Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi all,
I have a 8 year old malamute, Max, who got diagnosed with bone cancer a few weeks ago. He got his front right leg amputated on Wednesday, stayed at the hospital overnight, and has been home with us since Thursday.
It's quite the stressful experience as every day seems to bring on different challenges. He ate dinner Thursday but was bloated and uncomfortable afterwards. He was extra drooly and didn't eat much Friday. Figured he was still bloated and uncomfortable from before. He finally pooped this morning, but still doesn't have much of an appetite. He seems to be more active today. My guess is the he's getting the hang of walking on 3 legs and the hospital drugs/Nocita is wearing off.
Max is still drooly/nauseous today but ate some ground turkey and chicken I made and is still interested in treats;however, he has become quite restless. He's having a hard time sitting still anywhere and usually pants a bunch. He'll even have moments where he get up in a hurry, like he was startled or scared. We thought it could be that the hospital drugs are wearing off and his pain or anxiety is settling in. We called the vet and she told us to give him gabapentin every 8 hours instead of 12 and to take him off CBD (37.5mg) for now as it could cause dogs to be more anxious. It seemed to work for a few hours, but he became restless shortly after again. The only thing that seems to put him at ease is hearing Dad play the guitar.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks all!
He's currently taking 400mg Gabapentin, 37.5mg Rimadyl, 20mg Famotidine, 200 mg Cefpodoxime, and 60 mg Cerenia.
Hello and Welcome, your future posts will not have to wait for approval.
Sorry for the delay in responding to your post.... how is Max today?
Many of the behaviors you describe can be pain signals . How much does he weigh? Is the 400 mg each dose or total?
Here is a guide to pain signals in dogs: pain signals
Be sure you aren't giving the Famotidine and the gaba together, my understanding is that the antacid can decrease the effectiveness of gaba (my old dog just started on gaba and the vet warned me about this).
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
He's better today, though he always seems to have a better time in the mornings than in the late afternoon and evenings. He's a pretty anxious dog to begin with, so we weren't sure if it was pain or anxiety. For example, he just let out a single yelp and then went back to sleep. Not sure if that's pain, nausea, or anxiety. He's still not eating the same, but he's been eating some of the cooked chicken and turkey we made. He's eating like a quarter of what he used to eat.
Max weighs about 84 lbs and each dose is 400mg.
Good note on the Famotidine and Gabapentin. We have been giving it to him at more or less the same time. The vet didn't mention anything about this, but we'll try to offset this now.
Hey Max and family welcome. You're in the toughest part of recovery and I promise things do get better! By staying in contact with your vet you can work out his pain management regimen to that sweet spot where he's not anxious and uncomfortable.
Usually dogs don't show anxiety if they're nauseated. Drooling for sure is one sign but I've never heard of anxiety as a nausea signal. I could be wrong, I'm no vet.
His Gabapentin dosage sounds adequate for a dog his size. How often is he taking the Gabapentin? Sometimes moving the dosage from every 12 hours to every 8 does the trick. Ask your vet.
Possibly adding in Amantadine can help too. It's another type of pain medication that some dogs get when they need a bit more pain control. Being that Max is larger, that's entirely possible. Again, check with your vet.
I didn't know that about Famotidine, thank you Karen!!!!
Being that he's normally anxious it may be trickier than usual to get this figured out but it'll happen.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Oh and as for the not eating, that is super common at this stage. Pain meds dull appetite. Just keep him hydrated. Appetite will come back when the pain control gets dialed in.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thanks for the tips and the words of encouragement. Things have been so exhausting and stressful since his surgery.
I plan on calling them first thing tomorrow when they open. We are now giving him gabapentin every 8 hours after noticing how restless he got yesterday. Speaking of, he's beginning to get restless again now. He's done this twice in the last hour - lay down, yelp/cry, and then try to run off. I just gave him his next dosage, so hopefully that helps give him some relief.
And apologies about the nausea and anxiety description. I may not have explained it very clearly. We figured the nausea and drooling were symptoms from all the drugs he's had, and the anxiety was from the anesthesia and everything else. Max will get anxious if things are out of his routine or he feels different/funny. He seems to be quite sensitive in that way.
Ahhh OK that makes sense about the nausea/anxiety. Yes some dogs are highly sensitive in this situation, it's sudden change. Not unusual but I know that doesn't make things any easier on all of you. I hope the vet has some good insight tomorrow. It does sound like there's phantom pain happening based on the way he's trying to run off suddenly, after the cry. Let us know what they say OK?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Update:
The vet told us to give him 200 mg Trazadone every 12 hours to help with his anxiety. They think his episodes are due to his anxiety around all the new adjustments and weirdness he's feeling, not pain. We'll see how this goes. He had a rough night last night, but is calm and asleep now. Fingers crossed!
That sounds like it's worth a try. So glad you got in touch with them and have a plan. Oftentimes all it takes is some fine-tuning to get the recovery into a better place. I hope things get better from here! Keep us posted.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Update:
Good news is that the Trazadone seems to make him more calm. He's less restless and has been sleeping more.
Bad news is (and I don't know if this is related) but he hasn't peed since Sunday, hasn't pooped since Saturday, and is not super interested in drinking water or eating food/treats.
We spoke to the vet this morning again and they said that we have to find the right balance of his meds. We've cut his Trazadone to 100mg, but will probably cut it in half again and give it to him on an as needed basis.
Kind of worried that he's not interested in going to the bathroom or drinking in addition to not eating. We'll bring him outside, but he ends up just standing there. He has been leaving little medallions of poop wherever he lays. They're usually dark brown and dry ish, which makes sense since hasn't been drinking much water. I bought a syringe yesterday to try to get him to drink more, and that works to a certain extent. He'll just let the water run out of his mouth eventually.
Just catching up on yoir handsome Max.
Others will chime in, but needn't be too worried about lack of poop, but not peeing since Sunday. Did the Vet offer any "timeline" so to speak, meaning that if he doesn't pee by a certain time then bring him in?? Did the Vet mention expressing his bladder?
Bas3d on what you've said regarding his intake of fluids (or lack of), he may be dehydrated which would also change his poop habits and lack of appetite as well.
As weird as it sounds, do you have access to another dog who could come over and pee in his yard? That may trigger jis desire to mark his territory.
Sorry I'm not much help. It certainly may be the reduction in Trazedone will help. However, it seems that being partially whacked out from the sedation would make him appear more along the lines of being incontinent and peeing in his bed.
If you haven't already done so, try flavoring the water maybe with chicken broth, etc. Maybe try and get him to drink some chicken noodle soup, minus the sodiu
Oh, as far as check for dehydration, I guess you know how to pull up the skin on his neck and see if it "bounces back" or keeps more of a tent look.
Keep us posted. Hoping the Traz reduction is what is causing all the issues and they go away quickly.
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!
Raven, my black lab mix had his front leg amputated 3/11. The 1st week was rough, esp at night. He still wakes up and yelps and will just hop to another room and stand. Be patient... it is a learning curve for you & the dog to adjust. Gentle massage/petting seemed to help during these rough times and helped relax him so he would lay down. Raven's appetite disappeared but we use shredded cooked chicken breast to entice him to eat and crunchy unsweetened peanut butter to get his pills down. Diluted low sodium chicken broth added helped get some fluids in him. It is tough, but each day is a little better. The pain meds seemed to make him "anxious". Once the Fentanyl patch came off, he seemed better. Hang in there.
Dang I'm sorry that you guys are going through this! It's not uncommon (especially with his breed, they seem to be really sensitive?) but it's upsetting I know. I'm x2ing all of what Sally said. And I learned something, I didn't know about that dehydration trick (does it work on middle aged ladies too? lol!)
Yes, see if another dog can come over to get him to pee. Dogs shouldn't go more than 12 hours without urinating. I'm hoping he's done it by now.
Be suuuuuper careful about giving him water through the syringe, you don't want him to aspirate (apologies if I mentioned that before, can't remember). It's better and safer to tempt him by spiking his water bowl if possible.
How's his mobility now that the Traz is reduced?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
suebdog4341 said
Raven, my black lab mix had his front leg amputated 3/11. The 1st week was rough, esp at night. He still wakes up and yelps and will just hop to another room and stand. Be patient... it is a learning curve for you & the dog to adjust. Gentle massage/petting seemed to help during these rough times and helped relax him so he would lay down. Raven's appetite disappeared but we use shredded cooked chicken breast to entice him to eat and crunchy unsweetened peanut butter to get his pills down. Diluted low sodium chicken broth added helped get some fluids in him. It is tough, but each day is a little better. The pain meds seemed to make him "anxious". Once the Fentanyl patch came off, he seemed better. Hang in there.
these suggestions! Thank you!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Update when you can....especially about the pee!
Yeah, the Vet told me about the hydration testa long time ago, so guess it's still valid.
I didn't know about that dehydration trick (does it work on middle aged ladies too? lol!)
Haha...... "middle aged women" can pinch the skin on the back of their hands or under the skin under collar bone for the "snap back" or so I've been told..
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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