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Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat

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Questions about pain management post op
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Member Since:
29 March 2020
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15 April 2020 - 10:30 am
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Hi.  Jake's forelimb amputation is scheduled for 4/21.  I've been reading the book "3 legs and a spare " and many posts on pain control once Jake is home.  He's not limping right now and is on no pain meds. I am told to bring him there at 7:30.  These are my questions:

1.  I haven't specifically asked, "what pain management will you use?"  I am trusting that during surgery and the post op care in the clinic will be sufficient.  I trust my vet and the surgeon has many years of experience and comes highly recommended.  Should I ask what meds Jake will come home with to keep him out of pain?

2.  Should he be on a fentanyl patch the day before the surgery?

3.  Jake HATES taking pills and he isn't really food motivated.  He will sometimes leave his food in his bowl until supper time.  So I am afraid I won't be able to get the meds in him and he'll be in bad pain.  

              I want to advocate for Jake but feel there is a fine line between trusting the doctor knows what he's doing and me making sure I head off any real emergencies.  I haven't heard anything about dogs not taking pills well.  Your thought?  Thanks so much.

On The Road


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15 April 2020 - 10:51 am
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Hi Jake's people. I'm in the Tripawds Chat right now if you want to talk. 

Back in a sec with some thoughts...

Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet

On The Road


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15 April 2020 - 11:13 am
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You are giving such great thought to Jake's upcoming surgery and care. You're doing an excellent job as his advocate!

1.  I haven’t specifically asked, “what pain management will you use?”  I am trusting that during surgery and the post op care in the clinic will be sufficient. 

I know that it can feel uncomfortable to ask your vet things that we assume they already know. After all, most of us here weren't smart enough to go to vet school! 😉 But it really pays to ask as many questions as you'd like, especially about pain control, because that way you'll know what to expect. Also, sometimes vet professionals tend to forget that laypeople don't have experience giving pain medication to their pet, so it's good to get everyone on the same page. And unfortunately, not all vets are up on the latest pain management protocols, which I know is hard to believe but we see that all too often around here. So it pays to be extra vigilant. Here's what pain guru Dr. Mike Petty has to say about pain control and vets:

2.  Should he be on a fentanyl patch the day before the surgery?

It depends on the dog and your surgeon. Some get medications before, some do not depending on their situation. Fentanyl as a whole is falling out of favor with vets so most are giving dogs Gabapentin a day or two before surgery to ward off any potential phantom pain situations. Here's a great video we made with our friend Dr. Robin Downing, about managing amputation pain:

3.  Jake HATES taking pills and he isn’t really food motivated.  

He's not alone, many dogs hate taking pills and who can blame them? Thankfully there are workarounds. Check out these posts about giving pills to pets.

 I want to advocate for Jake but feel there is a fine line between trusting the doctor knows what he’s doing and me making sure I head off any real emergencies.

The key is to have a conversation with your vet. They love it when clients ask good questions! That way the client isn't calling the clinic about basic things that the vet assumed the client knew. When you don't know what to expect, things like side-effects can be very concerning if you're unprepared. Below, our friend Dr. Downing explains how to advocate and why:

Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet

Member Since:
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15 April 2020 - 12:20 pm
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Thank you so much!  Tons of information...So blessed to have this site (:  (and all of you!)

On The Road


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15 April 2020 - 12:22 pm
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You are so welcome! Just holler with whatever questions you have, we are here to help.

Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet

Member Since:
27 April 2019
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16 April 2020 - 6:56 am
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Hi Jake,

My Ronnie was the same post surgery and hated taking pills and was off his food, so i struggled to crush them into his food and know he was receiving the necessary dose. I relied in the end on a bit of a hack that i found worked 100% of the time

it's simple, but effective. 

wad of peanut butter on finger. push pill into peanut butter. open mouth with left hand and wipe blob of PB directly on back of tongue!

They will swallow a few times and you can know despite it's forced nature, its for his benefit!

HTH

On The Road


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16 April 2020 - 11:34 am
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ronniethepuggle said
it's simple, but effective. 

wad of peanut butter on finger. push pill into peanut butter. open mouth with left hand and wipe blob of PB directly on back of tongue!

They will swallow a few times and you can know despite it's forced nature, its for his benefit!

  

Oooh! Some day I would love to see that on video if you can get someone to film it. Thanks for the tip!

Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet

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16 April 2020 - 1:25 pm
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Thank you HTH so much!

Livermore, CA




Member Since:
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16 April 2020 - 1:41 pm
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My 100% pill delivery method is what I call the 'cheesy plate'.  Basically I soften up some cheese in the microwave for a few seconds to make it oily and slippery.

I made this video a year ago or so when Tripawd Elly was recovering from invasive dental surgery, maybe some tricks there that will help.

Good luck!

Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls

Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.

1999 to 2010

 

              Maggie's Story                  Amputation and Chemo

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16 April 2020 - 6:27 pm
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Thanks so much Karen, I'll give it a try!

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23 April 2020 - 7:44 am
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Jake is home!  We are so happy to have him back.  He pooped last night and is peeing.  He had a Fentanyl patch placed 4/20, surgery 4/21 and we got him 4/22.  He had a Nocita block.  He doesn't seem to be in pain BUT....He has NO interest in food.  Can't get his meds in.  Crushed tramadol last night w/ sugar water and into syringe and squirted in his mouth.  OK, success.  Now he bares teeth when he sees the syringe....won't let me near him.  

He is throwing up watery liquid off/on.  They said they "pumped him full of fluids".  Is it normal to appear bloated?

Should I ask for another fentanyl patch for him?  I'm afraid if I wait for him to get hungry then the pain may be out of control.  I don't know what to do...

This morning when I was crushing pills I then turned around to find Jake.  He had jumped up on the bed (his favorite spot).  That made me happy that he felt good enough to do this.  I have stairs for the bed to get him down and make sure this doesn't happen again.

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23 April 2020 - 8:59 am
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I called my vet.  They said they cannot give another fentanyl patch and I may need to buy a muzzle to get the meds in.  I refuse to do this so I guess I must wait until he gets a little hungry and hope for the best.  I got one tramadol pill in with peanut butter.  I'll try the liquid trick in a little bit.  I am just so afraid he will get in a lot of pain ...

Virginia







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23 April 2020 - 9:56 am
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WELCOME HOME JAKE!!!  And Mom, you are doing a great job!-!

So what specific  meds, other than Tramadol?  Frequency, dose amount and how much does Jake weigh?

Now, as far as Tramadol.  Supposedly it is basically  one of the most bitter, foul, awful tasting pills in the Planet!   Jake jas figured  out the syringe  means a dose of awful and he's not having it!!

1.  Make a couple of balls of liverwurst, or cream cheese, or hamburger, etc

2.  Use your thumb to make a little "dent", a  little "nest" for the pill..

3.  WITHOUT EVER LETTING THE TRAMADOL TOUCH YOUR HANDS,  use tweezers to place the pill in the little "dent".  Cover it up, again, without getting any scent  of the Tram on your hands, or exposed I. the ball.  Toss a couple of balls without the pill, toss the one with the pill, rapidity  toss another without.   Make sure there is no scent on your hands and that you only touch it with tweezers.

It sounds like his pain is fairly well handled right now from the patch and the Novicta, but, they are I  the process of wearing off soon. So try not to stress about that.  And good for you for not using a muzzle. You and Jake got this!!

And YAY for popping and peeing!!   And YAY for jumping up on his favorite spot!!!

 Not sure about the bloated tummy or throwing  up liquid.  Did the throw up happen after the syringe  task?    

Keep trying any yummy food he'll eat in  tiny small mea6 through the day.  Steak, pizza, rotisserie  chicken warmed...whatever works.

Keep is posted  and stay connected.   Recovery is not picnic at first,  but it doesn last fureber!!.

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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23 April 2020 - 12:42 pm
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Thanks so much Sally for responding, it means so much!  Jake is back at the veterinarians...

I am actually so relieved!  I knew I wasn't able to care for my little baby properly.  Believe me, Food means nothing to Jake until he's ready to eat.  I just could not trick him with food, and using the syringe to sneak it in wasn't working either.  Plus, since last night he's thrown up fluid atleast 10 times.  His surgeon said "HE NEEDS THE MEDS" so off to the hospital he went....I plan to board him until he can be off all meds.  I know this sounds drastic.

We adopted Jake at 1 year at the animal rescue.  He is a special needs dog due to his extreme anxiety.  He has made leaps and bounds.  He's so happy now, has a "small inner circle" as the behavior Doctor stated.  So when this cancer came about, I talked to the Doctor who helped with his anxiety and asked if she thought we should put him through this.  She said yes, or else we would eventually have to send him to the rainbow bridge. We felt he deserved a chance to have a happy life with us.  We love him so much and weren't ready to lose him.  So this medication dilemma doesn't actually surprise me but I was hoping that all the tips I received would be fruitful.  Once I realized he wasn't getting his needed medications I was so in a quandry.  So now I feel relieved.  I'm glad his surgery is over and he'll have the summer to get used to being a tripawd.

I so so love your super positive posts with everyone!  Thank you so muchsmiley2

New York, NY
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23 April 2020 - 4:24 pm
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Hi Connie!  I'm so glad that you have figured out a solution that you know is best for Jake - spending time at the vet where he can receive the meds he needs (I'm assuming intravenously).  I remember reading one of your earlier posts about Jake having special needs, and I applaud you for your commitment to doing whatever is best for him.  I read your post in another forum that you plan to start one for Jake's Journey - I can't wait to read how well he will do in his recovery. Griffin and I are sending lots of love from NYC! ~ Stacy

Griffin lived an amazing life for 11 years! Diagnosed with osteosarcoma on March 17, 2020, Griffin's right forelimb was amputated on April 2, 2020. Ten days later he was running and playing fetch! Lung metastasis discovered in July 2020 did not slow down Griffin and he lived joyfully for the next 7 months, passing peacefully at home on February 11, 2021. https://griffin.tripawds.com

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