Hi Sally--

I can't answer all of your questions but I can try to answer some. This will be long but hopefully it helps.

Many dogs tank a few days after surgery. It's very common and seems to be a combination of surgical drugs being metabolized out of their systems and feeling well enough to maybe do a bit too much on the first couple of days. When a dog comes home after surgery, they have loads of potent drugs in their bodies. It takes a few days for some of them to work their way out. In the meantime, the dog is high as a kite and feeling little pain. They maybe hop around too much, try to do things they shouldn't, and then when they finally feel it, they're knocked back pretty hard.

My dog tanked on about day 4. Like you, I wondered if he was going to be happy and recover. I knew the surgery was necessary, but I wasn't sure his personality was going to survive it. It was several days before he came back. I said he acted like he was depressed and discouraged. He seemed so doggone sad.

I am concerned about a couple of things you said. I am concerned that Hannah sounds like she has a large seroma , and that should probably be drained if it is a large as you are describing. I am also concerned that she is acting like she is in pain. The difficult thing in this is adjusting pain meds to get the balance right. Too much medication resembles too little. A dog in pain will pant, whine, shift position, sometimes hold its head down looking at the floor, have a rigid body (rigid muscle tone), and often refuse to sit or stand or lay down, depending on what hurts. A dog with too much pain medication will do some of these same things. They whine, pant (a lot), shift position, act kind of like they want to get up and run off. I can't describe it but it's like they are uncomfortable and plotting escape.

I am not a vet. I cannot advise you on pain medication. But I can tell you how much my 80 pound Dakota was taking. He took 75 mg of Deramaxx (similar to Rimadyl) twice a day for about a week, and 100 mg of Tramadol 3 or 4 times a day. At about a week, I cut the Tramadol to 3 times a day and began tapering it off so that he was going down to 50 mg 2 or 3 times a day. He also began taking Deramaxx once a day. His last day of meds was day 11 and he was fine at that point. He continued 37 mg of Deramaxx for arthritis.

If Hannah has not been prescribed what sounds like a reasonable amount of Tramadol and Rimadyl, then you need to get pushy about that.

Women are often told as children not to be pushy, not to make trouble, not to make waves. In this case, you need to be pushy and rock the boat. Be polite, but be insistent. "My dog is in distress. It is absolutely urgent that you see us. I will bring her in and wait in the office until the doctor can see her. I will be there in an hour." Don't ask permission, don't ask if it's ok. Just say you need to do this and so you will. It's part of what you paid for.

You took her to a specialist but you don't like him. Who referred you there? Can you take Hannah to her regular vet? If you really think this guy is incompetent, you can call a shelter or a rescue and get names of competent vets. Rescues don't use idiots. 

The good news is that Hannah's temp seems normal. Dogs run between 101.5 and 102.5 so she's ok there.

Remember: Medication can be adjusted. Too much is as bad as too little. Seromas aren't dangerous but should be looked at. Be politely insistent and pushy. Don't quit. Don't panic. Don't decide until it's been a month that this was a bad idea. 

Come back tomorrow and update. We care, and we'll worry till we hear from you. The chat room is full. I popped over here from chat, so come on in. 

Shari

Yes, after one appointment at the vet Jill was very fussy about her water and wanted it ICE COLD - try adding some ice cubes to her water and see if that works?   Glad you are feeling better.  Remember, don't be afraid to ask questions.  I was very bashful at first about asking "too many questions" or being too pushy and then my mom said to me, "how do you think the vet would be if it were THEIR pet" and that changed my outlook!

Hey Sally and Hannah,
Hope you are are doing better. I just came across your post. Bruno, an American Bulldog, was a 90-100 lb boy and ended up flourishing as a tripawd. He too was older, , but did well. Hopefully these are just minor INITIAL setbacks which will be resolved soon. You have definitely come to the right place though for support, evidence, and a widespread collection of individual personal accounts. Jim/Jerry is right when he says to "go with your gut". That's my number one advice as well. You head and heart can be off, but your gut usually is on point. Bruno and all other new Tripawds take time to "come back to". The drugs have to wear off long enough for their sparkle to be able to shine through again.
I would say though that on the issue of hydration, I would either add water to Hannah's food, give her a 50/50 mixture of (non-flavored) pedialyte within her water, or both. The pedialyte hAs the electrolytes needed to stave off dehydration, which could Lead to other potentially serious issues. We too live in a rural area where his vet visits were 6 hrs+ round trip drive to Oklahoma State University from NW Arkansas.

Hope this helps and that you all are in better spirits. Good luck. Keep us updated.
Maricela and Spirit Bruno