds is your home to learn how to care for a three legged dog or cat, with answers about dog leg amputation, and cat amputation recovery from many years of member experiences.
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Hi, new to the forum. Morgan is 2 days post-rear leg amputation for osteo and mobility is great but having a tough time with pain control. Last night was tough. Currently on codeine, rymadel and using ice. Any good suggestions? We tried a few others in hospital but he has issues with vomiting and not eating so needing milder meds or non-pharmacologic pain control.
Hi Morgan and family, welcome. Your future posts won't require approval.
I'm sorry to hear about the diagnosis and his pain control issues. Depending on how much pain control he was given before surgery and during, controlling it after during recovery can be a challenge but it's not impossible. The first two weeks can be tough but they don't last forever.
The side effect of not eating is common in all dogs, but the vomiting obviously presents a problem for him when it comes to choosing a pain medication. Have you talked to your vet about trying a new protocol? What were their recommendations?
In our ebook, Three Legs and a Spare , we have an entire chapter dedicated to post-op pain relief. Among the most common drugs that are prescribed are:
Tramadol
Gabapentin
NSAIDs like Rimadyl or Metacam
Amantadine in combination with a NSAID.
Tripawds member veterinarian Dr. Wilztius says...
“ Amantadine helps prevent what is called pain “wind up”. Once the pain receptors are annoyed
it takes more pain meds to calm them down. This drug blocks that response and can be used for
1-2 weeks post op. Lots of dogs with chronic arthritis also take this drug for flare-ups when the
Rimadyl or other NSAIDs they are taking stop working.”
Less commonly Buprenorphine is given.
Here's a great video about pain managment from a rehabilitation therapy veterinarian.
Here's another article about pain management.
Talk to your vet to see what would work best but it definitely sounds like some stronger pain management is needed in order to help him with recovery.
Good luck and keep us posted!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi Sweet Morgan! You've just gotten the best advice in the world from Jerry...hipe it works for you!
Just want to say that for Happpy Hannah, recovery was realy tough! She did not sit for more than a mnute at a time for the first nineteen hours...restless, whimering, crying...you name it! And there was nothing I could do! Ane when she finalky did lay down, her sleep was only maybe an hour at a time for another several days and long,, long nignts. I don't thik lf saw much of any spark til at least going i to the seco d week. Now, many dogs have a much easier and faster recovery. It's wa to early to tell about Morgan. I'm just ett g you kw if it is a little slower for him, Napoh Hannan and I are here! We've experienced kt and we are SOOOOOOOO HAPPY NOW! Best decisin ever!
Just celebrated seven month ampuversary and continuing on (knocking on wood over here)! Talk about sprkle...I have to wear snglasses just to hug ner!! Every day is sacred, fun, joyful, lovng and full f more spoiling than I ever thought one human could bestow on a dog!
Please keep js posted and tell js ore about Morgan! He sou ds w derful! And as soon as you learn ow to do pnotos we NEED, hes NEED to see them! We love ohotos arou d nere!
You're doing great! Good job!
Try and get some zzzzzzz yourself, okay?
Sally and Happy Hannah
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!
Thanks, he seems much better during the ay now with Codeine and being back on Rimadyl. Plus he's eating so that is for sure helping, much less wimpering and he even worked really hard to scare the UPS man! We talked about Gabapentin with the vet but didn't feel it would be a good drug for him unless others didn't work. Prior to surgery he had already been on Rimadyl and Ultram for about a month so this will likely make things a little more for him.
Like a lot of spitz-derivative dogs, Sam was pretty med sensitive. Morphine and its ilk were absolutely no-nos--but we had to have it after surgery. The first 24 hours weren't too bad, since he was still in hospital. But the first two nights when we brought him home, as the meds worked their way out... eh, it was long. Morphine crazies aren't great with a regular dog...with a three-legged one, just one more complication.
Honestly, we did very little in terms of pain control meds--I didn't realize how non-american we were in our meds (or lack of) until much later.
We were on Piroxicam after we came home. Eventually, our routine was switched to Tramadol and Prednisone.
The first few nights are rough, I think, regardless of what you're on. I slept downstairs until we had calmed down...I don't think it changed much--but I don't know if switching the meds would have helped, either.
It really is amazing, though, how quickly they bounce back. I think about how long my rehabs all were, and it blows my mind that they CUT OFF MY DOG'S LEG and that recovery took about a picosecond, compared to my simplest surgeries (and poor guy got WAY less drugs).
Re: Gabepentin...all of our vets agreed that it was a last resort sort of thing (b/c Sam had no phantom limb pain). And indeed, we never needed it.
"Let us think the unthinkable, let us do the undoable, let us prepare to grapple with the ineffable itself, and see if we may not eff it after all."
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"May I recommend serenity to you? A life that is burdened with expectations is a heavy life. Its fruit is sorrow and disappointment. Learn to be one with the joy of the moment."
-Douglas Adams, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul
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